Cabin Boy (1994)

A foul-mouthed finishing school graduate mistakenly winds up on an ill-fated fishing boat and faces the wrath of a crew that considers him bad luck.

Director:

Adam Resnick

Writers:

Chris Elliott (story), Adam Resnick (story)

Stars:

Chris Elliott, Ritch Brinkley, James Gammon

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Elliott	...	Nathanial Mayweather
Ritch Brinkley	...	Captain Greybar
James Gammon	...	Paps
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Skunk (as Brian-Doyle Murray)
Brion James	...	Big Teddy
Melora Walters	...	Trina
I.M. Hobson	...	Headmaster Timmons
Alex Nevil	...	Thomas
David Henry Sterry	...	Lance (as David Sterry)
Bob Elliott	...	William Mayweather
Edward Flotard	...	Limo Driver
Jim Cummings	...	Cupcake (voice)
David Letterman	...	Old Salt In Fishing Village (as Earl Hofert)
Ann Magnuson	...	Calli
Russ Tamblyn	...	Chocki

Storyline

Snobby school boy goes left and mistakes the "Filthy Whore" for his millionaire dad's yacht. He joins four filthy fishermen for hijinx on the high seas.

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Plot Keywords:

stupidity | ship | stop motion animation | profanity | child played by adult | 

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Taglines:

He's Setting Sail On The High Seas... Without A Rudder, A Compass, Or A Clue!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude language

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Letterman appears as the "Old Salt in the Fishing Village", but the credits list him as "Earl Hofert". This is an inside joke for Letterman fans, as he also referred to himself as "Hofert" in some skits back at his old program [error] on NBC. In real life, Hofert is an uncle of Letterman's on his mother's side.

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Goofs

After fishing Trina out of the water and having his initial dialogue exchange with her, Nathanial summons the rest of the crew to meet her. Shortly after doing so, he refers to Trina by name despite Trina not having introduced herself to him in the previous scene.

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Quotes

Mulligan: Do you know what I do to guys who quote unquote "sleep" with my wife?
Nathanial Mayweather: Talk about your discomfort over a cup of hot cocoa?
Mulligan: Clooooooooose. I cut off their heads with a nail clipper.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD version (at least) omits the scene taking place right after Nathanial Mayweather makes a short, snide lecture on hats at the start of the film. In the scene, he proceeds to demonstrate how to tip a hat in a rather bizarre manner.

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Connections

Referenced in Movie Magic: Creature Makeup: Masks and Mirrors (1994)

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Soundtracks

THE ALLEY CAT SONG
Written by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre (as Frank Bjorn)

User Reviews

A bawdy romp that Chaucer would be proud of!

While a number of critics have discussed at length "Cabin Boy"'s allusions to earlier sea epics, such as "Mutiny on the Bounty", "Moby Dick" and "Humanoids of the Deep", surprisingly little attention has been devoted to it's social commentary. Although it may, perhaps, be an overstatement to call Chris Elliot's script "revolutionary", its message has a decidedly socialist bent. In fact, I would venture to say that none of Elliot's other work, prior to OR since "Cabin Boy" has had a comparable impact on the way ship captains treat their crew - or for that matter, on the labor movement in general in this country. It's safe to say that the success of "Cabin Boy" is a product not only of Elliot's vision, but also a fortunate case of being "the right film at the right time", so to speak.

Additionally, the cast must be credited. Brian Doyle-Murray, Russ Tamblyn and many others give the performances of their careers. The stand-out, of course, was Ritch Brinkley in a magnificent portrayal of Captain Greybar, captain of "The Filthy Whore." Far from the stereotypical old salt sea captain, Brinkley's Greybar is hard, harsh, irritable and irrascible, and yet even-handed and even sensitive, giving a textured character which is so clearly missing from many other sea films. Particularly touching is the scene when Elliot's character, Nathanial Mayweather, serves "fish-stick kitties" for the crew's lunch. Words cannot describe the emotion that Brinkley's face conveys. It's so touching because it's true!

While "Cabin Boy" has its flaws, I have no doubt that it will be greatly appreciated by landlubbers and sea captains alike, particularly those who, like myself, started their careers as lowly cabin boys.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cabin Boy

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,513,507, 9 January 1994

Gross USA:

$3,662,459

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,662,459

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Steve White Productions, Skellington Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1