Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

Director:

Martin Davidson

Writers:

Martin Davidson (screenplay) &
Arlene Davidson (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

23 September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Music

Tagline:

Rebel. Rocker. Lover. Idol. Vanished.

Plot:

Maggie Foley (Ellen Barkin) is a reporter who's interviewing the surviving members of a band who's music is being revived...

Plot Keywords:

Faked Death | Missing Person | Bridge | Rock And Roll | Musician

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Frank Ridgeway
Michael Paré	...	Eddie Wilson
Joe Pantoliano	...	Doc Robbins
Matthew Laurance	...	Sal Amato
Helen Schneider	...	Joann Carlino
David Wilson	...	Kenny Hopkins
Michael 'Tunes' Antunes	...	Wendell Newton
Ellen Barkin	...	Maggie Foley
Kenny Vance	...	Lew Elson
John Stockwell	...	Keith Livingston
Joe Cates	...	Lois
Barry Sand	...	Barry Siegel
Vebe Borge	...	Gerry Rivers
Howard Johnson	...	Wendell's Replacement
Joey Balin	...	Eddie's Replacement

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | UK:PG | Sweden:7 | USA:PG (certificate #26935) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Norway:12 | Australia:PG | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atco, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Aurora

Trivia:

The Palace of Depression was a real place in Vineland, New Jersey (Eddie's hometown as told in P.F. Kluge's book). It was constructed of old junk, sand, clay, etc. by a homeless drifter who charged admission for people to visit. After his death, vandals destroyed the Palace, however the original ticket booth still stands. There is currently a city restoration project underway to rebuild the Palace of Depression.

Goofs:

When Eddie and Joanne are shown driving into the Lincoln Tunnel, it is supposed to be 1964, yet a pictographic "steep grade" warning sign (a picture of a truck headed down a triangular shape) is seen mounted on the entrance to the tunnel. Pictographic warning signs were not in use on United States roads in 1964; rather a sign warning "Steep Grade" in text would have been posted.

Quotes:

Eddie Wilson: I want something great. I want something that's never been done before!
Sal Amato: Why? We ain't great. We're just some guys from Jersey.

Movie Connections:

References Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus (1960)

Soundtrack:

Wild Summer Nights

A well executed search for artistic perfection

Michael Paré delivers his best performance as Eddie Wilson, a talented young singer who strives to achieve the perfect original sound with lyrics that reach deep within the soul … forever. Eddie draws the necessary ingredients required to create his vision through Frank Ridgeway, a young man with an Ivy League education who has a passion for poetry. Powered by a sensational Rock n Roll soundtrack, Eddie and the Cruisers takes you on a journey through a glimpse of the other band members lives more than twenty years after. Their music is in the charts again, and the Cruisers are bigger and hotter than ever. But the tragic disappearance of Eddie in 1964 still haunts their minds and their lives, but now they must deal with the creation of a legend more thant wenty years after they were the hottest sound in town. Eddie and the Cruisers is well directed with solid performances by the cast. But it is the intense image created by Michael Paré's performance, that makes you believe in the legend.