Starman (film)
Encyclopedia
John Carpenter's Starman is a 1984 science-fiction fantasy film directed by John Carpenter
that tells the story of an alien
(Jeff Bridges
) who has come to Earth in response to the invitation found on the gold phonograph record
installed on the Voyager 2
space probe.
The screenplay was written by Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon, and Dean Riesner (who was uncredited). Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
for his role. The film inspired a short-lived television series of the same name
in 1986 which starred Robert Hays
and Christopher Daniel Barnes
.
was launched containing a gold phonograph
ic disk with a message of peace and inviting visitors to come to the planet Earth. The Voyager 2
probe is intercepted by an alien
space ship, which sends a small observational scout vessel in response to the invitation in order to establish first contact
with Earth. However, instead of being greeted by its human hosts, the U.S. government shoots down the alien craft. Crashing in Chequamegon Bay
, Wisconsin
, the alien, as a blue ball of energy, stumbles upon the house of the recently widowed Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen
). While there, the alien finds a lock of hair of the deceased Scott Hayden in a photo album and uses it to clone a new body in the likeness of Scott, which the stunned Jenny witnesses. The starman (Jeff Bridges
) has seven small silver spheres which provide energy to perform miraculous feats. He uses the first one to send a message to his people that his craft has been destroyed, that the environment is hostile, and that he will rendezvous with them at "landing area one" in three days. He then uses the second one to create a holographic map of the United States in order to compel the dumbstruck Jenny to take him to Arizona
.
As the shock wears off, Jenny turns both hostile and frightened of him. After repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempting to escape, she finally implores the Starman to shoot her with her pistol. But instead, the starman releases the pistol's magazine and tells her he means her no harm. As they continue on their journey, the starman, who had a rough understanding of English syntax
from the Voyager 2
disk, learns to communicate his presence to Jenny, and Jenny teaches the Starman that humanity is not completely savage.
The starman explains to Jenny that he has three days to get to the rendezvous point, Arizona's Barringer Crater, or he will die. She teaches him how to drive a car and use credit card
s, intending on escaping so he can continue his journey alone. However, as she is about to make her escape, she witnesses him miraculously resurrect a dead deer
. Deeply moved, she resolves to help him at whatever cost.
Along the way, the couple is pursued by the United States Army
who detected the crash. The army contingent is led by a cold-blooded NSA
chief George Fox (Richard Jaeckel
) who is reluctantly assisted by a decidedly more humane civilian SETI
scientist named Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith
). After finding the Voyager 2
phonographic disk in the starman's ship, Shermin understands that Earth invited the starman to visit in peace. Shermin later determines through collected pieces of evidence that the alien had taken the appearance of the deceased Scott Hayden.
While staying at a motel, Jenny and the starman learn that they have been discovered by the police, who holding position outside the motel until the federal government arrives. Employing a distraction, the two fugitives escape, and as the police chase after them, one of them shoots at them, critically wounding Jenny. In order to escape, the starman crashes the vehicle into an overturned gas tanker and protects both himself and Jenny with one of his silver spheres. Under the cover of the explosion, they take refuge in a mobile home that is being towed.
The starman, down to his last two silver spheres, uses one to heal Jenny. He then leaves her and attempts to reach the meteor crater alone, as he is afraid she will be hurt again. Jenny catches up to him and they continue their journey together. While stowing away on a boxcar, the couple make love. Later that night, the starman tells Jenny "I gave you a baby tonight." Jenny attempts to explain to him that she is infertile, and cannot conceive a child, but the starman insists, saying, "Believe what I tell you." He explains to the stunned Jenny that the baby will be the son of her dead husband, because he is a clone of Scott. He also explains that he will know all that the starman knows and when he grows up he will become a teacher. He tells her that he will stop the gestation from going further if she wishes, but the joyful Jenny embraces him, in acceptance of this gift.
