''Swing Shift'' is a 1984 American romantic-drama directed by

Jonathan Demme Robert Jonathan Demme ( ; February 22, 1944 – April 26, 2017) was an American filmmaker. Beginning his career under B-movie producer Roger Corman, Demme made his directorial debut with the 1974 women-in-prison film ''Caged Heat'', before ...

and produced by and starring

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

with

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the Westerns on television, western series ''The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters (TV series), The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (19 ...

. It also features

Christine Lahti Christine Ann Lahti (born April 4, 1950) is an American actress and filmmaker. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1984 film '' Swing Shift''. Her other film roles include '' ...And Justice for All'' (19 ...

Fred Ward Freddie Joe Ward (December 30, 1942 – May 8, 2022) was an American actor and producer. Starting with a role in an Italian television movie in 1973, he appeared in such diverse films as '' Escape from Alcatraz'', ''Southern Comfort'', '' The R ...

Ed Harris Edward Allen Harris (born November 28, 1950) is an American actor and filmmaker. His performances in ''Apollo 13'' (1995), ''The Truman Show'' (1998), ''Pollock'' (2000), and '' The Hours'' (2002) earned him critical acclaim and Academy Award n ...

, and

Holly Hunter Holly Patricia Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film ''The Piano'', Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for ...

, in one of her earlier movie roles. The film was a

box office bomb A box-office bomb, or box-office disaster, is a film that is unprofitable or considered highly unsuccessful during its theatrical run. Although any film for which the production, marketing, and distribution costs combined exceed the revenue after ...

, grossing just $6.6 million against its $15 million budget. Christine Lahti earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Plot

During World War II, Kay Walsh signs up to work in an armaments factory in California while her husband Jack, a U.S. Naval seaman, is overseas in naval service. Lonely and vulnerable, Kay falls for the charms of another man, a musician named Lucky, and befriends her experienced, skeptical neighbor Hazel, a former singer. The three of them enjoy their time together until Kay's husband comes home and realizes what has occurred.

Cast

as Kay Walsh *

as Lucky Lockhart *

as Hazel Zanussi *

as Jack Walsh *

as Biscuits Toohey *

Belita Moreno Aurabela "Belita" Moreno (born November 1, 1949) is an American actress best known for her roles as Benita "Benny" Lopez on the ABC sitcom '' George Lopez'' and Edwina Twinkacetti and Lydia Markham on '' Perfect Strangers''. Early life Aurabela ...

as Mabel Stoddard *

as Jeannie *

Sudie Bond Sudie Bond (July 13, 1923 – November 10, 1984) was an American actress on film, stage, and television. Early years Bond was one of four children of J. Roy Bond, an industrialist, and Carrie Bond. She grew up in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and was ...

as Annie *

Patty Maloney Patricia Anne Maloney (born March 17, 1936) is an American actress. Early life She was born in Perkinsville, New York. She stands and weighs . Career Maloney is best known as Honk from ''Far Out Space Nuts'', as Lumpy from the ''Star Wars ...

as Laverne * Susan Peretz as Edith *

Lisa Pelikan Lisa Pelikan is an American stage, film, and television actress. Born in Berkeley, California, Pelikan studied drama at the Juilliard School on a full scholarship. She subsequently made her Broadway debut in a 1977 production of ''Romeo and Juli ...

as Violet * Phillip Christon as Egyptian Recruit * Charles Napier as Moon Willis *

Alana Stewart Alana Hamilton Stewart (; born May 18, 1945) is an American actress and former model. She has also used her maiden name, Alana Collins, and her names from her first marriage, Alana Collins-Hamilton and Alana Hamilton, professionally. Early life ...

as Frankie Parker

Production

''Swing Shift'' has become a case study in star/producer/director conflict. Over Demme's objections, an additional 30 minutes' worth of new scenes were written and shot to emphasize Hawn's onscreen love triangle, pushing back the intended release date from Christmas 1983 and inflating the budget. There were reports that the reshoots were ordered because Christine Lahti was upstaging Hawn, but Hawn maintained that she and her producing partner

Anthea Sylbert Anthea Sylbert (born October 6, 1939) is an American film producer and costume designer, who was active during the "modern era" of American film. She was nominated twice for Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, first at the 47th Academy Awards ...

were "just trying to get the movie to work." Demme had the phrase "A Jonathan Demme Film" removed from the credits and promotional materials, and screenwriter Nancy Dowd requested to be credited under the pseudonym "Rob Morton."

Reception

Critical response

''Swing Shift'' holds a rating of 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 15 reviews. Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film three stars out of four and wrote "There's no suspense and no big emotional payoff, but the movie is always absorbing." Gene Siskel of the ''Chicago Tribune'' awarded two-and-a-half stars out of four and wrote "Although the World War II drama does manage to work up considerable emotion for a few big moments, we also find the script wanting at as many moments. One more run through the typewriter would have helped."

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of ''The New York Times'' wrote "Despite what seem to have been certain differences of opinion in the course of the production, 'Swing Shift' plays very smoothly. No one need be ashamed." Gary Arnold of ''The Washington Post'' wrote "Its elaborate and meticulously re-created period settings and moods prove far more interesting and diverting than the undernourished characterizations and love stories that flutter and sputter across the foregrounds." ''Variety'' found that the characters "were not people worth fighting a war for" and remarked that while " eat drama, to be sure, does not depend on likeable characters...the writing and acting are too flat for the challenge." Sheila Benson of the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated "Weak, flat, mystifyingly inconsistent, the present version is understandably disownable."

Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...

of ''The New Yorker'' wrote "There are no high spots, no exciting moments. The picture just goes popping from one recessive, undeveloped scene to the next." Steve Jenkins of ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin ''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...

'' wrote "Given the pseudonymous script credit, covering the contributions of three writers, and the serious disputes between Jonathan Demme and Goldie Hawn during production, it is perhaps not surprising that ''Swing Shift'' should emerge as a disappointingly bland, muddled and inconclusive affair." Steve Vineberg of ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' called Jonathan Demme's original cut "extraordinary – one of the best movies made by an American in the 80s." He described the story of the film as "a Hollywood tragedy. It echoes what

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

did to

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

' ''

The Magnificent Ambersons ''The Magnificent Ambersons'' is a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington, the second in his ''Growth'' trilogy after ''The Turmoil'' (1915) and before ''The Midlander'' (1923, retitled ''National Avenue'' in 1927). It won the Pulitzer Prize for fict ...

.''"

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * * {{Jonathan Demme 1984 films 1980s romantic comedy-drama films American romantic comedy-drama films Films scored by Patrick Williams Films directed by Jonathan Demme Films set in the 1940s Films set on the home front during World War II Films shot in California Films with screenplays by Bo Goldman 1984 comedy films 1984 drama films Films set in California 1980s English-language films 1980s American films