June 19 - That Thing You Do!

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 19. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight.

THAT THING YOU DO!

In 1964 Erie, Pa.  Guy Patterson works at his dad’s appliance store and dates Tina. After the One-ders drummer breaks his arm, Guy gets drafted to play with them at a college talent show. After Guy speeds up the tempo of a song Jimmy Mattingly, the band’s leader wrote called “That Thing You Do” they win the contest. The owner of Vilipanos, a local tavern hires them to play as the house band and they are a big hit. Guy gets his Uncle Bob to  record them and make a single. While playing a Vilipanos on June 19, 1964 there is a riot. [33:09 to 37:01]  Phil Horace becomes the band’s manager, while Tina falls in love with her dentist. The band members are ecstatic when their song is played on the radio. Even though they have technical problems at a show in Pittsburgh, Andy White of Playtone Records, a major labels signs them. The Wonders go on tour and are a huge hit, going from the opening act to the featured performers and they head to Hollywood.  Once there they appear in a movie and are feted by Playtone Records. Guy meets his idol, jazz great Del Paxton. The band is on the Hollywood Television Showcase, a live national broadcast. During their performance the words ‘careful girls, he’s engaged’ are flashed over Jimmy’s image. After the show this leads him to break up with Fay, his girlfriend who had followed the band from the beginning. The bass player is not on the show as he disappeared with some Marines he met, since he had just enlisted. The bands first real recording session collapses before it begins as Jimmy quits after he is refused artistic control and Lenny, the fourth member of the band, has eloped to Las Vegas with a secretary he met at Playtone. Guy jams with Del Paxton and records an interview with him. This lands Guy a job at KJZZ in LA. He gets together with Fay.  

A very good “feel good” film. Very funny at times, it is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek homage to the early rock–n-roll era and one hit wonder bands.  It’s not a serious film, but if you’re looking for a fun way to spend a couple of hours this is it.

The date on a newspaper the next day is “Saturday, June 20, 1964” at 37:11 [this is only in the extended cut]

Producer - Jonathan Demme,  Gary Goetzman and Edward Saxon

Director - Tom Hanks

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar at the 69^th Academy

                 Awards.

Screenplay - Tom Hanks

Runtime – 1 hour 48 minutes (Theatrical release). 2 hours 29 minutes (Extended cut)

Released – October 4, 1996

Starring –

Tom Everett Scott as Guy "Shades" Patterson, the film's main protagonist, drums

Johnathon Schaech as James "Jimmy" Mattingly II, the leader of The Wonders, vocals

Tom Hanks as Mr. White, the band's second manager

Steve Zahn as Leonard "Lenny" Haise, guitar and backing vocals

Ethan Embry as The Bass Player and  backing vocals

Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan, Jimmy's girlfriend and the band's "costume mistress"

Charlize Theron as Tina Powers, Guy's girlfriend

Bill Cobbs as Del Paxton, Guy's favorite jazz musician

Giovanni Ribisi as Chad, the band's original drummer

Obba Babatundé as Lamarr, the Ambassador Hotel bellman

Alex Rocco as Sol Siler, founder of Play-Tone Records

Chris Isaak as Uncle Bob, Guy's uncle and their first recording engineer

Larry Antonino as Scott 'Wolfman' Pell, replacement bass player

Holmes Osborne as Mr. Patterson, Guy "Shades" Patterson's father

Chris Ellis as Phil Horace, the band’s first manager

Clint Howard as KJZZ disc jockey

Watch a trailer for That Thing You Do!