The Sunshine Boys (1975)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Herbert Ross

Writer:

Neil Simon (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 January 1976 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

For the price of a movie, you'll feel like a million!

Plot:

A vaudeville duo agree to reunite for a TV special, but it turns out that they can't stand each other.

Plot Keywords:

Vaudeville | Uncle | Father Son Relationship | Potato Chip | Friars Club

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Walter Matthau	...	Willy Clark
George Burns	...	Al Lewis
Richard Benjamin	...	Ben Clark
Lee Meredith	...	Nurse in Sketch (Miss McIntosh)
Carol Arthur	...	Mrs. Doris Green, Al's Daughter
Rosetta LeNoire	...	Odessa, Willy's nurse (as Rosetta Le Noire)
F. Murray Abraham	...	Mechanic
Howard Hesseman	...	Mr. Walsh, Commerical Director
James Cranna	...	Mr. Schaeffer, TV Director
Ron Rifkin	...	T.V. Floor Manager
Jennifer Lee	...	Helen Clark
Fritz Feld	...	Mr. Gilbert, Man at Audition
Jack Bernardi	...	Man at Audition
Garn Stephens	...	Eddie, the Stage Manager
Santos Morales	...	Desk Clerk

Also Known As:

Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | Australia:PG (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Ansonia Hotel - 74th & Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

George Burns usually wore a hairpiece when he worked. The first scene we see of him in the film is one of few scenes he ever shot without it.

Quotes:

Man on Street: Hey, Willy, what're you doin' Downtown?
Willy Clark: [yelling as he hurries past him] I'm workin'! What the hell are you doin'?
Man on Street: [to his companion] He's working!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Identity Crisis (#5.4)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Make 'Em Laugh

Vintage Simon; Burns & Matthau make an indelible comic duo

THE SUNSHINE BOYS (1975) ***1/2 Walter Matthau, George Burns, Richard Benjamin. (Cameos: Steve Allen and Phyllis Diller). Extremely funny and warm-hearted adaptation of Neil Simon's play about two stubborn vaudevillians teaming up one last time for a tv special despite the fact they haven't spoken to one another in years. Matthau is a riot ("Ehnntaaaahhh!") but Burns, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, resurrected his career and became an icon in entertainment. Incidentally, Burns took this role when his best friend, Jack Benny (who was initially cast), died. Look for small roles by Howard Hesseman and F.

Murray Abraham.