The Flamingo Kid
Encyclopedia
The Flamingo Kid is a 1984 comedy film
directed by Garry Marshall
, written by Marshall, Neal Marshall
and Bo Goldman
. It stars Matt Dillon
, Richard Crenna
, Hector Elizondo
, and Janet Jones
. It is a coming-of-age movie about a working class
boy who takes a summer job at a beach resort and learns valuable life lessons.
It was the first movie to receive a PG-13 rating, although it was the fourth to be released with that rating, after Red Dawn
, The Woman in Red, and Dreamscape
.
Tagline: A legend in his own neighborhood
His hero and mentor at the resort is the reigning Gin rummy card game
champ, Phil Brody (Crenna).
Jeffrey, a winning Gin Rummy player himself, and his friends, admire Brody and how his wins at the Gin rummy table make him seem "psychic," knowing which cards to give up. Brody also takes a liking to Jeffrey, eventually showing him his car business, and gives him hopes that car sales are where he belongs as a career.
Jeffrey gets further immersed in the "easy buck," defying his father's guidance. During dinner, Jeffrey notably says he "will not be needing college" and plans to pursue being a car salesman instead. Jeffrey and his co-workers at The Flamingo also venture to Yonkers Raceway together, risking cash on a horse tip but come up short when the trotter breaks stride.
Eventually, Brody reveals to Jeffrey that the job opening at the car dealership is for a stock boy, not as a salesman as Jeffrey had been led to believe was his when he asked for it. Brody encourages Jeffrey to take the stock boy position so he can work his way up. Near Summer's end, Jeffrey observes that a regular onlooker, "Big Sid", is feeding signals to Brody, the true cause of Brodie's winning ways. When Big Sid and a member of the gin team playing against Brodie's team are overcome by the heat, Jeffrey fills in, opposing Brodie, and seeking to help win back the unfair profits Brodie won from his friends over the course of the Summer. Jeffrey and his team eventually win back what was unfarly lost, including a good profit besides. Realizing the mistakes he made in rejecting his father's good advice, Jeffrey makes up with his dad in a touching scene at Larry's Fish House ("Any Fish You Wish"), where his family is dining.
This coming of age movie captures the flavor of American culture during the early '60s using actual radio broadcasts, period songs, and Jewish club life at the El Flamingo Cabana Club. Following the Jesse Frederick's theme song, "Break Away," Jeffrey, an everyman, experiences the transition from young man to adult, discovering that his father's high moral values and life advice to earn your way, have merit afterall, a way that Jeffrey then chooses for himself.
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...
directed by Garry Marshall
Garry Marshall
Garry Kent Marshall is an American actor, director, writer and producer. His notable credits include creating Happy Days and The Odd Couple and directing Nothing In Common, Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Valentine's Day, and The Princess Diaries.-Early life:Marshall was born in the New York City...
, written by Marshall, Neal Marshall
Neal Marshall
Neal Gregory Marshall is a Canadian speed skater. For the 1994-1995 season he was the winner at Speed Skating World Cup's 1500 m division. In 1997, he took bronze at the World Single Distance Championships for Men in the 1,500 m division...
and Bo Goldman
Bo Goldman
For the next few years, Goldman contributed uncredited work to countless scripts including Milos Forman's Ragtime starring James Cagney and Donald O'Connor, The Flamingo Kid starring Matt Dillon, and Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy ....
. It stars Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
, Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
, Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
, and Janet Jones
Janet Jones
Janet-Marie Gretzky is an American actress. She is married to ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.-Entertainment career:Jones performed in Annie , Staying Alive and Snow White Live , and had a bit part in The Beastmaster...
. It is a coming-of-age movie about a 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...
boy who takes a summer job at a beach resort and learns valuable life lessons.
It was the first movie to receive a PG-13 rating, although it was the fourth to be released with that rating, after Red Dawn
Red Dawn
Red Dawn is a 1984 American war film directed by John Milius and co-written by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. It stars Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey....
, The Woman in Red, and Dreamscape
Dreamscape (film)
Dreamscape is a 1984 science fiction horror film directed by Joseph Ruben and written by David Loughery, with Chuck Russell and Ruben co-writing...
.
Tagline: A legend in his own neighborhood
Plot
In the summer of 1963, Jeffrey Willis (Matt Dillon) is hired on at upscale Long Island beach resort, The Flamingo. Jeffrey is a kid from a middle class Brooklyn family and his father (Elizondo) does not approve of him working at the private club.His hero and mentor at the resort is the reigning Gin rummy card game
Gin rummy
Gin rummy, or simply gin, is a two-player card game created in 1909 by Elwood T. Baker and his son C. Graham Baker. According to John Scarne, Gin evolved from 18th-century Whiskey Poker and was created with the intention of being faster than standard rummy, but less spontaneous than knock...
champ, Phil Brody (Crenna).
Jeffrey, a winning Gin Rummy player himself, and his friends, admire Brody and how his wins at the Gin rummy table make him seem "psychic," knowing which cards to give up. Brody also takes a liking to Jeffrey, eventually showing him his car business, and gives him hopes that car sales are where he belongs as a career.
Jeffrey gets further immersed in the "easy buck," defying his father's guidance. During dinner, Jeffrey notably says he "will not be needing college" and plans to pursue being a car salesman instead. Jeffrey and his co-workers at The Flamingo also venture to Yonkers Raceway together, risking cash on a horse tip but come up short when the trotter breaks stride.
