Throw Momma from the Train (1987)

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writer:

Stu Silver (written by)

Release Date:

11 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Owen asked his friend, Larry, for a small favor...

Plot:

A bitter ex-husband. A put upon momma's boy. Both want their respective spouse and mother dead, but who will pull it off?

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Writing | Murder | Student | Professor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Danny DeVito	...	Owen
Billy Crystal	...	Larry
Kim Greist	...	Beth
Anne Ramsey	...	Momma
Kate Mulgrew	...	Margaret
Branford Marsalis	...	Lester
Rob Reiner	...	Joel
Bruce Kirby	...	Detective DeBenedetto
Joey DePinto	...	Sargeant
Annie Ross	...	Mrs. Hazeltine
Raye Birk	...	Pinsky
Oprah Winfrey	...	Herself
Olivia Brown	...	Ms. Gladstone
Philip Perlman	...	Mr. Perlman
Stu Silver	...	Ramon
J. Alan Thomas	...	Millington
Randall Miller	...	Bucky
Andre Rosey Brown	...	Rosey (as Andre 'Rosey' Brown)
Tony Ciccone	...	Mr. Lopez
William Ray Watson	...	Steward
Larry McCormick	...	Announcer
Peter Brocco	...	Old Man
Hettie Lynne Hurtes	...	Reporter
Karen J. Westerfield	...	Laughing Woman
Stanley L. Gonsales	...	Cab Driver
Fred Gephart	...	Priest
Don Burns	...	Radio DJ
Billy Childs	...	Jazz Band
Ralph Penland	...	Jazz Band
Tony Dumas	...	Jazz Band
Ne Kaholokula	...	Hawaiian Band of Musicians & Dancers

Directed by
Danny DeVito

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Stu Silver		written by

Produced by
Larry Brezner	....	producer
Kristine Johnson	....	co-producer
J. Marina Muhlfriedel	....	associate producer
Arne Schmidt	....	executive producer (as Arne L. Schmidt)

Original Music by
David Newman

Cinematography by
Barry Sonnenfeld		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Michael Jablow

Production Design by
Ida Random

Art Direction by
William A. Elliott		(as William Elliott)

Set Decoration by
Anne D. McCulley

Costume Design by
Marilyn Vance		(as Marilyn Vance-Straker)

Makeup Department
Dorothy Byrne	....	hair stylist
Ken Chase	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Charles Newirth	....	production manager (as Charles J. Newirth)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Amundson	....	second second assistant director (as Michael A. Amundson)
Joe Napolitano	....	first assistant director
Michele Panelli-Venetis	....	second assistant director (as Michele A. Panelli)

Art Department
Carol Banever	....	graphic designer
Frank L. Brown	....	assistant property master
R. Gilbert Clayton	....	set designer
Henry Darnell	....	sculptor
Jerry Gadette	....	stand-by painter
David Harris	....	greens foreman
Rodney Liber	....	construction auditor
C.J. Maguire	....	property master
Joseph G. Pacelli Jr.	....	set designer
Stephanie Rogers	....	art department assistant
George Stokes	....	construction coordinator
Kenneth L. Westcott	....	lead man
Steven Curtis Husch	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Luigi Mugavero	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Frank White	....	labor foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Gina Bergstrom	....	assistant sound editor
Stu Bernstein	....	foley artist
David B. Cohn	....	supervising adr editor
Don Coufal	....	production sound
Carlos Delarios	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley walker (as Gary Hecker)
Scott Hecker	....	sound editor (as Scott A. Hecker)
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Martel	....	assistant sound editor
Bob Newlan	....	sound editor
Aaron Rochin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert R. Rutledge	....	supervising sound editor
Jerry Stanford	....	sound editor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley walker
Jim Stuebe	....	production sound
Robert Waxman	....	sound editor
Jeff Wexler	....	production sound
Marty Church	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Brian L. McCarty	....	boom operator (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Thomas R. Burman	....	special effects makeup: The Burman Studio Inc. (as Tom Burman)
Bari Dreiband-Burman	....	special effects makeup: The Burman Studio Inc.
John Frazier	....	special effects coordinator
Rocky Gehr	....	special effects (as Rocky A. Gehr)

Visual Effects by
Robert D. Bailey	....	special photographic effects
Rocco Gioffre	....	matte artist
Mark Sullivan	....	matte artist

Stunts
Vince Deadrick Jr.	....	stunts
Vince Deadrick Sr.	....	stunt coordinator
Richard Drown	....	stunts
Dana Dru Evenson	....	stunts
Donna Garrett	....	stunts
Marguerite Happy	....	stunts
Orwin C. Harvey	....	stunts
Larry Holt	....	stunts
Peter Horak	....	stunts
Wally Rose	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunts
Jerry Summers	....	stunts
Mike Tillman	....	stunts
Jim Wilkey	....	stunts
Joe Fury	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jay Davis	....	rigging key grip
Robert W. Duggan	....	dolly grip
M. Todd Henry	....	camera operator
Kevin Kelley	....	gaffer
Mark La Bonge	....	second assistant camera
Robert LaBonge	....	first assistant camera
Laurel Moore	....	still photographer
Walter Nicols	....	rigging gaffer
Chris O'Neil	....	best boy
Jonathan O'Neil	....	lamp operator
Tom Prophet Jr.	....	key grip
Scott J. Prophet	....	best boy grip (as Scott Prophet)
Reid Reilich	....	video playback operator
Fred Scialla	....	still photographer
David Canestro	....	grip (uncredited)
Paul Jacobsen	....	electrician (uncredited)
Paul Jacobsen	....	rigger (uncredited)