The couple mistakenly travel too far on the train and arrive in Las Vegas
. To make matters worse, Jenny has lost her wallet. The starman uses their last quarters in a slot machine, which he manipulates in order to win the jackpot. The couple use their winnings to buy a new car to complete the drive to Winslow, Arizona
, which is near Barringer Crater.
Meanwhile, Fox has received information from NORAD that the trajectory of the starman's observation craft, prior to it being shot down, was to Barringer Crater, and concludes that the Starman, along with Jenny Hayden would be in that general vicinity within the next 24 hours of that determination.
Near the end of the journey, the starman and Jenny are confronted in a cafe in Winslow, where Mark Shermin interviews the dying alien. The starman explains to him that his people had previously visited Earth, and are interested in humans, because out of all the many savage intelligent races in the universe, humans are at their best when things are at their worst. At this point, Shermin allows the starman and Jenny to leave, risking his own career.
The couple reach the crater as Army helicopters buzz them. Suddenly, a large, spherical landing craft appears in the sky and descends into the crater. Light surrounds the couple, and the starman is instantly restored to health. He tells Jenny he will never see her again. Jenny confesses her love and begs him to take her with him, but he says she would die on his world. He then gives her his last silver sphere, telling her that her son will know what to do with it. As she watches in silence, the ship rises, carrying the starman away.
.
reported Starman earned a 79% rating from the critics it surveyed; some critics consider it one of the best films of 1984.
, marking the only film by John Carpenter
to receive an Academy Award nomination. Bridges was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Drama and was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Actor
. Karen Allen also received a nod for Best Actress from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The film itself was nominated Best Science Fiction Film
. Jack Nitzsche
received a Golden Globe
nomination for his score
.
American Film Institute
Lists
covered "Starman Leaves (End Title)" for their 2005 cover compilation album, The Science Fiction Album. The 2010 single "Symphonies
" by Dan Black
, and its remix featuring Kid Cudi
, sampled CoPPO's cover of the song. In fact, at the end of the music video the lead character is beamed away by a bright circular spaceship, similar in the manner in which the Starman from the film departs Earth. The music video itself contains scenes which pay homage to several Jeff Bridges
films, including Tron
and King Kong
.
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
that tells the story of an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
(Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
) who has come to Earth in response to the invitation found on the gold phonograph record
Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for...
installed on the Voyager 2
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
space probe.
The screenplay was written by Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon, and Dean Riesner (who was uncredited). Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor
Academy Award for Best Actor
Performance 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...
for his role. The film inspired a short-lived television series of the same name
Starman (TV series)
Starman is an American science fiction television series, starring Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes. The series ran on the ABC network from September 19, 1986 to May 2, 1987...
in 1986 which starred Robert Hays
Robert Hays
Robert Hays is an American actor and is arguably most well known for his role in the movie Airplane!-Life and career:...
and Christopher Daniel Barnes
Christopher Daniel Barnes
Christopher Daniel Barnes , also known professionally as C.D. Barnes and C.B. Barnes, is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice of Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1990s Fox television series Spider-Man: The Animated Series, and for his portrayal of Greg Brady in the films The...
.
Plot
In 1977, Voyager 2Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
was launched containing a gold phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
ic disk with a message of peace and inviting visitors to come to the planet Earth. The Voyager 2
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
probe is intercepted by an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
space ship, which sends a small observational scout vessel in response to the invitation in order to establish first contact
First contact (science fiction)
First contact is a common science fiction theme about the first meeting between humans and extraterrestrial life, or of any sentient race's first encounter with another one....
with Earth. However, instead of being greeted by its human hosts, the U.S. government shoots down the alien craft. Crashing in Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay is an inlet of Lake Superior, NE-SW and 2- wide, in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin. It lies largely inside the barrier of Chequamegon Point and Long Island, with the Bad River Indian Reservation to the east. Ashland, Wisconsin is on its...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, the alien, as a blue ball of energy, stumbles upon the house of the recently widowed Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen
Karen Allen
Karen Jane Allen is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...
