Mr. Saturday Night (1992)

The life of Buddy Young, a comic legend in flashbacks but an old man looking for work in the present.

Director:

Billy Crystal

Writers:

Billy Crystal, Lowell Ganz,

Stars:

Billy Crystal, David Paymer, Julie Warner

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Crystal	...	Buddy Young Jr.
David Paymer	...	Stan
Julie Warner	...	Elaine
Helen Hunt	...	Annie Wells
Mary Mara	...	Susan
Jerry Orbach	...	Phil Gussman
Ron Silver	...	Larry Meyerson
Sage Allen	...	Mom
Jason Marsden	...	Buddy - Age 15
Michael Weiner	...	Stan - Age 18
Larry Gelman	...	Mr. Gimbel
Kay Freeman	...	Mrs. Gimbel
Howard Mann	...	Stage Manager
Julius Branca	...	Stage Manager
Liz Georges	...	Script Girl

Storyline

Buddy Young was the comic's comic, beloved by everyone. Now, playing to miniscule crowds in nursing homes, it seems like everybody but Buddy realizes that he should retire. As Buddy looks for work in show business, he realizes that the rest of the world has forgotten the golden days of Buddy Young, and that there just may not be room in the business for an old comic like himself.

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Plot Keywords:

brother brother relationship | directed by star | written and directed by cast member | day in title | real tv show shown in fictional situation | 

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Taglines:

He loved his family. He loved his friends. But he loved his audience even more.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der letzte Komödiant - Mr. Saturday Night

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$13,351,357 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Face Productions, New Line Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There is one scene where Buddy Young, Jr. is watching Your Show of Shows starring Sid Caesar and wincing. Ironically, Billy Crystal has cited Sid Caesar for his reason wanting to get into comedy.

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Goofs

Stan explains that rating for Buddy's Saturday night TV show are sliding because the show is opposite Davy Crockett, a serial that actually ran midweek for three weeks on a TV's Disneyland show.

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Quotes

Announcer: Announcer: "And now, the star of our show, the kamikaze of comedy! Fasten your seat belts, put on your crash helmets; because here he comes... Mr. Saturday Night... Buddy Young, Junior!"

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Connections

References The Ed Sullivan Show (1948)

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Soundtracks

"The Patty Duke Theme"
Written by Robert Wells (as Robert Welles) and Sid Ramin

User Reviews

Laugh and cry in equal measure

How come this film has not received more plaudits? I know David Palmer got an Oscar but it's such a wonderful feel good film that deserves more. I watch it regularly to cheer myself up. Mr Crystal's delivery is razor sharp and he's really put together a beautiful and utterly believable faux biopic. I can't deny that I had to check that this wasn't a true story but maybe I'm a little gullible. Lovely story about two Jewish brothers and their growing up within the field of stand-up comedy although with quite separate roles. Great cameo from Jerry Lewis. The make-up in these sorts of films where characters age substantially can be a little suspect but the cast do well to express ageing bodies quite well. A true original and be prepared for joyful tears in the midst of laughter.