Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Anxious about his future after high school, a 19 year old Italian American from Brooklyn tries to escape the harsh reality of his bleak family life by dominating the dance floor at the local disco.

Director:

John Badham

Writers:

Nik Cohn (story "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night"), Norman Wexler (screenplay)

Stars:

John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Travolta	...	Tony Manero
Karen Lynn Gorney	...	Stephanie
Barry Miller	...	Bobby C.
Joseph Cali	...	Joey
Paul Pape	...	Double J.
Donna Pescow	...	Annette
Bruce Ornstein	...	Gus
Julie Bovasso	...	Flo
Martin Shakar	...	Frank Jr.
Sam Coppola	...	Dan Fusco (as Sam J. Coppola)
Nina Hansen	...	Grandmother
Lisa Peluso	...	Linda
Denny Dillon	...	Doreen
Bert Michaels	...	Pete
Robert Costanzo	...	Paint Store Customer (as Robert Costanza)

Storyline

Nineteen-year-old Brooklyn native Tony Manero lives for Saturday nights at the local disco, where he's king of the club, thanks to his stylish moves on the dance floor. But outside of the club, things don't look so rosy. At home, Tony fights constantly with his father and has to compete with his family's starry-eyed view of his older brother, a priest. Nor can he find satisfaction at his dead-end job at a small paint store. However, things begin to change when he spies Stephanie Mangano in the disco and starts training with her for the club's dance competition. Stephanie dreams of the world beyond Brooklyn, and her plans to move to Manhattan just over the bridge soon change Tony's life forever.

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Plot Keywords:

intolerance | dancing | homophobia | love | sex | 

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Taglines:

...Catch it!

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language, sexuality/nudity and some drug content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

16 December 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Saturday Night

Filming Locations:

94th St. and Fifth Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,878,099, 18 December 1977, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$94,213,184

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$237,113,184

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Robert Stigwood Organization (RSO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 113 min (PG)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To try and throw off John Travolta's fans, John Badham and his team took to shooting any exterior scenes as early in the morning as possible before people caught on - often at the crack of dawn. They would also generate fake call sheets. The tactics worked well enough that Badham was usually able to get the scenes done before significant crowds had time to gather.

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Goofs

Stephanie's hair is jaw length in some scenes and shoulder length in other scenes.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Pizza Girl: Hi ya, Tony. Two or three?
Tony Manero: Two. Two. Give me two. That's good.

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Crazy Credits

When the title appears on screen, it is done in the style of a neon sign. The word "Fever" is blinking.

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Alternate Versions

The scene in the car that has Tony's friends talking about the drugs they have and Tony complains about how old Bobby's-8 tracks are is usually cut when the film is shown on network TV. The same goes for the scene that has the stripper in the backround.

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Connections

Spoofed in Robot Chicken: Star Wars III (2010)

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Soundtracks

Boogie Shoes
Courtesy of TK Records and Sherlyn Publishing Company, Inc.
Written by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch
Performed by KC & The Sunshine Band (as K.C. and the Sunshine Band®)

User Reviews

Loneliness & elation rolled into a film reflecting its era.

It's funny how people remember a film they are reminiscing about. An example would be "Muriel's Wedding" - a film that is labeled as a comedy. And yet it is one of the saddest & most realistic films about family life that has been made. When you remember the film, its moments of humour are so clever, that they hide the dark undercurrents explored.

The same goes for "Saturday Night Fever" (SNF), a film that showcases disco in its most perfect form. And yet the true theme of the movie is about wanting more out of your life but just existing, until something affects you so much that you decide to start living.

John Travolta's character is so well played against his friends who are, quite simply, cruel no hopers who disrespect the opposite sex & treat them as fifth best against the car they all share to have 'mobile' sex in.

The female character that eventually shifts Travolta's character appears at a time when horrific events really force him to reassess where he is going – something that his friends will never be unable to ever do.

It is easy to label a movie a certain way. There are films with similar themes such as 'Good Will Hunting', which is noted for its themes & dialogue rather than being a kitsch memory, and we should remember SNF for the same reasons.