Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Director:

Jon Avnet

Writers (WGA):

Fannie Flagg (novel)
Fannie Flagg (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 December 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

The secret of life? The secret's in the sauce.

Plot:

A housewife who is unhappy with her life befriends an old lady in a nursing home and is enthralled by the tales she tells of people she used to know.

Plot Keywords:

Nursing Home | 1920s | Stories | Alabama | Friendship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Kathy Bates	...	Evelyn Couch
Mary Stuart Masterson	...	Idgie Threadgoode
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Ruth Jamison
Jessica Tandy	...	Ninny Threadgoode
Cicely Tyson	...	Sipsey
Chris O'Donnell	...	Buddy Threadgoode
Stan Shaw	...	Big George
Gailard Sartain	...	Ed Couch
Timothy Scott	...	Smokey Lonesome (as Tim Scott)
Gary Basaraba	...	Grady Kilgore
Lois Smith	...	Mama Threadgoode
Jo Harvey Allen	...	Women's Awareness Teacher
Macon McCalman	...	Prosecutor Percy
Richard Riehle	...	Reverend Scroggins
Raynor Scheine	...	Sheriff Curtis Smoote
Grace Zabriskie	...	Eva Bates
Reid Binion	...	Young Julian Threadgoode
Afton Smith	...	Leona Threadgoode
Danny Nelson	...	Papa Threadgoode
Nancy Moore Atchison	...	Little Idgie Threadgoode (as Nancy Atchison)
Constance Shulman	...	Missy
Nick Searcy	...	Frank Bennett
Haynes Brooke	...	Older Julian Threadgoode
Ginny Parker	...	Ruth's Mother
Tres Holton	...	Boy at Supermarket
Ronald McCall	...	Ocie
Wallace Merck	...	KKK Man
David Dwyer	...	Hooded Man
Lashondra Phillips	...	Young Naughty Bird
Kathy Larson	...	Beetle Girl #1 (as Catherine Larson)
Missy Wolff	...	Beetle Girl #2
LaTanya Richardson	...	Janeen
Grayson Fricke	...	Buddy Threadgoode Jr.
Enjolik Oree	...	Older Naughty Bird
Genevieve Fisher	...	Peggy Hadley
Tom Even	...	Judge
Bob Hannah	...	Defense Attorney
Ted Manson	...	Bailiff
Carol Mitchell-leon	...	Sue Otis
Evan Lockwood	...	Tim
Suzi Bass	...	Nurse
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Armbruster	...	Gas Station Attendant (uncredited)
Jacob Avnet	...	Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Michael Burgess	...	Wingo, Man at BBQ (uncredited)
Todd Eller	...	College Buddy (uncredited)
Bill Ewin	...	College Dean (uncredited)
Fannie Flagg	...	Teacher (uncredited)
Shelby Hofer	...	School Girl (uncredited)
Barry Hopkins	...	Shantytown Male (uncredited)
James Mayberry	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Bob Penny	...	Bailiff (uncredited)
Leonard Shinew	...	Mr. Dunaway (uncredited)
Drew Wilkins	...	Young Cleo (uncredited)
Marion Williams	...	Gospel Singer (uncredited)

Directed by
Jon Avnet

Writing credits (WGA)
Fannie Flagg		(novel "Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe")
Fannie Flagg		(screenplay) and
Carol Sobieski		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jon Avnet	....	producer
Anne Marie Gillen	....	executive producer
Martin Huberty	....	co-producer
Jordan Kerner	....	producer
Norman Lear	....	executive producer
Lisa Lindstrom	....	co-producer
Yuriko Matsubara	....	executive producer
Andrew Meyer	....	executive producer
Ric Rondell	....	co-producer
Tom Taylor	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Thomas Newman

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Simpson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Debra Neil-Fisher		(as Debra Neil)

Casting by
David Rubin

Production Design by
Barbara Ling

Art Direction by
Larry Fulton

Set Decoration by
Debra Schutt

Costume Design by
Elizabeth McBride

Makeup Department
Fern Buchner	....	makeup artist
Colleen Callaghan	....	key hair stylist
Patrice Coleman	....	makeup artist
Gene Witham	....	makeup artist: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Deborah Love	....	first assistant director
Jeff Rafner	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Taylor Bennett	....	scenic artist (as Franklin T. Bennett)
Ted Boonthanakit	....	storyboard artist
John Bullard	....	carpenter
Daniel Durning	....	carpenter
Daniel B. Foster	....	swing gang
Steven Kerlagon	....	lead paint foreman
Charles M. Lagola	....	set designer
Scott Mobley	....	carpenter
Swift Moseley	....	key greens
Ruffin Moye	....	greensman
Robert Tate Nichols	....	set dresser
Chad Simpson	....	paint gangboss
Chris Snyder	....	construction coordinator
Barry Spencer	....	construction foreman
Ann Stacy	....	scenic artist
Mark S. Turner	....	paint foreman
Karen Young	....	on-set dresser
Carolyn Cartwright	....	assistant decorator (uncredited)
Carolyn Cartwright	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Jim Borgardt	....	adr editor
David E. Campbell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Greg Curda	....	foley mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Mary H. Ellis	....	sound
Devon Heffley Curry	....	adr supervisor
Joseph A. Ippolito	....	sound effects editor
Alan Robert Murray	....	supervising sound editor
Walter Newman	....	supervising sound editor
John T. Reitz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gregg Rudloff	....	sound re-recording mixer
Karen Spangenberg	....	supervising dialogue editor
Marshall Winn	....	sound effects editor
Allen Hurd	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Larry Reid	....	special effects

