Mr. Saturday Night (1992)

Director:

Billy Crystal

Writers (WGA):

Billy Crystal (written by) and
Lowell Ganz (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

It's lonely at the middle.

Plot:

Buddy Young was the comic's comic, beloved by everyone. Now, playing to miniscule crowds in nursing homes...

Plot Keywords:

Directed By Star | Bloopers During Credits | Saturday Night Live | Sentimental | Early Television

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 nominations

Cast

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
Bill Wendell	...	Announcer (as William Wendell)
Hartley Haverty	...	Susan, age 6
Will Jordan	...	Ed Sullivan
Josh Byrne	...	Buddy, age 6
Ben Diskin	...	Stan, age 9
Irving Wasserman	...	Uncle Moe
Phil Forman	...	Uncle Julius
Joe Shea	...	M.C.
Michael Ben-Edward	...	Fat guy in audience
Carl Ballantine	...	Freddie
Slappy White	...	Joey
Richard Mehana	...	Sidney
Mark Lonow	...	Producer
Conrad Janis	...	Director
Tim Russ	...	Assistant director
Marc Shaiman	...	Lucky Zindberg
Cantor Chayim Frenkel	...	Cantor at funeral
Jan Lucas	...	Karen (casting director)
Daniel Tisman	...	Reece
Peter Kim	...	Maitre d'
Greg Paik	...	Owner
Eugene Kaufmann	...	Old man
Miranda Garrison	...	Apache dancer
Alberto Toledano	...	Apache dancer
Richard Kind	...	Reporter
Jerry Lewis	...	Guest
Edith Fields	...	Woman in commercial
Adam Goldberg	...	Eugene Gimbel
Maria A. Ferrari Olivo	...	Fat guy's wife
Talbot Perry Simons	...	Man at Catskills
Lonnie Burr	...	TV show dancer
Randy Doney	...	TV show dancer
Joe A. Giamalva	...	TV show dancer
Birl Jonns	...	TV show dancer
Shadoe Stevens	...	Fred
Bert Copello	...	Sulivan A.D.
Lindsay Crystal	...	Screaming girl
Dana Lipsic	...	Other screaming girl
Jerry Gadette	...	Stagehand
William T. Yamadera	...	Japanese client
Lowell Ganz	...	Writer #1
Babaloo Mandel	...	Writer #2
Gary Grossman	...	Backstage man
Bob Yerkes	...	Acrobat
Marinela Cimpoeru	...	Acrobat
Costin Csizmas	...	Acrobat
Voinea Dumitru	...	Acrobat
Adrian Smertcov	...	Acrobat
Steven Kravitz	...	Young comic
Randy Crenshaw	...	Buddy, Buddy singer
Geoff Koch	...	Buddy, Buddy singer
Steve Lively	...	Buddy, Buddy singer
Rick Logan	...	Buddy, Buddy singer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jackie Gayle	...	Gene
Joe Mays
Walton Goggins	...	Shaky kid (uncredited)
Michael Pasby	...	Cameraman at game show (extra) (uncredited)
David Pires	...	Young Woody Allen (uncredited)
Steven Rozic	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Cari Shayne	...	(uncredited)
Marc Ian Sklar	...	Family Member (uncredited)

Directed by
Billy Crystal

Writing credits (WGA)
Billy Crystal		(written by) and
Lowell Ganz		(written by) &
Babaloo Mandel		(written by)

Produced by
Billy Crystal	....	producer
Lowell Ganz	....	executive producer
Babaloo Mandel	....	executive producer
Peter Schindler	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Marc Shaiman

Cinematography by
Donald Peterman		(as Don Peterman)

Film Editing by
Kent Beyda

Casting by
Pam Dixon

Production Design by
Albert Brenner

Art Direction by
Carol Winstead Wood

Set Decoration by
Kathe Klopp

Costume Design by
Ruth Myers

Makeup Department
Audrey L. Anzures	....	hair stylist
Steve LaPorte	....	key makeup artist
Steve LaPorte	....	makeup department head
Todd McIntosh	....	makeup artist/prosthetics
Peter Montagna	....	makeup artist
Peter Montagna	....	makeup department head
Mike Smithson	....	fabrication
Dayne Johnson	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Louis Lazzara	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Kelly Van Horn	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Julie A. Bloom	....	assistant director
David Cass Jr.	....	assistant director
James Chory	....	assistant director (as Jim Chory)
John E. Gallagher	....	assistant director
Sean Hobin	....	assistant director

