Davidson was offered the job of directing a sequel to the film, but he was not keen on the idea and wanted no participation. Three weeks later, the studio pulled Eddie. It wasnt until 1984 that Eddie found success in heavy rotation on HBO and home video. Yet when we see them at the college later in the film, no camera or film crews are in sight anywhere in the auditorium. Frank and Joann go back to the Palace of Depression to retrieve the master tapes. ", The film release was bungled. Tell us what's wrong with this post? , I watched it maybe a year and a half ago, Berenger says. [2] The article highlighted the 35th anniversary of the film and details how life changed for the people involved. Wilson and Laurance say theyve got no reservations. You know, 50 Shades of Grey didnt come out for 30 years, he says. Davidson met the band and realized that they closely resembled the band as described in the script, right down to a Cape Verdean saxophone player, whom he cast in the film. A homeless drifter built it out of junk, sand and clay, then charged admission for visitors. Michael Par was discovered in a New York City restaurant working as a chef. I battered him to the point Ive never battered an actor in my life. "[21], Gary Arnold for The Washington Post wrote, "At any rate, it seemed to me that what Eddie and the Cruisers aspired to do was certainly worth doing. I had a line when I say, Were not great, were just some guys from New Jersey. Ill be walking down Fifth Avenue and someone will yell at me, Sal, Im from New Jersey., Early on, director Martin Davidson had been struggling to raise money to adapt Kluges book. This post is not to review or rate "Eddie", but to explain the background of the plot for other posters who seem confused on this. Author P.F. Hes taking it seriously.. The sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! I don't know. What is the French language plot outline for Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)? So the anachronisms are a greater mystery than that of Eddie's disappearance. "It changed my life as a kid. A television documentary is soon in the works, exploring the mystery of the band's second album, which had disappeared from the vaults of Satin Records the day after Eddie's disappearance. Anyone can read what you share. ''Eddie and the Cruisers,'' which opens today at the Loews State and other theaters, attempts to enliven the rock-history formula by adding new elements of pretension and mystery. A scrappy, feather-haired TV reporter played by Barkin works the story. And what about the secret tapes? Eddie wants to be great, but bassist Sal replies, "We ain't great. Very haunting and super nostalgic. Filming & Production The VCR turned movies into songs, into hit songs, says author Sherman Alexie, a huge fan of the book and film. [11] Initially, Cafferty was only hired to write a few songs for the film, but he did such a good job of capturing the feeling of the 1960s and 1980s that Davidson asked him to score the entire film. The sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! [5] He showed Davidson his scrapbook, the places the band performed, the car they drove, and how they transported their instruments. Some of the details ring uncannily true, like the slick ''oldies'' nightclub act that one of the Cruisers is still doing nearly 20 years after Eddie's supposed death. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. He said of his role in the film that it was "a thrill I've never experienced. Videocassette recorders, in just 1 percent of American homes in 1980, were in 20percent by 1985. Those moments are sometimes more meaningful without a bunch of dialogue. [5] Tom Berenger has said that he did not try to learn piano for the film but did practice keyboards for hours in his trailer. Eddie II also bombed. I said, Marty, you bag him, were all going, Wilson remembers. An odd thing happened. I like a big boss. Thanks to pianohandsam for her tutorial, which helped me learn this. Kluge's novel with his own money and at great financial risk. I am crazy enough that I probably would, he says. Im remembering this group I had seen about a year before in Greenwich Village, Vance says. However, she did praise Par's performance: "Mr. Par makes a fine debut; he captures the manner of a hot-blooded young rocker with great conviction, and his lip-synching is almost perfect. The radio station used wasnt realistic in its range. Rewind the locations where they filmed the 1983 Drama movie starring Kluge Stars Tom Berenger Michael Par Joe Pantoliano The conversation was one-sided, with Eddie doing all the talking. The film bombed at the box office, grossing less than $4 million during a short run in 1983. Unlike the other Cruisers, who include Matthew Laurance and Joe Pantoliano, he isn't forced to shift frequently from 1963 to the present and back again; as a result, they all seem old for the early scenes and not old enough for today. I think people were all fucked up on drugs. Running time: 94 minutes. "[9], According to Davidson, when he completed the film, three