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IMDbPro

Paper Moon

  • 19731973
  • PGPG
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
47K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,614
423
Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
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.
Play trailer3:56
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Comedy
  • Crime
  • Drama
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
47K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,614
423
  • Director
    • Peter Bogdanovich
  • Writers
    • Joe David Brown(novel "Addie Pray")
    • Alvin Sargent(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ryan O'Neal
    • Tatum O'Neal
    • Madeline Kahn
Top credits
  • Director
    • Peter Bogdanovich
  • Writers
    • Joe David Brown(novel "Addie Pray")
    • Alvin Sargent(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ryan O'Neal
    • Tatum O'Neal
    • Madeline Kahn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 174User reviews
    • 64Critic reviews
    • 77Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 8 wins & 10 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:56
    Trailer

    Photos171

    Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)
    Tatum O'Neal and Ryan O'Neal in Paper Moon (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ryan O'Neal
    Ryan O'Neal
    • Moses Prayas Moses Pray
    Tatum O'Neal
    Tatum O'Neal
    • Addie Logginsas Addie Loggins
    Madeline Kahn
    Madeline Kahn
    • Trixie Delightas Trixie Delight
    John Hillerman
    John Hillerman
    • Deputy Hardinas Deputy Hardin…
    P.J. Johnson
    P.J. Johnson
    • Imogeneas Imogene
    Jessie Lee Fulton
    Jessie Lee Fulton
    • Miss Ollieas Miss Ollie
    James N. Harrell
    • The Ministeras The Minister
    • (as Jim Harrell)
    Lila Waters
    • The Minister's Wifeas The Minister's Wife
    Noble Willingham
    Noble Willingham
    • Mr. Robertsonas Mr. Robertson
    Bob Young
    • Gas Station Attendantas Gas Station Attendant
    Jack Saunders
    • Station Masteras Station Master
    Jody Wilbur
    • Cafe Waitressas Cafe Waitress
    Liz Ross
    • The Widow Morgan - Pearlas The Widow Morgan - Pearl
    Yvonne Harrison
    • The Widow Bates - Marieas The Widow Bates - Marie
    Ed Reed
    Ed Reed
    • The Lawman - Bates' Homeas The Lawman - Bates' Home
    Dorothy Price
    • Ribbon Salesladyas Ribbon Saleslady
    Eleanor Bogart
    • The Widow Stanley - Elviraas The Widow Stanley - Elvira
    Dorothy Forster
    • The Widow Huff - Ednaas The Widow Huff - Edna
    • Director
      • Peter Bogdanovich
    • Writers
      • Joe David Brown(novel "Addie Pray")
      • Alvin Sargent(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Tatum O'Neal was ten years old when she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in this movie, making her the youngest person ever to win an Oscar in a competitive category. As of 2020, she still holds this record. She was four years younger than her rival nominee, Linda Blair, in The Exorcist (1973).
    • Goofs
      Fibber McGee's famous "closet gag", so anticipated by Addie while listening to the radio, didn't start until 1940.
    • Quotes

      Addie Loggins: Daddy, I need to go to the shithouse.

    • Crazy credits
      Special thanks to the people in and around Hays, Kansas and St. Joseph, Missouri
    • Connections
      Edited into The Clock (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      It's Only a Paper Moon
      (1933) (uncredited)

      Music by Harold Arlen

      Lyrics by E.Y. Harburg and Billy Rose

      Performed by Paul Whiteman and Orchestra

      Vocal by Peggy Healy

    User reviews174

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Bogdanovich's Affectionate Depression-Era Road Movie Boasts the O'Neals at Career Peaks
    Nine-year-old Addie Loggins is the centerpiece of Peter Bogdanovich's affectionate 1973 comedy set during the depths of the Great Depression. The filmmaker was on a roll at the time as he made the coming-of-age saga, 1971's "The Last Picture Show", and the screwball throwback, 1972's "What's Up, Doc?", in quick succession. Cineaste that he is, Bogdanovich filmed this episodic, character-driven comedy deliberately in black and white, inspired by classics as diverse as Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid", Vittorio de Sica's "Bicycle Thieves" and even John Ford's "The Searchers". The result is charming if a bit overlong for the simple story being told. As the film opens in Kansas, Addie just lost her mother, and she is to be taken to live with relatives in Missouri. Enter traveling Bible salesman Moses Pray, a small-time grifter who bilks recent widows out of cash under the pretense that their late husbands had ordered personalized Bibles before their deaths. As a chronic womanizer, he knew Addie's free-living mother and promises to take her to her relatives after he extorts $200 from a local business owner.

    The rest of the story is an entertaining road movie centered on the evolving relationship between Moses and Addie as she shows to have a greater gift for scams than he does. A tough-talking smoker who loves radio, Addie is a tomboy frequently mistaken for a boy, while Moses constantly resists his paternal feelings toward her even though they are kindred spirits. Complications occur first with the appearance of a tawdry carnival stripper named Trixie Delight, who threatens to come between Moses and Addie, and then with a bootlegger and his look-alike sheriff brother, who are in hot pursuit over a scam around crates of illegal whiskey. As Addie, Tatum O'Neal still has the distinction of being the youngest actor to win a competitive Oscar, and in her film debut, her unprecocious performance reflects refreshingly confident work from a child. Perhaps fearful that his daughter was stealing the movie, a well-founded fear it turns out, her father Ryan does some of his best screen work as Moses, better cast here than as bumbling musicologist Howard Bannister in "What's Up, Doc?".

    As she proved with her hilarious portrayal of Howard's persnickety fiancée Eunice in "What's Up, Doc?", Madeline Kahn is an unparalleled scene-stealer as Trixie, especially as she tries to coax a belligerent Addie off a grassy hilltop. Just before peaking in Mel Brooks' farces and reunited with the elder O'Neal, Kahn shows what she can do to maximize less than half-hour of screen time. Almost as funny is the eye-rolling cynicism of P.J. Johnson as Trixie's indentured servant Imogene. The 2003 DVD has two substantial extras. First, Bogdanovich offers a full-length commentary full of his personal remembrances and sharing a deep well of cinematic knowledge. The second is Laurent Bouzereau's "The Making of Paper Moon", an exhaustive making-of featurette divided into three parts, which covers all aspects of the film's development and production and includes comments from Bogdanovich, his then-wife Polly Platt who did the production design, cinematographer László Kovács, and producer Frank Marshall.
    helpful•9
    4
    • EUyeshima
    • Mar 10, 2008

    FAQ6

    • Is "Paper Moon" based on a book?
    • How closely does the movie follow the novel?
    • Why was the title changed from "Addie Pray" to "Paper Moon"?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 9, 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mjesec od papira
    • Filming locations
      • Hays, Kansas, USA
    • Production companies
      • The Directors Company
      • Saticoy Productions
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,500,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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