"Tom Cody, Pleased To Meet Ya! I was at this very college Im teaching at now when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, he says. Eddie and the Cruisers the word man bar scene Precision Computing 334K views 5 years ago Runaround Sue John Cafferty - Topic 466K views 7 years ago EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS 2 : RUNNING THRU. I put him through hell, he says. My favorite scene is where Ellen Barkin is talking to Tom Berenger, trying to do the reporter thing, and he says, I knew him a long time. It's the 1980s, and Eddie and the Cruisers are back on the charts, two decades after the singer's tragic car crash. I love Eddie and the Cruisers and plus I love the music in this film. Mr. Davidson obviously cares a lot about the era, and there's plenty of other evidence that he knows how it looked and sounded; the same can be said for John Lyon, a k a Southside Johnny, who served as the film's technical adviser. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. Thanks for reading! It contains some strong language. 4. , I watched it maybe a year and a half ago, Berenger says. Im remembering this group I had seen about a year before in Greenwich Village, Vance says. The person that wanted the role, Rick Springfield, wasnt believed to have the right look or the capability of playing Eddie Wilson. on the Internet. I am crazy enough that I probably would, he says. No body is found and to make matters worse the master tapes to the second album mysteriously disappear shortly after. A lot of the actual high school students were used as extras in the movie and the high school was used for several shots as well. The problem is that it finally lacks the storytelling resources to tell enough of an intriguing story about a musical mystery man. The film is notable for saddling Par with a disturbingly unhip moustache. Ellen Barkin, who has the small role of the television reporter, Maggie Foley, later said that she "hated" making the film: That was what we liked to call a "pay the rent" job. Frank and Joann go back to the Palace of Depression to retrieve the master tapes. The film bombed at the box office, grossing less than $4 million during a short run in 1983. Pare remembers, "The first time we played together - as a band - was a college concert. If you take it too seriously. Davidson argued with Cafferty over two songs, Tender Years and Wild Summer Nights, which the band had already released as a 45. People still watch it and still tell me about it."[13]. "[7] Davidson recalls, "One by one, kids began standing up in their seats, screaming and raising their hands in rhythmic applause. The role of Eddie almost went to someone else. All of a sudden, groans Vance, Eddie lives, and hes Robert Goulet., As Berenger remembers it, a scene filmed in a roadhouse features the Cruisers watching TV as the Fab Four lands in the United States. Being famous seems easy, its getting there thats the problem. But before she can reach the car, Frank unmasks the impostor, revealing him to be Doc, who was after the master tapes all these years. "The original novel," he says, "had this great whodunit element that really propels the plot. He has to break down. Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) Full Cast & Crew See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro Directed by Martin Davidson Writing Credits Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Produced by Music by John Cafferty Cinematography by Fred Murphy . Alright? Eddie makes it clear that if the band cannot be great, there is no reason to ever play music again. I said, Marty, you bag him, were all going, Wilson remembers. Frank Ridgeway, Tom Berenger Eddie Wilson, Michael Pare Doc Robbins, Joe Pantoliano Sal Amato, Matthew Laurance Joann Carlino, Helen Schneider Kenny Hopkins, David Wilson Wendell Newton, Michael (Tunes) Antunes Maggie Foley, Ellen Barkin Lew Eisen, Kenny Vance Keith Livingston, John Stockwell Lois, Joe Cates Barry Siegal, Barry Sand Gerry Rivers, Vebe Borge, See the article in its original context from. Other aspects of the film are inexplicably wrong. What is the French language plot outline for Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)? [13] The eventual project, which had no link to the Kluge source novel, was released as Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! The filmmaker told Vance to find him someone that could produce music that contained elements of these three bands. It should be an unknown. People want to believe it really existed. There was an audience for it. Eddie and the Cruisers was a massive 80s flop. Vance began to get calls. It would have been daring and edgy.. Uploaded by A Season in Hell is rejected by Satin Records on the grounds that it is "dark and strange". After storming from the studio, Eddie brought her to the Palace of Depression, a makeshift castle made of garbage and junk that he visited often as a child. [4] He told her what had happened to his film, and she gave his script for Eddie and the Cruisers to her business partners. We will keep fighting for all libraries - stand with us! Cruisers Do it like I'm doing Let's rock and roll. You know, 50 Shades of Grey didnt come out for 30 years, he says. In