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!

June 18 - Vanity Fair

Here is a film with a scene that happens today - June 18. I hope you enjoy the movie and watch it tonight. 

VANITY FAIR

The cunning and strong-willed, but poor, Becky Sharpe and her friend the good natured and simple-minded but wealthy Amelia Sedley leave Miss Pinkerton’s Academy for young ladies and return to Miss Sedley’s home. There they meet Captain George Osborne, Amelia’s betrothed, and Joseph Sedley, Amelia’s brother and Osborne’s friend, William Dobbin. Becky tries to seduce Joseph, but fails. Becky goes to work as a governess for the crude baronet Sir Pitt Crawley. She meets his insipid wife and dull son Pitt.   Becky tries to insinuate herself into the household and Sir Pitt’s sister, the extremely wealthy Miss Crawley comes to visit. Her arrival produces a visit by the dashing younger son, Rawdon Crawley.  Becky becomes a favorite and companion of Miss Crawley.  Gossip spreads that Sir Pitt is considering marrying Becky if something happens to his wife. Rawdon asks her about this and offends her. Meanwhile Osborne is engaged to Amelia but drinks and gambles and ignores her. Amelia’s father goes bankrupt, and George’s father forbids him to marry her.  Becky introduces Amelia and George to Miss Crawley. Lady Crawley dies and when Sir Pitt comes to get Becky, he proposes to her.  She has to refuse, as she is already secretly married to Rawdon. When she finds out about this Miss Crawley disinherits Rawdon. George finally marries Amelia against his father’s wishes. Mrs. Bute tries to poison Miss Crawley against Becky and Rawdon. George immediately becomes bored with Amelia. He starts flirting with Becky, who pretends to encourage him. Meanwhile Napoleon has returned from exile and the army with Rawdon, Osborne and Dobbin move into Belgium to oppose him. Becky and Amelia follow them to Brussels. They are all invited to the Duchess of Richmond’s famous ball. George gives Becky a letter asking her to run away with him. He later reconciles with Amelia.  Word arrives that Napoleon is marching and the army marches out to do battle. Becky gets her revenge by refusing to sell her horses to Lady Bareacres, who had cut her previously. She charges an exorbitant price to Amelia’s parents, who want to flee back to England. Becky and Amelia treat a wounded soldier. The Battle of Waterloo occurs. [Part IV 19:17 to 22:26] Osborne is killed in the battle. Both Amelia and Becky have sons. Amelia dotes on hers, while Amelia ignores hers. Miss Crawley dies and leaves almost everything to Rawdon’s older bother Pitt. Major Dobbin devotes himself to Amelia and tries to help her. Becky and Rawdon live on credit and wipe out at least two people financially and Becky plies her “favors” to help keep them above water. The elder Pitt Crawley dies and the younger Pitt Crawley inherits Queen’s Crawley. Dobbin moves to India. Mr. Osborne offers to Amelia for the custody of her child, but she refuses. Her father had sold and lost the pension Amelia had been getting from her brother. Poverty finally forces her to hand her boy over to his grandfather. Through the influence of Lord Steyne, Becky is presented at court. Then Rawdon is arrested for debt. Since Becky can’t afford to do so, his sister-in-law Jane, Pitt’s wife bails him out. When he returns home Rawdon finds Becky and Lord Steyne in a ‘compromising position’. Rawdon leaves her.   Rawdon wants to duel Lord Steyne, but is talked out of it and goies to take a distant governor’s post that was procured through the influence of Becky with Lord Steyne. Major Dobbin returns to England from India. He professes his love for Amelia, but she refuses him. Becky travels around Europe and in Germany meets Jos Sedly, Major Dobbin and Young George Osborne who are traveling together. Becky again pursues Jos Sedley. Lord Steyne follows Becky around Europe, telling everyone about her bad reputation. Amelia and Becky meet again. In a moment of honesty Becky gives Amelia the note George had given her on the eve of Waterloo. Amelia realizes how stupid she’s been. She reconciles with Major Dobbin and they are wed.

An interesting Regency melodrama that has been the subject of several movie versions. A timeless story showing how greed, jealousy, and infidelity shape the fortunes of a group of characters. We are also shown how sheer bad luck and poor timing can shape someone’s future.

