Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Director:

Frank Oz

Writers (WGA):

Dale Launer (written by) and
Stanley Shapiro (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

Nice guys finish last. Meet the winners.

Plot:

Lawrence and Freddie are con-men; big-time and small time respectively. They unsuccessfully attempt...

Plot Keywords:

Bet | 1980s | Remake | Big Con | Paralysis

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Freddy Benson
Michael Caine	...	Lawrence Jamieson
Glenne Headly	...	Janet Colgate
Anton Rodgers	...	Inspector Andre
Barbara Harris	...	Fanny Eubanks
Ian McDiarmid	...	Arthur
Dana Ivey	...	Mrs. Reed
Meagen Fay	...	Lady from Oklahoma
Frances Conroy	...	Lady from Palm Beach
Nicole Calfan	...	Lady in Dining Car
Aïna Walle	...	Miss Krista Knudsen
Cheryl Pay	...	Lady with Pearls
Nathalie Auffret	...	Marion
Lolly Susi	...	Lady in Rolls Royce
Rupert Holliday-Evans	...	English Sailor #1 (as Rupert Holliday Evans)
Hepburn Graham	...	English Sailor #2
Xavier Maly	...	Hotel Bellboy
André Penvern	...	Waiter on the Train
Louis Zorich	...	Greek Millionaire
Georges Gerrard Baffos	...	Assistant Hotel Manager
Valerie Beaufils	...	Pretty Beach Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Patricia Davidson	...	Woman with dogs (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Oz

Writing credits (WGA)
Dale Launer		(written by) and
Stanley Shapiro		(written by) &
Paul Henning		(written by)

Produced by
Charles Hirschhorn	....	executive producer
Dale Launer	....	executive producer
Bernard Williams	....	producer

Original Music by
Miles Goodman

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Stephen A. Rotter
William S. Scharf		(as William Scharf)

Casting by
Donna Isaacson
John S. Lyons		(as John Lyons)

Production Design by
Roy Walker

Art Direction by
Damien Lanfranchi
Steve Spence

Set Decoration by
Rosalind Shingleton

Costume Design by
Marit Allen

Makeup Department
Lois Burwell	....	makeup artist: Mr. Caine
Pascal Charbonnier	....	makeup artist
Janet Flora	....	makeup artist
Geraldine Jones	....	hair stylist (as Gerry Jones)
Matthew W. Mungle	....	prosthetic makeup artist (as Matthew Mungle)
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist: Mr. Martin (as Dorothy Pearl)
Toni-Ann Walker	....	hair stylist: Mr. Martin
Thierry Zemmour	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Bernard Mazauric	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Antoine Sabarros	....	second second assistant director
Gerry Toomey	....	second assistant director
David Tringham	....	first assistant director
Bernard Williams	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Maurice Borghese	....	head draper (as Maurice Borghesi)
Noelle Fortuna	....	assistant draper
Derek Knowler	....	property storeman
Bernard Harvey Langton	....	assistant property master (as Bernard Harvey-Langton)
Louis Lenoir	....	head painter
Phillipe Mazauric	....	property buyer
Jean Menna	....	head carpenter
Tony Rimmington	....	assistant art director
Terry Wells	....	property master
Hervé Schrub	....	greenman (uncredited)
Hervé Schrub	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
C.J. Appel	....	adr editor
Don Banks	....	boom operator
Chris Beaver	....	assistant adr editor
Richard Beggs	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Berger	....	sound re-recording mixer
Karen Brocco	....	assistant foley editor
Luis Colina	....	foley editor
Ron Davies	....	adr editor
Frank E. Eulner	....	assistant sound effects editor (as Frank Eulner)
Tina Fallani	....	apprentice dialogue editor
Rob Fruchtman	....	foley editor
Marjorie L. Hagar	....	apprentice sound effects/foley (as Marjorie Hagar)
Pat Jackson	....	sound effects editor
Tom Johnson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ann Kroeber	....	sound effects editor
John Nutt	....	dialogue editor
Bob Robinson	....	assistant adr editor
Ivan Sharrock	....	production sound mixer
Michael Silvers	....	dialogue editor
Alan Splet	....	supervising sound editor
Jean-Pierre Steen	....	sound assistant
Lionel Strutt	....	adr recordist: Mayflower Film Recording Ltd. London
John Verbeck	....	assistant sound effects editor
Gwendolyn Yates Whittle	....	assistant dialogue editor (as Gwendolyn Yates)
Vanessa Theme Ament	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Philip Rogers	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Richard Miranda	....	special effects makeup (uncredited)

