The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)

Director:

Steve Kloves

Writer (WGA):

Steve Kloves (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

For 31 years it's been just the Fabulous Baker Boys... but times change.

Plot:

Frank and Jack Baker are professional musicians who play small clubs. They play smaltzy music and have never needed a day job...

Plot Keywords:

Brother | Piano | Audition | Singer | Lounge Singer

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 12 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Jeff Bridges	...	Jack Baker
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Susie Diamond
Beau Bridges	...	Frank Baker
Ellie Raab	...	Nina
Xander Berkeley	...	Lloyd
Dakin Matthews	...	Charlie
Ken Lerner	...	Ray
Albert Hall	...	Henry
Terri Treas	...	Girl in Bed
Gregory Itzin	...	Vince Nancy
Bradford English	...	Earl
David Coburn	...	Kid at Vet
Todd Jeffries	...	Theo
Gregory James	...	Hotel Masseur (as Jeffrey J. Nowinski)
Nancy Fish	...	Laughing Bar Patron
Beege Barkette	...	Waitress
Del Zamora	...	Man with Cleaver
Howard Matthew Johnson	...	Bathroom Attendant
Stuart Nisbet	...	Veterinarian
Robert Henry	...	Doorman
Martina Finch	...	Bad singer
Winifred Freedman	...	Bad singer
Wendy Goldman	...	Bad singer
Karen Hartman	...	Bad singer
D.D. Howard	...	Bad singer
Lisa Raggio	...	Bad singer
Vickilyn Reynolds	...	Bad singer
Krisie Spear	...	Bad singer
Carole Ita White	...	Bad singer
Steve Alterman	...	Background Voice (voice)
August Bach	...	Background Voice (as Bach August)
Greg Finley	...	Background Voice
J.D. Hall	...	Background Voice (voice)
Doris Hess	...	Background Voice
Rosanna Huffman	...	Background Voice
John Lafayette	...	Background Voice (voice) (as John La Fayette)
Tina Lifford	...	Background Voice
Arlin Miller	...	Background Voice
Paige Pollack	...	Background Voice (as Paige Nan Pollack)
David Randolph	...	Background Voice (as David J. Randolph)
Susan Napoli	...	Background Voice (as Stephani Ryan)
Jennifer Tilly	...	Blanche 'Monica' Moran
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kirsten Ashley	...	(uncredited)
Helen Kelly	...	Piano Bar Patron (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve Kloves

Writing credits (WGA)
Steve Kloves		(written by)

Produced by
Julie Bergman Sender	....	associate producer (as Julie Bergman)
Bill Finnegan	....	co-producer
Robin Forman	....	associate producer
Sydney Pollack	....	executive producer
Mark Rosenberg	....	producer
Paula Weinstein	....	producer
Courtney Silberberg	....	producer: VP Production (uncredited)

Original Music by
Dave Grusin

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William Steinkamp

Casting by
Wallis Nicita

Production Design by
Jeffrey Townsend

Set Decoration by
Anne H. Ahrens

Costume Design by
Lisa Jensen

Makeup Department
Tammy Kusian	....	assistant makeup artist
Ronnie Specter	....	makeup artist
Jeanne Van Phue	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Bill Finnegan	....	unit production manager (as William Finnegan)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cherylanne Martin	....	second second assistant director
Charles Myers	....	first assistant director (as Myers)
Tracy Rosenthal-Newsom	....	second assistant director (as Tracy Rosenthal)

