Arthur (1981)

Arthur spends his time with booze and whores. His dad has a wife lined up for him that he keeps rejecting - until it's her or being cut off from $750,000,000. Then he goes shopping where he falls in love with a shoplifter.

Director:

Steve Gordon

Writer:

Steve Gordon

Stars:

Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, John Gielgud

Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dudley Moore	...	Arthur Bach
Liza Minnelli	...	Linda Marolla
John Gielgud	...	Hobson
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Martha Bach
Jill Eikenberry	...	Susan Johnson
Stephen Elliott	...	Burt Johnson
Ted Ross	...	Bitterman
Barney Martin	...	Ralph Marolla
Thomas Barbour	...	Stanford Bach
Anne De Salvo	...	Gloria
Marjorie Barnes	...	Hooker
Dillon Evans	...	Plaza Maitre D'
Maurice Copeland	...	Uncle Peter
Justine Johnston	...	Aunt Pearl
Paul Vincent	...	Plaza Waiter

Storyline

Arthur is a happy drunk with no pretensions at any ambition. He is also the heir to a vast fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries Susan. He does not love Susan, but she will make something of him the family expects. Arthur proposes but then meets a girl with no money, with whom he could easily fall in love.

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Plot Keywords:

drunkenness | heir | butler | 1980s | inheritance | 

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Taglines:

I race cars, I play tennis, I fondle women, but I have weekends off and I am my own boss!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arthur

Filming Locations:

Kaufman Astoria Studios - 3412 36th Street, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,719,534, 19 July 1981

Gross USA:

$95,461,682

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$95,461,682

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures, Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is the only theatrical movie directed by Steve Gordon. Arthur 2: On the Rocks (1988) was dedicated to the memory of Gordon, who died in late 1982.

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Goofs

Position of Arthur's top hat changes in the bathtub scene after Hobson places it on the edge.

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Quotes

Arthur: [pointing at a mounted moose on the wall] Where's the rest of this moose?
Burt Johnson: Arthur, I think it's time we got to know one another.
Arthur: I do too. That's why I had you come over today. Hmhmhmhm. This is a tough room.
Arthur: [patting the moose] I don't have to tell you that.
Arthur: You must've hated this moose.
Burt Johnson: Why don't you forget the moose for a moment!
Arthur: [looks at the moose; then, to Burt] Right.

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Connections

Referenced in Gilmore Girls: Teach Me Tonight (2002)

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Soundtracks

Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Written by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen
Performed by Christopher Cross
Produced by Michael Omartian

User Reviews

Witty and warm, and lots of booze. Three great actors combine.

Arthur (1981)

I'm no Dudley Moore fan, but this grew on me and I found him not only hilarious but, as intended, touching. He is supported by two very different kinds of actors—John Gielgud and Liza Minnelli—but they form a wonderful trio.

The story is a timeless one—the rich man who is out of touch with what really matters in life. This isn't pushed very far, and the end is pretty inevitable, but the journey is great fun mostly because Moore is relentlessly funny. Minnelli plays a great strong woman foil to him, and is obviously what he needs in life. The "romance" between them is never very convincing because it remains a bit practical—they don't have that great scene where we expect them to truly "fall in love," and that's just fine. (The closest is the scene in the horse barn, which has one of the funnies lines in the movie, which almost feels like a Moore ad lib, you'll see.)

The aging butler played by Gielgud is more nuanced and funny than the cliché of the English butler in so many movies. It's weird to see him play this kind of role when his repertoire ranges more to Shakespeare (he's one of England's great 20th Century stage actors).

So love this not for the story, which is lovable but plain, but for the three actors and their ongoing wit and verve. A fun fun movie.