My Fellow Americans (1996)

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers (WGA):

E. Jack Kaplan (story) &
Richard Chapman (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 December 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A comedy about life, liberty and the pursuit of two ex-presidents.

Plot:

Kramer and Douglas, two former presidents from opposite ends of the political spectrum, become reluctant...

Plot Keywords:

Gay Parade | Train | Illegal Immigrant | Camping | NSA

Cast

Jack Lemmon	...	President Russell P. Kramer
James Garner	...	President Matt Douglas
Dan Aykroyd	...	President William Haney
John Heard	...	Vice President Ted Matthews
Wilford Brimley	...	Joe Hollis
Lauren Bacall	...	Margaret Kramer
Sela Ward	...	Kaye Griffin
Everett McGill	...	Col. Paul Tanner
Bradley Whitford	...	Carl Witnaur
James Rebhorn	...	Charlie Reynolds
Esther Rolle	...	Rita
Conchata Ferrell	...	Woman Truck Driver
Jack Kehler	...	Wayne
Connie Ray	...	Genny
Tom Everett	...	NSA Agent Wilkerson
Mark Lowenthal	...	NSA Agent Caldwell
Jeff Yagher	...	Dorothy / Lt. Ralph Fleming
Edwin Newman	...	Himself
Lynn Clark	...	Chrissy Kramer
Leigh Rose	...	Katherine Douglas
Mihoko Tokoro	...	Japanese Singer
Ken Enomoto	...	Hiroshi Ashino
Gunnar Peterson	...	Bruce
Scott Burkholder	...	Greg
Wayne Duvall	...	Chet
Jack Garner	...	President Haney's Caddy
Gene Bolande	...	Injured Golf Spectator
Francesca Rollins	...	Reporter #1
Paul Feig	...	Reporter #2
Cathy Ladman	...	Reynolds' Secretary
Tom Wright	...	Jim
Dana Gould	...	Sandwich Guy at Book Convention
Scott Hoxby	...	Man with Subpoena
Jonathan Osser	...	Kramer's Grandson
Mitch Braswell	...	Marine One Pilot
E. Arthur Booth	...	Marine One Co-Pilot (as Art Booth)
Steve Carlisle	...	Man in Train Station Bathroom
Todd McDurmont	...	Elvis
Madison Wellington	...	Tina
David 'Skippy' Malloy	...	Will
Jennifer Leigh Jones	...	Fran
Rob Roy Fitzgerald	...	Dean
Jennifer Austin	...	Marilyn Monroe
Bobby Bass	...	NSA Hitman #1
Steven Chambers	...	NSA Hitman #2 (as Steve Chambers)
Jimmy Nickerson	...	NSA Hitman #3
Cara Gooden	...	Truck Stop Girl
Matthew R. Zboyovski	...	Truck Stop Boy (as Matt Zboyovski)
Michael Peña	...	Ernesto
Alex Joganic	...	Kevin
Ocie Pouncie	...	Man in Diner
Neva Howell	...	Charlene, Budget Agent
Sheri Mann Stewart	...	Sandy, Budget Agent
Pete Penuel	...	Man in Parade
John O'Leary	...	Ben, Caretaker
Leighanne Littrell	...	Witnaur's Girlfriend (as Leighanne Wallace)
Rick Hall	...	U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division Officer
Eric Siegel	...	President Haney's Aide
Ann Cusack	...	White House Tour Guide
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Asthmatic Woman on Tour
Dorothy Lucey	...	News Anchor
Jeff Mandon	...	Secret Service Agent
James D. Bissell	...	Secret Service Agent (as James Bissell)
Shawn D. Woodyard	...	Secret Service Agent
Stephen Wedan	...	Mounted Policeman #1
Tom Sean Foley	...	Mounted Policeman #2
Michael Russo	...	White House Sharpshooter
Christopher Kriesa	...	Agent Kopeck
William Kerr	...	Vice President Matthews' Make-Up Man
Peter Segal	...	TV Technician
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
C. Michael Haynes	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Marg Helgenberger	...	Joanna (uncredited)
Jan Jackson	...	Lady in Train (uncredited)
Steph Robinson	...	Tarheel Fan (uncredited)
Sam P. Whitehead	...	Rude Waiter (uncredited)