Eventually, Brody reveals to Jeffrey that the job opening at the car dealership is for a stock boy, not as a salesman as Jeffrey had been led to believe was his when he asked for it. Brody encourages Jeffrey to take the stock boy position so he can work his way up. Near Summer's end, Jeffrey observes that a regular onlooker, "Big Sid", is feeding signals to Brody, the true cause of Brodie's winning ways. When Big Sid and a member of the gin team playing against Brodie's team are overcome by the heat, Jeffrey fills in, opposing Brodie, and seeking to help win back the unfair profits Brodie won from his friends over the course of the Summer. Jeffrey and his team eventually win back what was unfarly lost, including a good profit besides. Realizing the mistakes he made in rejecting his father's good advice, Jeffrey makes up with his dad in a touching scene at Larry's Fish House ("Any Fish You Wish"), where his family is dining.
This coming of age movie captures the flavor of American culture during the early '60s using actual radio broadcasts, period songs, and Jewish club life at the El Flamingo Cabana Club. Following the Jesse Frederick's theme song, "Break Away," Jeffrey, an everyman, experiences the transition from young man to adult, discovering that his father's high moral values and life advice to earn your way, have merit afterall, a way that Jeffrey then chooses for himself.
Cast
- Matt DillonMatt DillonMatthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
- Jeffrey Willis - Hector ElizondoHector ElizondoHéctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
- Arthur Willis - Richard CrennaRichard CrennaRichard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
- Phil Brody - Janet JonesJanet JonesJanet-Marie Gretzky is an American actress. She is married to ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.-Entertainment career:Jones performed in Annie , Staying Alive and Snow White Live , and had a bit part in The Beastmaster...
- Carla Samson - Jessica WalterJessica WalterJessica Walter is an American actress, known for the films Play Misty for Me, Grand Prix, and for her role as Lucille Bluth on the sitcom Arrested Development...
- Phyllis Brody - Fisher StevensFisher StevensFisher Stevens is an American actor, director and producer. His most recent successes include the 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film The Cove and 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature for his film Crazy Love...
- Hawk Ganz - Bronson PinchotBronson PinchotBronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He has appeared in several feature films, including Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop , The First Wives Club, True Romance, Courage Under Fire and It's My Party...
- Alfred Shultz - Marisa TomeiMarisa TomeiMarisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
- Mandy - Steven WeberSteven Weber (actor)Steven Robert Weber is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the television show Wings which aired throughout the 1990s on NBC.-Early life:...
- Paul Hirsch - Martha GehmanMartha GehmanMartha Gehman is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Ophelia in the 1985 cult classic The Legend of Billie Jean.She also had supporting roles in The Flamingo Kid and Threesome....
- Nikki Willis
Soundtrack
- Jesse FrederickJesse FrederickJesse Frederick is a film and television composer best known for writing and performing the themes to popular television shows such as Perfect Strangers, Full House, Family Matters, and Step By Step.-Early years:...
- Breakaway - Martha and the VandellasMartha and the VandellasMartha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967...
- (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave(Love is Like a) Heat Wave" Heat Wave" is a 1963 hit single penned by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team and made popular by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. It was originally released in July 1963, on the Motown subsidiary label Gordy, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot... - The ChiffonsThe ChiffonsThe Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...
- He's So FineHe's So Fine"He's So Fine" is a recording by The Chiffons which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable Golden Oldies with its doo-lang doo-lang doo-lang background vocal, "He's So Fine" is also renowned as the plaintiff song in the now-infamous... - Acker Bilk - Stranger on the Shore
- DionDion DiMucciDion Francis DiMucci , better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles....
- Runaround SueRunaround Sue"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961. The song ranked No. 342 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-Original recording:... - Little RichardLittle RichardRichard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
- Good Golly, Miss MollyGood Golly, Miss Molly"Good Golly Miss Molly" is a hit rock 'n' roll song first recorded in 1958 by the American musician Little Richard. The song, a 12-bar blues, was written by John Marascalco and producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell. Although it was first recorded by Little Richard, Blackwell produced another version... - Barrett StrongBarrett StrongBarrett Strong is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best remembered for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfield.-His career:Strong was among the first artists signed to Berry...
- Money (That's What I Want)Money (That's What I Want)"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise.... - The Impressions - It's All RightIt's All Right"It's All Right" is a 1963 single by The Impressions. The single was the most successful chart entry of the group's career. "It's All Right" was one of two top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and the first of six number ones on the Billboard R&B chart...
- Hank BallardHank BallardHank Ballard , born John Henry Kendricks, was a rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters and one of the first proto-rock 'n' roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s...
& The Midnighters - Finger Poppin' Time - The ChiffonsThe ChiffonsThe Chiffons was an all girl group originating from the Bronx area of New York in 1960.-Biography:The Chiffons were one of the top girl groups of the early 1960s...
- One Fine DayOne Fine Day (song)"One Fine Day" has been recorded by a diverse array of artists including Susie Allanson, the Carpenters as part of the oldies medley on their album Now and Then, Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods, Even in Blackouts, Kids Incorporated, David Lasley, Natalie Merchant , the Mountain Goats, Aaron Neville,... - The SilhouettesThe SilhouettesThe Silhouettes were an American doo wop/R&B group whose single "Get A Job" was a #1 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's lyrics. "Get A Job"' is included in the soundtracks of the movies,...
- Get A JobGet a Job (song)"Get a Job" is one of the best known doo-wop songs of the 1950s. Recorded by The Silhouettes in October 1957, the song reached the number one spot on the Billboard pop and R&B singles charts in February 1958.... - Maureen Steele - Boys Will Be Boys