Honeydripper (2007)

Director:

John Sayles

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (Ireland)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | History | Music | Musical

Plot:

1950. Rural Alabama. Cotton harvest. It's a make-or-break weekend for the Honeydripper Lounge and its owner...

Plot Keywords:

Alabama | 1950s | Hypocrisy | Scene Before Opening Credits | n Word

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Danny Glover	...	Tyrone Purvis
LisaGay Hamilton	...	Delilah
Yaya Alafia	...	China Doll (as Yaya DaCosta)
Charles S. Dutton	...	Maceo
Vondie Curtis-Hall	...	Slick
Gary Clark Jr.	...	Sonny
Mable John	...	Bertha Mae
Stacy Keach	...	Sheriff Pugh
Nagee Clay	...	Scratch
Absalom Adams	...	Lonnie
Arthur Lee Williams	...	Metalmouth Sims
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Stokely
Davenia McFadden	...	Nadine
Daryl Edwards	...	Shack Thomas
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Dex
Eric L. Abrams	...	Ham
Kel Mitchell	...	Junebug
Keb' Mo'	...	Possum
Tom Wright	...	Cool Breeze
Donnie L. Betts	...	Mr. Simmons
John Sayles	...	Zeke
Larry Coker	...	Driver
Mary Steenburgen	...	Amanda Winship
Brian D. Williams	...	Luther
Santana Shelton	...	Opal
Danny Vinson	...	Judge Gatlin
Brent Jennings	...	Ned
Steve Holmes	...	Deputy #1
Albert Hall	...	Reverend Cutlip
Ronald McCall	...	King
Eddie Mallard III	...	Nat
Eddie Shaw	...	Time Trenier
Eric Housh	...	Clerk
Stephan Hundley	...	Young Henry
James Crittenden	...	Old Man Toussaint
Ledyard Williamson	...	Deputy #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mitch Harbeson	...	Army Jeep Driver
Shamar Sanders	...	Dancer / soldier
Pacey Walker	...	Pretty Girl

Directed by
John Sayles

Writing credits (WGA)
John Sayles		(written by)

Produced by
Ira Deutchman	....	associate producer
Susan Kirr	....	associate producer
Maggie Renzi	....	producer
Mark Wynns	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mason Daring

Cinematography by
Dick Pope

Film Editing by
John Sayles

Casting by
John Hubbard

Production Design by
Toby Corbett

Art Direction by
Eloise Crane Stammerjohn

Set Decoration by
Alice Baker

Costume Design by
Hope Hanafin

Makeup Department
Gloria Belz	....	makeup artist
Theresa A. Fleming	....	assistant hair stylist
Melissa Forney	....	hair department head
Diane Maurno	....	makeup department head

Production Management
Susan Kirr	....	unit production manager
Stuart Macphee	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cas Donovan	....	first assistant director
Seth Hansen	....	second second assistant director
Paul Schneider	....	second assistant director

Art Department
David Alban	....	construction foreman
Cecile Aymami	....	scenic artist
Michael Calabrese	....	lead man
Stephen P. Durante	....	set dresser
Seay Earehart	....	scenic artist
Romain Gateau	....	assistant property master
Hugh Gravitt	....	graphic artist
Tom Healey	....	set builder
Michael Hendrick	....	set dresser
Ernerst J. Levron Jr.	....	set dresser
Daniel A. Maes	....	set dresser
Rick Mims	....	greens foreman
Dane Moore	....	construction coordinator
Rita Mulroy	....	art production assistant
David Nicholson	....	set builder
Robert W. Owens II	....	set builder
Frank A. Raffa Jr.	....	set dresser
Jeremy Alan Read	....	set dresser
Michael F. Reynolds	....	set builder
Larry Sauls	....	set dresser
Philip Schneider	....	property master
Keith D. Smith	....	lead scenic artist
Victoria St. Pierre	....	painter
Charles D. White	....	set builder
Logan Wood	....	set builder