Art Department
Bruce Bellamy	....	on-set dresser
Tom Bleckov	....	laborer: Seattle
James Doug Burch	....	propmaker (as J. Doug Burch)
David T. Cannon	....	propmaker (as David Cannon)
Joseph H. Catmull	....	construction foreman
Ronald Cox	....	propmaker (as Ronald Wayne Cox)
Ed Dupra	....	set dresser: Seattle
Amy Feldman	....	set dresser
Mark Fite	....	propmaker
Eugene Freiburger	....	construction laborer
Chris Gibbin	....	painter
Don Gibbin Jr.	....	senior set designer
Charles T. Gray	....	swing gang
Clay A. Griffith	....	art coordinator
Jonathan Hackett	....	propmaker: Seattle
Ken Hardy	....	painter (as Kenneth Hardy)
Ross Harpold	....	set dresser
Eric Hice	....	swing gang
Suzanne Joffe	....	painter
Scott Anthony Lynk	....	propmaker
Michael Muhlfriedel	....	lead man (as Michael Mulhfriedel)
Joshua Ott	....	propmaker (as Joshua J. Ott)
Paul Pembrook	....	propmaker: Seattle
Michael Perry	....	assistant art director
Korey Scott Pollard	....	swing gang
Renee Prince	....	painter
Paul Rylander	....	assistant props
Randy Sanchez	....	painter
Wayne Shepherd	....	painter (as Wayne Shephard)
David Stawecki	....	propmaker
Peter Sykes	....	swing gang
Walter Wall	....	property master
Rick Welden	....	propmaker
Chris L. Winslow	....	scenic artist (as Chris Winslow)
Gary Wortman	....	propmaker
Curtis Yomtob	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Glenn Aulepp	....	cable person (as Glen Aulepp)
Kevin Bartnof	....	foley artist
Gregg Baxter	....	adr editor
Wallace R. Bearden	....	adr mixer
Susan Dudeck	....	foley editor
Patrick English	....	sound assistant
John Haeny	....	sound effects editor
Robin Harlan	....	foley artist
Doug Hemphill	....	sound re-recording mixer (as D.M. Hemphill)
J. Paul Huntsman	....	supervising sound editor
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Macksten	....	dialogue editor
Efraim Reuveni	....	foley editor
Carolann Sanchez-Shapiro	....	sound assistant (as Carolann S. Sanchez)
Matt Sawelson	....	dialogue editor (as Matthew G. Sawelson)
Stephan von Hase	....	sound mixer
Ian C. Wright	....	boom operator
Brad Sherman	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Robert E. Worthington	....	special effects

Stunts
Jon Conrad Pochron	....	stunt coordinator (as Jon Pochron)
Paul E. Short	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Florian Ballhaus	....	first assistant camera
Arthur Blum	....	dolly grip
Branch M. Brunson	....	electrician
Bruce Byall	....	best boy grip
Tim Collins	....	grip (as Timothy P. Collins)
John L. Demps Jr.	....	electrician
John Doherty	....	pre-rig rigging gaffer (as John J. Doherty)
David M. Dunlap	....	camera operator (as David Dunlap)
Chris Feringer	....	grip: Seattle
Todd Griffith	....	grip
William D. Harris	....	grip
Pamela Katz	....	second assistant camera
Zeph R. Makgetla	....	additional assistant camera
Bruce Martin	....	electrician: Seattle
Don McDonald Jr.	....	electrician: Seattle
Charlie McIntyre	....	electrician (as Charles H. McIntyre III)
Robert W. Meckler	....	grip (as Robert Meckler)
Karen Miller	....	special photographer
John Murphy	....	key rigging grip (as John W. Murphy)
Ronald J. Pure Jr.	....	electrician (as R. Joe Pure Jr.)
John 'Fest' Sandau	....	best boy electric
Mark Sannes	....	grip
Steve Schwaer	....	pre-rig rigging gaffer
Lorey Sebastian	....	still photographer
William A. Shea	....	grip
Steve Smith	....	key grip
Mike Steward	....	grip: Seattle
Woogi Thomas	....	electrician (as Woogie Thomas)
James R. Tynes	....	gaffer (as Jim Tynes)

Casting Department
Reatha Grey	....	extras casting
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Christina Sanchez	....	casting coordinator
Joanne Zaluski	....	casting associate
Patti Carns Kalles	....	casting: Seattle (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marsha Perloff	....	wardrobe supervisor
Jill Sharaf	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Susan Alexander	....	apprentice editor
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Karen Marmer	....	post-production coordinator
Michael T. Wilson	....	assistant editor (as Michael Wilson)
Scot Deer	....	telecine colorist (uncredited)

