Butterfly (1981)

In 1937 Nevada, silver mine caretaker Jess Tyler is reunited with his teenage daughter Kady who will do anything to persuade Jess to let her have claim to the mine.

Director:

Matt Cimber

Writers:

James M. Cain (novel), Matt Cimber (adaptation)

Stars:

Stacy Keach, Pia Zadora, Orson Welles

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stacy Keach	...	Jess Tyler
Pia Zadora	...	Kady
Orson Welles	...	Judge Rauch
Lois Nettleton	...	Belle Morgan
Edward Albert	...	Wash Gillespie
James Franciscus	...	Moke Blue
Stuart Whitman	...	Rev. Rivers
June Lockhart	...	Mrs. Gillespie
Ed McMahon	...	Mr. Gillespie
Paul Hampton	...	Norton
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Ed Lamey (as Buck Flower)
Ann Dane	...	Janey
Greg Gault	...	Bridger
John O'Conner White	...	Billy Roy
Peter Jason	...	Allen

Storyline

Orson Welles, as judge Rauch, holds a lengthy trial against Jess Tyler, a caretaker deserted by his wife ten years before, who's accused of improper relations with his daughter Kady. Complications follows when Wash, father of Kady's baby, comes back to take her away.

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Plot Keywords:

bathtub | breasts | voyeur | lust | female frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

From the author who gave you "The Postman Always Rings Twice"..."Double Indemnity"..."Mildred Pierce" ...Now, his most powerful and daring love story comes to the screen!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was a controversy surrounding Pia Zadora's win of the Golden Globe for "Best New Star of the Year" - 1982 was the only year the event included such category with both men and women competing it on the same run; previously the Golden Globes had a distinction between New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Female and New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture - Male. This movie and her expensive advertising campaign for the award were financed by then husband Meshulam Riklis, who invited several members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to an expensive trip to Las Vegas to enjoy Riklis hotels, casino and the spectacular live shows. 1983 was the last year the New Star category was used (just like in its original format) and later on was discontinued.

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Quotes

Jess Tyler: [hot day, and now a barefoot, bare-legged blond sits waiting on his porch] Miss?
Kady Tyler: Hello.
Jess Tyler: Something you want?
Kady Tyler: [appraising him] How can I tell if I don't know what you got?
Jess Tyler: [takes off his hat, regarding her wearily] Maybe you're making a mistake.
[comes up the steps]
Jess Tyler: Maybe you're looking for somebody else's place. Not mine.
[goes inside]
Kady Tyler: I'm looking for you.
Jess Tyler: How do you know?
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Die schlechtesten Filme aller Zeiten: Rock Aliens (2020)

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Soundtracks

It's Wrong For Me To Love You
Music by Ennio Morricone
Lyrics by Carol Connors
Performed by Pia Zadora

User Reviews

Hi Ho Silver

Silly trash about a girl (Pia Zadora) trying to seduce her father (Stacy Keach) so he will help her steal silver from a mine he guards. A lot of that doesn't make sense. I won't spoil anything but there are some plot twists. Nothing that helps with the making sense part though. Anyway this was a vehicle for the diminutive Pia Zadora to break into Hollywood. At the time she was married to some rich oldster who did for her what John Derrick did for Bo: make bad movies about how hot his young wife is. Hilarious. See it for Pia, who is certainly very attractive but can't act to save her life. Some of the lines she says are real howlers. Lana Turner she is not. Orson Welles also has one of his career low points here as a judge. He appears to be intoxicated in his scenes. Must have read the script.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Butterfly

Filming Locations:

Goldfield, Nevada, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Par-Par Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1