order to get a credible looking and sounding band for the film, Davidson hired Kenny Vance, one of the original members of Jay and the Americans. The film was released in theaters on September 23, 1983, and grossed $1.4 million on its opening weekend. Frank, now an English teacher, remembers his time with the Cruisers in a series of flashbacks. It's a really weird high. I say, No, this is for real.. And what about the secret tapes? Eddie and the Cruisers was not well received by critics. [11] Initially, Cafferty was only hired to write a few songs for the film, but he did such a good job of capturing the feeling of the 1960s and 1980s that Davidson asked him to score the entire film. Most importantly, the locations will have a status that shows whether they are verified correct and by whom. Plot [ edit] "[9], According to Davidson, when he completed the film, three different studios wanted to distribute it, and he went with Embassy Pictures because they offered him the most money. Instead of coming out as originally scheduled during the summer of 83, Eddie got a late September release when kids were back in school. Company Credits And you and I just met. , Nedd-Friendly, the editor, recently watched Eddie again and was reminded of Pars performance. Of course, its about where has Eddie been since Eddie and the Cruisers II. Berenger isnt sure hed consider a return. There is no such thing, he says. I know this to be true cause my room was directly behind Joann Carlino where she is sitting playing . Eddie and the Cruisers is the story of a band and a man that were striving for greatness but hit a serious pitfall on their way up. I said to John, Without these two songs, you can go home. He said, No, these are my songs. Davidson made a deal with Time-Life, a company that was going into the movie-making business. Eddie and the Cruisers is not available for streaming. I don't know. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. It was just so unfair. Most of the cast stayed away, with only Laurances Sal returning. [5] He showed Davidson his scrapbook, the places the band performed, the car they drove, and how they transported their instruments. arrived in April. I battered him to the point Ive never battered an actor in my life. "It changed my life as a kid. [14][15] Another single from the film, "Tender Years," peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. . Real high school students were used in the film. It was built by a drifter out of trash, sand, and clay. Man o man, I wanna thank whomever uploaded this movie. | By The 80s Ruled | Facebook | So, what's not bad? Kenny and Sal are making fun of it, making fun of his English bull----, rock-and-roll. They held a movie-band meeting and sent David Wilson, playing drummer Kenny Hopkins, to talk to Davidson. They also wonder where the ''Season in Hell'' tapes have gone, since the album was never released and the tapes would undoubtedly be valuable. Ridgeway is a high school English teacher in Vineland, New Jersey. He was understandably upset and a couple of days later he went out to dinner and met a secretary who had worked on his first film. "One of the greatest movies ever," says Brad Furman, director of "The Lincoln Lawyer" and "Runner Runner." But is Eddie dead? In 1984, "Eddie and the Cruisers" was released on VHS videocassette, CED and Laser videodisc by Embassy Home Entertainment. [3], The film was a box office flop, receiving many negative to mixed reviews from critics. I couldnt believe it was not him singing.. Release Dates The fraternity house is actually the home of the Haverford college president. Yet when we see them at the college later in the film, no camera or film crews are in sight anywhere in the auditorium. Maggie is seen watching old tape of Eddie and the band sing "On the Dark Side", at Frank's college. Kluge's novel is also available, a book that Eddie enthusiast Kirk Curnutt, an English professor at Troy University in Alabama, still believes is superior. Vance asked Davidson to describe his fictitious band and their music. (as Priscilla Nedd) Casting By The conversation was one-sided, with Eddie doing all the talking. Official Sites Eddie's startling good looks (in the John Travolta-Matt Dillon street-kid style) and his energetic sound (the songs are by John Cafferty, who also does Eddie's singing) are accompanied by enough artistic self- importance to make the character less sympathetic than he might be. There was no way that the radio station used to play Eddies music would have been able to be picked up in New Jersey when it was being broadcast in New York. Inspired by the bleak, fatalistic poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, Eddie wants something far more ambitious than their previous pop songs and he pushes his bandmates beyond their limits, musically and personally. Eventually it became a cult classic when it was aired on cable. A television reporter named Maggie Foley investigates the mysterious disappearance of cult rock star Eddie Wilson. ", Berenger says that despite its box office failure, the film's script was "superb," and he loves it when "Eddie" pops up on cable. The band gets its start at a club in Somers Point, New Jersey named Tony Mart's. But