Meatballs (1979)

Wacky hijinks of counselors and campers at a less-than-average summer camp.

Director:

Ivan Reitman

Writers:

Len Blum, Daniel Goldberg (as Dan Goldberg)

Stars:

Bill Murray, Harvey Atkin, Kate Lynch

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bill Murray	...	Tripper
Harvey Atkin	...	Morty
Kate Lynch	...	Roxanne
Russ Banham	...	Crockett
Kristine DeBell	...	A.L.
Sarah Torgov	...	Candace
Jack Blum	...	Spaz
Keith Knight	...	Fink
Cindy Girling	...	Wendy
Todd Hoffman	...	Wheels
Margot Pinvidic	...	Jackie
Matt Craven	...	Hardware (as Matt Cravenn)
Norma Dell'Agnese	...	Brenda
Chris Makepeace	...	Rudy
Michael Kirby	...	Eddy

Storyline

Rudy goes to summer camp full of rowdy teenagers. The head counselor is Tripper Harrison, the prank pulling, girl seducing, fun lover, teasing both his boss and the counselors at the nearby rich kids camp. He and everyone else are sick and tired of always losing the Camp Olympics every year, and Tripper must encourage all campers to try their hardest, and even convince young Rudy that this may be his chance to feel better about himself.

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Plot Keywords:

summer camp | slapstick comedy | male bonding | school bus | eyeglasses | 

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Taglines:

The Summer Camp That Makes You Untrustworthy, Disloyal, Unhelpful, Unfriendly, Discourteous, Unkind, Disobedient, and Very Hilarious.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The cast and crew have never reunited. In June 2014, after 35 yrs, they will be doing so in benefit of the humanitarian charity Action Against Hunger Canada.

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Goofs

When Candace pulls Crockett into the boat he lands on his head. In the next shot as she is pulling away from the dock he is standing up and leaning over. Then the next cut shows he is back on his head and getting up.

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Quotes

Tripper: Ok, the zone's not working. They're a little too big to play man-to-man. And we can't shoot for shit.

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Alternate Versions

The music played during the second half of the Olympiad is different in the U.S. and Canadian versions of the film. On the U.S. release, there are additional lyrics: "Go team go, Fight team fight..." etc. These lyrics are absent on the Canadian theatrical and VHS releases. The soundtrack is mostly instrumental. You can hear this alternate music on the French soundtrack of the region 1 DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.59 (2012)

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Soundtracks

Good Friend
Sung by Mary MacGregor
Written by Norman Gimbel and Elmer Bernstein

User Reviews

A must see before entering the season of summer!

Meatballs has been a main staple in my family for over 26 years! We saw this movie when it first came out and have seen it dozens of times since. Bill Murray is at his best and is most touching in the scenes where he reaches out to a lonely pre-teen boy and befriends him, while leading his CIT's into once mischievous scheme after another! The cast of characters are fun and zany and you really come to care about them and the relationships they have with each other. This is not another sleazy, dumb, teen sex-fest. It is funny and sweet and just all-around fun. Anyone who sees this will enjoy themselves. It is a must-see. Watch out for Spaz - he is by far the best character! (Especially during the camp social - while Bill Murray hams it up for the camera - just watch Spaz behind him dancing with the poor girl he picks to dance with!) By far, one of my very favorite comedies of all time!

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 June 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meatballs

Filming Locations:

Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD1,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$77,170, 1 July 1979

Gross USA:

$43,046,003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$43,046,003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dunning/Link/Reitman Productions, Mount Royal Productions, Haliburton Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo Mono

Color:

Color (Sonolab)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1