Music Department
Bunny Andrews	....	music editor
Else Blangsted	....	music editorial consultant
Brian Bromberg	....	musician: bass
Sandy DeCrescent	....	musicians contractor
Dave Grusin	....	musician: keyboards and piano solo for Jeff Bridges
John Hammond	....	musician: piano solo for Beau Bridges (as John F. Hammond)
Sal Marquez	....	musician: trumpet
Harvey W. Mason	....	musician: drums (as Harvey Mason)
Jill Meyers	....	music clearance
Donald Murray	....	music recording engineer (as Don Murray)
Lee Ritenour	....	musician: guitar
Joel Sill	....	executive music producer
Sally Stevens	....	vocal coach to Ms. Pfeiffer
Ernie Watts	....	musician: saxophone
Jon Charles	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Curt Sobel	....	music editor (uncredited)
Rick Winquest	....	score assistant engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Richard M. Brasic	....	driver
Anthony J. Brazas	....	driver
Robert T. Chestnut	....	driver: Seattle (as Bob Chestnut)
Lewis Cundiff	....	driver
George Evans	....	driver: Seattle
Jimmy Jones	....	driver: Seattle (as Jim Jones)
Thomas C. Kimmel	....	driver
George Kramer	....	driver: Seattle
Marc Lebeaune	....	driver (as Mike Labeaune)
Jon McCarthy	....	transportation captain: Seattle (as John McCarthy)
Eric W. Mizen	....	driver
Joseph Kelly Padovich	....	driver
Mike Padovich	....	driver
Marvin Palenske	....	driver
Don Penick	....	driver: Seattle
Olin Rushin	....	driver
Gary Shephard	....	driver: Seattle (as Gary Shepard)
Gary Small	....	driver (as Gary K. Small)
Howard A. Small	....	transportation coordinator (as Howard Small)
Anthony C. Steere	....	driver (as Anthony Charles Steere)
Robert Sullivan	....	driver: Seattle (as Bob Sullivan)
Bob White	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Frans J. Afman	....	consultant: financing
John Steven Agoglia	....	assistant location manager (as John S. Agoglia)
Jeffrey K. Ausmus	....	production secretary
Jan Sebastian Ballhaus	....	production assistant (as Sebastian Ballhaus)
Barbara Bass	....	studio teacher (as Barbara L. Bass)
Creed Bratton	....	stand-in: B. Bridges
Bart Carpenter	....	production assistant
Loyd Catlett	....	assistant: Jeff Bridges (as Lloyd Catlett)
Robin Citrin	....	location manager
Joyce Collins	....	piano coach
Bryan Curry	....	production assistant
Margaret E. Fannin	....	production coordinator
Sandra Fear	....	stand-in: M. Pfeiffer
Lou Forestieri	....	piano coach
Ashley R. Friedman	....	production assistant
Peter Gantt	....	craft service: Seattle (as Peter Gant)
Lynette Goto	....	office production assistant: Seattle
Dennis Grisco	....	dog trainer
Tony Grob	....	location assistant: Seattle
Denny Hans	....	craft service
Peter E. Hirsch	....	production assistant: Seattle (as Peter Hirsch)
Peggy Holmes	....	choreographer: "Makin' Whoopee"
Jody Hummer	....	assistant location manager
Kay Jordan	....	assistant accountant
Linda Labov	....	assistant to producer
John E. Oliver	....	sideline piano supervisor
Donna Ostroff	....	assistant to producer
Laura Petticord	....	production assistant (as Laura Ann Petticord)
Clinton Pozzi Jr.	....	tutor: Seattle
Nancy Pyne-Hapke	....	studio teacher
Trudy Ramirez	....	script supervisor
Mayda Renizzi-Holt	....	production accountant
Valerie Ross	....	production coordinator: Seattle
Ken Ryan	....	production executive
Roberto Santana	....	production assistant
Suzanne Spangler	....	production assistant
Spooky Stevens	....	publicist
Alexandra Stone	....	assistant to producer
Jordan Stone	....	production assistant (as Jordan J. Stone)
Brad Stephens	....	publicist (uncredited)
Kieran Woo	....	assistant post-production auditor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Gladden Entertainment (presents)
• Mirage
• Tobis Filmkunst