as Eddie drove off, I knew, I knew it then, it wasn't gonna be any future. "[21], Gary Arnold for The Washington Post wrote, "At any rate, it seemed to me that what Eddie and the Cruisers aspired to do was certainly worth doing. honorable & thoroughly entertaining film, with a final scene that still has the . [17] Embassy Pictures threw a promotional party for the film at a dance club in West Hollywood in September, 1983, where Cafferty and his band played. The girl makes me feel like I should own her, like she should be mine. Vineland is currently trying to rebuild the Palace of Depression. [19], Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars. We certainly hadn't told them to do that. "[3] He optioned P.F. But "Eddie" got a second life during the summer of 1984 on HBO. But when it was over, we hugged, and I knew I had a scene which would work in the movie., Barkin, a late bloomer nearing 30, played the hard-smoking reporter. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Director Martin Davidson Writers Martin Davidson Arlene Davidson P.F. FILM: EARLY ROCK DAYS, 'EDDIE AND THE CRUISERS', https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/23/movies/film-early-rock-days-eddie-and-the-cruisers.html. [5] Davidson was getting close to rehearsals when Vance called him and said that he had found the bandJohn Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band from Providence, Rhode Island. Like what? That sparked the soundtrack, recorded. We'll just say it was your first movie and they just didn't release it." Hes taking it seriously.. | He said of his role in the film that it was "a thrill I've never experienced. Doc works as a radio disc jockey in Asbury Park, New Jersey. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But, you know, what was always inspiring to me was the whole through line of Rimbaud and the poet and the fake suicide, that was the only way to sort of have artistic freedom. Joann Carlino: [narrating] There were so many things I wanted to say to him, so many questions I wanted to ask. The original structure is supposed to have been rebuilt since it was torn apart by vandals. The sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! It also created a cult following for the film. 5. How did it become a beloved cult film? As of October 2018, the film holds a rating of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 reviews. You say not bad. Michael Par was discovered in a New York City restaurant working as a chef. How would you rate this article? Other aspects of the movie are inexplicably wrong. The film bombed at the box office, grossing less than $4 million during a short run in 1983. Eddie's music sounds good, but it also sounds a lot like Bruce Springsteen's, and it would not have been the rage in 1963. "It changed my life as a kid. A new building now stands there. During the documentary interviews, the band expresses a desire to relive the past, but many of their memories are humiliating. Tom is out of his f---ing mind., The 1989 sequel annoyed everyone involved in the original. Running time: 94 minutes. But Eddie and I, we had a deal, we never talked about the future. The Palace of Depression was a real place in Vineland, New Jersey. Synopsis. Wilson and Laurance say theyve got no reservations. The building and the business were very real, but the structure was demolished in the 1980s. Flashbacks dramatize Eddie's life and the rise and fall of his rock and roll band, Eddie and the Cruisers. Rehearsals were tough. Do You Believe The Theory That Arthur Fleck Wasnt The Real Joker? Some of the details ring uncannily true, like the slick ''oldies'' nightclub act that one of the Cruisers is still doing nearly 20 years after Eddie's supposed death. Then Im looking at Eddie and hes not laughing. For another, rock seems to be much more easily embodied than explained. [23] Looking back, Davidson said, "that picture should have been a theatrical success. This post is not to review or rate "Eddie", but to explain the background of the plot for other posters who seem confused on this. When their second album bombed Eddie suddenly disappeared when his car went sailing through a guard rail to crash over a causeway. These are John Cafferty music, not Eddie Wilson music. Cafferty eventually relented. The behind-the-scenes drama - the wild ambition, the wheeling and dealing, the image making - convey such different sentiments from the music's explosive, euphoric feeling that there's bound to be a built-in incongruity, for one thing. The behind-the-scenes drama - the wild ambition, the wheeling and dealing, the image making - convey such different sentiments from the music's explosive, euphoric feeling that there's bound to be . INTERVIEW: Michael Par talks with TV STORE ONLINE about the cult classic STREETS OF FIRE", "Eddie and the Cruisers 35th Anniversary", "Ellen Barkin on great directors and her favorite roles, from Diner to Buckaroo Banzai", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 10/27/84", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 11/3/84", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 1/12/85", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_and_the_Cruisers&oldid=1148799347, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 