). While there, the alien finds a lock of hair of the deceased Scott Hayden in a photo album and uses it to clone a new body in the likeness of Scott, which the stunned Jenny witnesses. The starman (Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
) has seven small silver spheres which provide energy to perform miraculous feats. He uses the first one to send a message to his people that his craft has been destroyed, that the environment is hostile, and that he will rendezvous with them at "landing area one" in three days. He then uses the second one to create a holographic map of the United States in order to compel the dumbstruck Jenny to take him to Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
As the shock wears off, Jenny turns both hostile and frightened of him. After repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempting to escape, she finally implores the Starman to shoot her with her pistol. But instead, the starman releases the pistol's magazine and tells her he means her no harm. As they continue on their journey, the starman, who had a rough understanding of English syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
from the Voyager 2
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
disk, learns to communicate his presence to Jenny, and Jenny teaches the Starman that humanity is not completely savage.
The starman explains to Jenny that he has three days to get to the rendezvous point, Arizona's Barringer Crater, or he will die. She teaches him how to drive a car and use credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
s, intending on escaping so he can continue his journey alone. However, as she is about to make her escape, she witnesses him miraculously resurrect a dead deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. Deeply moved, she resolves to help him at whatever cost.
Along the way, the couple is pursued by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
who detected the crash. The army contingent is led by a cold-blooded NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
chief George Fox (Richard Jaeckel
Richard Jaeckel
Richard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
) who is reluctantly assisted by a decidedly more humane civilian SETI
SETI
The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
scientist named Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith
Charles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Smith was born in Van Nuys, California. His father, Frank Smith, was a film cartoonist and animator, while his uncle Paul J. Smith was an animator as well as a director for the Walter Lantz Studios...
). After finding the Voyager 2
Voyager 2
The Voyager 2 spacecraft is a 722-kilogram space probe launched by NASA on August 20, 1977 to study the outer Solar System and eventually interstellar space...
phonographic disk in the starman's ship, Shermin understands that Earth invited the starman to visit in peace. Shermin later determines through collected pieces of evidence that the alien had taken the appearance of the deceased Scott Hayden.
While staying at a motel, Jenny and the starman learn that they have been discovered by the police, who holding position outside the motel until the federal government arrives. Employing a distraction, the two fugitives escape, and as the police chase after them, one of them shoots at them, critically wounding Jenny. In order to escape, the starman crashes the vehicle into an overturned gas tanker and protects both himself and Jenny with one of his silver spheres. Under the cover of the explosion, they take refuge in a mobile home that is being towed.
The starman, down to his last two silver spheres, uses one to heal Jenny. He then leaves her and attempts to reach the meteor crater alone, as he is afraid she will be hurt again. Jenny catches up to him and they continue their journey together. While stowing away on a boxcar, the couple make love. Later that night, the starman tells Jenny "I gave you a baby tonight." Jenny attempts to explain to him that she is infertile, and cannot conceive a child, but the starman insists, saying, "Believe what I tell you." He explains to the stunned Jenny that the baby will be the son of her dead husband, because he is a clone of Scott. He also explains that he will know all that the starman knows and when he grows up he will become a teacher. He tells her that he will stop the gestation from going further if she wishes, but the joyful Jenny embraces him, in acceptance of this gift.
The couple mistakenly travel too far on the train and arrive in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. To make matters worse, Jenny has lost her wallet. The starman uses their last quarters in a slot machine, which he manipulates in order to win the jackpot. The couple use their winnings to buy a new car to complete the drive to Winslow, Arizona
Winslow, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile...
, which is near Barringer Crater.
Meanwhile, Fox has received information from NORAD that the trajectory of the starman's observation craft, prior to it being shot down, was to Barringer Crater, and concludes that the Starman, along with Jenny Hayden would be in that general vicinity within the next 24 hours of that determination.