The Battle of Waterloo by Jeremy Black (Random House, New York, 2010) at page 95 gives the date of the battle

Producer – Gillian McNeill

Director - Marc Munden

Screenplay - Andrew Davies

Runtime – 5 hours

Released -  November 1, 1998

Starring -  

Natasha Little as Becky Sharp

Frances Grey as Amelia Sedley

David Ross as Mr. Sedley

Philip Glenister as William Dobbin

Michele Dotrice as Mrs. Sedley

Janine Duvitski as Mrs. Bute Crawley

Anton Lesser as Mr. Pitt Crawley

Nathaniel Parker as Rawdon Crawley

Jeremy Swift as Jos Sedley

Tom Ward  as George Osborne

Stephen Frost as Bute Crawley

Tim Woodward as Mr. John Osborne

Janet Dale as Miss Briggs

Frances Tomelty as Mrs. O'Dowd

Mark Lambert as Major O'Dowd

David Bradley as Sir Pitt Crawley

John Surman as Horrocks

Miriam Margolyes as Miss Crawley

Daniel Hart as Ensign Stubble

Abigail Thaw as Jane Osborne

Bryan Pringle as Raggles

Linal Haft as Moss

Eleanor Bron as Lady Bareacres

Sarah Crowden  as Lady Blanche

Graham Crowden as Lord Bareacres

Sylvestra Le Touzel as Lady Jane Crawley 

Gerard Murphy as Lord Steyne

Robert Cole  as Little Rawdon

Zohren Weiss as Little Georgey

Watch Part One of Vanity Fair

June 17 - A Dry White Season

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 17. I hope you enjoy this film and watch it tonight. 

A DRY WHITE SEASON

In apartheid era South Africa, when Jonathan, the son of teacher Ben du Toit’s gardener is swept up in a police action against black protestors, du Toit tells his gardener Gordon Ngubene to “let it go”.  Jonathan and his classmates want to be taught in English not Afrikaans, so they engage in further, peaceful protest. The police open fire on them and many people  are killed. Jonathan is arrested. His father searches for him, but can’t find him. Mr. du Toit finds out that Jonathan is dead. On June 17, 1976 Mr. du Toit reads about the riots and is upset. [19:37 to 20:49]. One of Jonathan’s friends is released and tells his father that Jonathan was tortured by the police. Gordon is arrested. Du Toit tries to get Gordon released, but the police torture Gordon instead. Du Toit finally gets so upset that he sends Gordon’s wife to an attorney. Du Toit gets the word that Gordon is dead in police custody, supposedly a “suicide”. After seeing the body du Toit is convinced Gordon was murdered. Du Toit convinces a barrister, McKenzie to represent Emily at an inquest. Captain Stoltz perjures himself on the stand  to cover up what really happened. The judge rules the death a suicide.  Du Toit starts to work with Melanie Bruwer, a reporter. He starts to feel pressure at work and has problems with his wife.  Du Toit and Bruwer gather evidence. Du Toit comes to the attention of the police, who search his house. Emily gets deported to Zululand and is later killed by the police. Du Toit’ s son gets roughed up, but he tells his father not to stop. Du Toit gets fired and he and his wife separate.   The police don’t find the evidence. Melanie Bruwer goes to Zambia to get an affidavit and is deported on her return. Du Toit’s own daughter hands over what she thinks is the evidence to the police, but his son delivers the real evidence to Bruwer’s newspaper. Stoltz kills du Toit, but Stanley, who had been du Toit’s contact in the black community kills Stoltz.

A brutally honest depiction of apartheid era South Africa. Du Toit finally learns that “Evil flourishes when good men do nothing”. He finally does something and unfortunately pays for it with his life.

Date given in film at 19:38 on a newspaper.

Producer - Paula Weinstein, Tim Hampton and Mary Selway

Director - Euzhan Palcy

Awards - The film was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor(Brando) Oscar at the 62nd Academy 

                Awards

Screenplay - Colin Welland and Euzhan Palcy

Runtime - 1 hour 37 minutes

Released - September 22, 1989

Starring -

Donald Sutherland as Ben du Toit

Janet Suzman as Susan du Toit

Jürgen Prochnow as Captain Stolz

Zakes Mokae as Stanley Makhaya

Susan Sarandon as Melanie Bruwer

Marlon Brando as Ian McKenzie

Winston Ntshona as Gordon Ngubene

Leonard Maguire as Bruwer

Susannah Harker as Suzette du Toit

Michael Gambon as the magistrate

John Kani as Julius

Watch a Dry White Season trailer

June 16 - Hollywoodland

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 16. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight. 

