Blaze (1989)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Ron Shelton

Writers (WGA):

Blaze Starr (book) and
Huey Perry (book) ...

Release Date:

13 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

This movie tells the story of the latter years of Earl Long, a flamboyant governor of Louisiana. The aging Earl...

Plot Keywords:

Stripper | Love | Civil Rights | Political | Governor

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Gov. Earl K. Long
Lolita Davidovich	...	Blaze Starr
Jerry Hardin	...	Thibodeaux
Gailard Sartain	...	LaGrange
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Eldon Tuck
Garland Bunting	...	Doc Ferriday
Richard Jenkins	...	Picayune
Brandon Smith	...	Arvin Deeter
Jay Chevalier	...	Wiley Braden
Robert Wuhl	...	Red Snyder
Michael Brockman	...	Bobby
Eloy Casados	...	Antoine
James Harper	...	Willie Rainach
Teresa Gilmore	...	Tamara Knight
Dianne Brill	...	Delilah Dough

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA

Company:

A&M Films

Trivia:

The year this film was shot there was an election in Louisiana. One of the items to vote on was bill that had many different state projects. It was defeated the same day the crew was filming the funeral scene overnight in the Capital Building in Baton Rouge. The crew had to leave before all the props could be removed, including the coffin. The defeated bill was laid in the coffin by someone before the next daily legislative session began.

Quotes:

Earl Long: The three best friends the poor people have ever had are Jesus Christ, Sears & Roebuck and Earl K. Long.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Welcome to Hollywood (1998)

Blaze

Paul Newman made his best movie after becoming an old man. In Blaze, he plays Governor Earl Long of Louisiana. Earl has a scandalous affair with stripper Blaze Starr. I remember this being in the news in 1959. Blaze is played by Lolita Davidovich. She is Yugoslavian, of Serbian/Croatian descent. Blaze makes her way from West Virginia to New Orleans to the governor's mansion in Baton Rouge. Obviously Earl is a liberal. He is a Democrat who supports Civil Rights. This is a comedy, and there are some funny scenes, Earl having sex with his boots on and shooting his lawn mower. Robert Wuhl's character is interesting but has a small part. Blaze exits through the bathroom window and leaves him, taking her mother's advice not to trust any man who tells her to trust him. Blaze's affair with the governor continued until his death in 1960.