April 2023, at 12:01. If he wanted to do another one, I would be there in a second, says Laurance, now a sports talk host on ESPN radio in Lexington, Ky. Furman wouldnt rule the idea out of directing. As directed by Martin Davidson, who directed ''Hero at Large'' and who is also co-author of this script with Arlene Davidson, ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is vivid, full of conviction and more than a little foolish at times. And editor Priscilla Nedd-Friendly would go on to a slate of popular films, including Pretty Woman, American Pie and The Proposal. But Par never became a star. The screaming, stomping and applause became spontaneous. But is Eddie dead? He wrote, despite a good cast, "terrific" music and an intriguing concept, "the ending is so frustrating, so dumb, so unsatisfactory, that it gives a bad reputation to the whole movie. But "Eddie" got a second life during the summer of 1984 on HBO. Unlike the other Cruisers, who include Matthew Laurance and Joe Pantoliano, he isn't forced to shift frequently from 1963 to the present and back again; as a result, they all seem old for the early scenes and not old enough for today. It's the 1980s, and Eddie and the Cruisers are back on the charts, two decades after the singer's tragic car crash. "Eddie and the Cruisers" isn't a lost masterpiece, but it's a solid, thoughtful, enjoyable film about one of the great driving narratives of Western culture: The Artist Ahead Of His (or Her) Time, doomed to be ignored during life, then rediscovered after death. ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). Please come back again soon to check if there's something new. That scene never happened. Im looking at it. in 1989. Initially, Davidson said that the Cruisers sounded like Dion and the Belmonts, but when they meet Frank, they have elements of Jim Morrison and The Doors. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, hair stylist assistant (as Katie Bihr) / makeup assistant (as Katie Bihr), hair stylist assistant / makeup assistant, unit production manager (as Robert Girolami), second assistant director (as Steve Wertimer), property assistant (as Dimitri Apletcheff), construction carpenter (as Mike Curry Sr.), construction coordinator: Palace Depression (as Joe Petruccio Sr.), chargeman scenic artist (as Ernie Southern), assistant: sound editor (as Alan Bromberg), sound re-recordist (as Christopher Jenkins), supervising sound editor (as David A. Pettijohn), production assistant (as Jim Skotchdopole), production assistant (as Bette Ann Wasielewski). I dont know what to think of it. Eddie read enough of Rimbaud to make an album called ''Season in Hell,'' and his friends wonder if he didn't, like the poet, willfully vanish. In addition, the music producer/supervisor for the film, Kenny Vance, appears on screen as Lew Eisen, the 1964 record company executive who refuses to accept the band's second album. A mystery man driving a blue 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible identical to Eddie's arrives at the house and calls to Joann. Like, when I'd go, I'd thinkI like to make a movie where I know who the boss is. Of Course He Is, Kick Off Your Christmas Countdown with These 5 Seasonal Horror Movies. Three weeks later, the studio pulled Eddie. It wasnt until 1984 that Eddie found success in heavy rotation on HBO and home video. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Was Two-Face Treated Properly In The Dark Knight? Kluge, the books author, loves the idea of the scene. A lover of great stories and epic tales, Tom is a fan of old and new-school ideas. The backlash followed. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released albu A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. [4] He wrote the screenplay with Arlene Davidson and decided to use a Citizen Kane-style story structure. Rounding out the Cruisers are saxophonist Wendell Newton, background singer and Eddie's girlfriend Joann Carlino, and drummer Kenny Hopkins. Not even the better efforts in this genre, from ''Stardust'' and ''The Idolmaker'' to ''The Buddy Holly Story,'' have captured anything akin to the excitement of the music itself. Oh, you're right. 6. In the early morning hours, Eddie's car crashes through the railing and over the Stainton Memorial Causeway. [12] Nine months after the film was released in theaters, the main song in the film, "On the Dark Side", was the number one song in the country on Billboard's Mainstream, Rock, and Heatseeker charts;[13] and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She reveals it was in fact she who took the master tapes for the album from Satin Records, hiding them in the Palace of Depression, where she felt they belonged. At Loews State, Broadway and 45th Street; New York Twin, Second Avenue and 66th Street; 34th Street Showplace, near Second Avenue, and other theaters. A homeless drifter built it out of junk, sand and clay, then charged admission for visitors. I would have applauded that scene. Eddie went to talk to Frank, who was lying on a blanket on the beach. Berenger, choking back tears off-set after his real-life marriage fell apart, served as the tightly wound Frank Ridgeway, the wordman. He would soon star in Platoon and Major League. Pantoliano played crooked manager Doc Robbins. So the anachronisms are a greater mystery than that of Eddie's disappearance. Then, in 1984, the HBO run sparked excitement over the movie. Eddie wants to be great, but bassist Sal replies, "We ain't great. And it seemed like it was just, "Who's driving the ship here? When Eddie declares furiously that he wants the audience to know what he's singing about, and the song he's singing is ''Betty Lou's Got a New Pair of Shoes,'' it's hard not to feel that he's becoming a prima donna. 