Great Balls of Fire! (1989)

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)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe

1 win & 1 nomination.

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	...	Self
Lisa Blount	...	Lois Brown
Joshua Sheffield	...	Rusty Brown
Mojo Nixon	...	James Van Eaton
Jimmie Vaughan	...	Roland Janes
David Ferguson	...	Jack Clement
Robert Lesser	...	Alan Freed
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Babe
Paula Person	...	Sam's Secratary

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. In 1956, Louisiana bad boy Jerry Lee Lewis moves to Memphis, determined to dethrone Elvis Presley with his ferocious, God-given talent. When Jerry Lee bangs out the chorus with his feet, huge fans howl out for more. When he finishes his performance by setting his piano ablaze, they mob the stage. But when he marries his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown...the scandal nearly destroys the Killer's career.

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | child bride | title based on song | marriage between cousins | rise and fall | 

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Taglines:

Jerry Lee Lewis. His music rocked the nation. His story shocked the world.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jerry Lee Lewis hated both this film and his ex-wife Myra Lewis' autobiographical book which was a source. Linda Gail Lewis, Jerry Lee Lewis' sister, also thought this film was a poor and unjustified version of the real Jerry. The book's co-author Murray Silver Jr. was outraged by the film, which he thought departed from the book or the truth. Silver made several criticisms such as, "The movie was phony." Director Jim McBride admitted that it was never his intention to tie his film to the facts, and stated "This movie does not represent itself in any way to be a historical documentary. We use the book as a jumping-off point."

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Goofs

In the scene where Jerry is picking Myra up at school, while singing "High School Confidential", she had a red ribbon in her hair. But in the next scene, which is supposed to be right after he's picked her up, the ribbon in her hair is grey with trombones on.

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Quotes

Lois Brown: Jerry Lee here's a married man, ain't that right, Jerry Lee?
Jerry Lee Lewis: Well, that's not necessarily so, Lois.
Lois Brown: And just what do you mean by that?
Jerry Lee Lewis: Well, you see I was still married to my first wife when I married my second wife, so I never really was married to my second wife. And since I divorced my first wife a couple of years ago, I'm as free as a bird in a tree!

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Connections

Features Leave It To Beaver - The Lost Episode (1957)

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Soundtracks

I'm On Fire
Written by Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer
Performed by Jerry Lee Lewis

User Reviews

Great movie

Great Balls of Fire! is beyond a doubt one of the best movies I have ever seen. It's entertaining, funny, and gives an up close and personal look at the greatest rock star of the 50s. No, not Elvis, I'm talking about Jerry Lee Lewis! Before the movie I had never even heard of him, now he is one of my all-time favorite performers. Trust me, I was 9 years old when this movie came out, and if a movie is so good a 9 year old will pipe-down and watch, then you know its a excellent movie. So do yourself a favor and rent or buy this fantastic movie.

ciao bella!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 June 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Great Balls of Fire!

Filming Locations:

Somerville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,807,986, 2 July 1989

Gross USA:

$13,741,060

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,741,060

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1