Tough Enough (1983)

An aspiring country/western singer, whose money is disappearing faster than his career opportunities, enters a "Tough Man" amateur boxing contest to earn some cash to pay his bills. ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Fleischer (as Richard O. Fleischer)

Writer:

John Leone

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Carlene Watkins, Stan Shaw

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Art Long
Carlene Watkins	...	Caroline Long
Stan Shaw	...	P.T. Coolidge
Pam Grier	...	Myra
Warren Oates	...	James Neese
Bruce McGill	...	Tony Fallon
Wilford Brimley	...	Bill Long
Fran Ryan	...	Gert Long
Christopher Norris	...	Christopher Long
Terra Perry	...	Wet T-Shirt Girl
Big John Hamilton	...	Big John
Steve Ward	...	Heckler in Torreyson's
Susan Benn	...	Girl in Torreyson's
Mark Edson	...	Janitor in Torreyson's
Steve 'Monk' Miller	...	Tigran Baldasarian

Storyline

An aspiring country/western singer, whose money is disappearing faster than his career opportunities, enters a "Tough Man" amateur boxing contest to earn some cash to pay his bills. Amazingly enough, he wins it, and is picked to go onto the national finals. He's torn between his first love, music, and the glitz, glamor and money of the "Tough Man" world.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | boxing | rhyme in title | two word title | boxer hero | 

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Taglines:

They are big! They are bad! But are they tough enough to beat the Country Western Warrior?

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 March 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tough Dreams

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Cinema Productions, Pelleport Investments

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 101 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dennis Quaid broke his nose during the making of this film, as he had done three years previously on The Long Riders (1980).

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Goofs

During the final fight, blood is spattered across the front of Tony Fallon's suit but when shown shortly afterward, the blood has disappeared.

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Quotes

Caroline Long: You were boxing. Why?
Art Long: "Why?" For five thousand bucks: that's why. I won.
Caroline Long: You won five thousand dollars?
Art Long: No, no, no, no, no. I GET five thousand bucks if I win tomorrow night. See; preliminaries were tonight, and the finals are tomorrow night.
Caroline Long: So what'd you get tonight?
Art Long: A black eye.

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Connections

References Rocky (1976)

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Soundtracks

Don't They Know Who I'm Gonna Be?
Music & Lyrics by Michael Lloyd, Johnny Cymbal and Bill Holmes
Sung by Dennis Quaid

User Reviews

the songs in the movie

barbara_lee_olson and a1969cowboy heres the songs # "I Was Born A Dreamer" Performed by Mickey Gilley # "Tough Enough" Performed by T.G. Sheppard # "Rainbows Never Touch The Ground" Performed by Dennis Quaid # "Don't They Know Who I'm Gonna Be?" Performed by Dennis Quaid # "Motor City" (Instrumental) Performed by Blue Skies Band # "Tough Man Theme" (Instrumental) Performed by Blue Skies Band # "Cowtown Rag" Performed by Blue Skies Band # "I Was Born A Dreamer" (Instrumental) Performed by Blue Skies Band # "More Nights" Performed by Lane Brody # "You've Got The Touch" Performed by Johnny Tillotson An aspiring country/western singer, whose money is disappearing faster than his career opportunities, enters a "Tough Man" amateur boxing contest to earn some cash to pay his bills. Amazingly enough, he wins it, and is picked to go onto the national finals. He's torn between his first love, music, and the glitz, glamor and money of the "Tough Man" world