different studios wanted to distribute it, and he went with Embassy Pictures because they offered him the most money. Other aspects of the film are inexplicably wrong. But is Eddie dead? Do You Believe The Theory That Arthur Fleck Wasnt The Real Joker? Davidson made a deal with Time-Life, a company that was going into the movie-making business. Ive now had these amazing experiences of people talking about that movie even now. It wasn't a script I liked, but I remember my agent at the time saying, "Look, you only have to work two weeks, and they're going to pay you a lot of money. Ellen Barkin, as the reporter, has the film's most awkwardly written role. | Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. A scrappy, feather-haired TV reporter played by Barkin works the story. I love Eddie and the Cruisers and plus I love the music in this film. For a few moments, you feel like a king, a god. There is only one problem, Davidson says. The band is left to break up and go their own way. Joann is a stage choreographer in Wildwood, New Jersey, and Hopkins works in a casino in Atlantic City. He remembered, "That was in my head: the search."[5]. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 7. Director Martin Davidson Writers Martin Davidson Arlene Davidson P.F. web pages Eddie's music sounds good, but it also sounds a lot like Bruce Springsteen's, and it would not have been the rage in 1963." [19], Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars. But Eddie and I, we had a deal, we never talked about the future. He was really worried because, you know, if Eddie Wilson didnt work, he didnt have a movie. At one point, the Cruisers got word that Pars spot was in jeopardy. One of the characters states that they became a teacher at Vineland high school. Kluge's novel is also available, a book that Eddie enthusiast Kirk Curnutt, an English professor at Troy University in Alabama, still believes is superior. The band gets its start at a club in Somers Point, New Jersey named Tony Mart's. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Sesame Street Takes on Game of Thrones and Westworld in Awesome New Videos, Everything We Know about Marvels The Eternals Movie So Far, Everything We Know about The Alienist Season 3, Quentin Tarantino Is Now Bashing the MCU. They held a movie-band meeting and sent David Wilson, playing drummer Kenny Hopkins, to talk to Davidson. Eddie and the Cruisers II Eddie Lives. Flashbacks dramatize Eddie's life and the rise and fall of his rock and roll band, Eddie and the Cruisers. If you f--- up tomorrow, youre fired, Par remembers being told early on. As directed by Martin Davidson, who directed ''Hero at Large'' and who is also co-author of this script with Arlene Davidson, ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is vivid, full of conviction and more than a little foolish at times. Was Two-Face Treated Properly In The Dark Knight? "[7] Davidson recalls, "One by one, kids began standing up in their seats, screaming and raising their hands in rhythmic applause. When their second album bombed Eddie suddenly disappeared. Man o man, I wanna thank whomever uploaded this movie. They weren't play-acting anymore. The film didnt really take off until it hit cable and then people loved it. ", Where: "Eddie and the Cruisers" can be seen on streaming services or on DVD. Kluge, the books author, loves the idea of the scene. Eddie read enough of Rimbaud to make an album called ''Season in Hell,'' and his friends wonder if he didn't, like the poet, willfully vanish. Do that. If you take it too seriously. [14][15] Another single from the film, "Tender Years," peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It wasnt in the screenplay, it wasnt in my imagination. INTERVIEW: Michael Par talks with TV STORE ONLINE about the cult classic STREETS OF FIRE", "Eddie and the Cruisers 35th Anniversary", "Ellen Barkin on great directors and her favorite roles, from Diner to Buckaroo Banzai", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 10/27/84", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 11/3/84", "Casey Kasem's American Top 40 1/12/85", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_and_the_Cruisers&oldid=1148799347, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 April 2023, at 12:01. The film bombed at the box office, grossing less than $4 million during a short run in 1983. When their second album bombed Eddie suddenly disappeared when his car went sailing through a guard rail to crash over a causeway. Eddie makes it clear that if the band cannot be great, there is no reason to ever play music again. I put him through hell, he says. Im looking at it. To the point it was almost too unkind. How did it become a beloved cult film? And Eddie and the Cruisers, which was about music anyway, really became some version of a really great song., It came onto HBO, and I remember hearing immediately about sales of the album, says Matthew Laurance, who played band member Sal Amato. He talked to George Thorogood and the J. Geils Band before finding Kenny Vance, who