Sweet Dreams (1985)

Director:

Karel Reisz

Writer:

Robert Getchell (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

Lange stunningly portrays Patsy Cline, the velvet-voiced country singer who died in a tragic plane crash. |

Plot Keywords:

Singer | Dysfunctional Marriage | Reflection | Marriage | Sentimental

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Jessica Lange	...	Patsy Cline
Ed Harris	...	Charlie Dick
Ann Wedgeworth	...	Hilda Hensley
David Clennon	...	Randy Hughes
James Staley	...	Gerald Cline
Gary Basaraba	...	Woodhouse
John Goodman	...	Otis
P.J. Soles	...	Wanda
Terri Gardner	...	Old Singer
Caitlin Kelch	...	Sylvia
Robert L. Dasch	...	John
Courtney Parker	...	Older Julie
Coulton Edwards	...	Baby Randy
Holly Filler	...	Madrine
Bruce Kirby	...	Arthur Godfrey
Jerry Haynes	...	Owen Bradley
Kenneth White	...	Big Bill Shakey
Stonewall Jackson	...	Announcer at Opry
Jake T. Robinson	...	Biker
Boxcar Willie	...	Old Man in Jail
Tony Frank	...	Bartender
Charlie Walker	...	Cowboy Copas
Frank Knapp Jr.	...	Hawkshaw Hawkins
Ric Kidney	...	TV Technician (as Richard J. Kidney)
Jack Slater	...	Recording Engineer
Missy Proulx	...	Girlfriend at Fair
Aldea Pope	...	Girlfriend at Fair
Carlton Cuse	...	Sergeant
John E. Davis	...	Skip Catmill
John Walter Davis	...	Stone
Toni Sawyer	...	Baby Nurse
Robert Rothwell	...	Plastic Surgeon
Patricia Allison	...	Surgery Nurse
William Byrd	...	Patsy's Band: Bass
John R. Smarr	...	Patsy's Band: Guitar
Fred K. Young	...	Patsy's Band: Drums
Curtis Young	...	Patsy's Band: Singer / Guitar
Michael David Black	...	Patsy's Band: Singer / Guitar
Don Warden	...	Opry Band: Steel Guitar
Timothy N. Tappan	...	Opry Band: Piano
William Edward Taylor	...	Opry Band: Guitar
Lonnie Ray Jones	...	Opry Band: Guitar
Douglas B. Green	...	Opry Band: Singer
Gary W. Pigg	...	Opry Band: Singer
Paul W. Chrisman	...	Opry Band: Singer
Fred LaBour	...	Opry Band: Singer
James Bartley Young	...	Kracker Band: Acoustic Guitar
Fred Paul Tenly	...	Kracker Band: Electric Guitar
Odie Palmer	...	Kracker Band: Electric Guitar
Walter Caton	...	Kracker Band: Fiddle
Dennis Donaldson	...	Kracker Band: Piano
Jimmy Mack Hodge Jr.	...	Kracker Band: Steel Guitar
Irv Cook	...	Studio Musician
Peter Robert Grant	...	Studio Musician
Jim Kipman	...	Studio Musician
William Landers	...	Studio Musician
Jimmy Vann	...	Studio Musician
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Riders in the Sky
Pamela Clay	...	Funeral Attendee (uncredited)
Brian L. McCarty	...	Alto Saxophonist (uncredited)

Directed by
Karel Reisz

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Getchell		writer

Produced by
Charles Mulvehill	....	co-producer
Bernard Schwartz	....	producer

Original Music by
Charles Gross

Cinematography by
Robbie Greenberg

Film Editing by
Malcolm Cooke

Casting by
Ellen Chenoweth

Production Design by
Albert Brenner

Art Direction by
David M. Haber

Set Decoration by
Garrett Lewis

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist
Robert L. Stevenson	....	hair department head
Toni-Ann Walker	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Charles Mulvehill	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Barbara Bruno	....	dga trainee
Patrick Crowley	....	assistant director

Art Department
David B. Brenner	....	foreman
Emily Ferry	....	property master
Bill Luckey	....	assistant property master
Richard Dean Rankin	....	construction coordinator
Nancy Stearn	....	set designer
Kandy Stern	....	set
Frances W. Wells	....	set designer
Mark Woods	....	lead man

