Thursday, June 19, 2014

June 19 - That Thing You Do!

Today’s movie is a comedy/drama with a scene that happens on June 19. I hope you will watch this film tonight and enjoy it.

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 label signs them and changes their name to The Wonders. They go on tour and are a huge hit, going from being 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.

Newspaper the next day is dated  “Saturday, June 20, 1964” at 37:11 [only in the extended cut]

Producers - Jonathan Demme,  Gary Goetzman and Edward Saxon

Awards – It was nominated for Best Original Song Oscar at the 69th Academy Awards.

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

Director - Tom Hanks                     

Screenplay - Tom Hanks                                 

Released – October 4, 1996                             

Starring –

Tom Everett Scott as Guy Patterson
Johnathon Schaech as "Jimmy" Mattingly
Tom Hanks as Mr. White
Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan
Charlize Theron as Tina Powers
Steve Zahn as "Lenny" Haise
Ethan Embry as The Bass Player
Bill Cobbs as Del Paxton
Giovanni Ribisi as Chad
Obba Babatundé as Lamarr


Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 



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