All That Jazz (1979)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Bob Fosse

Writers:

Robert Alan Aurthur (written by) and
Bob Fosse (written by)

Release Date:

20 December 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Music

Tagline:

All that work. All that glitter. All that pain. All that love. All that crazy rhythm. All that jazz.

Plot:

Director/choreographer Bob Fosse tells his own life story as he details the sordid life of Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider), a womanizing, drug-using dancer.

Plot Keywords:

Dancer | Editing | Vomit | Strip Club | Amphetamine

Awards:

Won 4 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Roy Scheider	...	Joe Gideon
Jessica Lange	...	Angelique
Leland Palmer	...	Audrey Paris
Ann Reinking	...	Kate Jagger
Cliff Gorman	...	Davis Newman
Ben Vereen	...	O'Connor Flood
Erzsebet Foldi	...	Michelle Gideon
Michael Tolan	...	Dr. Ballinger
Max Wright	...	Joshua Penn
William LeMassena	...	Jonesy Hecht
Irene Kane	...	Leslie Perry (as Chris Chase)
Deborah Geffner	...	Victoria Porter
Kathryn Doby	...	Kathryn
Anthony Holland	...	Paul Dann
Robert Hitt	...	Ted Christopher
David Margulies	...	Larry Goldie
Sue Paul	...	Stacy
Keith Gordon	...	Young Joe Gideon
Frankie Man	...	Comic in strip club
Alan Heim	...	Eddie
John Lithgow	...	Lucas Sergeant
Sandahl Bergman	...	Principal Dancer #1 (Sandahl)
Eileen Casey	...	Principal Dancer #2 (Casey)
Bruce Anthony Davis	...	Principal Dancer #3 (as Bruce Davis)
Gary Flannery	...	Principal Dancer #4 (Gary)
Jennifer Nairn-Smith	...	Principal Dancer #5 (Jennifer)
Danny Ruvolo	...	Principal Dancer #6 (Danny)
Leland Schwantes	...	Principal Dancer #7
John Sowinski	...	Principal Dancer #8 (John)
Candace Tovar	...	Principal Dancer #9 (Candy)
Rima Vetter	...	Principal Dancer #10 (Rima)
Trudy Carson	...	Fan Dancer #1
Mary Sue Finnerty	...	Fan Dancer #2
Lesley Kingley	...	Fan Dancer #3
P.J. Mann	...	Fan Dancer #4 / Menage Partner #2
Cathy Rice	...	Fan Dancer #5
Sonja Stuart	...	Fan Dancer #6
Terri Treas	...	Fan Dancer #7
Ralph E. Berntsen	...	Rock Band Drummer
Jan Flato	...	Rock Band Keyboard
John Paul Fetta	...	Rock Band Bass Player
Andy Schwartz	...	Rock Band Guitar Player
Robert Levine	...	Dr. Hyman
Phil Friedman	...	Murray Nathan
Stephen Strimpell	...	Alvin Rackmil
Leonard Drum	...	Insurance Man
Eugene Troobnick	...	Insurance Doctor
Jules Fisher	...	Himself
Ben Masters	...	Dr. Garry
Cathie Shirriff	...	Nurse Briggs (as Catherine Shirrif)
Joanna Merlin	...	Nurse Pierce
Leah Ayres	...	Nurse Capobianco
Nancy Beth Bird	...	Nurse Bates
Harry Agress	...	Resident MD
CCH Pounder	...	Nurse Blake (as C.C.H. Pounder)
Tito Goya	...	Attendant
Tiger Haynes	...	Porter Tiger
Lotte Palfi Andor	...	Old Woman (as Lotta Palfi-Andor)
K.C. Townsend	...	Stripper #1 in Flashback
Melanie Hunter	...	Stripper #2 in Flashback
Rita Bennett	...	Stripper #3 in Flashback
Gary Bayer	...	Intern
Wayne Carson	...	Assistant Stage Manager
Kerry Casserly	...	Dancer Backstage
Judi Passeltiner	...	Dancer Backstage
Steve Elmore	...	Cast of NY / LA
Nicole Fosse	...	Dancer
Vicki Frederick	...	Menage Partner #1
Minnie Gaster	...	Script Supervisor
Michael Green	...	Clapper Boy
Bruce MacCallum	...	Clapper Boy
Joyce Ellen Hill	...	Nurse Collin
I.M. Hobson	...	Cast of NY / LA
Edith Kramer	...	Manager, Rehersal Studio
Barbara McKinley	...	Diane, Dancer
Mary McCarty	...	Cast of NY / LA
Theresa Merritt	...	Cast of NY / LA
Gavin Moses	...	Apprentice Editor
Mary Mon Toy	...	Dietician
Wallace Shawn	...	Assistant Insurance Man
Jacqueline Solotar	...	Lucas Sergeant Autograph Seeker
Sloane Shelton	...	Mrs. Gideon, Joe's Mother
Sammy Smith	...	Cast of NY / LA
Arnold Gross	...	Stan the Pianist
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kenneth Boys	...	Rejected Dancer (uncredited)
Ken Butler	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Jane Culley	...	Fan Dancer (uncredited)
Michael Hinton	...	Drummer (uncredited)

Directed by
Bob Fosse

Writing credits
Robert Alan Aurthur		(written by) and
Bob Fosse		(written by)

Produced by
Robert Alan Aurthur	....	producer
Wolfgang Glattes	....	associate producer
Daniel Melnick	....	executive producer
Kenneth Utt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Ralph Burns

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Alan Heim

Casting by
Howard Feuer
Jeremy Ritzer

Production Design by
Philip Rosenberg

Set Decoration by
Gary J. Brink		(as Gary Brink)
Edward Stewart

Costume Design by
Albert Wolsky

Makeup Department
Fern Buchner	....	makeup artist
Romaine Greene	....	hair stylist
Jay Cannistraci	....	additional special makeup effects (uncredited)