then found Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. It's the 1980s, and Eddie and the Cruisers are back on the charts, two decades after the singer's tragic car crash. We certainly hadn't told them to do that. Eventually it became a cult classic when it was aired on cable. "[6], Davidson had the actors who played in Eddie's band rehearse as if they were getting ready for a real concert. It was just one of those situations in which he didnt have to say anything, he just had to be there. Initially, Davidson said that the Cruisers sounded like Dion and the Belmonts, but when they meet Frank, they have elements of Jim Morrison and The Doors. Vineland is currently trying to rebuild the Palace of Depression. It was just so unfair. A mystery man driving a blue 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible identical to Eddie's arrives at the house and calls to Joann. Cruisers Do it like I'm doing Let's rock and roll. He had decent roles in Streets of Fire and The Philadelphia Experiment in 1984, but by 1989, he admits, his desperation to get back into film led to his agreeing to star in the ill-conceived Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! In that film, which Davidson, Barkin and Berenger stayed away from, Eddie is living in Canada as a construction worker named Joe West. It should be an unknown. People want to believe it really existed. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. "Tom Cody, Pleased To Meet Ya! I was at this very college Im teaching at now when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, he says. It's a really weird high. And if you see me onstage with her, its not like Sonny and Cher.. The role of Eddie almost went to someone else. We'll just say it was your first movie and they just didn't release it." Davidson, the director, didnt coddle him. In the early morning hours, Eddie's car crashes through the railing and over the Stainton Memorial Causeway. Eddie and the Cruisers didnt actually play the songs, they were played by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. As of October 2018, the film holds a rating of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 16 reviews. Tom is out of his f---ing mind., The 1989 sequel annoyed everyone involved in the original. There are no fraternity or sorority houses at Haverford college so they had to improvise a bit. It would have to be an incredible script. It was built by a drifter out of trash, sand, and clay. director of photography Film Editing by Priscilla Nedd-Friendly . ''Eddie and the Cruisers'' is rated PG (''Parental Guidance Suggested''). That sparked the soundtrack, recorded. Spot-on perfect, she said. Martin Davidson has said that the inspiration for the film came from a desire to "get all my feelings about the music of the last 30 years of rock music into it. The Palace of Depression was a real place in Vineland, New Jersey. "The original novel," he says, "had this great whodunit element that really propels the plot. Maggie is seen watching old tape of Eddie and the band sing "On the Dark Side", at Frank's college. The building used is a school for the mentally challenged and existed as such for a while. [16], Eddie and the Cruisers was originally intended to open during the summer, but a scheduling error resulted in a September release, when its target audience - teenagers - were back in school. And you and I just met. , Nedd-Friendly, the editor, recently watched Eddie again and was reminded of Pars performance. It also created a cult following for the film. I said to John, Without these two songs, you can go home. He said, No, these are my songs. the music. It would go on to make $4.7 million in North America. | "[22], In 1984, Eddie and the Cruisers was discovered by additional audiences during its first pay cable run on HBO. [23] Looking back, Davidson said, "that picture should have been a theatrical success. 2023 JustWatch - All external content remains the property of the rightful owner. A few girls made a dash for the stage, tearing at Michael's shirt. The behind-the-scenes drama - the wild ambition, the wheeling and dealing, the image making - convey such different sentiments from the music's explosive, euphoric feeling that there's bound to be . The film bombed at the box office, grossing less than $4 million during a short run in 1983. We try to add new providers constantly but we couldn't find an offer for "Eddie and the Cruisers" online. In the fall of 1984, the single "On the Dark Side" from the soundtrack album suddenly climbed the charts, as the film was rediscovered on cable television and home video, prompting the studio to briefly re-release the album. Eddie and the Cruisers was not well received by critics. Essential reporting from around the world. In addition, the music producer/supervisor for the film, Kenny Vance, appears on screen as Lew Eisen, the 1964 record company executive who refuses to accept the band's second album. My favorite scene is where Ellen Barkin is talking to Tom Berenger, trying to do the reporter thing, and he says, I knew him