''The Flamingo Kid'' is a 1984 American

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

film directed by

Garry Marshall Garry Kent Marshall (November 13, 1934 – July 19, 2016) was an American filmmaker and actor. He started his career in the 1960s writing for ''The Lucy Show'' and ''The Dick Van Dyke Show'' before he developed Neil Simon's 1965 play ''The Odd Co ...

and produced by Michael Phillips. It stars

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

Richard Crenna Richard Donald Crenna (November 30, 1926 – January 17, 2003) was an American film, television and radio actor. Crenna starred in such motion pictures as ''The Sand Pebbles'', ''Wait Until Dark'', ''Un Flic'', ''Body Heat'', the first three ' ...

Héctor Elizondo Héctor Elizondo (born December 22, 1936) is an American character actor. He is known for playing Phillip Watters in the television series ''Chicago Hope'' (1994–2000) and Ed Alzate in the television series '' Last Man Standing'' (2011–2021) ...

and

Jessica Walter Jessica Walter (January 31, 1941 – March 24, 2021) was an American actress who appeared in over 170 film, stage and television productions. In film, she was best known for her role as a psychotic and obsessed fan of a local disc jockey in t ...

. The film tells the story of a

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

boy who takes a summer job at a

beach resort A seaside resort is a resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, suc ...

and learns valuable life lessons. It was the first film to receive a

PG-13 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...

rating, although it was the fifth to be released with that rating (after ''

Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance ...

'', '' The Woman in Red'', '' Dreamscape'' and ''

Dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...

''). Crenna received a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

nomination for his supporting role and

Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She came to prominence as a cast member on '' The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World'' in 1987. After having minor roles in a few films, she came to international attentio ...

made her big screen debut with a minor role in the film.

Plot

In the summer of 1963, Jeffrey Willis joins some friends for a day of gin rummy at ''El Flamingo Club'', a private beach resort. There, he meets the girl of his dreams Carla Sampson. After the gin game and being told of the club's strict policy regarding guests, Jeffrey is upset, but not for long, since he immediately lands a job as a car valet and eventually, cabana steward. Jeffrey is a kid from a middle class Brooklyn family and his father does not approve of him working at the private club. His hero and mentor at the resort is the reigning gin rummy card game champ, Phil Brody, a salesman of exotic sports and luxury cars. Jeffrey, a winning gin rummy player himself, and his friends admire Brody and how his wins at the Gin rummy table make him seem "psychic," knowing which cards to give up. Brody also takes a liking to Jeffrey, eventually showing him his car business, and gives him hopes that car sales are where he belongs as a career. Jeffrey gets further immersed in the "easy buck", as evidenced by Phil showing off his success, as opposed to Mr. Willis' manual labor, or the example of Phil's brother, who studied for years to become a lawyer but has had little financial return. During dinner, Jeffrey notably says he "will not be needing college" and plans to pursue being a car salesman instead. Jeffrey and his co-workers at the ''El Flamingo'' also venture to Yonkers Raceway together, risking cash on a horse tip but coming up short when the trotter breaks stride. Eventually, Jeffrey leaves home to pursue the sales job. However, Brody, angry that he disturbed him during a dance class, reveals to him that the job opening at the car dealership is for a stock boy, not as a salesman as Jeffrey had been led to believe was his when he asked for it. Brody lectures Jeffrey in a similar lesson that Mr. Willis had "You can't plant a tree and expect to hang a swing on it the next day", and recommends Jeffrey accept the stock boy job to prove himself and work his way up. Jeffrey becomes shocked at his mentor's actions and reconsiders college. Near summer's end, he observes that a regular onlooker, "Big Sid", is feeding signals to Brody, the true cause of his winning. When Big Sid and a member of the gin team playing against Brody's team are overcome by the heat, Jeffrey fills in, opposing Brody, and seeking to help win back the unfair profits Brody won from his friends over the course of the summer. Jeffrey and his team eventually win back what was unfairly lost, including a good profit besides. Impressed that he was defeated without cheating, Phil says they can "skip this stock boy nonsense" and offers him the salesman job, but Jeffrey declines. Realizing the mistakes he made in rejecting his father's good advice, Jeffrey makes up with his dad in a touching scene at Larry's Fish House ("Any Fish You Wish"), where his family is dining.