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1989) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (1989) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• UGC-Fox Distribution (UFD) (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• Rank Film Organization (1990) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tobis Filmkunst (1990) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1990) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Live Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1992) (Germany) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Network (1993) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Live Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Live Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Live Home Video (1997) (USA) (VHS)
• Live Home Video (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2001) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Look Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (199?) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Albert G. Ruben and Company  insurance
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Completion Bond Company  completion bond
• Credit Lyonnais Bank (Nederland) N.V.  financial consultant
• D. Bassett & Associates  negative cutting
• Dennis Davidson & Associates Public Releations (DDA)  publicity
• Finnegan/Pinchuk Productions  production services
• GRP Records  original soundtrack record
• Grey Images  extras casting
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Rogers & Cowan  publicity
• Sunset Sound Studios  music recorded at
• Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios  sound effects
• Washington State Film & Video Office  special thanks
• Windswept Pacific Entertainment  music supervision

Runtime:

114 min | Australia:110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Gladden Entertainment

Trivia:

Michelle Pfeiffer sang all her songs, no vocal double was used.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When the little girl comes in through the window and tells Susie she "came down to walk Eddie", she goes out the door without the dog leash. The leash is clearly visible hanging on a peg right next to the door.

Quotes:

Frank Baker: Jesus, when was the last time we played the Mallory?
Jack Baker: '78, November.
Frank Baker: Right, it was someone's birthday... Halloran?
Jack Baker: He had a daughter, sweet sixteen.
Frank Baker: Oh Christ! How could I forget? What a nightmare!
Jack Baker: She asked for it!
Frank Baker: I told Halloran we didn't do vocals, and he said, "What my Sissy wants...”
Jack Baker: "My Sissy gets!"
Jack Baker: [Leering] She got it, all right!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Conversation with J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

My Way

Strips away the masks and goes straight for the soul.....

There is no way I could possibly give Baker Boys anything less then a 10, even though as far as personal enjoyment goes, I had some problems with it. Yet, without a doubt the fact remains that this movie, on many levels is extraordinary.(not OK or good-extraordinary.) I Personally am very surprised there aren't a lot more comments on here about Baker Boys.

Obviously, Michelle as well as the Bridges brothers were fantastic. But most have said that so I won't get into that to much. I was very impressed(and a bit awed) by this screenplay and how incredible, not just the dialogue was, but the mannerisms, the little "back and Fourths" and quirks of each person-the writing was way above merely being good. Beyond admiration, however, I was touched by the writer's ability to capture the world of entertainment and music so perfectly. This is a movie where, (after Suzy, frank and Jack), the music and world these people live in, becomes the fourth main character of the movie. And anyone who has lived in a similar reality at anytime in their life, will feel like their seeing old friends....

My viewing experience was not perhaps the most fun I've ever had, for two simple reasons. One, because I, like many others, will concede this movie moves extremely slowly and unfortunately slow movingness in a movie is one thing that's always been a problem for me. Second, this movie is draped in nostalgia and made me feel more sad then anything else when it was over. The gloom I felt however, was also coupled with knowing I just watched a really well done movie-so it was gloom mixed with admiration, sort of like listening to Pink Floyd.

It takes time to get into Baker Boys, it's a slow burn not an immediate rush. It is one of the most nostalgic pictures I've ever Seen. People have mentioned 70's, 80's I'd say those periods and even earlier. There's an old style glamor coupled with a bittersweet sleepy nostalgia-and anyone who has experienced the stuff of nighttime, and neon lights, will be back in that place again whether they want to be there or not. That's entertainment.