Making the Grade (1984 film)

Last updated
Making the Grade
Makingthegrade.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDorian Walker
Written byCharles Gale
Gene Quintano
Produced byGene Quintano
Starring
Cinematography Jacques Haitkin
Edited byDaniel Wetherbee
Music by Basil Poledouris
Distributed by Cannon Film Distributors
(United Kingdom and International) MGM/UA Entertainment Co. (United States)
Release date
  • May 18, 1984 (1984-05-18)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,561,346 [1]

Making the Grade is a 1984 American teen comedy film. [2] It was directed by Dorian Walker and written by Charles Gale and Gene Quintano. It was filmed at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. [3] It marks the debut of actor turned television producer Dan Schneider. [4]

Contents

Plot

Palmer Woodrow (Dana Olsen) is a rich prep school kid who rarely attends class and has been expelled from numerous prep schools. His parents are traveling internationally and inform him that he has been enrolled at Hoover Academy and he has one last chance to graduate or he will be cut off financially. Meanwhile, Eddie Keaton (Judd Nelson) is a small-time con artist and high school dropout who has run afoul of a local loanshark named "Dice" (Andrew Dice Clay). Via a chance meeting, Woodrow hires Keaton for $10,000 and a Porsche to attend his prep school and graduate, freeing Woodrow to travel to Europe for skiing. [5]

Cast

ActorRole
Judd Nelson Eddie Keaton
Jonna Lee Tracey Hoover
Gordon Jump Mr. Harriman
Walter Olkewicz Coach Wordman
Ronald Lacey Nicky
Dana Olsen Palmer Woodrow
John Dye Skip
Carey Scott Rand
Scott McGinnisBif
Andrew Dice Clay Dice
Dan Schneider Blimp

Production

The film began production under the working title of The Last American Preppie, but Chuck Vincent, who produced and directed the film Preppies ,filed a complaint with the MPAA over the use of the words "preppie" and "preppy" [6] The MPAA sided with Vincent and noted Preppies had been registered with the MPAA over a year before Cannon registered the titles The Last American Preppy and The Unofficial Preppy Movie prompting MGM/UA to change the name. [6] The company created a shortlist of 200 alternate titles liking none of them and decided to turn the situation into a contest wherein test screenings for the film now under the title of Name This Movie would be shown in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with audience members able to participate in a contest wherein they would suggest names for the film. [6]

This film marks the first appearance of Andrew Clay's "Dice" persona. [6]

Over 1,000 entries were received in the contest with the winning title, Making the Grade, suggested by then eighteen-year-old University of Central Florida student David Thollander. [6] Ironically, Making the Grade had been on the shortlist of rejected alternate titles prior to the contest. [6]

At the start of the film's final credits, the characters Palmer and Eddie are touted as returning in the upcoming movie, Tourista. [7] However, after low theatrical interest in the duo and repeated missed deadlines (of which Olsen tried to contribute as a writer), the script for Tourista was never completed. The pair never teamed up in filmmaking again.

Reception

In his review for The New York Times, Vincent Canby wrote "The humor, some of it looking and sounding as if it had been lifted from The Official Preppy Handbook, is wan, and the direction, by Dorian Walker, without character of any sort. I left after watching approximately an hour of it.". [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Film</i> (film) 1965 U.S. film written by Samuel Beckett

Film is a 1965 short film written by Samuel Beckett, his only screenplay. It was commissioned by Barney Rosset of Grove Press. Writing began on 5 April 1963 with a first draft completed within four days. A second draft was produced by 22 May and a 40-leaf shooting script followed thereafter. It was filmed in New York City in July 1964. Beckett and Alan Schneider originally wanted Charlie Chaplin, Zero Mostel and Jack MacGowran, however they eventually did not get involved. Beckett then suggested Buster Keaton. James Karen, who was to have a small part in the film, also supported having Keaton. The filmed version differs from Beckett's original script but with his approval since he was on set all the time, this being his only visit to the United States, as stated in the script printed in Collected Shorter Plays of Samuel Beckett.

<i>The Color of Money</i> 1986 drama film by Martin Scorsese

The Color of Money is a 1986 American sports drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is the sequel to the 1961 film, The Hustler. Like the previous film, The Color of Money is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward F. Cline</span> American actor and director

Edward Francis Cline was an American screenwriter, actor, writer and director best known for his work with comedians W.C. Fields and Buster Keaton. He was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin and died in Hollywood, California.

<i>Sleeper</i> (1973 film) 1973 futuristic science fiction comedy film directed by Woody Allen

Sleeper is a 1973 American science fiction comedy film directed by and starring Woody Allen, who co-wrote it with Marshall Brickman. Parodying a dystopic future of the United States in 2173, the film involves the misadventures of the owner of a health food store who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 and defrosted 200 years later in an ineptly led police state. Contemporary politics and pop culture are satirized throughout the film, which includes tributes to the classic comedy of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin. Many elements of notable works of science fiction are also paid tribute to, or parodied.