Sound Department
Courtney Bishop	....	adr recordist
David Boulton	....	adr mixer
Krissopher Chevannes	....	adr recordist
Marko A. Costanzo	....	foley artist
Robert Fernandez	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris Fielder	....	assistant sound editor
David Flynch	....	foley editor (as Dave Flynch)
Dror Gescheit	....	re-recording engineer
Ruth Hernandez	....	adr editor
Judy Karp	....	sound mixer
George A. Lara	....	foley mixer
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Jessica Parks	....	apprentice sound editor
Jaime Reyes	....	boom operator
Aron Siegel	....	additional boom operator
Philip Stockton	....	supervising sound editor
Dominick Tavella	....	dialogue pre-mixer
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer
Steven Visscher	....	supervising foley editor
Allan Zaleski	....	sound effects editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Greg Argarin	....	electrician
Irie Bailey	....	additional electrician
Richard Ball	....	key grip
Jafari Barnard	....	additional grip
Bill Bennett	....	grip
William Bennett	....	grip intern
Mike 'Big Mike' Bonnet	....	best boy grip
Jason Brignola	....	second assistant camera
Matthew Clark	....	camera operator
Colby Damazio	....	additional grip
Angelo Di Giacomo	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
David M. Dunlap	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Alf Elder	....	additional grip
Don Hamzik	....	video assist operator
Charles 'Tom' Hinson	....	dolly grip
Richard T. Hoover	....	grip
Larry Huston	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Nathaniel Kendrick Jr.	....	electrician
Ian Lynch	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Sal Martorano	....	best boy electric
Jim McKinney	....	additional camera operator
Tom Percarpio	....	gaffer
Humberto Recio	....	balloon light tech
Humberto Recio	....	electrician
John Richie	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Jim Sheldon	....	still photographer
Kennith G. Smith	....	dolly grip
Calvin Ursin Jr.	....	best boy rigging grip
Darren Ursin	....	additional grip
Jelani Atu Wilson	....	camera loader

Casting Department
Kathleen Broyles	....	location casting
Galia Hardy	....	location casting assistant
Wendy Jenkins	....	casting intern
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Dearbhaile O'Hanlon	....	principal casting assistant
Zoe Rocha	....	principal casting assistant
Tom Swayne	....	casting assistant
Brian Williams	....	casting intern

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Amelia McKinney	....	costume coordinator: Los Angeles office
Colleen Morris	....	tailor
Molly Rebuschatis	....	costume production assistant
Karen Ross	....	seamstress
Susan Salzano	....	key set costumer
Katie Saunders	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Andreas Fehrle	....	apprentice editor
Lucian Johnston	....	post-production intern
Noel Johnston	....	post-production intern
Jimmy Mann	....	colorist: dailies
Mario Ontal	....	associate editor
Brian Reali	....	digital intermediate producer
Corey Stewart	....	digital intermediate engineer (uncredited)

Music Department
Matt Andrews	....	location music assistant
Tim Bernett	....	music supervisor
Bryan Carrigan	....	digital score recordist
Greg Hayes	....	music recording engineer
Logan Patton	....	location music engineer
Chris Robertson	....	music clearance
Dave Shacter	....	music coordinator
Jeremy Underwood	....	assistant recording engineer

Transportation Department
Jon Bergholz	....	transportation coordinator
Jimmie Bradford	....	driver
Jesse Braggs	....	driver
Mack Chapman	....	driver
William Gillespie	....	driver
BJ Hallett	....	driver
David Hamilton	....	driver
Mitch Harbeson	....	picture car coordinator
Huey Laborde	....	driver
J.P. Manning	....	transportation co-captain
Ken Nevin	....	transportation captain
Willie D. Partin	....	driver
Robert J. Rocco	....	driver
Tony Sheppard	....	driver
Stanley R. Sims	....	driver
John H. Stephens	....	driver: production van
Don Stinson	....	driver