Cast

as Jeffrey Willis *

as Arthur Willis *

as Phil Brody *

as Phyllis Brody *

Janet Jones Janet may refer to: Names * Janet (given name) * Janet (French singer) (1939–2011) Surname * Charles Janet (1849–1932), French engineer, inventor and biologist, known for the Left Step periodic table * Jules Janet (1861–1945), French psych ...

as Carla Samson *

Brian McNamara Brian McNamara is an American actor. His first major role was in the film '' The Flamingo Kid'' (1984). He then went on to appear in a few films, such as ''Short Circuit'' (1986), ''Caddyshack II'' (1988), ''Arachnophobia'' (1990) and ''Mystery ...

as Steve Dawkins *

Fisher Stevens Fisher Stevens (born Steven Fisher; November 27, 1963) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben in ''Short Circuit'' and '' Short Circuit 2'', Chuck Fishman on the 1990s televi ...

as Hawk Ganz *

Leon Robinson Leon Preston Robinson (born March 8, 1962), usually credited as simply Leon, is an American actor who began his professional career as a film actor in the early 1980s. Robinson is best known for his roles as David Ruffin in the TV film ''The T ...

as Fortune Smith * Bronson Pinchot as Alfred Shultz *Molly McCarthy as Ruth Willis *

Martha Gehman Martha Gehman (born 1955) is an American actress and acting coach, perhaps best known for her role as Ophelia in the 1985 cult classic '' The Legend of Billie Jean''. She also had supporting roles in ''The Flamingo Kid'', '' F/X'', ''Threesome' ...

as Nikki Willis *

Carole Davis Carole Raphaelle Davis (born 17 February 1958) is an English actress, model, singer-songwriter, and writer. Career Acting In 1978, Davis posed for ''Playboy''. In 1980, she posed for '' Penthouse'' magazine under the name Tamara Kapitas, beco ...

as Joyce Brody *

Frank Campanella Frank Campanella (March 12, 1919 – December 30, 2006) was an American actor. He appeared in numerous television series, as well as a few films and Broadway productions. Early life and career Campanella was born in New York City, the son of P ...

as Colonel Cal Eastland *

Richard Stahl Richard Stahl (January 4, 1932 – June 18, 2006) was an American actor who mostly appeared in comic roles on television and in films. Early life Born in Detroit, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. In the 1950 ...

as Charlie Cooper *

Joe Grifasi Joseph G. Grifasi (born June 14, 1944) is an American character actor of film, stage and television. Grifasi was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Patricia (née Gaglione) and Joseph J. Grifasi, a skilled laborer. Grifasi graduated from Bi ...

as Mario Minetta *

Ron McLarty Ronald William McLarty (April 26, 1947 – February 8, 2020) was an American actor, playwright, and novelist. He also worked as an audiobook narrator, in which role he recorded over 100 titles and received many Audie Awards. McLarty appeare ...

as Pat McCarty *Seth Allen as Jerry Berlin * Adam Klugman as Lewis Madrone *Ray Roderick as Danny Walsh *

Steven Weber Steven Robert Weber (born March 4, 1961) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Brian Hackett on the television series ''Wings'' which aired from April 1990 to May 1997 on NBC, as Sam Blue in '' Once and Again'', and ...

as Paul Hirsch *Irving Metzman as Big Sid *Googy Gress as Freddy *

Eric Douglas Eric Anthony Douglas (June 21, 1958 – July 6, 2004) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. Douglas was the youngest son of actor Kirk Douglas and his second wife Anne Buydens. His half brother was actor and producer Michael Douglas. Dougl ...

as Donny *

as Mandy * Tracy Reiner as Polly *Kristina Kossi as Kristina *

Brad Kane Bradley Caleb Kane (born September 29, 1973) is an American actor, singer, producer and screenwriter. Career Kane began to act with a small role in the movie ''Six Weeks''. At the age of eight, he obtained the role of one of the four chorus bo ...

as Mitch * Steve Witting as Frank *

Novella Nelson Novella Christine Nelson (December 17, 1939 – August 31, 2017) was an American actress and singer. She established her career as a singer, both on the off-Broadway and Broadway stage and in cabaret-style locales. Career Starting in 1961, Nels ...

as Lizzy

Production

Cass Elliot, of

The Mamas & The Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

fame, told producer and friend Michael Phillips about Neil Marshall's script, which took over ten years to finally get made into a film.