Sound Department
Bill Barringer	....	assistant sound editor
Derek Brechin	....	assistant sound editor (as Derek G. Brechin)
Don Coufal	....	production sound
Joe Gallagher	....	assistant sound editor
Derek Holding	....	sound editor
Ray Merrin	....	assistant to re-recording mixer
Colin Miller	....	sound editor
Bill Rowe	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Sappinger	....	assistant sound editor
Andy Stears	....	assistant sound editor
Jim Stuebe	....	production sound (as James Stuebe)
Jeff Wexler	....	production sound

Special Effects by
Rodney M. Byrd	....	special effects
Burt Dalton	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Brian Smithies	....	visual effects

Stunts
Greg Brickman	....	stunts
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunts
Gilbert B. Combs	....	stunt coordinator
Harry Madsen	....	stunts
Herb Schneider	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Dana Altomare	....	camera operator: New York
James Blanford	....	camera operator: Chicago (as Jim Blanford)
Angelo Di Giacomo	....	camera operator: New York
Brian C. Glover	....	camera operator: Chicago (as Brian Glover)
Conrad W. Hall	....	first assistant camera
Chris Hayes	....	camera operator: New York (as Christopher Hayes)
Paul Jacobsen	....	set lighting technician
Danny Jimenez	....	dolly grip (as Daniel S. Jiminez)
Jon L. Kunkel	....	second assistant camera (as Jon Kunkel)
William A. Lowman	....	best boy electric
Melton Maxwell	....	chief set lighting technician
Tom Ramsey	....	key grip (as Thomas Ramsey)
Dwayne Redlin	....	best boy grip (as Dwayne Scott Redlin)
Chuck Sharp	....	best boy electric (as Charles W. Sharp)
Joseph Staton	....	second assistant camera (as Joe Staton)
Bruce W. Talamon	....	still photographer (as Bruce Talamon)
John Toll	....	camera operator
Julian Wilson	....	camera operator: Chicago (as Julian L. Wilson)

Casting Department
Mark Niclas	....	extras casting
Bobin Reed	....	casting assistant
Karen Standard	....	casting assistant
Darilyn Stringer	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mary Malin	....	associate costume designer
Rita Salazar	....	key costumer
Elisabeth Seley	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Rita Ackland-Snow	....	first assistant editor: UK
Daniel Candib	....	second assistant editor
Richard Candib	....	first assistant editor: USA
Debra Goldfield	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
George Brand	....	music editor
Brian L. McCarty	....	music background operator

Transportation Department
Walt Freitas	....	transportation coordinator
Wayne Nelson	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Carlton Cuse	....	assistant to producer
David Dodson	....	location assistant: Tennessee
Nora Dunfee	....	dialogue accent coach
Wilma Garscadden-Gahret	....	script supervisor
Pierre H. Grellet	....	location manager: West Virginia
Paul Harris	....	production assistant
Jeff Hawke	....	aerial sequence coordinator
Larry Kaplan	....	unit publicist
K. Lenna Katich	....	production controller
Nina Kostroff-Noble	....	production assistant (as Nina Kostroff)
Patricia Ledford	....	location manager: Tennessee
Patt McCurdy	....	production coordinator
Barney Reisz	....	production assistant
Susan Scanlan	....	choreographer
John R. Woodward	....	location manager

Production Companies

• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Silver Screen Partners

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Incorporated Television Company (ITC) (1980s) (USA) (TV)
• Lumière Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Thorn EMI (video)

Other Companies

• Bose Corporation  music playback system
• Camera Effects  titles
• Panavision  camera equipment provided by
• The Clearing House Ltd.  music clearances
• Thorn EMI Film Studios Ltd.  sound re-recording

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Center Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Trivia:

The film was originally to be titled "I Fall to Pieces" after Cline's biggest hit before being changed to Sweet Dreams.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The guitar that the singer/MC is using on the "Opry" stage is a Fender acoustic, not available until at least 1966.

Quotes:

Hilda Hensley: Well, good morning.
Patsy Cline: Says who?
Hilda Hensley: Oh, for heavens sake girl, sit up and take nourishment. Charlie'll have his first leave in three weeks and you walk around with your lower lip draggin' the floor in front of you. You big bawl baby. I oughta fix you a sugar tit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.76)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

That'll Be the Day

three great performances make a fine film

I will say at the onset that I thought Beverly D"Angelo was a slightly better Patsy Cline ..at least, she looked more like Patsy, who was fairly Rubenesque in real life. Still, Jessica Lange captures the sassy, spunky, bawdy spirit of the great Cline. Ed Harris ( always superb) is wonderful, capturing Charlie Dicks tender side, as well as the time when he acted like, like , well, a dick.Anne Wedgeworth, a fine under-used actress was good as Patsy's mother. In short, one of the few good "Country" movies ever made.