Arthur (film)
Encyclopedia
Arthur is a 1981 comedy film
written and directed by Steve Gordon
. The film stars Dudley Moore
as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City
millionaire playboy who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens. It was the first and only film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.
Arthur earned almost $96 million at the US box office, placing it fourth in 1981's highest box office grosses. It was notable for its title song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
", co-written and performed by Christopher Cross
. The film was nominated for a total of four Academy Awards
. John Gielgud
won Best Supporting Actor
and the theme song won Best Original Song
. It was followed by a 1988 sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks
, which was enough of a failure for star Dudley Moore
to disown it.
A remake
starring Russell Brand
was released in April 2011.
) is a spoiled, alcoholic New York City
playboy who likes to be driven in his chauffeured limousine through Central Park. He is heir to his father Stanford's (Thomas Barbour) $750 million fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries the upper class
Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry
). He does not love Susan, but his family feels she will make him finally grow up. Arthur reluctantly agrees to the arranged marriage
, but he meets a working-class Queens
waitress, Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli
) and, despite her being a shoplifter, is attracted to her.
Arthur struggles with his promise to marry Susan. While visiting his grandmother Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald
), Arthur shares his feelings for Linda, but is warned again that he will be disowned. His valet
, Hobson (John Gielgud
), who has been more like a father to him than Stanford, realizes that Arthur is beginning to grow up and secretly encourages Linda to attend Arthur's engagement party, telling Linda he recognizes when a young man is in love. Hobson is hospitalized and Arthur rushes to his side. After several weeks, Hobson dies and then Arthur, who'd been sober that whole time, goes on a drinking binge. On his wedding day, he visits a diner where Linda works and proposes to her. At the church, he jilts Susan, then her abusive father Burt Johnson (Stephen Elliott
) arrives and attempts to stab Arthur with a cheese knife before Martha intervenes.
A wounded Arthur tells those in the church that there will be no wedding and passes out. Linda attends to his wounds and they discuss living a life of poverty. A horrified Martha tells Arthur that he can have his fortune because no Bach has ever been working class
. Arthur declines, but at the last minute, talks privately to Martha. When he returns to Linda's side, he tells her that he declined again – Martha's dinner invitation, he means, but he did take the money. Arthur's pleased chauffeur
Bitterman (Ted Ross
) drives the couple through Central Park
.
had originally considered George Segal
; however, after the success of 10
, Segal was replaced with Dudley Moore, who had also stepped in when Segal withdrew from the lead role of 10.
Bud Cort
reportedly accepted the role of Arthur at one point, but he dropped out before production began.
.
with the British actor/comedian Russell Brand
as Arthur. Brand confirmed this during his March 10, 2009 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. On April 22, 2010 it was announced that Helen Mirren
would star opposite Brand, taking on John Gielgud's part as Hobson. On June 11, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Jennifer Garner
and Nick Nolte
had also joined the cast. Garner plays Susan while Nolte is Burt. Greta Gerwig
stars as Naomi, a charismatic tour guide that Arthur falls in love with. Jason Winer
directed the remake and Peter Baynham
penned the script. Filming began in July 2010. It was released in the U.S.
on April 8, 2011.
Nominations
's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
written and directed by Steve Gordon
Steve Gordon (director)
Steve Gordon was an American film director who is best known for writing and directing the 1981 comedy Arthur, starring Dudley Moore. Gordon died on November 27, 1982 from a heart attack in New York City, one year after the film came out. He was 44 years old.- External links :* by Ken Levine...
. The film stars Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
as the eponymous Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
millionaire playboy who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress, but ends up falling for a common working-class girl from Queens. It was the first and only film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.
Arthur earned almost $96 million at the US box office, placing it fourth in 1981's highest box office grosses. It was notable for its title song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
"Arthur's Theme " is a song performed by Christopher Cross, which was the theme to the 1981 film Arthur starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli...
", co-written and performed by Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
. The film was nominated for a total of four Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
won Best Supporting Actor
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
and the theme song won Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. It was followed by a 1988 sequel, Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Arthur 2: On the Rocks
Arthur 2: On the Rocks is the 1988 sequel to the 1981 film Arthur. Lead actors Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli reprised their roles.John Gielgud, who won an Academy Award for his role in the original film, reappears briefly in a drunken hallucination on Arthur's part.The film co-stars Kathy Bates as...
, which was enough of a failure for star Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
to disown it.
