L.A. Story (1991)

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writer (WGA):

Steve Martin (written by)

Release Date:

8 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Something funny is happening in L.A.

Plot:

With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a "wacky weatherman" tries to win the heart of an English newspaper reporter, who is struggling to make sense of the strange world of early-90s Los Angeles.

Plot Keywords:

Weatherman | Television | Valley Girl | Freeway Shooting | Satire

Cast

Steve Martin	...	Harris K. Telemacher
Victoria Tennant	...	Sara McDowel
Richard E. Grant	...	Roland Mackey
Marilu Henner	...	Trudi
Sarah Jessica Parker	...	SanDeE*
Susan Forristal	...	Ariel
Kevin Pollak	...	Frank Swan
Sam McMurray	...	Morris Frost
Patrick Stewart	...	Mr. Perdue, Maitre D' at L'Idiot
Andrew Amador	...	Bob, News Anchor
Gail Grate	...	Gail, News Anchor
Eddie De Harp	...	Maitre D' at Brunch (as Eddie DeHarp)
M.C. Shan	...	Rap Waiter at L'Idiot
Frances Fisher	...	June
Iman	...	Cynthia
Tommy Hinkley	...	Ted
Larry Miller	...	Tom
Anne Crawford	...	Sharon
Samantha McCoy	...	Sheila (as Samantha Caulfield)
Thornton Simmons	...	Man
Dennis Dragon	...	Crook
Richard Stahl	...	Bank Executive
Aaron Lustig	...	Boring Speaker
Julianna McCarthy	...	Woman (as Juliana McCarthy)
Time Winters	...	Floss Waiter at L'Idiot
Pierre Epstein	...	Chef
Wesley Thompson	...	Jesse
George Plimpton	...	Straight Weatherman
David Glyn Price	...	Pilot (as David G. Price)
Wesley Mann	...	Tony, Gas Station Attendant
Mark Steen	...	Tod PA
Jaime Gomez	...	Tod PA
Amy Wallace	...	Tod PA
Cheryl Baker	...	Changing Room Woman
May Boss	...	Old Woman (as Mary R. Boss)
Scott Johnston	...	Co-Pilot
Robert Lind	...	Chainsaw Juggler
Tony Marsico	...	Hard Rock Patron
Burt Macke	...	Cameraman (as Burt Nacke)
Mary Pedersen	...	Airline Ticket Agent
Matt Stetson	...	Spokesmodel Teacher
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John Lithgow	...	Harry Zell (scenes deleted)
Brian Banowetz	...	Bellman (uncredited)
Sean Michael Beyer	...	Parking Valet (uncredited)
Michael E. Burgess	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Chevy Chase	...	Carlo Christopher (uncredited)
Woody Harrelson	...	Harris' Boss (uncredited)
Terry Jones	...	Sara's Mother (voice) (uncredited)
Rick Moranis	...	Gravedigger (uncredited)
Robert Picardo	...	Voicephone (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Mick Jackson

Writing credits (WGA)
Steve Martin		(written by)

Produced by
Mario Kassar	....	executive producer
Steve Martin	....	executive producer
Daniel Melnick	....	producer
Michael I. Rachmil	....	producer (as Michael Rachmil)

Original Music by
Peter Rodgers Melnick		(as Peter Melnick)

Cinematography by
Andrew Dunn		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Richard A. Harris

Casting by
Mindy Marin

Production Design by
Lawrence Miller

Art Direction by
Charles William Breen

Set Decoration by
Chris Butler

Costume Design by
Rudy Dillon

Makeup Department
Frank Griffin	....	makeup artist: Mr. Martin
Robert Ostermann	....	makeup artist (as Robert Osterman)
Toni-Ann Walker	....	hair stylist: Mr. Martin (as Toni Walker)
Joy Zapata	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Chris Coles	....	unit production manager
Michael R. Sloan	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Albert Cho	....	second assistant director
Albert M. Shapiro	....	first assistant director (as Albert Shapiro)