Other crew
Olga Abramson	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Miles Adgate	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Karla Chee Atow	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Erin Borel	....	assistant production coordinator
Max Bouzaid	....	first assistant chef
Chris Browne	....	craft service
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	production legal
Batou Chandler	....	location manager
Karla Chee-a-tow	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Christi Ciani	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Allison Cook	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Kendra Cowles	....	on-set medic
Mike Cunliffe	....	assistant location manager
Candace Davidson	....	stand-in
Carolyn De Sousa	....	script supervisor
Kristyn DiPane	....	project manager: Technicolor
Kavitha Dulai	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Von Ewing	....	stand-in
Don Gillespie	....	first assistant accountant
Michelle Gonsiorek	....	set production assistant
Laurent Gougneau	....	chef
Hannah Hancock Rubinsky	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Hillary Hawkins	....	adr loop group
Kamesha Hawthorne	....	office production assistant
Sabrina Hybel	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Jodie Jones	....	set production assistant
Micheal Edward King	....	set production assistant
Marjorie Leder	....	production accountant
Martta McGlynn	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Arthur J. Miller Jr.	....	train consultant
Danelle Myron	....	office manager: New Jersey
Amy Leigh Owen	....	production secretary
Shannon Parker	....	location assistant
Emma Parkinson	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
W. Tinsley Pate	....	train consultant
Travis Ray	....	assistant choreographer
Jeremy Reisig	....	set production assistant
Jessica Renzi-Bailey	....	location assistant
Kathy Rhodes	....	accounting clerk
Ann Marie Rosas	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Carla Rose	....	post-production accountant
Claire Schexnayder	....	set production assistant
Carla M. Schorr	....	post-production accountant
Kate Sena	....	intern: Anarchists' Convention Office
Kent D. Smith	....	assistant location manager
Eugenia Stallworth	....	stand-in
Floyd B. Sterling	....	assistant chef
Amy Venghaus	....	production assistant
Karen Wacker	....	production coordinator
Robert Waddell	....	second assistant chef
Jennifer West	....	production office assistant
Joaquin Diego Prange	....	location manager (uncredited)

Thanks
Jonathan Bell	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Anarchist's Convention Films
• Honeydripper Films

Distributors

• Emerging Pictures (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Axiom Films (2007) (UK) (all media)
• David Distribucion (2008) (Mexico) (all media)
• Imovision (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• My Network TV (2009) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Screen Media Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Universal Studios Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Liquid Soul Media  marketing and promotion
• C5  sound post-production
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Diamond Time  music clearances
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Falco Ink.  publicity
• Hues Image FX  graphic design
• Orbit Digital  post-production facilities
• Rockbottom Rentals  cell phone rentals
• Rockbottom Rentals  walkie rentals
• Signet Sound Studio  Music recorded at

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief violence and some suggestive material

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG | Ireland:PG | Finland:K-11 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Anarchist's Convention Films

Trivia:

The principal shooting location was less than 50 yards from Hank Williams's boyhood home.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Though set in 1950 the one dollar bills paid to get into the show by patrons are not silver certificates but rather current currency.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 5 January 2008" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Ty's Shadow

pivot between eras

John Sayles, never one to avoid a political focus in movies, now brings us "Honeydripper". The movie is set in 1950 Alabama. The Jim Crow laws are still in effect, and black-white relations are limited to African-Americans performing only the most menial jobs: a number of people work in a cotton field for practically nothing (slavery has risen again!). Tyrone "Pinetop" Purvis (Danny Glover) owns a restaurant and often has singers come and play. Business hasn't been doing too well recently. Pinetop has worked hard his whole life and barely gotten by...but the possible arrival of a New Orleans singer might change things.

Aside from the great music, one can also see this movie as a look at the pivot era in the South. It's set during the Jim Crow era, around the start of the Korean War, just a few years away from the civil rights movement. One notices that even though this is still the age of institutionalized racism, many of the characters do what they can to try and have civil relationships with white people: Sheriff Pugh (Stacy Keach) is on pretty good terms with Pinetop, and Pinetop's wife Delilah (Lisa Gay Hamilton) manages to carry on a conversation with her employer (Mary Steenburgen). The music, of course, is really the best part. I certainly recommend this movie, as I have recommended every John Sayles movie that I've seen.

Also starring Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis Hall, Keb' Mo', Kel Mitchell and Gary Clark Jr. I think that I saw John Sayles in a bit part.