HOLLYWOODLAND

In the early morning hours of June 16, 1959 [00:30 to 2:49] George Reeves is found dead and the police say it was a suicide by gunshot. Down and out private eye Louis Simo is tracked down by Mr. Sinclair a client of his who hired him to track his wife. He visits his ex-wife and learns his son and other children are upset by Reeves apparent suicide. A former colleague refers Louis is to  Helen Bessolo, Reeves mother. She  does not think the death was a suicide and hires Louis.  We flashback to 1951 when Reeves meets Toni and they have a one night stand. The next day he learns she’s the wife of powerful Hollywood executive Eddie Mannix. Reeves wants to end any relationship with Toni, as George is convinced Eddie’s hostility could destroy any hope of reviving his sagging career. She convinces him Eddie won’t care and they begin an affair. Toni showers George with gifts, then he gets the starring role on The Adventures of Superman.  George wants to play more serious roles. Louis’s son burns the Superman costume Louis had given him and almost his mom’s house down. Louis takes Mrs. Bessolo to George’s house and points out some items that are inconsistent with suicide. Louis learns that Reeves was not going to marry  Leonore Lemmon, his supposed fiancée. Louis tries and fails to meet with Toni Mannix and at Reeves’ funeral  he’s warned by  Howard Strickling to leave the case alone. Instead Louis becomes even more aggressive in pushing a murder theory. Meanwhile, back in 1953, The Adventures of Superman becomes super popular with children. At  an advance screening of From Here to Eternity, after the audience identifies Reeves with Superman , his part is severely trimmed for the final cut. Louis is assaulted and again warned off the case. He becomes depressed when Mr. Sinclair kills his wife. Drunk, Louis goes to his son’s school where his appearance scares the boy. Louis learns Mrs, Bessolo was hated by George after she falsely told him his father had committed suicide by shooting himself. Back in 1958 after Superman is cancelled Reeves goes to New York to find work and meets Leonore Lemmon. Reeves ends it with Toni. Louis has imagined three different scenarios for Reeves death. In one Leonore shoots him, in another agents of Eddie Mannix kill him and in the last he kills himself. Louis realizes Reeves life in some ways parallels his own and the ending suggests he’s going to try and reform himself.

A difficult film to summarize, due to it’s many flashbacks.  A very good character development film. At the end you feel like you really know Reeves and Simo. Never really comes done conclusively on the question of whether Reeves death was suicide or murder.

Superman vs. Hollywood by Jake Rossen (Chicago Review Press, Chicago, 2008) at page 37 and the film at 1:06 give his death date

Producer - Glenn Williamson

Director - Allen Coulter

Screenplay - Paul Bernbaum

Runtime – 1 hour 6 minutes

Released – September 8. 2006

Starring –

Adrien Brody as Louis Simo, down and out private eye

Diane Lane as Toni Mannix, wife of Eddie and George’s paramour

Ben Affleck as George Reeves, famous as “the Man of Steel” on TV

Bob Hoskins as Eddie Mannix, vice-president of MGM

Robin Tunney as Leonore Lemmon, George’s “fiancée”

Kathleen Robertson as Carol Van Ronkel, friend of Reeves

Lois Smith as Helen Bessolo, George Reeves’ estranged mother

Larry Cedar as Chester Sinclair, Louis’s client

Molly Parker as Laurie Simo, Louis’s ex-wife

Zach Mills as Evan Simo, Louis’s son

Dash Mihok as Det. Sgt. Jack Paterson, LAPD

Veronica Watt as Rita Hayworth, Hollywood leading lady

Joe Spano as Howard Strickling. MGM head of publicity

Jeffrey DeMunn as Art Weissman, Reeves’ manager

Caroline Dhavernas as Kit Holliday, Louis’s new girlfriend and secretary

Kevin Hare as Robert Condon, author frind of Reeves

Neil Crone as Chuck

Gareth Williams  as Del

Watch a Hollywoodland trailer

June 15 - Manhattan Melodrama

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 15. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight. 