Directed by
Peter Segal

Writing credits (WGA)
E. Jack Kaplan		(story) &
Richard Chapman		(story)
E. Jack Kaplan		(screenplay) &
Richard Chapman		(screenplay) and
Peter Tolan		(screenplay)

Produced by
Tracy Barone	....	executive producer
Michael Ewing	....	co-producer
Jean Higgins	....	co-producer
Neil Meron	....	executive producer
Jon Peters	....	producer
Craig Zadan	....	executive producer
Russ Kavanaugh	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
William Ross

Cinematography by
Julio Macat		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Kerr

Casting by
Karen Rea

Production Design by
James D. Bissell		(as James Bissell)

Art Direction by
Gae S. Buckley		(as Gae Buckley)
Michael Rizzo

Set Decoration by
Gary Fettis

Costume Design by
Betsy Cox

Makeup Department
Judy Crown	....	personal hair stylist: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Linda Kamp	....	makeup artist
Steve LaPorte	....	makeup department head
Wayne Massarelli	....	makeup artist: Lauren Bacall
Peter Montagna	....	assistant makeup artist
Sherri Bramlett	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Sara Seidman	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Debbi Bossi	....	post-production supervisor
Alma Kuttruff	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Demarais	....	dga trainee
Ron Dempsey	....	assistant director
Frank Ferro	....	second second assistant director: second unit
Ivan J. Fonseca	....	second second assistant director: second unit
Freddie Hice	....	second unit director
John Hockridge	....	first assistant director
Joseph J. Kontra	....	second assistant director (as Joe Kontra)
Keri L. McIntyre	....	second second assistant director: second unit (as Keri McIntyre)
Diana E. Williams	....	second second assistant director (as Diana Williams)
Mary Ellen Woods	....	first assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Douglas Abrahamson	....	props
Kenneth Bryant	....	set dresser
Christopher Carlson	....	assistant decorator
Laureen Clarke	....	art department coordinator
Christopher L. Conner	....	greensman
Sarah Costello	....	painter
Mick Cukurs	....	set designer
Tammy DeRuiter	....	painter
Abigail Drury	....	scenic painter
Neil Gahm	....	propmaker
Robert L. Girard	....	metal shop foreman
Stephanie Girard	....	set designer
Susanna Glattly	....	scenic charge: Washington DC
Ted Haigh	....	assistant art director
Chuck Herrmann	....	assistant property master
Kurt V. Hulett	....	lead man
J. Luther Jones III	....	construction foreman
Christopher Kuder	....	property maker
Eric Luling	....	on-set dresser
Jeffrey McMahon	....	construction foreman
Thomas C. Mentzer	....	construction foreman
Gary Metzen	....	constructor
John W. Morgan	....	scenic painter
Maureen Osborne	....	set dresser
James Passanante	....	paint foreman: South Carolina
Damian 'Rocky' Polito	....	carpenter
Michael Sabo	....	lead man
John H. Samson	....	construction coordinator
Jesse Silver	....	illustrator
Ben T. Sineath Jr.	....	paint utility
Michael A. Wells	....	propmaker
Marcel Worch	....	propmaker
Jim Zemansky	....	property master (as James Zemansky)
Kathy Brunswick	....	construction buyer (uncredited)
Richard E. Kruder	....	property maker (uncredited)
Scott Mobley	....	property maker (uncredited)
Debbie Nolan	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Harry E. Otto	....	set designer (uncredited)
Steve A. Stephenson	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Steve A. Stephenson	....	propmaker (uncredited)