Robert Emmet Chambers Jr. is an American criminal and convicted killer. He was dubbed the Preppy Killer and the Central Park Strangler by the media after the August 26, 1986, strangulation death of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin in New York City's Central Park, for which he was originally charged with second degree murder. Chambers changed his story several times during the course of the ensuing investigation, ultimately claiming that Levin's death was the accidental result of him pushing her off of him when she caused him pain as she sexually assaulted him, an account that was characterized by media accounts as one of "rough sex". Chambers later pleaded guilty to manslaughter after a jury failed to reach a verdict after nine days of deliberation.

<i>Love and Death</i> 1975 comedy film directed by Woody Allen

Love and Death is a 1975 American comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen. It is a satire on Russian literature starring Allen and Diane Keaton as Boris and Sonja, Russians living during the Napoleonic Era who engage in mock-serious philosophical debates. Allen considered it the funniest film he had made up until that point.

<i>Trouble Man</i> (film) 1972 film by Ivan Dixon

Trouble Man is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime thriller film directed by Ivan Dixon and produced and released by 20th Century Fox. The film stars Robert Hooks as "Mr. T.", a hard-edged private detective who tends to take justice into his own hands. It is still of note today for its soundtrack, written, produced and performed by Marvin Gaye.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Canby</span> American film and theatre critic (1924–2000)

Vincent Canby 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 2000. He reviewed more than one thousand films during his tenure there.

Dana Olsen is an American actor, film producer and screenwriter. He is the co-creator of the comedy television series Henry Danger alongside Dan Schneider. His written works include George of the Jungle, The 'Burbs and Inspector Gadget.

<i>Stay Hungry</i> 1976 American comedy-drama film directed by Bob Rafelson

Stay Hungry is a 1976 American comedy-drama film by director Bob Rafelson from a screenplay by Charles Gaines.

<i>Gung Ho</i> (film) 1986 film by Ron Howard

Gung Ho is a 1986 American comedy film directed by Ron Howard and starring Michael Keaton. The story portrayed the takeover of an American car plant by a Japanese corporation.

<i>Night Patrol</i> 1984 film by Jackie Kong

Night Patrol is a 1984 American comedy film starring Linda Blair, Pat Paulsen, Andrew Dice Clay, Billy Barty, and Murray Langston. The actor Murray Langston, who portrayed Melvin White, acted as his usual stage persona The Unknown Comic within the film. Blair received a Razzie Award for Worst Actress in 1985. Reception of the film was generally negative.

<i>Mrs. Soffel</i> 1984 film by Gillian Armstrong

Mrs. Soffel is a 1984 American drama film directed by Gillian Armstrong, starring Diane Keaton and Mel Gibson and based on the story of condemned brothers Jack and Ed Biddle, who escaped prison with the aid of Kate Soffel, the warden's wife.

<i>Hook, Line & Sinker</i> (1969 film) 1969 film by George Marshall

Hook, Line & Sinker is a 1969 American comedy film produced by and starring Jerry Lewis. This was the final film for director George Marshall, whose career dated back to 1916, and Lewis' last film for Columbia Pictures.

<i>The Lady Without Camelias</i> 1953 film by Michelangelo Antonioni

The Lady Without Camelias is a 1953 French–Italian drama film directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and starring Lucia Bosé, Gino Cervi, and Andrea Checchi. Based on a story by Antonioni, the film is about a newly discovered starlet and her experiences in the film business.

<i>Escape to Witch Mountain</i> (1975 film) 1975 film by John Hough

Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 American fantasy science-fiction film, based on Alexander H. Key's 1968 novel of the same name and directed by John Hough. It was released on March 21, 1975 by Walt Disney Productions and Buena Vista Distribution Company. It is the first film of the Witch Mountain series.

<i>Harry and Walter Go to New York</i> 1976 American comedy film

Harry and Walter Go to New York is a 1976 American period comedy film written by John Byrum and Robert Kaufman, directed by Mark Rydell, and starring James Caan, Elliott Gould, Michael Caine, Diane Keaton, Charles Durning and Lesley Ann Warren. In the film, two dimwitted con-men try to pull off the biggest heist ever seen in late nineteenth-century New York City. They are opposed by the greatest bank robber of the day, and aided by a crusading newspaper editor.

<i>Biloxi Blues</i> (film) 1988 film by Mike Nichols

Biloxi Blues is a 1988 American military comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols, written by Neil Simon, and starring Matthew Broderick and Christopher Walken.

<i>Preppies</i> (film) 1984 American film

Preppies is a 1984 comedy written and directed by Chuck Vincent. The film is ranked Number 45 in GamesRadar's 50 Best Sex Comedies, a list including "Annie Hall" and "The Graduate", and in 2013 Complex magazine rated it Number 42 in their 50 Best Raunchy Teen Comedies, above several better known major studio films.

Preppy or preppie, is an American subculture associated with private university-preparatory schools.

References

  1. Making the Grade at Box Office Mojo
  2. Making the Grade (1984) at IMDb OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  3. Trailer for Making the Grade (1984)
  4. https://www.tampabay.com/content/im-sorry-your-mom-blew-ricky-no-sweat-dan-schneider-doing-great/2092319/?outputType=amp
  5. Making the Grade available on Netflix
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Making the Grade (1984)". AFI . Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  7. Palmer & Eddie will be back in Tourista. Coming soon. Archived 2015-04-26 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Canby, Vincent (18 May 1984). "SCREEN: 'MAKING THE GRADE'". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 April 2024.