The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag (1992)

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writer (WGA):

Grace Cary Bickley (written by)

Release Date:

21 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Mystery

Tagline:

She was a nobody until someone found...

Plot:

An ignored, small-town librarian confesses to a murder she didn't commit to get attention.

Plot Keywords:

Librarian | Murder | Gun | Hitman | Library

Cast

Penelope Ann Miller	...	Mrs. Elizabeth Louise 'Betty Lou' Perkins
Eric Thal	...	Detective Alex Perkins
Alfre Woodard	...	Attorney Ann Orkin
Julianne Moore	...	Elinor
Andy Romano	...	Herrick
Ray McKinnon	...	Detective Frank
William Forsythe	...	William 'Billy' Beaudeen
Xander Berkeley	...	Mr. Marchat
Michael O'Neill	...	Jergens
Christopher John Fields	...	Brown
Cathy Moriarty	...	Reba Bush
Billie Neal	...	Gail
Gale Mayron	...	Pearl
Faye Grant	...	Charleen Barnes
Reathel Bean	...	Bob Barnes
Marian Seldes	...	Head Librarian Margaret Armstrong
Ellen McElduff	...	Joan
Marisa Miller	...	April
Paul Bates	...	Officer Finney
Bill Mullen	...	Officer George
Meat Loaf	...	Lawrence
Catherine Keener	...	Suzanne
Cordell Jackson	...	Bathroom Lady
Bernard Canepari	...	Mayor
Deborah Spector	...	Cashier
Barry Hannah	...	Court Clerk
Red West	...	Judge
Lida Burris Gibson	...	Lydia Williams
Ralph Braseth	...	Reporter
M.J. Etua	...	Reporter
Christine Joyce	...	Reporter
Mark Magill	...	Glen
Merrill Healy	...	Gary
Don Keith Opper	...	Dell
Jane Smithwick	...	Freckled Girl
Jeff O'Haco	...	Bar Fighter
Ruddy L. Garner	...	FBI Wiretapper
Adam Shankman	...	Timid Man
Laura Boenheim	...	Autograph Girl
Suzanne Kent	...	Townsperson
Nash Germany	...	Teenage Boy
Lesha Campbell	...	Teenage Girl
Robert Jackson	...	Irate Man
Ann Fisher-Wirth	...	Young Matron
Kay McDuffie	...	Perms
Margaret Graham	...	Perms
Billy Holcomb	...	Farmer
John McCauley	...	Farmer
Charles Treas	...	Old Man
Amanda Zenil	...	Radical Girl
Dianna Miranda	...	Chiropractor
Frank Welker	...	Scarlett Vocal Fx (voice)
Barton Segal	...	Barton
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stanley Tucci	...	Amos (uncredited)

Directed by
Allan Moyle

Writing credits (WGA)
Grace Cary Bickley		(written by)

Produced by
Sarah Bowman	....	associate producer
Robert W. Cort	....	executive producer
Ted Field	....	executive producer
Ira Halberstadt	....	co-producer
Scott Kroopf	....	producer
Cynthia Sherman	....	co-producer
Ray K. Morris	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Richard Gibbs

Cinematography by
Charles Minsky

Film Editing by
Janice Hampton
Erica Huggins

Casting by
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
Michael Corenblith

Art Direction by
David J. Bomba

Set Decoration by
Merideth Boswell		(as Merideth Boswell Charbonnet)

Costume Design by
Lisa Jensen

Makeup Department
R. Christopher Biggs	....	makeup effects
Regina Vaughn Daniels	....	assistant hair stylist
Don Dwyer	....	assistant hair stylist
Annie Maniscalco	....	hair stylist supervisor (as Annie F. Maniscalco)
Annie Maniscalco	....	makeup supervisor (as Annie F. Maniscalco)
Michael Tomasino	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
J. Todd Anderson	....	production supervisor: second unit
Mark A. Baker	....	assistant unit production manager
Ira Halberstadt	....	unit production manager
Gregory Jacobs	....	assistant production supervisor: second unit (as Greg Jacobs)
Margaret Lancaster	....	production manager: second unit (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Bamber	....	second second assistant director
Tom Davies	....	first assistant director
Gabriela Vázquez	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Alice Baker	....	assistant set decorator
Rick Bernos	....	paint foreman
Jo Brown	....	master scenic artist (as Jo Lumpkin Brown)
Mike Brown	....	head painter
Jim P. Dees	....	set dresser
Maureen Farley	....	property master
Randal R. Groves	....	construction foreman
Jeff Knipp	....	on-set dresser
Sidney J. Lambert	....	set dresser
Kim Larsen-Santini	....	assistant property master (as Kim Larsen)
Ted Lubonovich II	....	propmaker
Melissa Matthies	....	lead person
Jon P. Mooers	....	stand-by carpenter
Mark Petrak	....	construction foreman
Lori Rowbotham	....	set designer
Alun Vick	....	construction coordinator
David Weathers	....	set dresser
Jerry T. Harris	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Willy Allen	....	dialogue editor
Douglas Axtell	....	production sound mixer
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
Martin J. Bram	....	dialogue editor
Peter Brancaccio	....	assistant sound editor
G.W. Brown	....	dialogue editor (as Gregory Brown)
Betty Burkhart	....	assistant sound editor
Valerie Davidson	....	adr editor
Dane A. Davis	....	supervising sound editor
Kurt Nicholas Forshager	....	foley editor
David Gertz	....	foley mixer
Tom Hammond	....	foley editor
Catherine Harper	....	foley artist (as Catherine A. Harper)
Mark Herman	....	assistant sound editor
Adam Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kini Kay	....	sound effects editor
Ossama Khuluki	....	foley artist
Kimberly Ellen Lowe	....	dialogue editor (as Kimberly Lowe Voigt)
Nash Michael	....	foley editor
Scott Millah	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Ormandy	....	assistant sound editor
Christopher Sheldon	....	supervising sound editor
Peter Tomaszewicz	....	sound effects editor
Todd Toon	....	sound effects editor
Lisa K. Wolf	....	assistant sound editor
Asher Yates	....	adr editor

