Tin Men (1987)

Director:

Barry Levinson

Writer:

Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

6 March 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Year - 1963. Selling the American Dream is a risky, funny business - you could wind up paying with your wife!

Plot:

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

Plot Keywords:

1960s | Car Accident | Competing Businesses | Volkswagen Beetle | Seduction

Cast

Richard Dreyfuss	...	Bill 'BB' Babowsky
Danny DeVito	...	Ernest Tilley
Barbara Hershey	...	Nora Tilley
John Mahoney	...	Moe Adams
Jackie Gayle	...	Sam
Stanley Brock	...	Gil
Seymour Cassel	...	Cheese
Bruno Kirby	...	Mouse
J.T. Walsh	...	Wing
Richard Portnow	...	Carly
Matt Craven	...	Looney
Alan Blumenfeld	...	Stanley
Brad Sullivan	...	Masters
Michael Tucker	...	Bagel
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Nellie

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Company:

Bandai Films

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Barry Levinson]Ralph Tabakin (Mr. Hudson) has appeared in every Levinson picture from Diner (1982) to Liberty Heights (1999).

Goofs:

Continuity: Two of the "tin men" are waiting at a traffic light in a '59 Cadillac Eldorado convertible. However, when we switch to a view of the two guys through the windshield, the vehicle becomes a hardtop. Switching back to a longer shot, the car is again a ragtop.

Quotes:

Sam: You know when I saw 'Bonanza' the other day, something occurred to me.
Ernest Tilley: Eh?
Sam: Ya got these four guys living on the Ponderosa and ya never hear them say anything about wanting to get laid.
Ernest Tilley: Huh.
Sam: I mean ya never hear Hoss say to Little Joe, "I had such a hard-on when I woke up this morning."
Ernest Tilley: No, no, no...
Sam: They don't talk about broads - nothing. Ya never hear Little Joe say, "Hey, Hoss, I went to Virginia City and I saw a girl with the greatest ass I've ever seen in my life." They just walk around the Ponderosa: "Yes, Pa, where's Little Joe?" Nothin' about broads...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Willie Nelson (#12.12)" (1987)

Soundtrack:

You Belong to Me

I know these guys

I grew up with characters like Dreyfus and DeVito, hustlers out there selling anything. Somewhere between 1963 and the time the film came out, they disappeared from our streets, only to move into six story office buildings that dot the suburbs of Northeastern cities. Now they spend their time on the phone, trying to interest prospects that new windows will surely cut their fuel bills.

I came to realize this great truth one day in 1988 when I went to rent a car and was told to come to Executive Plaza 5, Suite 414. As I walked the halls, all I could see in open offices were the Tin Men of 1963 at it again.

The movie crackles and sets off sparks. You don't know who to root for, and for good reason. This is not a buddy movie, but I suspect a remembrance by Levinson of people he knew growing up.