A social comedy about a beauty pageant for young Californian women, held annually in Santa Rosa, and how it affects the locals and participants.
Director:
Writer:
Stars:
Award:
- 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Bruce Dern | ... |
Big Bob
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| Barbara Feldon | ... |
Brenda
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| Michael Kidd | ... |
Tommy
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| Geoffrey Lewis | ... |
Wilson
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| Eric Shea | ... |
Little Bob
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| Nicholas Pryor | ... |
Andy
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| Titos Vandis | ... |
Mr. Nachos
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| Paul Benedict | ... |
Orren Brooks
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William Traylor | ... |
Ray Brandy
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| Dennis Dugan | ... |
Logan
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Dick McGarvin | ... |
Ted Farley
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Adam Reed | ... |
Freddy
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Brad Thompson | ... |
Chuck
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| George Wyner | ... |
Man at Party
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George Skaff | ... |
Dr. Malvert
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Helene Nelson | ... |
Young American Miss
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Joy Carlin | ... |
Janet
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| Joan Prather | ... |
Robin - Young American Miss
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| Denise Nickerson | ... |
Shirley - Young American Miss
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| Melanie Griffith | ... |
Karen - Young American Miss
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| Annette O'Toole | ... |
Doria - Young American Miss
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| Maria O'Brien | ... |
Maria - Young American Miss
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| Colleen Camp | ... |
Connie - Young American Miss
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Caroline Williams | ... |
Helga - Young American Miss
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Kate Sarchet | ... |
Judy - Young American Miss
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Maureen Abbott | ... |
Young American Miss
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Leslie Anderson | ... |
Young American Miss
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Janette Butler | ... |
Young American Miss
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Shawn Christianson | ... |
Young American Miss / The Winner
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MaryStella Church | ... |
Young American Miss
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Dana Couey | ... |
Young American Miss
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Deborah Coy | ... |
Young American Miss
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Marie Curry | ... |
Young American Miss
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Teri Duggan | ... |
Young American Miss
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Mary Gannon | ... |
Young American Miss
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Nancy Hess | ... |
Young American Miss
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Owens Hill | ... |
Young American Miss
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Joanna Vogel | ... |
Young American Miss
(as Joanna Marie Jones)
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Catherine Klein | ... |
Young American Miss
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Christie Lawrence | ... |
Young American Miss
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Amy Leitman | ... |
Young American Miss
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Barbara McCutchan | ... |
Young American Miss
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Dona Miller | ... |
Young American Miss
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Karen Miller | ... |
Young American Miss
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Sadie Raker | ... |
Young American Miss
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Janis Russell | ... |
Young American Miss
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Frances Sartori | ... |
Young American Miss
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Lisa Scott | ... |
Young American Miss
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Melinda Smith | ... |
Young American Miss
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MaryAnn Stineman | ... |
Young American Miss
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Beth Turner | ... |
Young American Miss
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Andy Backer | ... |
Judge #1
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Beans Morocco | ... |
At the Party
(as Dan Barrows)
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James Bates | ... |
Pianist
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Robert Behling | ... |
Workman
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Robert Breen | ... |
Tony
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Shannon Christie | ... |
Roberta
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| Tom Dahlgren | ... |
Host Father
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| Fay DeWitt | ... |
Mrs. Chambers
(as Fay De Witt)
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Mara Finerty | ... |
Maggots Girl
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Tom Harris | ... |
Phil Persky
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Mark Anger | ... |
Mr. Crosby
(as Irving Israel)
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Ted Johnson | ... |
Marine
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Alice Lassiter | ... |
Mother Hen
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Ross Liscum | ... |
Marine
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| James Carroll | ... |
Guard
(as James Lough)
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| Kit McDonough | ... |
Willetta
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| Terence McGovern | ... |
Judge #2
(as Terry McGovern)
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Betty Macik | ... |
Sandra Kay
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Winifred Mann | ... |
Shirley's Mother
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Don Michaelian | ... |
Shirley's Father
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Thom Alan Phillips | ... |
Judge #3
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Elsie Ritchie | ... |
Secretary
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Jean Robinson | ... |
Mother
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Gregory Smith | ... |
Policeman
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Don Spruance | ... |
Alan
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Richard Talbot | ... |
Jay
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Robert Waite | ... |
Local Emcee
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William Eden Wolf | ... |
Priest Judge
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Gloria McMillan | ... |
Lady Judge