a long time. How would you rate this article? [6] Matthew Laurance actually learned how to play the bass through rehearsals. honorable & thoroughly entertaining film, with a final scene that still has the . Then, as the music heated up, so did the audience. "Eddie and the Cruisers" isn't a lost masterpiece, but it's a solid, thoughtful, enjoyable film about one of the great driving narratives of Western culture: The Artist Ahead Of His (or Her) Time, doomed to be ignored during life, then rediscovered after death. If you know of a good link for Eddie & The Cruisers locations, please let us know. The White Lotus Season 3 Cast: Who Could Return. Joann Carlino: [narrating] There were so many things I wanted to say to him, so many questions I wanted to ask. "[3] He optioned P.F. The person that wanted the role, Rick Springfield, wasnt believed to have the right look or the capability of playing Eddie Wilson. The others are now living ordinary lives: Sal Amato fronts a Cruisers tribute band. No body is found and to make matters worse the master tapes to the second album mysteriously disappear shortly after. LX is our radical new locations feature that we've been beavering away on.. For years!Each location will have it's own page with then/now pictures, maps, StreetView, discovery story and the most detailed explanations on how the location was used. For example, during a concert at Benton College, where Frank was once a student, Eddie ridicules Frank repeatedly by referring to him as "Toby Tyler" after seeing him and Joann kissing before the concert. In a relatively short time, a deal was struck with Aurora and Davidson was given a $6 million budget. It's about Eddie (Michael Pare), a New Jersey rocker who hit the big time in 1963 and then drove off a bridge. Instead of coming out as originally scheduled during the summer of 83, Eddie got a late September release when kids were back in school. We thought the present was so fine, why ruin it by planning ahead? Vance asked Davidson to describe his fictitious band and their music. Marty and I were not friends. He was working as a chef in New York. Par thought playing Eddie Wilson again could spark his own comeback. A new building now stands there. However, they had no prior experience in distribution and were unable to properly release it in theaters. Man o man, I wanna thank whomever uploaded this movie. :), There are certain movies out there that hit harder and carry more of an emotional, In many cases, actors have to go through several small roles before they finally get, Starting a new career path can be very intimidating. In order to get a credible looking and sounding band for the film, Davidson hired Kenny Vance, one of the original members of Jay and the Americans. Synopsis. (as Priscilla Nedd) Casting By This is done through the character of Frank Ridgeway (Tom Berenger), nicknamed Wordman, who joined the Cruisers as a foil to the visceral, hard-rocking Eddie. It cant be Rick Springfield and the Cruisers. Enter Kenny Vance, formerly of Jay and the Americans and the music supervisor for American Hot Wax and Animal House. Vance read a copy of the script. Kenny and Sal are making fun of it, making fun of his English bull----, rock-and-roll. A television newswoman picks up the story of a 1960s rock band whose long-lost leader Eddie Wilson may still be alive, while searching for the missing tapes of the band's never-released album. Eddie and the Cruisers II Eddie Lives is Iconic. And what about the secret tapes? | By The 80s Ruled | Facebook | So, what's not bad? A lot of the actual high school students were used as extras in the movie and the high school was used for several shots as well. Not adept at writing lyrics, Eddie hires Frank Ridgeway aka "Wordman" to be the band's keyboard player and lyricist, over the protests of band manager Doc Robbins and bassist Sal Amato. I always thought that stuff was brilliant., How a box-office bomb sells 3 million albums, Kluge set his book in the doo-wop era, but Davidson imagined melding Dion, Jim Morrison and Bruce Springsteen. 10 Things You Didnt Know about Eddie and the Cruisers, Remembering Eddie Mekka: Actor Died at 69, 10 Things You Didn't Know about Eddie Jackson, 10 Things You Didnt Know about Hacksaw Ridge, 80s Cult Classic Slumber Party Massacre is Getting a Remake on Syfy. The backlash followed. In 1984, "Eddie and the Cruisers" was released on VHS videocassette, CED and Laser videodisc by Embassy Home Entertainment. On the Dark Side was a very dirty, sexy song to me. But is Eddie dead? "It was haunting and it was about two things," he says. However, it quickly left the business after making two films that were not financially successful. Eddie and the Cruisers is not available for streaming. Par talks about On the Dark Side and his performance with Helen Schneider, who played his girlfriend, Joann Carlino. That sparked the soundtrack, recorded by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, to become an unadulterated smash, rising into the Top 10.

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