Sound Department
Christopher Assells	....	sound editor
Bob Beher	....	supervising foley editor
Jeffree Bloomer	....	sound recordist
Kevin E. Carpenter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Scott Clements	....	cable utility
Hank Garfield	....	sound
Steven Gerrior	....	assistant sound editor
Eric Gotthelf	....	foley mixer
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kimberly Ellen Lowe	....	dialogue editor (as Kimberly Lowe Voigt)
Steve Mann	....	sound effects editor
Steve Nelson	....	sound effects editor
Jay Nierenberg	....	supervising sound editor
Troy Porter	....	adr mixer
Terry Rodman	....	supervising sound editor
Robert Schaper	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cathie Speakman	....	sound editor
Shawn Sykora	....	foley editor
Tim Tuchrello	....	assistant sound editor
Cary Weitz	....	boom operator
David Wolowic	....	first assistant sound editor
Richard E. Yawn	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Thomas R. Dickens	....	sculptor: miniatures
Alan E. Lorimer	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Robert Chapin	....	visual effects
Jon Farhat	....	visual effects supervisor
David Fuhrer	....	digital artist: CFC
Scott Harper	....	digital effects supervisor: Scott Harper and Associates
John Johns	....	visual effects video
Jeff Matakovich	....	visual effects
Glen David Miller	....	digital effects artist
Christopher Savides	....	color grader
Jesse Silver	....	art department supervisor: Warner Digital Studios
Jesse Silver	....	matte artist
Janek Sirrs	....	visual effects
Robert Stadd	....	visual effects production supervisor
David Taritero	....	visual effects producer: Warner Digital
Ariel Velasco-Shaw	....	visual effects supervisor
Travis Baumann	....	digital artist (uncredited)
Fortunato Frattasio	....	visual effects (uncredited)
Juniko Moody	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Gary Allan Parks	....	imaging manager (uncredited)

Stunts
Brian Brown	....	stunts (as Brian Lee Brown)
Roydon Clark	....	stunts
Danny Costa	....	stunts
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts
Frank Ferrara	....	stunts
Teri Garland	....	stunts
Eddie Hice	....	stunts
Freddie Hice	....	stunt coordinator
Toby Holguin	....	stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (as Terry J. Leonard)
Jimmy Medearis	....	stunts
Darwin Mitchell	....	stunts
Daniel O'Haco	....	stunts
Erin Ricotti	....	stunts (as Erin Ricotti Hice)
Jimmy N. Roberts	....	stunts
Jason Rodriguez	....	stunts
Danny Rogers	....	stunts
Erik Rondell	....	stunts
Chuck Zito	....	stunts
Chris Cenatiempo	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Cenatiempo	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richmond L. Aguilar	....	gaffer
Marsha Blackburn	....	still photographer
Jeffree Bloomer	....	electrician
Paul Caven	....	best boy electric
Stephane Cojot-Goldberg	....	second assistant camera
James F. Cornick	....	rigging technician
Dan Cornwall	....	electrician
Stephen Crowley	....	best boy
Keith Davis	....	electrician: Los Angeles
Keith Davis	....	rigging electrician: Asheville
David M. Dunlap	....	director of photography: second unit (as David Dunlap)
Lex DuPont	....	camera operator
Rusty Edmonson	....	lamp operator
Dale Fowler	....	electrician
Jimmy Harritos	....	electrician
Geoff Herbert	....	grip
Steele Hunter	....	best boy
Joel King	....	director of photography: second unit
Charles Laughon	....	video assist operator
Stan McClain	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Mark C. McManus	....	video assist operator: second unit
Tim Metivier	....	second assistant camera
Charles 'Chaz' Norcross	....	grip
Larry Orlick	....	first assistant camera (as Lawrence Orlick)
Harrison Palmer	....	grip
Charles Papert	....	Steadicam operator: second unit
Jesse Wayne Parker	....	key rigging grip
Aaron Pazanti	....	camera operator
Dan Rogers	....	grip
Ted Sapp	....	pre-rig best boy grip
Lee Shapira	....	grip: DC unit
Steve Sudge	....	electrician
Michael Tackett	....	still photographer
Henry Tirl	....	Steadicam assistant
Henry Tirl	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Peter Albert	....	video assist: Washington D.C. second unit (uncredited)
Nathan Bishop	....	tape operator: Warner Digital (uncredited)
Tom Fendley	....	electrician (uncredited)
Bob Williams	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Bianca Cioffi-Zaring	....	casting associate
Shirley Fulton Crumley	....	location casting
Shannon Dunn	....	extras casting
Theresa Phillips	....	casting associate (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Deb Dalton	....	costumer
Lori DeLapp	....	set costumer
Eileen A. Dunn	....	personal dresser
Elaine Ramires	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Laura Behary	....	assistant film editor
Richard Currie	....	assistant editor
David Orr	....	color timer
Michael L. Sale	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Tom Boyd	....	musician: oboe soloist
Michael Dilbeck	....	music supervisor
Andrew Dorfman	....	assistant music editor
Jim Harrison	....	supervising music editor
Conrad Pope	....	orchestrator
Steven Scott Smalley	....	orchestrator
James Thatcher	....	musician: french horn
Chris Boardman	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Matthew Della Polla	....	scoring consultant (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Manny Demello	....	driver
David Diaz	....	transportation dispatcher
Dan Marrow	....	transportation coordinator
Charles Montgomery	....	driver: cast
John Rice Sr.	....	transportation captain
Phil Strauss	....	transportation
Mitch Friedman	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Pamela Alch	....	script supervisor
Chris Beal	....	production assistant
Noel Bermudez	....	production accountant
Allan Bragg	....	stand-in: Jack Lemmon
Patrick Burn	....	assistant location manager
Christopher Claisse	....	production secretary
Robb Earnest	....	production assistant
Damian Ganczewski	....	production secretary
Ellen Gessert	....	additional location manager
Lance Holland	....	location manager
Jerry Hunt	....	stand-in
Robert E. Kay	....	production assistant
Deborah Laub	....	location manager
Karon May	....	script supervisor: second unit
Peter McKernan	....	aerial coordinator
Murray Miller	....	location manager
Darwin Mitchell	....	boss wrangler
Kim Pucci	....	executive assistant: Jon Peters
Rip Russell	....	accounting assistant
John Sakas	....	helicopter pilot
Bill H. Schwocho	....	stand-in
Ned R. Shapiro	....	location manager
Tony Suber	....	teamster
Bill Daly	....	post-production accountant manager (uncredited)
Adam Feingold	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mark R. Leins	....	technician: Tyler mount (uncredited)
Sue Bea Montgomery	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Rick Scheil	....	accountant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Peters Entertainment
• Storyline Entertainment