2023 JustWatch - All external content remains the property of the rightful owner. Author P.F. [6] Matthew Laurance actually learned how to play the bass through rehearsals. He remembered, "That was in my head: the search."[5]. [18] The film was pulled from theaters after three weeks and all of the promotional ads pulled after one week.[11]. I think people were all fucked up on drugs. What's going on? Does he still think about making Eddie? Videocassette recorders, in just 1 percent of American homes in 1980, were in 20percent by 1985. An odd thing happened. Michael Par, Tom Berenger, Joe Pantoliano, Matthew Laurance, Helen Schneider, David Wilson, Michael 'Tunes' Antunes, Ellen Barkin, Kenny Vance, John Stockwell, Joe Cates, Barry Sand, Vebe Borge, Howard Johnson (II), Joey Balin, Bruce Brown (III), Robin Karfo, Rufus Harley, Louis D'Esposito, Michael Toland, Bob Garrett, Joanne Collins Update Cast. This article was published more than8 years ago, Eight Degrees of "Eddie and the Cruisers": What you need to know about the seemingly ignored 1983 film about fictitious rock god Eddie Wilson, What:The film stars Michael Par, Tom Berenger, Ellen Barkin and Joe Pantoliano. Mr. Pare makes a fine debut; he captures the manner of a hot-blooded young rocker with great conviction, and his lip-synching is almost perfect. Joann is able to complete the one piece of the puzzle that Frank could not: revealing what happened to the band's second album. In the fall of 1984, the single "On the Dark Side" from the soundtrack album suddenly climbed the charts, as the film was rediscovered on cable television and home video, prompting the studio to briefly re-release the album. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released albu Read allA television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album.A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. We try to add new providers constantly but we couldn't find an offer for "Eddie and the Cruisers" online. To the point it was almost too unkind. director of photography Film Editing by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly . Not adept at writing lyrics, Eddie hires Frank Ridgeway aka "Wordman" to be the band's keyboard player and lyricist, over the protests of band manager Doc Robbins and bassist Sal Amato. Jason Scott "[7] Additionally, New Jersey musician Southside Johnny was hired as a technical advisor for the film.[8]. Moved by his story, Frank and Joann give him the master tapes. the music. In the morning, they told me that Eddie was gone, and they hadn't found his body. One of the characters states that they became a teacher at Vineland high school. The studio re-released the soundtrack in the fall of 1984. And Helen Schneider, as the tambourinist, looks sultry but distinctly out of place, since she's a young woman playing what was then - and still is, for the most part - very much a young man's game. ", The film release was bungled. Kluge Stars Tom Berenger Michael Par Joe Pantoliano Cut to New Jersey shore, 1963, Par in sleeveless T-shirt as rock hero Eddie Wilson. It's scary, a dangerous feeling. We had 500 extras standing around, and Michael was having a hard time finding it. Eddie vanishes without a trace, his body never found. Eddie and the Cruisers II Eddie Lives is Iconic. It's really a fun murder mystery. Ive got up to Page 78, he says. To get him to where he had to be, Ive never had to work quite as tough. In one scene, Eddie takes the stage after a friend has died. However, they had no prior experience in distribution and were unable to properly release it in theaters. But all Joe cared about was selling the album. That sparked the soundtrack, recorded by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, to become an unadulterated smash, rising into the Top 10. This scene happened after Joann saw and heard Frank playing the piano at Tony Marts. ", Where: "Eddie and the Cruisers" can be seen on streaming services or on DVD. Similarly, Eddie's final declaration, ''If we can't be great, then there's no point in ever playing music again,'' stretches the material's potential for melodrama to its limit, and beyond. Ellen Barkin, as the reporter, has the film's most awkwardly written role. A scrappy, feather-haired TV reporter played by Barkin works the story. We thought the present was so fine, why ruin it by planning ahead? I used the situation to bring him to tears. "It was haunting and it was about two things," he says. Great Scene From Eddie and the Cruisers 'On The Dark Side' | Our favorite scene from Eddie and the Cruisers 'On The Dark Side'!
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