Casting Department
Bess Gilbert	....	extras casting: Cenex Inc.
Patrick Rush	....	casting assistant
Todd M. Thaler	....	additional casting (as Todd Thaler)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Elinor Bardach	....	costumer (as Elinor C. Bardach)
Michele Neely	....	costume supervisor
Pasquale Siciliano	....	tailor

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Duwayne Dunham	....	additional editor
Carrie Ellison	....	second assistant editor
Giovanna Giumarra	....	post-production assistant
Jay Ignaszewski	....	assistant editor
Kelly Mahan-Jaramillo	....	second assistant editor (as Kelly Mahan)
Lynne Southerland	....	assistant editor (as Lynn Southerland)

Music Department
Tim Boyle	....	score mixer
David Klingenberger	....	music researcher
Tom Villano	....	music editor: Segue Music
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe and English horn (uncredited)
Chris Silagyi	....	music consultant (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tom Briggs	....	transportation captain
Tom F. Thomas	....	transportation coordinator (as Tom Thomas)

Other crew
Alicia Anthony	....	post-production auditor
Tony Ciccone	....	set assistant (as Tony 'Mopar' Ciccone)
James Clark	....	train consultant
Allegra Clegg	....	production coordinator
Ron Eisenman	....	first aid
Tony Kerum	....	catering: Tony's Food Service
Linda Kwaska	....	production associate (as Linda Kwasha)
Arnold Lipsman	....	publicity: PMK Public Relations
Harold Michelson	....	continuity consultant
Thomas Miligan	....	csa trainee (as Thomas E. Miligan)
Craig Pointes	....	location manager
Stan Rosenfield	....	publicity: PMK Public Relations
Steve Serber	....	assistant accountant
Cheryl A. Stone	....	production accountant (as Cheryl Stone)
Julie Strassman	....	assistant: Mr. Silver
Judy Thomason	....	assistant coordinator
Arthur Tostado	....	laboratory contact: Consolidated Film Industries (as Art Tostado)
Todd Trotter	....	office assistant
Jim Turner	....	financial representative
Esther Vivante	....	script supervisor
Karen Westerfield	....	craft service (as Karen J. Westerfield)
Nancy Willen	....	unit publicist
Matthew T. Adams	....	body double (uncredited)
Arthur J. Miller Jr.	....	location scout (uncredited)
Paul Rahmes	....	personal assistant to director (uncredited)
Melissa J.L. Smith	....	post facilities manager (uncredited)
Stephanie Spangler	....	location manager: Kauai (uncredited)
Ladd Vance	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Orion Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1988) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Constantin-Film (1988) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Hoyts Distribution (1987) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rank Film Distributors (1988) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1990) (USA) (TV)
• Flashstar Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (198?) (Argentina) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Orion Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Burman Studio, The (special make-up effects)

Other Companies

• BT Industrial Supply  expendables
• Chapman Equipment  camera dollies (as Chapman)
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• D. Bassett & Associates  negative cutting
• Dennison/Selzer  casting
• Hansard  process photography
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Intrada  score album released by (limited edition)
• Lorimar Studios  sound re-recording
• PMK Public Relations  publicity
• Saxon/Ross Film Design  titles
• Segue Music  music editing
• Tony's Food Service  catering

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min | Germany:87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG | Iceland:L | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:AL (video rating) | France:U

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Larry on the train talks to Owen about the perfect beginning of a novel and mentions Charles Dickens' 'A Tale of Two Cities'. "It was the best of times it was the worst of times..". Momma then says, 'The night was sultry'. This is a variation of the line,'The night was so very sultry.'. A quote from the same novel.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Owen sneaks into Margaret's house, he's barefoot. Then when her gardener shows up, he has to hide behind the couch, it clearly shows he has shoes on.

Quotes:

Larry:Hate makes you impotent, Love makes you crazy, somewhere in the middle you can survive.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Danny DeVito/Bryan Ferry (#13.6)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

PUHI PUHI O'SOLE PIPI

A writer writes - well, he tries to, anyway

Billy Crystal is Larry, a writer who hasn't written and is suspected of murder in "Throw Momma from the Train," costarring Danny Devito and Anne Ramsey. The phrase "black comedy" was invented for this insanity, which is a take-off on Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." In fact, Owen (Devito) gets the idea of having Larry kill his mother in exchange for Owen killing Larry's ex from watching that famous film. "I saw the movie. Criss-cross," Owen tells Larry. Not that Larry knows what he's talking about until it appears it's too late - just like "Strangers." Larry, a writing teacher, claims that his ex-wife, played by Kate Mulgrew, stole his book and put her name on it. She has become a big celebrity, appearing on "Oprah," where she refers to Larry as "a beast." Owen is in Larry's class. He lives with an abusive Neanderthal mother (Ramsey) and has visions of poisoning her, sticking a scissors in her head - you name it. It's not long after seeing "Strangers on a Train" that he's in Honolulu, stalking Larry's wife. While she's leaning over a boat railing trying to get an earring, Owen stands behind her and creeps up...Soon the police are looking for Larry to question him, but he's at Owen's where he's being encouraged to live up to his end of a bargain he had no idea he made. You know, "criss-cross." There are several scenes copied from "Strangers," which are hilarious. I especially loved Larry's confession to the sleeping Mrs. Lift, Owen's mother, similar to when Guy thinks he's talking to Bruno's stepfather.

Crystal and DeVito are complete masters of comic dialogue and timing and will leave you laughing, often out loud. Ramsey is repulsively funny - a totally "out there" performance. Kim Griest and Rob Reiner also have roles - Griest is Crystal's girlfriend, and Reiner has what amounts to a cameo.

The ending is very clever, and the whole film will leave you laughing.