Stunts
Terry Walsh	....	stunt double: Mr. Caine

Camera and Electrical Department
Florian Ballhaus	....	first assistant camera
Jan Sebastian Ballhaus	....	video playback operator (as Sebastian Ballhaus)
Rene Basso	....	grip
Arthur Blum	....	dolly grip
Tony Bratulic	....	grip (as Antoine Bratulic)
Bruce Byall	....	best boy grip
Ernest Cabezas	....	generator operator
Jean-Marie Lopez	....	electrician
Bobby Mancuso	....	second assistant camera (as Robert Mancuso)
Stéphane Nègre	....	electrician
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (as Robert Penn)
John 'Fest' Sandau	....	best boy electric (as John Sandau)
Steve Smith	....	key grip
James R. Tynes	....	gaffer (as Jim Tynes)
Jean Marc Bringuier	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Françoise Combadière	....	casting: Paris (as Francoise Combadiere)
Caroline Mazauric	....	casting: Nice
Debbie McWilliams	....	casting: London
Roberto Robin	....	assistant casting: Nice

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Claudia Fellous	....	wardrobe assistant (as Claudy Fellous-Marliere)
Sue Gandy	....	assistant costume designer
Suzy Sand	....	wardrobe assistant
Dennis Schoonderwoerd	....	costumer: Mr. Steve Martin
James Smith	....	costumer: Mr. Michael Caine (as James A. Smith)

Editorial Department
Berj Amir	....	apprentice film editor
Reid Burns	....	color timer
Elisa Cohen	....	apprentice film editor
Denis Coq	....	assistant film editor
Richard Friedlander	....	first assistant film editor
Robert Grahamjones	....	assistant film editor
Jenny Oznowicz	....	apprentice film editor
Bob Sarles	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Ethan Chase	....	scoring assistant
Nancy Fogarty	....	music editor
Devon Miller	....	assistant music editor
Jim Mitchell	....	scoring assistant
Joel Moss	....	music recordist
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator
Jerry Goodman	....	musician: violin (uncredited)
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Gaston Veilleux	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
René Brun	....	location manager (as Rene Brun)
Régis Brun	....	assistant location manager (as Regis Brun)
Laurence Coutaud-Garnier	....	production secretary (as Laurence Coutaud)
Isabelle de Geofroy	....	assistant auditor
Inger Eisenhour	....	assistant: Mr. Oz and Mr. Williams
Bran Ferren	....	title designer
Tom Gray	....	publicist
Ruth Hasty	....	assistant: Mr. Oz and Mr. Williams
Joseph Brad Kluge	....	production assistant (as Joseph Kluge)
Barbara Lucey	....	financial representative
Dianne Mapp-Cheek	....	production controller (as Dianne Lisa Cheek)
Nelly Niay	....	auditor: France
Valerie E. Norman	....	script supervisor (as Valerie Norman-Williams)
Andrea Tringham	....	production assistant
Michelle Wright	....	production coordinator (as Michelle Wright-Warnick)

Production Companies

• Orion Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox of Germany (1989) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Constantin-Film (1989) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Rank Film Distributors (1989) (UK) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (1988) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (1988) (Greece) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1992) (USA) (TV)
• Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Orion Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Roadshow Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min | Turkey:104 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Canada:PG | Finland:S | Norway:5 | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | Portugal:M/12 | France:U

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The movie was used as the source for the musical "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" which opened at the Imperial Theater in New York on March 3, 2005, ran for 627 performances and was nominated for the 2005 Tony Awards for the Best Musical, Book and Score.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Steve Martin's character leaves on a train that is supposedly destined for Portofino. There is no way of getting to Portofino by train. Car, bus, and boat only.

Quotes:

[Ruprecht is mauling Lawrence's new girlfriend]
Lawrence Jamieson:Ruprecht, do you want the genital cuff?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

Soundtrack:

Puttin' On the Ritz

Jon Monsarrat review: still a classic, intelligent comedy

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is no longer a new film, but it's not showing its age, which I guess is a sign of a classic. I've seen it recently, and was not expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised!

With performances by can't-fail actors Steve Martin and Michael Caine, the film is zany, with a little toilet humor but mostly doesn't insult one's intelligence, and is far better than "All of Me" and just short of "A Fish Called Wanda", and "Roxanne", which unlike this film includes some romance.

Who should see this film:

-- Zany comedy film lovers: a must-see. If you're new to

Steve Martin, try Bowfinger first.

-- Safe as a kids / family film

I'll give "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" a surprisingly resilient 9 out of 10.