Special Effects by
Connie Brink	....	special effects coordinator
Larry Fioritto	....	special effects coordinator
Steve Wolf	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Dallas Baker	....	stunts
Corey Michael Eubanks	....	stunt coordinator
Tim White	....	stunts
Merritt Yohnka	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Greg Bubb	....	Steadicam operator
Robert D. Carrier	....	electrician
James L. Carter	....	camera operator: second unit
Joseph P. Clem	....	electrician
Glen Deitell	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Michael S. Epley	....	dolly grip
Diane Farrington	....	second assistant camera
Robert K. Feldmann	....	key grip
Paul D. Fischer	....	grip
Adam Jones	....	gaffer
Bob Marshak	....	still photographer
Lee McLemore	....	grip
Alan Pickelsimer	....	electrician
Randy Ratliff	....	best boy grip
Mike Satrazemis	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Wells A. Smith	....	rigging grip
Suzanne Tenner	....	still photographer
Greg Wardell	....	electrician (as G.L. Wardell)
Buddy Wilson	....	best boy electric

Casting Department
Kerry Barden	....	local casting
Ann Goulder	....	casting associate
Shay Griffin	....	casting: Atlanta
Jody Hummer	....	local casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Keith G. Lewis	....	wardrobe supervisor
Elizabeth Shelton	....	assistant costume designer
Amanda Zenil	....	assistant wardrobe supervisor
Kathy Oberlin	....	costume constructor (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Gina Gallo	....	first assistant editor
Gino Gallo	....	first assistant film editor
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Blake Maniquis	....	apprentice film editor
Lynel Moore	....	second assistant film editor (as Lynel Moore Cioffi)
Theresa Repola Mohammed	....	negative cutter
Richard Villa	....	apprentice film editor

Music Department
Greg Brock	....	music coordinator
Richard Gibbs	....	original score performer
Steve Jamerson	....	score mixer (as Steven Jamerson)
Will Kaplan	....	music editor
G. Marq Roswell	....	music supervisor (as G. Mark Roswell)
Paul Silver	....	assistant music editor
Jeff Vaughn	....	score mixer
George Doering	....	musician (uncredited)
Will Kaplan	....	composer: additional music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Paul D. Davis	....	driver
Russell Davis	....	transportation captain (as W. Russell Davis)
A. Welch Lambeth	....	transportation coordinator
Tom Moore	....	driver
Don Schisler	....	driver
Gary Shuckahosee	....	driver

Other crew
Lisa A. Becker	....	assistant production coordinator
Chris Bromley	....	production assistant
Dominique Bruballa	....	production accountant
Susan Doi	....	assistant: Mr. Moyle
Debra Donaldson	....	location manager
Casey Fleming	....	assistant: Mr. Gibbs
Darryl Frank	....	production assistant
Lida Burris Gibson	....	assistant: Mr. Kroopf
Annette Haywood-Carter	....	script supervisor
Aimee Hoffman	....	assistant animal trainer
Penny Key	....	assistant: Mr. Kroopf
Shelley Layton	....	assistant: Mr. Halberstadt
Jon Mallard	....	production assistant
Susan J. Mark	....	unit publicist
Charles Martin	....	assistant: Allan Moyle
Cynthia L. McCain	....	production secretary
Gary McCarthy	....	first assistant accountant
Stacey L. McCormick	....	projectionist
Heather McGrath	....	production coordinator
Leslie Park	....	script supervisor
Michael Parker	....	production assistant
Marion Schniegenberg	....	production assistant: second unit
Adam Shankman	....	choreographer
Paige M. Sibley	....	assistant location manager
Nick Spetsiotis	....	production assistant
Tricia van Klaveren	....	assistant: Ms. Miller
Robert E. Wozniak	....	second assistant accountant
Joe Camp	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Anne Lockhart	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• In The Bag Productions
• Interscope Communications
• Nomura Babcock & Brown (in association with)
• Touchstone Pictures

Distributors

• Buena Vista Pictures
• Gativideo (Argentina) (video)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Walt Disney Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• 24 Hr. Post  titles and opticals
• Buena Vista Sound  foley recorded by
• Jungle Exotics Inc.  animals provided by
• New Orleans Film Commission, The  film commission
• Tomkats Catering  catering

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, and for some sexuality and language

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:16 | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Greenwood, Mississippi, USA

Company:

In The Bag Productions

Quotes:

Betty Lou Perkins:Look at this: Barry Manilow, Debbie Boone, Paul Anka in Vegas. This guy deserved to be shot.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girls Town (#7.1)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Every Breath You Take

you do not see movies like this these days

I saw this movie on Christmas Day, 2005, having never seen it before. The Gun in Betty Lou's Handbag really captures the mood of the early 1990s (has some of that '80s vibe present). Penelope Ann Miller is fun as Betty Lou, and Eric Thal and Cathy Moriarty also give fine performances.

The movie is about a repressed, but zany woman who works in a library and is married to a police detective in small-town Missouri. When she happens about a gun one day, one thing leads to another and she ends up firing it, by accident, and later she confesses to killing someone all because she wants a more exciting life and for people to notice her.

This movie has the same vibe as some others released in 1992 (Mo' Money, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Jersey Girl)--I do not know how to describe it--I guess it has a sort of innocence that seems to have all but vanished these days. I recommend The Gun In Betty Lou's Handbag for a rainy day.