Near the end of the journey, the starman and Jenny are confronted in a cafe in Winslow, where Mark Shermin interviews the dying alien. The starman explains to him that his people had previously visited Earth, and are interested in humans, because out of all the many savage intelligent races in the universe, humans are at their best when things are at their worst. At this point, Shermin allows the starman and Jenny to leave, risking his own career.
The couple reach the crater as Army helicopters buzz them. Suddenly, a large, spherical landing craft appears in the sky and descends into the crater. Light surrounds the couple, and the starman is instantly restored to health. He tells Jenny he will never see her again. Jenny confesses her love and begs him to take her with him, but he says she would die on his world. He then gives her his last silver sphere, telling her that her son will know what to do with it. As she watches in silence, the ship rises, carrying the starman away.
Cast
- Jeff BridgesJeff BridgesJeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
as Starman/Scott Hayden - Karen AllenKaren AllenKaren Jane Allen is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...
as Jenny Hayden - Charles Martin SmithCharles Martin SmithCharles Martin Smith is an American film actor, writer, and director.-Early life:Smith was born in Van Nuys, California. His father, Frank Smith, was a film cartoonist and animator, while his uncle Paul J. Smith was an animator as well as a director for the Walter Lantz Studios...
as Mark Shermin - Richard JaeckelRichard JaeckelRichard Hanley Jaeckel was an American actor of film and television.-Life and career:Jaeckel was born in Long Beach, New York. A short, but tough guy, he played a variety of characters during his fifty years in movies & television and became one of Hollywood's best known character actors...
as George Fox - Robert PhalenRobert PhalenRobert Phalen is an American actor who starred in films and on television.He was born in San Francisco, California, U.S.. He was in the 1978 hit horror movie Halloween as Dr. Terence Wynn. His character returned in the 1995 sequel Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, but the role was taken over...
as Major Bell - Tony Edwards as Sergeant Lemon
- John Walter Davis as Brad Heinmuller
- Ted WhiteTed White (stuntman)Ted White is an American stunt man/actor who doubled for John Wayne, Fess Parker, Clark Gable, Lee Marvin and Richard Boone, among others.-Sports career:The hulking White also played football for the University of Oklahoma....
as Deer Hunter - Dirk BlockerDirk BlockerDennis Dirk Blocker is an American actor and the son of late actor Dan Blocker, of the popular TV series, Bonanza.Dirk Blocker began appearing in American television in 1974, acting in an episode of Marcus Welby, M.D. at the age of sixteen...
as Cop #1 - M. C. GaineyM. C. GaineyMichael Connor "Mike" Gainey , better known as M. C. Gainey, is an American film and television actor whose distinctive mustache, 6'2½" height, and threatening look have given him supporting roles as Southern/Southwestern types, thugs, and criminals.Gainey attended the University of Southern...
as Cop #2 - George Buck FlowerGeorge Buck FlowerGeorge Buck Flower was an American actor, writer, producer, assistant director, production manager, and casting director. He was sometimes credited as Buck Flower, George "Buck" Flower, George Flower, Buck Flowers, C. D. LaFleur, C.D. LaFleure, C.D. Lafleuer, and C.D...
as Cook (as Buck Flower) - Ralph CoshamRalph CoshamRalph Cosham is a film and stage actor, film voice actor, and book narrator. Cosham also records under the name Geoffrey Howard. He lives in Washington, D.C. where he also performs at the Arena Stage and The Shakespeare Theater. Cosham changed careers from British journalist to actor in the 1970s...
as Marine Lieutenant - Lu LeonardLu LeonardLu Leonard was an American actress. She made over 45 film and television appearances between 1956 and 1995...
as Roadhouse waitress - Mickey JonesMickey JonesMickey Jones is an American musician and actor.-Early life:Jones was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Frances Marie and Fred Edward Jones...
as truck driver
Production
This script was being developed at Columbia at the same time as another script about an alien visitation. The studio did not want to make both, so the head of the studio had to choose which film to make; he decided to make this one and let the other script go to a rival studio. The other script was for E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
.
