During the Great Depression, a con man finds himself saddled with a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two forge an unlikely partnership.
Director:
Peter Bogdanovich
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ryan O'Neal | ... | Moses Pray | |
| Tatum O'Neal | ... | Addie Loggins | |
| Madeline Kahn | ... | Trixie Delight | |
| John Hillerman | ... | Deputy Hardin / Jess Hardin | |
| P.J. Johnson | ... | Imogene | |
| Jessie Lee Fulton | ... | Miss Ollie | |
 |
James N. Harrell | ... | The Minister (as Jim Harrell) |
|
|
Lila Waters | ... | The Minister's Wife |
| Noble Willingham | ... | Mr. Robertson | |
|
|
Bob Young | ... | Gas Station Attendant |
|
|
Jack Saunders | ... | Station Master |
|
|
Jody Wilbur | ... | Cafe Waitress |
|
|
Liz Ross | ... | The Widow Morgan - Pearl |
|
|
Yvonne Harrison | ... | The Widow Bates - Marie |
| Ed Reed | ... | The Lawman - Bates' Home | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (76) »
Storyline
Adapted from the novel, "Addie Pray" (1971) by Joe David Brown, PAPER MOON is the story of Moses Pray and Addie Loggins. With scenery reminiscent of "The Grapes of Wrath," the film is set in the depression-era Midwestern region of the United States. As the movie opens, we see a small group of mourners clustered at a graveside. Among the mourners is Addie, the dead woman's small daughter. Moses Pray -- ostensibly of the "Kansas Bible Company" -- approaches the group, as the service concludes, and two of the elderly women remark that the child bears some resemblance to him and asks if he might be related. "If ever a child needed kin, it's now," one lady says. With no knowledge of who her father is, Addie's only haven is her Aunt's home in St. Joseph, Missouri. Having identified himself as a "traveling man spreading the Lord's gospel in these troubled times," "Mose" is prevailed upon to deliver the helpless child to her Aunt since he's going that way, anyway. Addie, wise beyond her years... Written by MARK FLEETWOOD <mfleetwo@mail.coin.missouri.edu>
Plot Keywords:
bible | great depression | con artist | father daughter relationship | money |Taglines:
As P.T. Barnum put it, "There's a sucker born every minute." See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
9 May 1973 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Luna de papel See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$2,500,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$30,933,743Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
The Minister: Judge me, oh Lord, for I have lost in mine integrity. I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, oh Lord, and prove me. Try my reins and my heart, for Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in Thy truth.
See more »
(1936) (uncredited)
Written by Jimmie Davis
Performed by Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Peter Bogdanovich said that John Hillerman, playing both the bootlegger and his brother the sheriff, had just a few weeks in the shooting schedule to lose the weight for the sheriff role that he had deliberately put on in a short period of time prior to shooting the bootlegger's scenes. See more »Goofs
Fibber McGee's famous "closet gag", so anticipated by Addie while listening to the radio, didn't start until 1940. See more »Quotes
[first lines]The Minister: Judge me, oh Lord, for I have lost in mine integrity. I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, oh Lord, and prove me. Try my reins and my heart, for Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in Thy truth.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Special thanks to the people in and around Hays, Kansas and St. Joseph, Missouri See more »Soundtracks
Nobody's Darlin' But Mine(1936) (uncredited)
Written by Jimmie Davis
Performed by Gene Autry and the Sons of the Pioneers
See more »
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If Hayes, Kansas, and thereabouts...were the perfect locations for Peter Bogdonavich's classic "Paper Moon," then the film itself is the perfect realization of those real places forever etched in celluloid.
Few times will you ever see a film so visually wedded to its locale and cinematic style. In a typical film, you might picture the presentation of the movie working in a number of ways, but in "Paper Moon," it will forever seem like it could only have been done this way...on location, in black and white, and photographed like moving Andrew Wyeth shots of Americana.
Tatum O' Neal is terrific and justifiably won an Oscar for her part, but Ryan is wonderful as well....funny in that exasperated manner that Bud Abbott is, and the quality goes right down to the smallest bit player in the cast.
A perfect film would have great acting, great visuals and utilization of music, a superb story and lines that have you repeating them for years. Welcome to "Paper Moon." I can't recommend this blend of comedy and drama enough. A modern classic.