Night Shift (1982)

A morgue attendant is talked into running a brothel at his workplace after a deceased pimp is sent there. However, the pimp's killers don't look too kindly on this new 'business', nor does the morgue's owner.

Director:

Ron Howard

Writers:

Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel

Stars:

Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Winkler	...	Chuck Lumley
Michael Keaton	...	Bill Blazejowski
Shelley Long	...	Belinda Keaton
Gina Hecht	...	Charlotte Koogle
Pat Corley	...	Edward Koogle
Bobby Di Cicco	...	Leonard (as Bobby DiCicco)
Nita Talbot	...	Vivian
Basil Hoffman	...	Drollhauser
Tim Rossovich	...	Luke
Clint Howard	...	Jefferey
Joe Spinell	...	Manetti
Cheryl Carter	...	Tanya
Becky Gonzalez	...	Lupe
Corki Grazer	...	Sylvia (as Corki Corman)
Jaid Barrymore	...	Joyce (as Ildiko Jaid)

Storyline

A nebbish of a morgue attendant gets shunted back to the night shift where he is shackled with an obnoxious neophyte partner who dreams of the "one great idea" for success. His life takes a bizarre turn when a prostitute neighbour complains about the loss of her pimp. His partner, upon hearing the situation, suggests that they fill that opening themselves using the morgue at night as their brothel. Against his better judgement, he gets talked into the idea, only to find that it's more than his boss that has objections to this bit of entrepreneurship.

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Plot Keywords:

night shift | pimp | prostitute | voyeur | panties | 

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Taglines:

Together they are going to make the day pay off... all night long!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 July 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Servicio de noche

Filming Locations:

H&H Midtown Bagels - 2239 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$23,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Major Studio Partners, The Ladd Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer discovered Shelley Long in Caveman (1981), but she was in Calexico, California, filming Losin' It (1983). Later, during a two-day furlough to Hollywood, Long read for the lead female part of "Belinda Keaton" and was asked to return the next day to meet with Winkler. Although initially hesitant about portraying a prostitute, Long conducted independent research, and accepted the role.

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Goofs

As Chuck get's his haircut, the barber holds up a mirror for Chuck to get a look. After he drops the mirror, his friend Bill, played by Michael Keaton is standing there for a surprise hello having come inside from the door to Chuck's right being blocked by the mirror. Right after Chuck holds the mirror up, we can see the top of Keaton's back sneaking into the film from Chuck's left which would have put his character right next to Chuck the whole time.

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Quotes

Bill: Vegas knows how to treat you right, you know, Chuck. He's got broads, you know, Wayne Newton. Got him. He's an Indian. Did you know that? I'll introduce you if you want me to.

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 23 February 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

That's What Friends Are For
Music and Lyrics by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager
Produced by Rod Stewart
Performed by Rod Stewart

User Reviews

Comedy of the Absurd

This movie finds it's humor in seeing the absurdity of situations that are unusual but not completely unbelievable. The characters are memorable, especially as Henry Winkler plays a role that is a complete departure from previous roles and he does so convincingly. Winkler is a great straight man to Michael Keaton's high energy "idea man" and Shelley Long is well cast as the quintessential hooker-with-a-heart of gold. It's a very 80's film, but one that has stood the test of time. Even if the story line is "formula" it produces exactly the result you would expect: it's a loud, colorful, rollicking good time. It may be dated, but it is still funny after all these years.