A remake
Arthur (2011 film)
Arthur is a 2011 comedy film written by Peter Baynham and directed by Jason Winer. It is a remake of the 1981 film written and directed by Steve Gordon...
starring Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
was released in April 2011.
Plot
Arthur Bach (Dudley MooreDudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
) is a spoiled, alcoholic New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
playboy who likes to be driven in his chauffeured limousine through Central Park. He is heir to his father Stanford's (Thomas Barbour) $750 million fortune which he is told will only be his if he marries the upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
Susan Johnson (Jill Eikenberry
Jill Eikenberry
Jill Eikenberry is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law...
). He does not love Susan, but his family feels she will make him finally grow up. Arthur reluctantly agrees to the arranged marriage
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
, but he meets a working-class Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
waitress, Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli
Liza Minnelli
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
) and, despite her being a shoplifter, is attracted to her.
Arthur struggles with his promise to marry Susan. While visiting his grandmother Martha (Geraldine Fitzgerald
Geraldine Fitzgerald
Geraldine Fitzgerald, Lady Lindsay-Hogg was an Irish-American actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
), Arthur shares his feelings for Linda, but is warned again that he will be disowned. His valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
, Hobson (John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
), who has been more like a father to him than Stanford, realizes that Arthur is beginning to grow up and secretly encourages Linda to attend Arthur's engagement party, telling Linda he recognizes when a young man is in love. Hobson is hospitalized and Arthur rushes to his side. After several weeks, Hobson dies and then Arthur, who'd been sober that whole time, goes on a drinking binge. On his wedding day, he visits a diner where Linda works and proposes to her. At the church, he jilts Susan, then her abusive father Burt Johnson (Stephen Elliott
Stephen Elliott (actor)
Stephen Elliott was an American actor. His best known role was that of crime boss, Burt Johnson, in the hit 1981 film Arthur.-Theatre:Elliott's first acting engagement was at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse in 1946...
) arrives and attempts to stab Arthur with a cheese knife before Martha intervenes.
A wounded Arthur tells those in the church that there will be no wedding and passes out. Linda attends to his wounds and they discuss living a life of poverty. A horrified Martha tells Arthur that he can have his fortune because no Bach has ever been working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
. Arthur declines, but at the last minute, talks privately to Martha. When he returns to Linda's side, he tells her that he declined again – Martha's dinner invitation, he means, but he did take the money. Arthur's pleased chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
Bitterman (Ted Ross
Ted Ross
Ted Ross was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production, and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred...
) drives the couple through Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
.
Cast
- Dudley MooreDudley MooreDudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
as Arthur Bach - Liza MinnelliLiza MinnelliLiza May Minnelli is an American actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and film director Vincente Minnelli....
as Linda Marolla - John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
as Hobson - Geraldine FitzgeraldGeraldine FitzgeraldGeraldine Fitzgerald, Lady Lindsay-Hogg was an Irish-American actress and a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
as Martha - Jill EikenberryJill EikenberryJill Eikenberry is an American film, stage, and television actress. She is best known for her role as lawyer Ann Kelsey in L.A. Law...
as Susan Johnson - Stephen ElliottStephen Elliott (actor)Stephen Elliott was an American actor. His best known role was that of crime boss, Burt Johnson, in the hit 1981 film Arthur.-Theatre:Elliott's first acting engagement was at the New York Neighborhood Playhouse in 1946...
as Burt Johnson - Thomas Barbour as Stanford Bach
- Ted RossTed RossTed Ross was an American actor who was probably best known for his role as the Lion in The Wiz, an all-African American reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz. He won a Tony Award for the original 1975 Broadway production, and went on to recreate the role in the 1978 film version which also starred...
as Bitterman - Barney Martin as Ralph Marolla
- Paul GleasonPaul GleasonPaul Xavier Gleason was an American film and television actor, known for his roles on TV series such as All My Children and films such as The Breakfast Club, Trading Places and Die Hard.-Early life:...
as Executive - Phyllis SomervillePhyllis SomervillePhyllis Somerville, born 1944, is an American stage, screen, and television actress. Her most prominent role to date was in 2006 as the mother of the sexual predator played by Jackie Earle Haley in Todd Field's Little Children....
as Saleslady - Lou JacobiLou JacobiLouis Harold "Lou" Jacobi was a Canadian character actor.-Life and career:Jacobi was born Louis Harold Jacobovitch in Toronto, Ontario to Joseph and Fay Jacobivitch...
as Plant store owner - Mark MargolisMark MargolisMark Margolis is an American actor who has been making films since 1976.Margolis went to Temple University briefly before moving to New York City, where he studied drama with Stella Adler and at the Actors Studio...
