Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

A recently widowed woman is on the road with her precocious young son, determined to make a new life for herself as a singer.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Robert Getchell

Stars:

Ellen Burstyn, Kris Kristofferson, Mia Bendixsen

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mia Bendixsen	...	Alice - Age 8
Ellen Burstyn	...	Alice Hyatt
Alfred Lutter III	...	Tommy (as Alfred Lutter)
Billy Green Bush	...	Donald
Lelia Goldoni	...	Bea
Ola Moore	...	Old Woman
Harry Northup	...	Joe & Jim's Bartender
Marty Brinton	...	Lenny (as Martin Brinton)
Dean Casper	...	Chicken
Murray Moston	...	Jacobs
Harvey Keitel	...	Ben
Lane Bradbury	...	Rita
Diane Ladd	...	Flo
Vic Tayback	...	Mel
Valerie Curtin	...	Vera

Storyline

Despite admitting that she was scared of him in her never-ending quest to please him, thirty-five year old housewife and mother Alice Hyatt is devastated when her husband Donald is killed in an on the job traffic accident. With few job skills except that as a singer, Alice, along with her precocious eleven year old son Tommy, decides to move from their current home in Socorro, New Mexico to her home town of Monterrey, California, the only place she has ever felt happy. She plans on getting singing gigs along the way to earn money to get back to Monterrey by the end of the summer and the start of Tommy's school year. Alice's quest for a job at each stop leaves Tommy often to fend for himself, which may make Tommy even more precocious. His behavior is fostered by Alice, as their relationship is often more as trouble-making friends than mother and son. Alice's plans often do not end up as she envisions, especially as she is forced to take a waitressing job at Mel and Ruby's Diner in ...

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Plot Keywords:

arizona desert | arizona | phoenix arizona | diner | waitress | 

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Taglines:

Alice is 35. Her son is 12. Together they're running away from home.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 1975 (France)

Also Known As:

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

Filming Locations:

Monterey Village, 6126 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$17,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The day after winning her Oscar, Ellen Burstyn received a congratulatory phone call from Jackie Gleason. In her early days, as Erica Dean (one of her many stage names), she worked on his show as a "Glea Girl", a cast of pretty faces who introduced various segments of the program. "I haven't heard from him in twenty years," she told The New York Post's Earl Wilson. Gleason had also placed a call to Best Actor winner Art Carney. Burstyn later said she really wanted to win alongside Carney, having played his daughter in Harry and Tonto (1974), the film for which he won his award, and which she made just prior to this one.

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Goofs

While David and Alice are arguing in the restaurant, the plate on the tray Alice is holding shifts from one side of the tray to the other, and back again between shots.

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Quotes

Ben: [Brandishing a switchblade, at Rita] If you don't drag your ass, out that door or, I'll cut you. I'll cut your ass
[Kicks Rita, on the backside]
Ben: , GET OUT!

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Crazy Credits

introducing Alfred Lutter as Tommy

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Connections

Featured in Second Chances: The Making of 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore' (2004)

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Soundtracks

I've Got a Crush on You
(1928)
Music by George Gershwin (as George)
Lyrics by Ira Gershwin
Performed by Ellen Burstyn (uncredited)

User Reviews

Great Drama!

For those of you who thought Martin Scorsese only made gangster movies, here's a real surprise: not only did he make a housewife melodrama somewhere in the seventies, but he made the best one around for miles. Ellen Burstyn is fantastic as middle-aging wife and mother Alice, whose life is torn apart when her neglectful husband is killed in a car accident and she is left with nothing to take care of her fast growing son (Alfred Lutter III). The two find themselves on a road trip across the country to Tucson where she plans to start all over again, but not before various stops along the way keep them from achieving their goal too soon. Diane Ladd is brilliant as Flo, the nasty-mouthed waitress at the diner where Alice gets a job to stay afloat (Polly Holliday made a name for herself playing the role on the hit television show "Alice" that was based on this film). Look for little Laura Dern eating an ice cream cone at the diner counter, and a twelve year-old Jodie Foster as a precocious little thief who hilariously refers to her prostitute mother as "Ramada Rose". Excellent stuff.