Art Department
Peter Angles	....	swing gang
Steve Callas	....	construction coordinator
Michael Kohan	....	on-set dresser
Randy Martens	....	greensman
Diane McKinnon	....	assistant: production designer
Dennis Miyamoto	....	construction auditor
Roy 'Bucky' Moore	....	props
Edward E. O'Connell	....	stand-by painter (as Ed O'Connell)
Tony Paolone	....	paint foreman (as Francesco Pallone)
Neil David Pontecorvo	....	stand-by greensman
Michael Schmidt	....	leadman (as Mike Schmidt)
Philip Steuer	....	property master
Douglas M. Vaughn	....	set dresser (as Douglas Vaughn)
Dean Welch	....	second leadman
Mike Wells	....	construction foreman
Gregory Zemgals	....	swing gang (as Greg Zemgals)
Michael Anthony Jackson	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)
Daniel R. Jennings	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mary Andrews	....	adr editor
Kevin Barlia	....	assistant sound editor
Robert Batha	....	assistant sound editor
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound editor
Neal Burger	....	sound editor (as Neal Berger)
Stuart Copely	....	sound editor (as Stuart Copley)
Kevin Hearst	....	sound editor (as Raoul)
Larry Kemp	....	supervising adr editor
Richard King	....	sound editor
Lou Kleinman	....	sound editor
Steve Mann	....	sound editor
Harrison D. Marsh	....	cable puller (as Harrison Duke Marsh)
Glenn T. Morgan	....	sound editor
Andy Napell	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Andrew Napell)
Richard Portman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve F.B. Smith	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Gina Spiro	....	assistant sound editor
James S. Stewart	....	sound recordist
Mark P. Stoeckinger	....	supervising sound editor (as Mark Stoeckinger)
Douglas Vaughan	....	boom operator
James E. Webb	....	production sound mixer (as Jim Webb)
Asher Yates	....	sound editor
David W. Alstadter	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Dino Dimuro	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
James Moriana	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Alan E. Lorimer	....	special effects coordinator
Lambert Powell	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Chuck Comisky	....	optical effects coordinator
Christopher Nibley	....	visual effects director of photography (uncredited)
Luc G. Nicknair	....	first assistant camera/Vistavision first assistant camera (uncredited)

Stunts
Joe Dunne	....	stunt coordinator
Bob Herron	....	stunts (uncredited)
Courtney Pakiz	....	stunt diver (uncredited)
George Marshall Ruge	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cris Thomas-Palomino	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Adam Alphin	....	camera loader
Ed Ayer	....	gaffer (as Edward A. Ayer)
Jack Bauer	....	best boy grip
Michael W. Blymyer	....	electrician (as Mike Blymer)
Jesse Chavez	....	grip
James B. Crawford	....	electrician (as James Crawford)
Edward Gold	....	camera operator (as Ed Gold)
Jason Hicks	....	grip
Joe Hicks	....	dolly grip
Gary J. Jensen	....	grip (as Gary Jensen)
Gene Kearney	....	key grip
Ted J. Kredo	....	best boy electric
Warren Kroeger	....	electrician
Ron Peebles	....	grip (as Ron Peeples)
Jeff Phelps	....	electrician
Marcia Reed	....	still photographer
Lane Russell	....	second assistant camera (as Lane Russel)
Patricia Van Over	....	first assistant camera (as Patty Vanover)
Charles W. Wayt	....	grip (as Charles Wayt)
Tim Dunford	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
Thomas Enright	....	electrician (uncredited)
Peter Jensen	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)
Michael Kelem	....	aerial camera operator (uncredited)
Michael Shanman	....	lighting board operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Amy Wallace	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemarie Fall	....	costumer: women
Beverly Kline	....	assistant: costume designer (as Beverly Klein)
Nick Scarano	....	costumer: men
Dennis Schoonderwoerd	....	costumer: Mr. Martin
Liza Stewart	....	costumer
Barbara Marko Friedman	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Noori Dehnahi	....	post-production coordinator
Bob Kaiser	....	color timer
Jane Kass	....	first assistant editor
Michael Rafferty	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Kathleen Bennett	....	supervising music editor
Steven Bernstein	....	orchestrator
Oscar Castro-Neves	....	orchestrator
Sandy DeCrescent	....	music contractor
George Doering	....	musician
M.B. Gordy	....	musician: Percussion
Janice Hayen	....	music copyist
Celest Ray	....	music clearance
Michael Stone	....	scoring mixer
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Nicky Ryan	....	music producer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Don Arnold	....	transportation captain (as Don Arnold Sr.)
Tim Hill	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Frans J. Afman	....	financial services
Pamela Alch	....	script supervisor
Jerry Ariganello	....	location manager
Cydney Bernard	....	production coordinator
Steve Buhai	....	production assistant
Steve Cowie	....	production assistant
Sally Jean Esposito	....	assistant publicist
Christopher Farley	....	production assistant (as Chris Farley)
Christina Fong	....	production assistant
Gina Fortunato	....	assistant production coordinator
Keith Friedman	....	production assistant
David Fromm	....	sign programmer
Jonathan Gordon	....	production assistant
Tom Gray	....	unit publicist
Rich Harris	....	craft service
Jane Harrison	....	assistant auditor
Nancy Hobson	....	assistant: Mr. Melnick
Dick Jennings	....	coordinator: American Airlines
Mario Kassar	....	presenter
Mike Kennard	....	sign technician
Diana Lui	....	production assistant
Liz Matthews	....	assistant location manager (as Elizabeth Matthews)
Ron McGee	....	location assistant
Debbie Merrill	....	roller skating instructor: Mr. Martin
Kathryn Mindala	....	production auditor (as Katherine Mindala)
Boone Narr	....	animal trainer
Anthony L. Paquet	....	first aid
Shirley Randles	....	craft service
Anne Trop	....	assistant: Mr. Jackson (as Anne L. Trop)
Ilene Waterstone	....	assistant: Mr. Martin
Elizabeth Wilemon	....	assistant: Mr. Rachmil
Ray Zimmerman	....	production accountant (as Raymond G. Zimmerman)
Michael Barnes	....	legal attorney (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Carolco Pictures
• IndieProd Company Productions
• L.A. Films