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Doc Scortt | ... |
Stage Manager
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Sally Pavese | ... |
Mother
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Walter O'Banion | ... |
Bear
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Linda Smith | ... |
Lady Judge
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Jack Denton | ... |
Phil La Barr
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Virginia Johnston | ... |
Organizer
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Del Dimmick | ... |
Nick
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Jerry Belson | ... |
Drummer
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Deborah Ghisla | ... |
Singing Voice (voice)
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Scott Tauzer | ... |
The Voice of Major Weenie (voice)
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Directed by
| Michael Ritchie | ||
Written by
| Jerry Belson | ... | (written by) |
Produced by
| Marion Dougherty | ... | executive producer |
| David V. Picker | ... | executive producer |
| Michael Ritchie | ... | producer |
| Tim Zinnemann | ... | associate producer |
Cinematography by
| Conrad L. Hall | ... | director of photography (as Conrad Hall) |
Editing by
| Richard A. Harris | ... | film editor |
Editorial Department
| Jack Garsha | ... | color timer |
| Bobbie Shapiro | ... | assistant film editor |
Casting By
| Patricia Mock | ||
Costume Design by
| Patricia Norris | ||
Makeup Department
| Gae Clark Butler | ... | hair stylist (as Gae Clark) |
| Gary Liddiard | ... | makeup |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Charles Myers | ... | second assistant director |
| Tim Zinnemann | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Matty Azzarone | ... | assistant property (as Matthew Azzarone) |
| Nino Candido | ... | assistant property |
| Alan Levine | ... | property master (as Allan Levine) |
| Patrizia von Brandenstein | ... | associate consultant (as Patrizia Von-Brandenstein) |
| John Alvin | ... | poster artist (uncredited) |
| Ed Wittstein | ... | visual consultant (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Gene S. Cantamessa | ... | sound mixer (as Gene Cantamessa) |
| Richard Chew | ... | sound editor |
| Don Merritt | ... | boom operator |
| Richard Portman | ... | rerecordist |
Special Effects by
| Dell Rheaume | ... | special effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Thomas Del Ruth | ... | camera operator (as Tom del Ruth) |
| Edd Hearn | ... | camera assistant |
| Daniel R. Jordan | ... | key grip (as Danny Jordan) |
| Rick Martens | ... | gaffer |
| Robert Moore | ... | grip (as Bob Moore) |
| Steve Pellant | ... | electrician |
| Georgina Ritchie | ... | still photographer |
| Ronald Vidor | ... | camera assistant (as Ron Vidor) |
| Douglas Kirkland | ... | still photographer (uncredited) |
| Gary Wastak | ... | electrician (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Nancy Martinelli | ... | wardrobe |
Location Management
| Virginia Johnston | ... | location coordinator |
Music Department
| LeRoy Holmes | ... | additional arrangements (as Leroy Holmes) / additional music (as Leroy Holmes) |
| Ted Whitfield | ... | music editor |
| LeRoy Holmes | ... | composer: additional music (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| Lillian O. MacNeill | ... | script supervisor (as Lillian MacNeill) |
Transportation Department
| Henry Travers | ... | transportation |
Additional Crew
| Jim Bates | ... | choreographer |
| Judy Bates | ... | assistant choreographer |
| Philip DeGuere Jr. | ... | production assistant (as Phil DeGuere) |
| Peter Gethers | ... | courier |
| Gloria Hoffman | ... | welfare worker |
| Tom Kirk | ... | production assistant |
| Monica Lauer | ... | production secretary |
| Gene Levy | ... | auditor |
| Larry Mark | ... | production assistant |
| Michael Maslansky | ... | unit publicist |
| Jerry Miller | ... | first aid |
| Ann Monette | ... | production secretary |
| Caryn Picker | ... | production assistant |
| David V. Picker | ... | presenter |
| Don Record | ... | titles designer |
| Nanette Siegert | ... | production secretary |
| Jean Gingerich | ... | disbursing agent: UA (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Neil Sedaka | ... | acknowledgment: is heard through the courtesy of Polydor International/Rocket Records |
Production Companies
- Tamalpais Productions
- David V. Picker Productions (A Michael Ritchie Film)
- Twin Roads Productions
Distributors
- United Artists (1975) (United States) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1975) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- CBS (1976) (United States) (tv) (original airing)
- MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (United States) (VHS)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (United States) (DVD)
- Fun City Editions (2021) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- United Artists (A-Asia) (1975) (Australia) (theatrical)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
It's time again for California's "Young American Miss" beauty pageant, the biggest event of the year for Big Bob Freelander and Brenda DiCarlo, who give their all to put on a successful pageant. But Brenda is having marital difficulties and Bob's son is up to some mischief. Could this year's pageant be in jeopardy?
Written by George S. Davis |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Raised on hamburgers and soda pop, She's got a winning smile that's hard to top. A credit to her family, the ideal teen, She's all America's daughter, she's a beauty queen. See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $1,300,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | According to Bruce Dern, who talked about the movie on The Projection Booth podcast in 2016, there were suppose to be 2500 extras in the film for the pageant scenes. Since it was really important that the same faces show up in the audience in every scene for consistency, the filmmakers came up with an idea to give away five Cadillacs each day of the three-day pageant shoot to five lucky extras. Each extra would get a ticket in the morning and by the end of the day they'd get to enter the Cadillac lottery. This not only made sure that the same people would return each day, but 7000 additional people showed up to play extras and try to win the cars. Since they didn't need that many extras, the filmmakers decided to charge the extras 25 dollars to let them be in the movie and play the Cadillac lottery. Dern concludes the anecdote by amusingly stating that this was the only time in his career that he saw a movie making money directly off the people who worked for the movie. See more » |
| Goofs | One of the audience members seen prominently during opening scene in Imperial Valley pageant later shows up again in closeup as Santa Rosa businessmen attending Bears Club luncheon. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Robert Wuhl (2010). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Smile See more » |
| Crazy Credits | Because Mara Finerty's most noticeable scene in the movie shows her saying, "Rotting maggots of death, crawling out of the skull of war," she is listed in the closing credits as "Maggots Girl." See more » |
| Quotes |
Doria Houston:
Santa Rosa is so beautiful. I mean, I thought the shopping mall in Anaheim was great until I saw yours. It's... a credit to the vision of your business community. See more » |