Studs Lonigan (1960)

A young man tries to escape the South Side of 1920s Chicago.

Director:

Irving Lerner

Writers:

James T. Farrell (novel), Philip Yordan

Stars:

Christopher Knight, Frank Gorshin, Venetia Stevenson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Knight	...	Studs Lonigan
Frank Gorshin	...	Kenny Killarney
Venetia Stevenson	...	Lucy Scanlon
Carolyn Craig	...	Catherine Banahan
Jack Nicholson	...	Weary Reilly
Robert Casper	...	Paulie Haggerty
Dick Foran	...	Patrick Lonigan
Katherine Squire	...	Mrs. Lonigan
Jay C. Flippen	...	Father Gilhooey
Helen Westcott	...	Miss Julia Miller
Kathy Johnson	...	Frances Lonigan
Jack Kruschen	...	Charlie the Greek
Suzi Carnell	...	Eileen
Madame Spivy	...	Mother Josephine (as Mme. Spivy)
Jim Drum	...	Jim Doyle

Storyline

A young man tries to escape the South Side of 1920s Chicago.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | 1920s | urban setting | speakeasy | off screen rape | 

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Taglines:

The Boldest Motion Picture of Our Age!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1960 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blue Jeans 1920

Filming Locations:

Hal Roach Studios - 8822 Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Longridge Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Trivia

Warren Beatty was considered for the title role.

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Quotes

Father Gilhooey: What do you want out of life, William?
Studs Lonigan: I want Lucy Scanlan. Remember her?
Father Gilhooey: I baptised you both. Her family moved away years ago. Do you still see her?
Studs Lonigan: No. Lucy wanted me to be important. Well, I ain't never going to be important.
Father Gilhooey: Why not?
Studs Lonigan: Because I just ain't got what it takes. Because when they were passing out brains I didn't get my share.
Father Gilhooey: Do you think it's just a matter of brains?
Studs Lonigan: What else?
Father Gilhooey: I'm asking you.
Studs Lonigan: Well, ain't it?
[...]

User Reviews

Incredibly frustrating

Uneasily straddling the ways of the old Hollywood and the coming openness of the late 60s and 1970s, Studs Lonigan is neither fish nor fowl and is simply hard to watch. The main attraction for contemporary audiences is the cast, but the most interesting aspect of the film is Haskell Wexler's cinematography. At times overly busy--his use of noirish angles gets annoying at times, and isn't aided by poor editing by Verna Fields--Wexler nonetheless leaves a great impression and hints at the great work to come in films like Bound For Glory. When he gets it right, the photography is simply stunning, channeling elements of the French New Wave and the outside-the-studio naturalism that was soon to be the norm. Unfortunately these moments only comprise about ten minutes of total screen time, the rest of the film consisting of a hackneyed tale of youth in revolt during the Roaring Twenties. Even Jack Nicholson and Frank Gorshin can't do much to render Philip Yordan' s screenplay particularly appetising.