Author! Author! (1982)

While facing the stress of his play being produced on Broadway, a playwright deals with having to raise his son, his stepdaughters, and his stepsons.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Israel Horovitz

Stars:

Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, Tuesday Weld

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Pacino	...	Ivan Travalian
Dyan Cannon	...	Alice Detroit
Tuesday Weld	...	Gloria Travalian
Bob Dishy	...	Morris Finestein
Bob Elliott	...	Patrick Dicker
Ray Goulding	...	Jackie Dicker
Eric Gurry	...	Igor
Elva Josephson	...	Bonnie (as Elva Leff)
B.J. Barie	...	Spike
Ari Meyers	...	Debbie
Benjamin H. Carlin	...	Geraldo
Alan King	...	Kreplich
Ken Sylk	...	Roger Slessinger
James Tolkan	...	Lt. Glass
Tony Munafo	...	Officer Kapinsky

Storyline

Playwright Travalian feels pulled limb from limb these days. He has a Broadway play in rehearsal and they want rewrites. His tramp wife is leaving him, leaving him as well with four children from her previous marriages plus his own son. And his lead actress wants to move in with him but isn't used to kids.

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Plot Keywords:

playwright | punctuation in title | electronic music score | new york city | manhattan new york city | 

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Taglines:

Anyone can be a father. But not every father deserves a standing ovation.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Avec les compliments de l'auteur

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,279,260, 20 June 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,111,101

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though shot in New York, the New York University campus did not play itself, it was portrayed by New York's Columbia University.

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Goofs

When Ivan and Alice meet at the plaza, Alice has 3 glasses of champagne and 3 aspirin in front of her, which she sips from and swallows during the conversation. She takes more than 3 aspirin, although 3 are clearly shown. And the liquid levels in the champagne glasses change from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Gloria Travalian: Larry is a wonderful man.
Ivan: I'm thrilled to hear this.
Gloria Travalian: Larry is a wonderful man, but he's not you.
Ivan: That's what I figured when he scratched his leg and I felt nothing. 'This man is not me.'
Gloria Travalian: [Snobs] How can you joke at a time like this?
Ivan: I joke, You snob. What difference does it make? We're both miserable.

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Connections

Referenced in Happy Days: Arthur, Arthur (1983)

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Soundtracks

Comin' Home To You
Music by Dave Grusin
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Michael Franks

User Reviews

Wonderful! I remember seeing this as a kid...

...this is a wonderful family film! It brings back memories from seeing it when I was much younger. It really is a truly special film that demonstrates how important family, even a non-traditional family, is -- especially when we are young. It demonstrates that children are aware of what is happening arond them, despite the fact that adults don't give them much credit for being intelligent. It also shows that "family" comes in many different forms, and sometimes the best family does not include the traditional "mom" and "dad" that we expect.