Distributors

• TriStar Pictures (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1996) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Columbia TriStar Films (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Elliniki Kinimatografiki Enosi (ELKE) (1991) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Artisan Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1992) (Greece) (video)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Maple Pictures (2007) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Unirecord Internacional (Spain)
• VCL Communications (Germany) (video)

Special Effects

• Illusion Arts (matte shots)

Other Companies

• Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios  re-recorded by
• Segue Music  music editing
• PMK Public Relations  publicity
• DDA Public Relations (DDA)  international publicity (as Dennis Davidson Associates)
• Precision Film Cutting  negative cutter
• Pacific Title  opticals and titles
• Complete Film Corporation  completion bond services provided by
• Albert G. Ruben and Company  production insurance provided by
• Credit Lyonnais Bank (Nederland) N.V.  production financing provided by
• American Airlines  air transportation provided by
• Direct Tools & Fasteners  expendables (uncredited)
• Mayflower Recording  adr recording (uncredited)
• Movie Movers  cast trailers (uncredited)
• Movie Movers  hair and make-up trailers (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

1206 N. Orange Grove Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

John Lithgow played the part of Harry Zel, a movie agent that Harris contacts after being fired. The part was cut, but there are still references to his character in the film: during the freeway shoot-out, and in the "California Cuisine" luncheon.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The close up of the airliner's throttle levers towards the end of the movie shows that there are four throttle levers, one for each of the four engines. The next shot is of a taxiing DC-10 which only has three engines and would only have three throttle levers.

Quotes:

Trudi:One of the first things I always teach my clients is about the point system. You should never have more than seven things on. You know, like your earrings count for two points, those daisies count for three points. But the best thing to do is, right before you go out...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

La Mer

Martin at His Best

When Steve Martin is hot, he's really hot. L.A. Story, written by Steve Martin, is hot. The entire film keeps you in a state of constant chuckling. And, the movie has more than a few moments of comedic genius. It's the cumulative effect of little jokes littered throughout the film, both verbal and visual, that keeps you in stitches. On top of that, it piques your interest.

Here's what I mean: while Martin mercilessly it pokes fun of L.A. for it's flakiness, it's love and tolerance of idiosyncrasies, it's constant preoccupation with image, it's narcissism, the humor is never vulgar, crass, or shallow. For example, one scene takes place in the municipal art museum. We see Harry Telemacher (Steve Martin), with his friends, rapt in admiration for a painting. The camera angle comes from the canvas itself, where we watch Harry, deep in thought, dissertate on the subjects in the portrait, their motives, actions, and hidden agendas. He moves forward, backward, forward again, as if in active dialogue with the lacquer. At last, moving backward, he concludes his remarks by wrinkling his nose in disgust and saying `Look at the way he's holding her: it's almost filthy!' And then the camera moves around to Telemacher's perspective. The painting's a total abstraction. There isn't a distinct line in the entire rectangular frame. In the argot of Postmodernism, one might call it a `readerly' work of art.

It's the perfect metaphor for L.A., where you may interpret anything, any way you like. There's no standard, except one's own `personal reality.' No one can use social norms as a personal club to tell someone else, `You're wrong,' because there is none. It's all `what-E-verrrr.'

Best of all, L.A. Story is a love story, the kind of love that adores someone as much for their faults as for their virtues. Martin's satire is so effective because he loves the city so much.