Art Department
Brad Curry	....	drapemaster
Richard Bryan Douglas	....	construction foreman
Amy Feldman	....	set dressing buyer
Steve A. Hagberg	....	construction coordinator
John Kasarda	....	art director: New York
C.J. Maguire	....	property master
Bruce Richter	....	carpenter
Paul Stanwyck	....	head painter
John Hammer Maxwell	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)
Rudy Reachi	....	assistant property master (uncredited)

Sound Department
James Ashwill	....	foley mixer
Steve Bowerman	....	boom operator
Michael Dressel	....	foley editor
Robert Grieve	....	supervising sound editor
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steve Mann	....	sound effects editor
Dan O'Connell	....	foley artist
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roy Seeger	....	assistant sound editor
Robert L. Sephton	....	sound editor
Alicia Stevenson	....	foley artist
Jeff Wexler	....	sound mixer
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
David P. Kelsey	....	special effects

Stunts
Brian Burrows	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Phil Abraham	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera, New York
Brian S. Cooper	....	electrician
Scott Crabbe	....	video operator
Ken Fisher	....	assistant camera
Gábor Kövér	....	director of photography: second unit
Bruce McBroom	....	still photographer
Randy Nolen	....	steadicam operator
Brad Peterman	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Andrew D. Schwartz	....	still photographer: New York

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Danna Edwards	....	costumer
Marcie Olivi	....	costumer: Mr. Crystal

Editorial Department
Thomas Calderon	....	assistant editor
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Wilt Henderson	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Brad Dechter	....	orchestrator
Alex Gibson	....	music editor
Mark McKenzie	....	orchestrator
Nick Vidar	....	music programmer
Sherry Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Michael Avallon	....	driver
Jerry Sidwell	....	driver

Other crew
Todd J. Adelman	....	production medic
Laurie Arnow-Epstein	....	construction accountant
Elaine Bass	....	title designer
Saul Bass	....	title designer
Bonnie Belknap	....	food stylist
Judith M. Brown	....	studio teacher
Pam Ellington	....	first assistant production accountant
Cindy Franke	....	assistant production coordinator
Michael Greenwood	....	production assistant
Lisa Lynn Kearsley	....	production coordinator
Adam Lustig	....	property graphics
Gail Martin-Sheridan	....	production accountant
Tricia Miles	....	production assistant
Gail Rose	....	assistant production accountant
Lauren Ross	....	location manager
Larry Vigus	....	stand-in: Conrad Janis
David L. Yen	....	craft service
Lynnanne Zager	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Castle Rock Entertainment
• Face Productions
• New Line Cinema

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1992) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1996) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1997) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Aquarius TV (2000) (Greece) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• New Line Home Video (video)
• PolyGram Video (USA) (DVD)
• Starlight

Other Companies

• Big Screen Records  soundtrack
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• ShowBiz Enterprises  draperies

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:M | Germany:6 (f) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #32002)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Goofs:

Factual errors: 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.

Quotes:

Stan: Buddy, my whole life I listened to ya' bellyache about your luck. Well, you are where you are because of who you are.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Seinfeld: The Smelly Car (#4.22)" (1993)

A multi-faceted drama.

Billy Crystal's directorial debut was not a big success mainly due to the fact that people had no idea how multi-faceted he had the ability to be. This is not a comedy. This is a very moving drama about a comedian and his life, both public and private. There are several highly insightful moments and some real movie magic present. I assume Crystal had help with his directing, as there are a few crafty camera shots. I personally don't mind that most critics overlooked this movie, but I am very glad that the Academy recognized David Paymer, as Crystal's watching-from-the-wings brother, with a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He and Crystal play off each other wonderfully. They act so much like brothers throughout the years of the film, Paymer's last name might actually be Crystal.

Helen Hunt, Ron Silver, and Jerry Orbach have good roles, albeit fairly small. There are also several cameos, including Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. They co-wrote the movie with Crystal, and this duo have their names on Happy Days episodes, as well as a slew of films. This information is helpful to the humor when they appear as a couple of goofy young writers.

This fine film is not without a couple of drawbacks. The make-up job on Crystal and Paymer in their old age is far from realistic. This aspect of the film needed Rick Baker. The other item that detracts this from being a truly great film is that it is essentially a biography of a fictional person who isn't a very nice guy. The movie has a few moments where it wants the viewer to feel sorry for him for ruining his own life. To me, however, it is great storytelling and wonderful acting. It is sad, poignant, and, upon first viewing in 1992, nothing I expected from the mind of Billy Crystal.

If you've never seen this picture because you have heard too many negative things, please give it a viewing. You could very well be surprised.