Stunts
Bruce Paul Barbour	....	stunts (as Bruce Barbour)
Steven Chambers	....	stunts (as Steve Chambers)
Kerrie Cullen	....	stunt coordinator
Laura Dash	....	stunts
Dick Hancock	....	stunts
Joy Hooper	....	stunts
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Tracy Keehn Dashnaw)
M.J. Lord	....	stunts
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunt double: Mary Louise Parker (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Michael Alexonis	....	grip
Denise Bailie	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Denise Bailie	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Allen Barnwell	....	electrician
Lee Blasingame	....	lead assistant camera: "a" camera
Dan Cornwall	....	electrician
Stephen Crowley	....	electrician
Richard Felber	....	still photographer
Morris Flam	....	gaffer
Ian Forsyth	....	electrician
Jeff Funderburk	....	electrician/generator operator
Jay Kemp	....	set lighting technician
Tully McCulloch	....	best boy electric
Greg Morse	....	24 frame video operator
David Reeder	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Bruce Lane	....	additional second camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Pat Cartwright Barwick	....	extras casting assistant coordinator
David Ezell	....	extras casting assistant
Cynthia Stillwell	....	casting coordinator
Amy Taylor	....	additional casting
Diane Alexander	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Yvonne Cervantes	....	costumer
Mitzi Haralson	....	costumer
Askia Won-Ling Jacob	....	wardrobe
Jane E. Myers	....	set costumer
Kathy Oberlin	....	costume constructor
Eileen Sieff Stroup	....	assistant costume designer
Amanda Zenil	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Karen Broderick	....	first assistant film editor
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Sabrina Plisco	....	associate editor (as Sabrina Plisco-Morris)
Ken Schretzmann	....	assistant editor
Johnie Tidwell Jr.	....	post-production assistant
Karen Whipple	....	first assistant film editor

Music Department
George Doering	....	musician
Maria Newman	....	musician
Thomas Pasatieri	....	orchestrator
Paul Pesco	....	musician: guitar
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Toots Thielemans	....	musician: harmonica solo
John Beasley	....	composer: additional score (uncredited)

Other crew
Pat Cartwright Barwick	....	lead stand-in
Melanie Bell	....	production assistant
Colleen Cole	....	production office intern
Tim Crone	....	animal wrangler: small animals
Marlon Dwight	....	location production assistant
Norman Gary	....	bee wrangler (as Dr. Norman Gary)
Susan Gee	....	production financing
Butch Graziano	....	head horse wrangler
Tony Grillo	....	production assistant
Syd E. Horne	....	on-set train coordinator
Nancy Jane King	....	production office coordinator
Solomon J. LeFlore	....	production financing
Maida N. Morgan	....	assistant location manager
Senia Phillips	....	animal wrangler: small animals
Marc Pilvinsky	....	location production assistant
Caroline Sax	....	script supervisor
Eric S. Smith	....	location assistant
Brad Stephens	....	publicist
Elizabeth Tompkins	....	first assistant accountant
Daniel Wheatcroft	....	studio executive
Diane Alexander	....	stand-in (uncredited)

Thanks
Robert Williams	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Act III Communications
• Avnet/Kerner Productions
• Electric Shadow Productions
• Fried Green Tomatoes Productions
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1993) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• ASCII Entertainment (1992) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (1992) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Finland (1992) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1992) (France) (theatrical)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
• Europa Carat (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Filmax International (Spain)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Ivex Films (Spain)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1996) (1999) (Finland) (TV)
• Rank Film Organization (UK)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (1992) (Argentina) (VHS)
• UFA Video (1993) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing  vintage clothing rentals
• K!SSPROOF Entertainment  cast appearance booking
• MCA Records  soundtrack
• Pacific Studios Inc.  chromatrans background

Also Known As:

Runtime:

130 min | 137 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M (cable rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:6 (f) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #31540) | Norway:10 | Iceland:L | UK:PG (video re-rating) | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Peru:14 | Brazil:12 | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Agnes Scott College - 141 E. College Avenue, Decatur, Georgia, USA

Company:

Act III Communications

Trivia:

Carol Sobieski wrote the first draft of the screenplay, which the director and producers thought were wonderful - but it wasn't the movie they wanted to do. Next, Fannie Flagg was brought on to do another draft and she finished seventy pages before quitting. With no money left to hire another writer, director Jon Avnet took it upon himself to write the screenplay and spent the next three years doing so. He did, however, stay in close contact with Flagg to make sure he stayed true to her book.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ed says the Evelyn has hit the younger girls car 6 times, but in the film she only hits it 4 times.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Ninny Threadgoode:[voiceover] After Ruth died and the railroad stopped runnin', the cafe shut down and everybody just scattered to the winds. It was never more'n just a little knockabout place, but now that I look back on it, when that cafe closed, the heart of the town just stopped beatin'. It's funny how a little place like this brought so many people together.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in On the Set of Sightlines (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Barbeque Bess

Sweet, Bittersweet, and Intense

This is a film you are bound to fall in love with. All of its characters feel real, intense, reaching out to touch with their passion and the film's nostalgic feel.

It contains some of my favorite performances of all time: Masterson, Parker, Tandy, and Bates give their very best, bringing two life fictional women who feel real, strong, and powerful. The film is very emotional, never maudlin, never disrespecting any of its components or the audience. It allows us to feel we are part of a world that might not exist anymore. What I like most about the film is how it embraces a passion for living.

There is much to be admired about the technical aspects of the film as well. It travels back and forth in time, with a structure that is hard to describe but a joy to watch as it shows how the main relationships were born, developed, and eventually were transformed into something more spiritual. The music is haunting and quite suitable to the delicate relationships, and the photography makes everyone and everything lovely, dreamlike at times.

The film will live on and will eventually be regarded as a classic. It deserves it so.