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Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

PG-13 | | Biography, Drama, Music | 30 June 1989 (USA)
Great Balls of Fire! Poster
Trailer
1:08 | Trailer

On Disc

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The life and career of wildly controversial rock 'n' roll star Jerry Lee Lewis.

Director:

Jim McBride

Writers:

Myra Lewis (book), Murray Silver Jr. (book) (as Murray Silver) | 2 more credits »

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

See all 1 video  »

Photos

See all 39 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid ... Jerry Lee Lewis
Winona Ryder ... Myra Gale Brown
John Doe ... J.W. Brown
Stephen Tobolowsky ... Jud Phillips
Trey Wilson ... Sam Phillips
Alec Baldwin ... Jimmy Swaggart
Steve Allen ... Himself
Lisa Blount ... Lois Brown
Joshua Sheffield Joshua Sheffield ... Rusty Brown
Mojo Nixon Mojo Nixon ... James Van Eaton
Jimmie Vaughan ... Roland Janes
David Ferguson David Ferguson ... Jack Clement
Robert Lesser Robert Lesser ... Alan Freed
Lisa Jane Persky ... Babe
Paula Person Paula Person ... Sam's Secratary
See full cast »
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Storyline

The story of Jerry Lee Lewis, arguably the greatest and certainly one of the wildest musicians of the 1950s. His arrogance, remarkable talent, and unconventional lifestyle often brought him into conflict with others in the industry, and even earned him the scorn and condemnation of the public. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

1950s | child bride | title based on song | marriage between cousins | rise and fall | See All (40) »

Taglines:

The true story of a legend. See more »

Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Great Balls of Fire See more »

Filming Locations:

Somerville, Tennessee, USA See more »
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Box Office

Gross USA:

$13,741,060
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR | Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

During the scene in which Jerry Lee Lewis is performing on the Steve Allen show, Lewis kicks the chair he was sitting on towards the back where Allen then picks it up and throws it across the stage. This actually happened, although Allen's throw as not as dramatic. Clips of this segment of the show are still available online where this can be seen. See more »

Goofs

The song "Great Balls Of Fire" is shown climbing the Billboard charts to number one. The song only made it to number two. See more »

Quotes

Myra: Why won't they go away?
Jerry Lee: They just want to see the new king of rock'n'roll.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party (2005) See more »

Soundtracks

Singing & Swingin' For Me
Written by Al Dexter and James Paris
Performed by Bill Boyd's Cowboy Ramblers
See more »

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User Reviews

Goodness!! Gracious!! This movie is excellent
13 March 1999 | by grinna – See all my reviews

You don't have to be an old rocker to enjoy this movie which tells the story of the legendary rock pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. Dennis Quaid captures the excitement, oddities and mannerisms of this rock legend (almost an impersonation)

Quaid's performance is truly fantastic...........

The music is exciting - shaking your nerves and rattling your soul! I rate this movie 8.5 out of 10.
20 of 28 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 65 user reviews »
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