Location

The principal location for the movie was the

Silver Gull Beach Club Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical co ...

in Breezy Point in New York City's

Rockaways The Rockaway Peninsula, commonly referred to as The Rockaways or Rockaway, is a peninsula at the southern edge of the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, New York. Relatively isolated from Manhattan and other more urban parts of ...

, inside the

Gateway National Recreation Area Gateway National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area in New York City and Monmouth County, New Jersey. It provides recreational opportunities that are not commonly found in a dense urban environment, including ocean swimming, bi ...

Reception

Box Office

The movie grossed a total of $31,684,321 worldwide.

Critical reception

, the movie held an 85% at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 20 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack to the film was released by

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

. #

Jesse Frederick Jesse Frederick James Conaway (born June 25, 1948) is an American film and television composer and singer. He wrote and performed the themes to TGIF television shows such as '' Perfect Strangers'', ''Full House'', ''Family Matters'', and '' St ...

– "Breakaway" # Martha and the Vandellas – "

(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave "Heat Wave" is a 1963 song written by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team. It was first made popular by the Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas. Released as a 45 rpm single on July 9, 1963, on the Motown subsidiary Gordy lab ...

" #

The Chiffons :''The Chiffons also briefly recorded under the name The Four Pennies; for the British band of the latter name see The Four Pennies.'' The Chiffons are an American girl group originating from the Bronx, a borough of New York City, in 1960. Hist ...

– "

He's So Fine "He's So Fine" is a song written by Ronnie Mack. It was recorded by The Chiffons who topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for four weeks in the spring of 1963. One of the most instantly recognizable golden oldies with its ''doo-lang doo-lang doo-la ...

" #

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

– " Stranger on the Shore" # Dion – "

Runaround Sue "Runaround Sue" is a rock and roll song (in a modified doo-wop style), originally a US No. 1 Hot 100 hit (No. 4 on the Hot R&B chart) for the singer Dion during 1961, after he split with the Belmonts. It was written by Dion with Ernie Mares ...

" #

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

– "

Good Golly, Miss Molly "Good Golly, Miss Molly" is a hit rock 'n' roll song first recorded in 1956 by the American musician Little Richard and released in January 1958 as Specialty single 624 and next in July 1958 on '' Little Richard''. The song, a jump blues, was ...

" #

Barrett Strong Barrett Strong (born February 5, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter. Strong was the first artist to record a hit for Motown, although he is best known for his work as a songwriter, particularly in association with producer Norman Whitfi ...

– "

Money (That's What I Want) "Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, ...

" #

The Impressions The Impressions were an American music group originally formed in 1958. Their repertoire includes gospel, doo-wop, R&B, and soul. The group was founded as the Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks and Arthur Bro ...

– " It's All Right" #

Hank Ballard Hank Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks; November 18, 1927 – March 2, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter, the lead vocalist of The Midnighters and one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the early 1950s. He played an inte ...

The Midnighters The Midnighters were an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan. They were an influential group in the 1950s and early 1960s, with many R&B hit records. They were also notable for launching the career of lead singer Hank Ballard and the wo ...

– "

Finger Poppin' Time "Finger Poppin' Time" is a song written by Hank Ballard and performed by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters. It reached #2 on the U.S. R&B chart and #7 on the U.S. pop chart in 1960. It was featured on their 1960 album ''Mr. Rhythm and Blues''. B ...

