Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986)

A computer wiz woman/W.Goldberg works at a computer terminal in a NYC bank. One day she gets a strange message and breaks the code. Suddenly, she finds herself in the middle of dangerous spy business.

Director:

Penny Marshall

Writers:

David Franzoni (story) (as David H. Franzoni), David Franzoni (screenplay) (as David H. Franzoni)

Stars:

Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Collins, John Wood

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Terry Doolittle
Stephen Collins	...	Marty Phillips
John Wood	...	Jeremy Talbott
Carol Kane	...	Cynthia
Annie Potts	...	Liz Carlson
Peter Michael Goetz	...	Mr. Page
Roscoe Lee Browne	...	Archer Lincoln
Sara Botsford	...	Lady Sarah Billings
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Mark Van Meter (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Vyto Ruginis	...	Carl
Jonathan Pryce	...	Jack
Tony Hendra	...	Hunter
Jon Lovitz	...	Doug
Phil Hartman	...	Fred (as Phil E. Hartmann)
Lynne Marie Stewart	...	Karen

Storyline

Terry works for a bank, and uses computers to communicate with clients all over the world. One day she gets a coded message from an unknown source. After decoding the message, Terry becomes embroiled in an espionage ring. People are killed, and Terry is chased. Throughout she remains in contact with this unknown person, who needs Terry to help save his life.

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Plot Keywords:

chainsaw | circular saw | pay phone | espionage | computer | 

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Taglines:

She's Jumpin' right out of the pumpkin! (Halloween week, 1986)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Knock, Knock

Filming Locations:

515 North Bundy Drive, Brentwood, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$25,587,804

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lawrence Gordon Productions, Silver Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Howard Zieff was the original director. Penny Marshall replaced him after about 6 weeks of production.

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Goofs

When Terry is lying on the desk typing to Jack, a boom mic is visible in the top right hand corner.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Male Broadcaster: [click] ... House has issued a series of clarifications of several of the President's statements at his nationally televised news conference last night. In addition to responding to a question about abortion with a three-minute answer about taxes and confusing his Attorney General with his Chief of Staff, the President apparently forgot that Hawaii is a State, referring to it as, "one of our strongest allies in the Pacific." A White House spokesman explained that the President had ...

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Alternate Versions

A version shown sporadically on WTTG-TV in Washington is heavily edited and has numerous bits of dialogue and key scenes removed, including the conversation between Terry Dolittle and Liz Carlson in the kitchen.

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Connections

Spoofs Leave It to Beaver (1957)

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Soundtracks

Jumpin' Jack Flash
Performed by Aretha Franklin
Produced by Keith Richards
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Published by ABKCO Music, Inc.
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.

User Reviews

Worthwhile Woopi Goldberg vehicle with humor, intrigue and hilarious action.

A bank's clerk is humorously involved in international espionage when her computer terminal picks up words sent by electronic mail from a Brit spy trapped into Iron Curtain. The events break her monotony life and boring employment.

The film packs comedy, suspense, tongue in check and lots of amusement. There are still some hilarious pieces, notably the comic tryings to decipher the lyrics to the film title song by famous Rolling Stones, when her dress get caught in a shredder, Whoopi singing at the British Embassy by impersonating Diane Ross and when she's dragged by a tow truck, among others. The picture is a Woopi Goldberg recital, she plays a wacky, foul-mouthed, and wisecracking spinster with no check. This is her first big success in comedy genre, after his known drama 'Purple color' by Steven Spielberg. Abundant secondaries and cameos by noted actors, such as Jim Belushi, Annie Potts, John Wood, Jeroan Krabbe, Roscoe Lee Browne, Sara Bostford, John Lovitz, Phil Hartman, among them. Agreeable musical score, though with abuse synthesizer by Thomas Newman . The motion picture is middling directed by Penny Marshall, in his film debut, but she was unable to control the star's excesses. Later Marshall achieved numerous hits as producer, actress and director, such as 'Renaissance man, Preacher's wife, Awakenings, A league of their own and Big'.