Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader - Eddie Wilson - may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.

Director:

Martin Davidson

Writers:

Martin Davidson (screenplay), Arlene Davidson (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Michael Paré, Joe Pantoliano

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Frank Ridgeway
Michael Paré	...	Eddie Wilson
Joe Pantoliano	...	Doc Robbins
Matthew Laurance	...	Sal Amato
Helen Schneider	...	Joann Carlino
David Wilson	...	Kenny Hopkins
Michael 'Tunes' Antunes	...	Wendell Newton
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Foley
Kenny Vance	...	Lew Eisen
John Stockwell	...	Keith Livingston
Joe Cates	...	Lois
Barry Sand	...	Barry Siegel
Vebe Borge	...	Gerry Rivers
Howard Johnson	...	Wendell's Replacement
Joey Balin	...	Eddie's Replacement

Storyline

They say rock 'n' roll never dies, but one early morning in 1964, Eddie Wilson's car took a dive off a New Jersey bridge with the troubled rock idol at the wheel. His body was never found. Twenty years after the lead singer of Eddie and the Cruisers disappeared, the band's songs are hotter than ever. And renewed interest in the band leads television reporter Maggie Foley to pursue a tantalizing mystery: What if Eddie is still alive? The circumstances surrounding his death are just shadowy enough to make it a distinct possibility, and someone (could it be Eddie?) has been ransacking the homes of the surviving band members in a desperate search for tapes of the group's visionary, never-released album. As Maggie interviews the former band members, the pieces of the puzzle start to fit - but only until still deeper mysteries begin to surface.

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Plot Keywords:

reporter | 1960s | rock 'n' roll | bridge | new jersey | 

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Taglines:

In 1964, Eddie Wilson had it all. He had genius. He had vision. He had the hottest rock n' roll band in the country. Then, suddenly one night, his car went off a dark New Jersey bridge. His body was never found. But his dream was never lost. And twenty years later, the mystery of Eddie Wilson begins to unravel.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 September 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eddie i krazowniki

Filming Locations:

Highlands, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,444,886, 25 September 1983, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,786,789

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aurora

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Quotations from the book Frank Ridgeway reads are attributed to poet Arthur Rimbaud.

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Goofs

In the concert scene in Tony Mart's, Eddie takes off his guitar after the Cruisers perform "Wild Summer Nights", and the band then goes into "Tender Years". Despite no one onstage playing guitar, the guitar line is still clearly audible throughout the song.

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Quotes

Eddie Wilson: [after he and Joann arrived at the Palace of Depression] You actually believe that you could build a castle out of a bunch of junk. What a crock.
[looks at the mirror briefly]
Eddie Wilson: Holy shit. What a phony.
[smashes the mirror angrily]
Eddie Wilson: Here we are, guys. Right where we belong. You got your Edsels... Norges... Dumonts... and Eddie Wilson. Together at last, creating our own incredible monument to nothing!
[shouts and claps his hands]
Eddie Wilson: Here's to nothing, fellas! Here's to nothing!

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Connections

Featured in TCM Underground: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains/Eddie and the Cruisers (2009)

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Soundtracks

Wild Summer Nights
Written by John Cafferty (uncredited)
Performed by John Cafferty (lead vocal and guitar), Michael 'Tunes' Antunes (saxophone), Gary Gramolini (guitar), Robert Nicholas Cotoia (piano), Patrick Lupo (bass), Kenny Jo Silva (drums)

User Reviews

Read the book!

The Michael Pare films are flawed. The John Cafferty music is too much Springsteen and not enough 50's. The sequel was a bad joke. None of this matters. "Eddie and the Cruisers" by P.F. Kluge is probably the best novel ever written about rock'n'roll, and even though it lost a lot in translation to the big screen, the magic is still there. If you like the movie, you simply owe it to yourself to read the book. Then you'll really understand.

One creepy mystery: aside from a couple of minor TV appearances many years later, Helen Schneider ("Joanne Carlino") never made another film after this one. Whatever happened to her? Did she also "pull a Rimbaud"?