Critical reception
Review aggregator 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...
reported Starman earned a 79% rating from the critics it surveyed; some critics consider it one of the best films of 1984.
Box office performance
Starman grossed $2,872,022 in its opening weekend, debuting at number 6. Overall, the film grossed $28,744,356 in its domestic run on an estimated budget of $24,000,000.Award wins and nominations
Jeff Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best ActorAcademy Award for Best Actor
Performance 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...
, marking the only film by John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
to receive an Academy Award nomination. Bridges was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Drama and was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Actor
Saturn Award for Best Actor
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed, who felt that films within those genres...
. Karen Allen also received a nod for Best Actress from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The film itself was nominated Best Science Fiction Film
Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film
The Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film is a Saturn Award given to the best film in the science fiction genre by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.-Winners:-External links:*...
. Jack Nitzsche
Jack Nitzsche
Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche was an arranger, producer, songwriter, and film score composer. He first came to prominence in the late 1950s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spector, and went on to work with the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and others...
received a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
nomination for his score
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score
The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is one of several categories presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association , an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications outside North America, since its institution in 1947...
.
American Film Institute
American 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...
Lists
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - Nominated
- AFI's 10 Top 10AFI's 10 Top 10AFI's 10 Top 10 honors the ten greatest American films in ten classic film genres. Presented by the American Film Institute , the lists were unveiled on a television special broadcast by CBS on June 17, 2008....
- Nominated Science Fiction Film
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Starman was released on December 14, 1984.- Jenny Shot - Jack Nitzche
- Here Come the Helicopters - Jack Nitzche
- Honeymoon - Jack Nitzche
- Road Block - Jack Nitzche
- Do You Have Somebody? - Jack Nitzche
- Pickup Truck - Jack Nitzche
- What's It Like up There? - Jack Nitzche
- All I Have to Do Is DreamAll I Have to Do Is Dream"All I Have to Do Is Dream" is a popular song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by the husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No...
- Karen AllenKaren AllenKaren Jane Allen is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull...
, Jeff BridgesJeff BridgesJeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart.... - Lifting Ship - Jack Nitzche
- I Gave You a Baby - Jack Nitzche
- Morning Military - Jack Nitzche
- Define Love - Jack Nitzche
- Balls - Jack Nitzche
- Starman Leaves (End Title) - Jack Nitzche
In popular culture
The City of Prague Philharmonic OrchestraCity of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra is a professional, philharmonic symphony orchestra, over 61 years old, predominantly it is composed of Czech and Slovak classical and jazz musicians...
covered "Starman Leaves (End Title)" for their 2005 cover compilation album, The Science Fiction Album. The 2010 single "Symphonies
Symphonies (song)
"Symphonies" is a song by British wonky pop musician Dan Black, released as the first single from his 2009 debut album UN.Evolving from his previous single "HYPNTZ", the track was written, composed, and produced by Black himself...
" by Dan Black
Dan Black
Dan Black is a British wonky pop artist. He was also a member of alternative rock band The Servant, before their 2007 split. He has also been a guest vocalist for the Italian group Planet Funk....
, and its remix featuring Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
, sampled CoPPO's cover of the song. In fact, at the end of the music video the lead character is beamed away by a bright circular spaceship, similar in the manner in which the Starman from the film departs Earth. The music video itself contains scenes which pay homage to several Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
films, including Tron
Tron
-Film:*Tron , a franchise that began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron** Tron , a 1982 science fiction film by Disney, starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, Cindy Morgan, Dan Shor and David Warner...
and King Kong
King Kong (1976 film)
King Kong is a 1976 American monster movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. It is a remake of the 1933 classic film of the same name, about a giant ape that is captured and imported to New York City for exhibition....
.