The Goodbye Girl (1977)

After being dumped by her live-in boyfriend, an unemployed dancer and her 10-year-old daughter are reluctantly forced to live with a struggling off-Broadway actor.

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Neil Simon

Stars:

Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Elliot Garfield
Marsha Mason	...	Paula McFadden
Quinn Cummings	...	Lucy McFadden
Paul Benedict	...	Mark
Barbara Rhoades	...	Donna
Theresa Merritt	...	Mrs. Crosby
Michael Shawn	...	Ronnie
Patricia Pearcy	...	Rhonda
Gene Castle	...	Assistant Choreographer
Daniel Levins	...	Dance Instructor (as Daniel Levans)
Marilyn Sokol	...	Linda
Anita Dangler	...	Mrs. Morganweiss
Victoria Boothby	...	Mrs. Bodine
Robert Costanzo	...	Liquor Store Salesman
Pancho González	...	Mugger (as Poncho Gonzalez)

Storyline

A divorced woman and her daughter come home to find that her boyfriend has left for an out of town job with no warning. This has happened before. The second surprise comes in the form of another actor who has sublet the apartment from her boyfriend (who did not mention the pair of females who would be in residence). After some negotiation the two decide to share the apartment even though she has vowed to stay away from actors.

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Plot Keywords:

single mother | apartment | actor | dancer | female | 

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Taglines:

He's moving in... she's not moving out... it's love at first fight!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

30 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bogart Slept Here

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$102,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Rastar Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only thing that annoyed Marsha Mason about Richard Dreyfuss was that he always "reeked of fish." According to Mason, Dreyfuss had decided early on during the shooting that he needed to lose weight. His food of choice to accomplish this task? Sushi. "Day in and day out the man ate nothing but sushi," said Mason. "He had sushi brought to his trailer; he had sushi brought to the set. He had sushi sent to his home. The man lived and breathed--and reeked--sushi. I think he even slept with it."

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Goofs

In the apartment, Elliot and Rhonda claim they are rehearsing Act 1, Scene 4 of Richard III. Neither of their characters appear in that scene.

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Quotes

Paula McFadden: [Elliot is playing the guitar in the middle of the night] Do you have to play that thing at this hour?
Elliot Garfield: I told you, it helps me to fall asleep.
Paula McFadden: Have you ever tried pills?
Elliot Garfield: I don't know how to play pills.
Paula McFadden: [sigh] It's not hard. You pop them in your mouth and swallow.
Elliot Garfield: Mrs. McFadden, I am a person of health. I do not put unnatural things in my body. Music is one of nature's sedatives. If you would just listen to it instead of fighting it, we would all be asleep in five minutes. However, if you insist, ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Punk Rock (1979)

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Soundtracks

How About You?
(1941) (uncredited)
Music written by Burton Lane
Lyrics written by Ralph Freed
Played on a record and sung by Richard Dreyfuss

User Reviews

My favourite film

My favourite film of all time. Despite its academy awards at the time it remains largely unknown now which is sad. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you feel good. What more can you expect from a movie?