" #

– " One Fine Day" #

The Silhouettes The Silhouettes were an American doo wop/ R&B group, whose single " Get a Job" was a number 1 hit on the '' Billboard'' R&B singles chart and pop singles chart in 1958. The doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na derived their name from the song's ly ...

– " Get a Job" #

Maureen Steele Maureen Sandstrom Steele (born July 22, 1958) is an American singer and songwriter. After signing a recording contract with Motown, and notably becoming one of the very few white artists that were signed to the label at that time, Steele offici ...

– "Boys Will Be Boys"

Stage musical

A stage musical based on ''The Flamingo Kid'' is currently in development for a future Broadway production. The musical features a book and lyrics by Tony Award winner

Robert L. Freedman Robert L. Freedman (born July 27, 1957) is an American screenwriter and dramatist. He is best known for his teleplays for '' Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella'' (1997) and '' Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows'' (2001), and for his Tony ...

, music by Tony Award nominee

Scott Frankel Scott David Frankel (born May 6, 1963) is an American composer. Career Early life Frankel began his music education taking piano lessons with Betty Belkin in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Hawken School (‘81) and graduated ...

, and direction by Tony Award winner

Darko Tresnjak Darko Tresnjak ( sr-cyr, Дарко Трешњак, Darko Trešnjak) is a director of plays, musicals, and opera, and winner of several awards, including the Tony Award. He was the artistic director of the Hartford Stage in Connecticut, United St ...

. Following in the footsteps of Tresnjak and Freedman's Tony Award-winning '' A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Flamingo Kid'' premiered at

Hartford Stage Hartford Stage is an American 501(c)(3) non-profit regional theatre company located on Church Street in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Since its founding in 1963, Hartford Stage has won the Regional Theatre Tony Award (1989) and many Connectic ...

in Hartford, CT from May 9-June 15, 2019. The cast included Jimmy Brewer as Jeffrey,

Samantha Massell Samantha Massell (born January 15, 1990) is a New York-based American actress and singer notable for playing Hodel in the 2015 Broadway revival of '' Fiddler on the Roof''. She has received positive reviews of her singing and acting performance. ...

as Karla, Adam Heller as Arthur,

Marc Kudisch Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway. Early life and education Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fami ...

as Phil Brody,

Lesli Margherita Lesli Margherita is an American stage and screen actress. She is best known for originating the roles of Inez in the musical ''Zorro,'' for which she won a Laurence Olivier Award, and Mrs. Wormwood in the Broadway cast of '' Matilda the Musical'' ...

as Phyllis Brody,

Liz Larsen Liz Larsen (born January 16, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Jessica Reed on ''Law & Order''. Larsen received a Tony Award nomination for ''The Most Happy Fella'' revival (1992) and has ...

as Ruth, Lindsey Brett Carothers as Joyce, Ben Fankhauser as Steve, and Alex Wyse as Hawk. The creative team also included Denis Jones (choreographer), Bruce Coughlin (orchestrations), Alexander Dodge (scenic design), Linda Cho (costume design), Philip Rosenberg (lighting design), and

Peter Hylenski Peter Hylenski (born 1975 or 1976) is an American stage sound designer. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Sound Design eight times, holding the record for most nominations in the category, and has won once, at the 74th Tony Awar ...

(sound design).

Remake

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, with ...

'' announced in September 2012 that

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...

was developing a remake of ''The Flamingo Kid''.

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, ''The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several films ...

and Michael Phillips were to act as producers on the film, while music video director Nzingha Stewart was working on the script. Then in 2015, it was reported that ABC Studios was contemplating a half-hour TV comedy series based on ''The Flamingo Kid'', but nothing came of that either.

References

External links

* at MGM.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Flamingo Kid, The 1984 films 1984 romantic comedy films 1980s teen comedy films 1980s teen romance films 20th Century Fox films ABC Motion Pictures films American romantic comedy films American teen comedy films American teen romance films Films directed by Garry Marshall Films produced by Michael Phillips (producer) Films set in 1963 Films set in Long Island Films set in Manhattan Films with screenplays by Bo Goldman 1980s English-language films 1980s American films