MANHATTAN MELODRAMA

On June 15, 1904 [1:23 to 7:46] the excursion ship, the  General Slocum catches fire and sinks in the East River. Two boys on board,  Blackie Gallagher and Jim Wade are rescued by Father Joe, but both are made orphans by the disaster. They live with Poppa Rosen for a time until he is killed when a riot breaks out after he heckles a Leon Trotsky speech. Jim is very studious and graduates from law school. Blackie is much more carefree and ends upon owning an illegal casino. His girlfriend Eleanor asks Blackie to give up his illegal activities, but he refuses.  Wade works as an Assistant District Attorney and is then elected District Attorney. Blackie can’t make a celebration of Jim’s victory and sends Eleanor in his place. They talk the night away and when Jim leaves he forgets his overcoat, with a victory doodad in the pocket.  After again unsuccessfully trying to get Blackie to give up his illegal career, Eleanor leaves him. Blackie later kills Manny Arnold who owed him a lot of money. Blackie’s lieutenant leaves Wade’s overcoat in the murder room, having not returned it to Wade as instructed by Blackie. Jim calls in Blackie to tell him that he and Eleanor are getting married, but Blackie is happy for them. Blackie uses the opportunity to give Jim a duplicate overcoat, convincing Jim that the one found in the murder room was not his, so he does not charge Blackie with the murder of Arnold. The coat’s presence had pointed the finger at Blackie, since Jim knew he had left the overcoat at Eleanor’s apartment.  Jim and Eleanor get married and he later runs for governor. His former assistant, Richard Snow, threatens to say that Jim covered up for Blackie in the Arnold murder case. Although untrue this rumor could cost Jim a close race. By chance Blackie and Eleanor   meet and she tells him about Snow’s threats. Blackie kills Snow, but is seen leaving the scene. Jim has no choice but to prosecute Blackie, who is convicted and sentenced to death.  Jim wins the election, in part because the public is convinced of his integrity after prosecuting his childhood friend for murder. Eleanor tells Jim why Blackie killed Snow, but Jim refuses to grant clemency and Eleanor leaves him. In the end Jim sees Blackie and ultimately offers to commute the death sentence, but Blackie refuses to accept the offer. Jim resigns as governor because he feels he was elected because of a murder and that in the end he compromised his principles by offering to commute Blackie’s death sentence. As he leaves, Eleanor says she was wrong about him and they are reunited. 

This film could be used as the definition of melodrama, that is a story where the plot and characters are exaggerated to appeal to your emotions.  The story is contrived, relying on coincidence and the characters are too perfect. Blackie seems to take a very ho-hum attitude towards dying in the electric chair. In real history this was the movie John Dillinger had just been to see when he was shot by the FBI.   

Date given in film at 1:25 and Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum by Edward T. O’Donnell (Broadway Books, New York, 2003) at page 217

Producer - David O. Selznick

Director - W. S. Van Dyke

Awards- The film won the now discontinued Best Original Story Oscar at the 7^th

                Academy Awards. 

Screenplay - Oliver H. P. Garrett and Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Runtime – 1 hour 33 minutes

Released - May 4, 1934

Starring –

Clark Gable as Blackie Gallagher

William Powell as Jim Wade

Myrna Loy as Eleanor Packer

Leo Carrillo as Father Joe

Nat Pendleton as Spud

George Sidney as Poppa Rosen

Isabel Jewell as Annabelle

Muriel Evans as Tootsie Malone

Thomas E. Jackson as Asst. Dist. Atty. Richard Snow

Isabelle Keith as Miss Adams

Frank Conroy as Blackie's lawyer

Noel Madison as Manny Arnold

Jimmy Butler  as Jim Wade as a Boy

Mickey Rooney as Blackie as a Boy

Shirley Ross as Singer in the Cotton Club

Watch a trailer for Manhattan Melodrama

June 14 - Roman Holiday

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 14. I hope you enjoy it and watch it tonight.

ROMAN HOLIDAY

Princess Ann is on a highly structured tour of European capitals, but in Rome she sneaks out to see the city on her own. A sedative she had been given makes her fall asleep on a bench where she is found by Joe Bradley, expatriate American reporter for the Daily American. He doesn’t recognize her, and since he  can’t find out where she should be, he finally lets her sleep at his apartment. The next day June 14, 1954 [30:44 to 1:42:24] he oversleeps, but races to the office when he wakes up. Joe has missed the interview he was supposed to do of Princess Ann. He makes up details of the interview until his boss tells him that the interview was cancelled. When Joe sees a photo of the Princess he realizes who is back in his rooms. Joe immediately makes a $500.00 bet with his editor that he can get an exclusive interview with the Princess. Joe offers to show Ann around Rome. She declines, but after she gets her haircut and ‘accidentally’ meets Joe on the Spanish Steps accepts his offer.  They tour Rome and gradually realize their attraction for each other. Ann tells Joe she wants to live a normal life. At a dance that evening government agents track Ann down, but in the ensuing fracas, she and Joe escape. Ann returns to her embassy, while Joe decides not to write the story he had planned to do about Ann.  The next day at her press conference, Joe’s friend Irving slips Princess Ann the photos he had taken of her and Joe yesterday. Joe lets Ann know her secret is safe, while she thanks him for the day.   