(uncredited) as Wedding guest
Production
For the role of Arthur, Steve GordonSteve Gordon (director)
Steve Gordon was an American film director who is best known for writing and directing the 1981 comedy Arthur, starring Dudley Moore. Gordon died on November 27, 1982 from a heart attack in New York City, one year after the film came out. He was 44 years old.- External links :* by Ken Levine...
had originally considered George Segal
George Segal
George Segal is an American film, stage and television actor.-Early life:George Segal, Jr. was born in 1934 Great Neck, Long Island, New York, the son of Fannie Blanche and George Segal, Sr. He was educated at George School, a private Quaker preparatory boarding school near Newtown, Bucks County,...
; however, after the success of 10
10 (film)
10 is a 1979 romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and starring Bo Derek, Dudley Moore, and Julie Andrews. Considered a trend-setting film at the time, and one of the year's biggest box office hits, the film made superstars of Derek and Moore....
, Segal was replaced with Dudley Moore, who had also stepped in when Segal withdrew from the lead role of 10.
Bud Cort
Bud Cort
Bud Cort is an American film and stage actor, writer, and director. He is best known for his portrayals of Harold in Hal Ashby's 1971 film Harold and Maude and the titular hero in Robert Altman's 1970 film Brewster McCloud...
reportedly accepted the role of Arthur at one point, but he dropped out before production began.
Reception
The film received critical acclaim upon release and as of March 2011 it held a "fresh" rating of 90% on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Remake
It was first reported in 2008 that Arthur was to be remade by Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
with the British actor/comedian Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
as Arthur. Brand confirmed this during his March 10, 2009 appearance on The Howard Stern Show. On April 22, 2010 it was announced that Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
would star opposite Brand, taking on John Gielgud's part as Hobson. On June 11, the Hollywood Reporter announced that Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Anne Affleck , better known as Jennifer Garner, is an American actress and film producer. Garner gained recognition on television for her performance as CIA agent Sydney Bristow in the thriller drama series Alias, which aired on ABC for five seasons from 2001 to 2006...
and Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
had also joined the cast. Garner plays Susan while Nolte is Burt. Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig
Greta Celeste Gerwig is an American actress and filmmaker. Gerwig first came to prominence through her association with the mumblecore film movement...
stars as Naomi, a charismatic tour guide that Arthur falls in love with. Jason Winer
Jason Winer
Jason Winer is an American director, producer, writer, actor and comedian. He is best known for being one of the directors on the award-winning series Modern Family on ABC.Winer was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland...
directed the remake and Peter Baynham
Peter Baynham
Peter Baynham is a screenwriter and a British comedian, writer, and performer. He often collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris and has worked with Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. He is first heard on Morris' early radio DJ slots, often going out to places...
penned the script. Filming began in July 2010. It was released in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on April 8, 2011.
Academy Awards
Wins- Best Actor in a Supporting RoleAcademy Award for Best Supporting ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
– John Gielgud - Best Original SongAcademy Award for Best Original SongThe Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
– Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Carole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer SagerCarole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter, singer, and painter.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
, Christopher CrossChristopher CrossChristopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
and Peter AllenPeter AllenPeter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
for "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"Arthur's Theme " is a song performed by Christopher Cross, which was the theme to the 1981 film Arthur starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli...
" which was performed by Cross
Nominations
- Best Actor in a Leading RoleAcademy Award for Best ActorPerformance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
– Dudley Moore - Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen – Steve Gordon
Honors
The film is #10 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies," and #53 on the American Film InstituteAmerican Film Institute
The American Film Institute is an independent non-profit organization created by the National Endowment for the Arts, which was established in 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act...
's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs
Part of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs is a list of the top 100 funniest movies in American cinema. A wide variety of comedies were nominated for the distinction that included slapstick comedy, screwball comedy, romantic comedy, satire, black comedy, musical comedy, comedy of...
.
- 2004: AFI's 100 Years... 100 SongsAFI's 100 Years... 100 SongsPart of the AFI 100 Years… series, AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs is a list of the top 100 songs in American cinema. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute June 22, 2004 in a CBS special hosted by John Travolta, who appeared in two films honored by the list, Saturday Night Fever and...
#79