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (1996) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (2000) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1999) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment (1996) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1997) (Greece) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Computer Film Company, The (CFC) (digital compositing, CG animation)
• Effects Associates
• Scott Harper & Associates

Other Companies

• Direct Tools & Fasteners  expendables
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• TVT Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for salty language and innuendo

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:12 (original rating) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Finland:S | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Black Mountain, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Peters Entertainment

Trivia:

Third and final of three cinema movies that actor James Garner and actress Lauren Bacall both worked on. The films include HealtH (1980), The Fan (1981) and My Fellow Americans (1996), one in each decade of the 1970s [Health shot in 1979], 1980s and 1990s.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the presidents escape through the secret door the TV seems to turn itself off between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Edwin Newman:It has been described as one of the most vicious presidential races in the history of American politics, and one of the closest. The Republican nominee, Senator Russell P Kramer of Ohio, is practically dead even in the polls with his bitter rival, Democratic Governor Matt Douglas of Indiana...

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Great Escape (1963)

Soundtrack:

We're In The Money

Kings Among the Commoners

My husband and I both love this movie, for a number of reasons. 1. We are fans of James Garner in particular, and Jack Lemmon also. As other reviewers have noted, they play off each other extremely well. 2. In NJ, we have two former (rival)governors who share a political column. Every time I see this movie, I think of the column, where they share a grudging respect somewhat like the characters in the movie. 3. None of the reviewers have said much about the "king among the commoners" theme. During their cross-country trek, the two former Presidents find out who their "fellow Americans" REALLY are - illegal immigrants, homeless families looking for a job, gay security guards, etc., etc. That's what this movie's REALLY all about. -Earth Mother