Swing Shift (1984)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writer:

Nancy Dowd (written by)
(more)

Release Date:

13 April 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

When America marched off to war the women marched into the factory. From then on...nothing was the same.

Plot:

A woman finds romance when she takes a job at an airport plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war.

Plot Keywords:

Trumpeter | Home Front | Love | Friendship Between Women | 1940s

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Goldie Hawn	...	Kay Walsh
Kurt Russell	...	Mike 'Lucky' Lockhart
Christine Lahti	...	Hazel
Fred Ward	...	Archibald 'Biscuits' Touie
Ed Harris	...	Jack Walsh
Sudie Bond	...	Annie
Holly Hunter	...	Jeannie
Patty Maloney	...	Laverne
Lisa Pelikan	...	Violet
Susan Peretz	...	Edith
Joey Aresco	...	Johnny Bonnaro
Morris 'Tex' Biggs	...	Clarence
Reid Cruickshanks	...	Spike
Danny Darst	...	Deacon (as Daniel Dean Darst)
Dennis Fimple	...	Rupert George
Chris Lemmon	...	Lt. O'Connor (as Christopher Lemmon)
Charles Napier	...	Moon Willis
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	French de Mille / Documentary Narrator
Laura Hawn	...	Ethel, Spike's Wife
Marvin Miller	...	Rollo
Susan Barnes	...	Skinny
Beth Henley	...	Bible Pusher
Gene Borkan	...	MP at embarcation
Alana Stewart	...	Frankie Parker
Phillip Christon	...	Recruit at Egyptian
Penny Johnson	...	Genevieve
Isabell O'Connor	...	Rita (as Isabell Monk)
Maggie Renzi	...	First Interviewer
Sandy McLeod	...	Second Interviewer (as Sandi McLeod)
George 'Red' Schwartz	...	Cribman (as George Schwartz)
Alan Toy	...	Assistant Cribman
Oceana Marr	...	Ladies' Room Inspector
Richard K. Way	...	Factory Soldier
Harold Jackson	...	Piano Player at Sorrentino's
Don Carrara	...	Drunk Soldier
Todd Allen	...	Col. Bobby Danzig
Gary Goetzman	...	Swing Shift bandleader
Belinda Carlisle	...	Jamboree Singer
Lissette LeCorn	...	Peggy age 3
Jessica Gaynes	...	Peggy age 7
Deena Marie	...	Piper Girl
Roger Rook	...	Bellhop
Joseph Hutton	...	Seaman Amtzie
Harry Northup	...	New Year's Eve Marine #1
David B. Carlton	...	New Year's Eve Marine #2
Lisa Chadwick	...	Vocalist at Kelly's
Eddie Smith	...	Waiter at Kelly's
Eugene Jackson	...	Bartender at Kelly's (as Eugene W. Jackson)
Chino 'Fats' Williams	...	Bouncer at Kelly's
Belita Moreno	...	Mabel Stoddard
Roger Corman	...	Mr. MacBride
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cynthia Lea Clark	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Doug Savant	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Jonathan Demme

Writing credits
Nancy Dowd		(written by) (as Rob Morton)
Bo Goldman		uncredited
Ron Nyswaner		uncredited

Produced by
Jerry Bick	....	producer
Charles Mulvehill	....	associate producer
Arlene Sellers	....	executive producer
Alex Winitsky	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Patrick Williams

Cinematography by
Tak Fujimoto		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Gib Jaffe
Craig McKay

Production Design by
Peter Jamison

Art Direction by
Bo Welch

Set Decoration by
Jeff Haley
R. Chris Westlund

Costume Design by
Joe I. Tompkins

Makeup Department
Kathryn Blondell	....	hair stylist (as Kathryn L. Blondell)
E. Thomas Case	....	makeup artist (as Tom Case)
Jerry O'Dell	....	makeup artist (as Gerald O'Dell)
Kim Samson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Charles Mulvehill	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carla Brand Breitner	....	second second assistant director
Michael Looney	....	second assistant director
Sharon Mann	....	second second assistant director (as Sharon S. Mann)
Charles Myers	....	first assistant director (as C.A. Myers)
Evelyn Purcell	....	second unit director
Cynthia Riddle	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Dennis DeWaay	....	construction coordinator
Scott W. Leslie	....	set dresser
William Kemper Wright	....	leadman (as William Wright)

Sound Department
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles L. Campbell	....	supervising sound editor
Larry Carow	....	sound editor
Chris Jenkins	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dennis Jones	....	boom operator
Tom Overton	....	sound mixer (as Tommy Overton)
David Pettijohn	....	sound editor
Norman B. Schwartz	....	adr dialogue editor
Larry Stensvold	....	sound re-recording mixer
Roger Sword	....	sound editor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Rodney M. Byrd	....	special effects
Richard Lea	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Jamie Anderson	....	camera operator
Edward Brown Jr.	....	assistant camera
Adam Glick	....	set lighting technician
Melton Maxwell	....	gaffer
John T. Ramsey	....	key grip
Dwayne Redlin	....	best boy grip
Peter Santoro	....	assistant camera
John R. Shannon	....	still photographer (as John Shannon)
Albert Hood	....	electrician (uncredited)
Paul Jacobsen	....	electrician: practical fixtures (uncredited)
Michael T. Travers	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Marion Dougherty	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Michele Dittrick	....	costumer
Silvio Scarano	....	costume supervisor: men
Pamela Wise	....	costume supervisor: women

Editorial Department
Gib Jaffe	....	additional film editor

Music Department
Beth Bergeron	....	music editor
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Billy May	....	orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Michael Moores	....	orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Morgan Cavett	....	music contractor (uncredited)

Other crew
Nancy E. Barr	....	production coordinator: re-takes
Pablo Ferro	....	title designer
Jim Gerwig	....	caterer
Marie Kenney	....	script supervisor
Sam Mercer	....	location manager
Eileen Omaye	....	assistant: Jerry Bick
June Petersen	....	assistant: Mr. Demme
W. Thomas Snyder	....	production assistant
Phillip Christon	....	intern (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures (presents) (as A Warner Communications Company)
• Lantana (as A Lantana Production)
• Hawn / Sylbert Movie Company (in association with) (as The Hawn/Sylbert Movie Company)
• Jerry Bick Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1987) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)

Other Companies

• United States Air Force, The  special thanks
• United States Navy, The  special thanks (as U.S. Navy)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:PG | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Norway:15 | Sweden:11 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The original script was written by Nancy Dowd and then rewritten by others. When the film was released, the writing credit was assigned to the fictional "Rob Morton".

Quotes:

[final lines]
Kay Walsh: Hazel... we showed 'um didn't we.
Hazel: Boy, did we ever.
[both hug and cry]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Jonathan Demme (#2.27)" (????)

Soundtrack:

Serenade in Blue

the towel!

I just watched a video copy of Swing Shift. I wasn't aware of the infamous towel scene with Ed Harris, so when he sat down with his beer and certain parts of his male anatomy were revealed, I couldn't believe my eyes! In fact, I immediately re-wound and played that scene three more times in order to make sure I wasn't seeing things! It's amazing that Ed's "parts" were flashed because 22 years later, male frontal nudity is still rare in films. I assume Goldie and Demme left this quick little scene in the movie to be funny. The rest of the film is nudity-free. Even the bedroom scene with Kurt and Goldie doesn't show them nude.