Production Management
Kenneth Utt	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Janet E. Fishman	....	dga trainee
Wolfgang Glattes	....	first assistant director
Joseph Ray	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Eugene Powell	....	scenic artist
Carlos Quiles	....	carpenter
Jimmy Raitt	....	property master
Tony Walton	....	fantasy designer
Walter Way	....	construction grip
Joe Williams Sr.	....	construction grip
Richard Shelton	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stan Bochner	....	sound editor
Jay Dranch	....	sound editor
Bernard Hajdenberg	....	sound editor
Peter Ilardi	....	sound mixer
Christopher Newman	....	production sound mixer (as Chris Newman)
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Maurice Schell	....	supervising sound editor
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack Fitzstephens	....	production lip-sync consultant (uncredited)
Bob Olari	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Maurice Schell	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James A. Contner	....	camera operator (as James Contner)
Gene Engels	....	gaffer (as Eugene W. Engels)
Guglielmo Garroni	....	associate director of photography (as Bill Garroni)
Dick Mingalone	....	camera operator (as Richard Mingalone)
Martin Nallan	....	key grip
Josh Weiner	....	still photographer
Billy Kerwick	....	best boy grip (uncredited)
Gary Muller	....	co-first assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sylvia Fay	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lee Austin	....	wardrobe (as Lee Austin III)
Max Soloman	....	wardrobe (as Max Solomon)

Editorial Department
Joan Cameron	....	assistant editor
Emily Paine	....	assistant editor
Wende Phifer Mate	....	apprentice editor (as Wende Phifer)
David Ray	....	associate editor
Gail Showalter	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Glenn Berger	....	music mixer
Glenn Berger	....	music recordist
Ralph Burns	....	conductor
Ralph Burns	....	music arranger
Arnold Gross	....	dance music arranger
Stanley Lebowsky	....	music coordinator
Michael Tronick	....	music editor
Ralph Burns	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Harold 'Whitey' McEvoy	....	transportation (as Whitey McEvoy)

Other crew
Nancy Beth Bird	....	technical advisor (as Nancy Bird RN)
Grace Blake	....	production office coordinator
Samantha Dean	....	publicist
Dick Di Bona	....	photography arranger
Kathryn Doby	....	assistant choreographer
Gene Foote	....	assistant choreographer
Bob Fosse	....	choreographer
Tony Gittleson	....	production assistant (as Tony Gittelson)
John E. Hutchinson III	....	open heart surgery (as Dr. John E. Hutchinson III)
John E. Hutchinson III	....	technical advisor (as John E. Hutchinson III MD)
Jerry Jaffe	....	production assistant
Lynn Lewis Lovett	....	script supervisor
Vince Martinez	....	auditor
David Rogow	....	production assistant
Wendy Shore	....	assistant to producer
Vicki Stein	....	assistant: Mr. Fosse
Jeffrey Townsend	....	production assistant
Erich Trostl	....	higwire rig
Lynn Twentyman	....	script supervisor (as Lynn Twentyman Ward)
Robin Utt	....	production assistant
Susan Zwerman	....	location coordinator
Lee Gross	....	publicist (uncredited)

Thanks
Serge Diakonoff	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (music edition)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD) (musical edition)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (music edition)

Other Companies

• Casablanca Records  soundtrack
• Guitarman, NYC  guitars
• La Da Productions  music editing
• Lee Gross Associates Inc.  publicity
• R/Greenberg Associates  title design
• Steve Frankfurt Communications  title design
• Sylvia Fay Casting  extra casting
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording and mixing

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 | Australia:M | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:M | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:18 | Canada:18A | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Iceland:L | Peru:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Astoria Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The address on the Dexedrine pill bottle that Joe Gideon used every morning was "61 West 58th Street". Bob Fosse actually lived in apartment 26B at 58 West 58th Street.

Goofs:

Continuity: Close-up of "Young Joe" with hazel eyes is shortly followed by a close-up of adult Joe with blue eyes.

Quotes:

Waitress: Are you
[hesitates]
Waitress: Lucas Sergeant?
[he nods]
Waitress: Could I have your autograph? I'm an actress, too. You're my favorite director, after Joe Gideon. I'm so sorry your show was a flop.
Lucas Sergeant: [sarcastically as he signs a napkin] Best of luck with your career.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in American Nightmare (1983)

Soundtrack:

There's No Business Like Show Business

Depressing but brilliant

The life and times of Bob Fosse--oops! sorry!--Joe Gideon (Roy Scheider). He directs, choreographs and writes Broadway musicals and the occasional movie. He also has sex with every woman he can, is a chronic smoker...there's more but I don't want to ruin it.

Basically, this is a character study and an absolutely fascinating one. This is Bob Fosse doing a movie about himself and showing his life in an extremely negative light. I saw this movie when it first came out in 1980. I thought it was one of the most depressing things I had ever seen--but went back to see it three additional times.

The acting is just great all across the board--Scheider is cast against type...and pulls it off. In fact he was nominated for an Academy Award for this performance (he lost to DeNiro for "Raging Bull"). Jessica Lange is playing...let's call her Our Lady of the Oxygen Tank (you'll see what I mean). Seriously, she has a difficult role and plays it beautifully.

The direction is superb, mixing fantasy with reality seamlessly. The songs are good and the dancing is just great (especially in one VERY erotic number about casual sex).

This movie is not for everyone--I know of one theatre in which half the audience walked out demanding their money back--but, if you're game, you probably won't be able to take your eyes off the screen.

Depressing but just great. Fosse's best film (even better than "Cabaret"!)