When Joe visits his office at 31:55 the newspaper gives the date as “Monday June 14, 1954”

Producer - William Wyler

Director - William Wyler

Screenplay - Dalton Trumbo, Ian McLellan Hunter and John Dighton

Awards – The film won the Best Actress (Hepburn), Best Costume Design and Best 

                 Screenplay Oscars and was nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director,

                 Best Supporting Actor (Albert), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography,

                 And Best film Editing Oscars at the 26^th Academy Awards.

Runtime – 1 hour 58 minutes

Released – August 27, 1953

Starring –

Cary Grant as Joe Bradley

Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann  aka Anya Smith

Eddie Albert as Irving Radovich

Hartley Power as Hennessy, Joe's editor

Harcourt Williams as the Ambassador of Princess Ann's country

Margaret Rawlings as Countess Vereberg, Ann's principal lady-in-waiting

Tullio Carminati as General Provno

Paola Borboni as the Charwoman

Laura Solari as Secretary

Watch Roman Holiday

June 13 - Quiz Show

Here is a movie with a scene that happens today - June 13. I hope you enjoy the film and watch it tonight.

QUIZ SHOW

Gawky Queens resident Herb Stempel is the reigning champ on Twenty-One, a TV game show, but the ratings have “plateaued”, so the producers want a change to shake things up. Charles Van Doren a handsome, Columbia literature professor applies to be a contestant on the show. The producers try to talk him into agreeing to cheat in order to beat Stempel, but he refuses. Richard Goodwin is an attorney for a Congressional committee, but sees the job as a dead end.   The producers tell Stempel he must “take a dive” and he agrees if he can stay on TV in some fashion. Stempel loses, missing an easy question, while Van Doren wins with a question that he had already knew the answer to. Ratings soar as Van Doren is fed the questions and answers. When Herb’s calls to the producers are ignored he goes to the state attorney general and a grand jury convened. Goodwin sees this and thinks investigating the quiz shows could lead to advancement.  Goodwin meet Stempel  and Van Doren, even attending the birthday party of Mark Van Doren , Charles’s father on June 13, 1957 [58:49 to 1:06:21].Van Doren finally loses on Twenty-One, but is hired for the Today show. Goodwin finally gets sold evidence that contestants were given the answers on Twenty-One from a contestant who sent himself a registered letter with the answers to the questions he was asked two days before he was on the show. When Stempel testifies in front of the Congressional committee, he implicates Van Doreen, which no one professes to believe. NBC wants Van Doreen to issue a statement that he’s innocent. Goodwin had told Van Doreen that as long as he made no statement about the show he would not be called by the committee.  The president of NBC and Genital, the show’s sponsor deny knowing anything about a ‘fix”. Van Doren issues a statement that says he’s innocent, but finally tells his dad he is guilty. When he testifies before Congress, Van Doreen confesses he was given the answers and loses his jobs at the Today show and Columbia. The shows producer Enright takes the fall for NBC and Geritol.

A slow-paced and thoughtful movie. It tries to explain why the characters acted the way they did. It does take major liberties with the course and scope of how the investigation played out.

Current Biography ed. By Maxine Block (The W. H. Wilson Company, New York, 1940) at page 824 gives Mark Van Doren’s birthday.

Producer - Robert Redford,  Michael Jacobs, Julian Krainin and Michael Nozik

Director - Robert Redford

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting

                 Actor(Scofield) and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars at the 67^th Academy

                 Awards.

Screenplay - Paul Attanasio

Runtime -  2 hours  13 minutes

Released -  September 14, 1994

Staring -

John Turturro as Herb Stempel, a  Twenty-One champion 

Rob Morrow as Richard N. "Dick" Goodwin, a Congressional investigator

Ralph Fiennes as Charles Van Doren, a Twenty-One champion and Columbia professor

David Paymer as Dan Enright, producer of  Twenty-One

Paul Scofield as Mark Van Doren, Charles’ father and Columbia professor

Hank Azaria as  Albert Freedman, co-producer of Twenty-One

Christopher McDonald as Jack Barry, host of  Twenty-One

Adam Kilgour as Thomas Merton, friend of the Van Doren family and monk

Johann Carlo as Toby Stempel, Herb’s son

Elizabeth Wilson as Dorothy Van Doren, Charles’ mother

Allan Rich as Robert Kintner, president of NBC

Mira Sorvino as Sandra Goodwin, Richard’s wife

George N. Martin as Chairman of Congressional Committee

Martin Scorsese as Martin Rittenhome, President of Geritol

Neil Ross as Twenty-One Announcer

Barry Levinson as Dave Garroway, Today show host

Paul Guilfoyle as Lishman

Griffin Dunne as Account Guy

Michael Mantell as Pennebaker

Watch a trailer for Quiz Show