Stir Crazy (film): Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1980 film by Sidney Poitier}} |
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{{For|the television series|Stir Crazy (television)}} |
{{For|the television series|Stir Crazy (television)}} |
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{{refimprove|date=November 2008}} |
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| name = Stir Crazy |
| name = Stir Crazy |
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| image = Stir Crazy.jpg |
| image = Stir Crazy.jpg |
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| caption = Theatrical release poster |
| caption = Theatrical release poster |
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| alt = Two men dressed in bird costumes |
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| director = [[Sidney Poitier]] |
| director = [[Sidney Poitier]] |
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| producer = [[Hannah Weinstein]] |
| producer = [[Hannah Weinstein]] |
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* [[Richard Pryor]] |
* [[Richard Pryor]] |
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}} |
}} |
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| music = [[Tom Scott ( |
| music = [[Tom Scott (saxophonist)|Tom Scott]] |
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| cinematography = Fred Schuler |
| cinematography = Fred Schuler |
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| editing = [[Harry Keller]] |
| editing = [[Harry Keller]] |
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Line 21: | Line 22: | ||
| runtime = 111 minutes |
| runtime = 111 minutes |
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| language = English |
| language = English |
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| budget = $10 million<ref name="pryor">{{cite news|title=A |
| budget = $10 million<ref name="pryor">{{cite news|title=A Pryor Decision Stirs Controversy|last= Epstein |first= Andrew |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date=12 May 1980|page=g5}}</ref> |
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| gross = $101 |
| gross = $101 million (USA) |
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}} |
}} |
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'''''Stir Crazy''''' is a 1980 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Sidney Poitier]], |
'''''Stir Crazy''''' is a 1980 American [[comedy film]] directed by [[Sidney Poitier]], written by [[Bruce Jay Friedman]], produced by [[Hannah Weinstein]],<ref name="Stir Crazy">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91435/Stir-Crazy/|title=Stir Crazy|work=TCM database|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=February 28, 2016}}</ref> and starring [[Gene Wilder]] and [[Richard Pryor]] as two unemployed friends who are given 125-year prison sentences after getting framed for a bank robbery. While in prison they befriend other prison inmates. The film reunited Wilder and Pryor, who had appeared previously in the 1976 comedy thriller film ''[[Silver Streak (film)|Silver Streak]]''. The film was released in the United States on December 12, 1980 to mixed reviews, and was a major financial success. |
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== Plot == |
== Plot == |
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Aspiring [[actor]] Harold "Harry" Monroe is fired from his job as a waiter when cooks accidentally use his stash of [[marijuana]] as [[oregano]] at a dinner party. His friend, aspiring [[playwright]] Skipper "Skip" Donahue, is also fired from his job as a store detective when he accuses a woman of shoplifting. Skip, the optimist of the two, spins their shared unemployment positively and convinces Harry that they should travel to California, and they leave [[New York City]] in a battered Dodge camper-van. |
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Film [[writer]] Skip Donahue and [[actor]] Harry Monroe are both fired from their jobs in [[New York City]] and leave for [[Hollywood]]. Along the way, they take odd jobs to make money. During one such job in [[Arizona]], Skip and Harry perform a [[Song and Dance|song and dance]] routine dressed as woodpeckers as part of a promotion for a bank. While the duo are on break, two men steal the costumes and rob the bank. However, Harry and Skip are arrested, whisked through a speedy trial and handed 125-year jail sentences. Their court-appointed lawyer, Len Garber, advises them to wait until he can appeal their case. |
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In [[Arizona]], Skip gets the pair a gig performing a song and dance routine dressed in woodpecker costumes as a promotion for a bank. While they are on a break, two other men steal the costumes and rob the bank, and Harry and Skip are arrested and convicted of the crime. They are given 125-year sentences and sent to a maximum-security prison. |
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Life in a [[Incarceration in the United States#Security levels|maximum-security prison]] proves difficult for Skip and Harry. After a failed attempt at faking [[insanity]], they make friends with Jesus Ramirez, a bank robber, and Rory Schultebrand, a [[Homosexuality|gay]] man who killed his stepfather, and meet inmates such as contrabandist Jack Graham, ax murderer Blade and feared mass murderer Grossberger. |
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⚫ | In prison, they make friends with bank robber Jesus Ramirez and openly-[[Gay men|gay]] Rory Schultebrand, who killed his stepfather. After three months, Skip and Harry visit Warden Walter Beatty and Deputy Warden Ward Wilson, the head guard, with a list of grievances. The unsympathetic Wilson orders Skip to ride a [[mechanical bull]], and to everyone's surprise, Skip is able to ride the bull at full power. Beatty immediately orders Wilson to "invite" Skip to compete in the prison's annual rodeo competition. |
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Strangely, while Harry is understandably scared of the aggression of the guards and inmates, Skip seems to be optimistic and content about the situation. At one point, the guards put Skip in a small, dark box for a few days of [[solitary confinement]] expecting to find him a crazy mess when they bring him out. Instead he asks them for one more day as he "was just beginning to get into [himself]". |
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⚫ | Jesus and Rory inform Harry and Skip that the rodeo is a crooked operation run by Beatty and the neighboring prison: the money from the rodeo, which is supposed to go to the prisoners, ends up in the wardens' pockets. However, the four hatch a plan for escape involving Skip refusing to participate until the warden provides concessions. They warn Skip that he will be tortured by the warden, and Skip manages to withstand the abuse, including a week in the "hot box" and he and Harry being forced to share a cell with hulking, seemingly-mute serial killer Grossberger. |
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⚫ | Harry and Skip are visited by their lawyer, Les Garber, who introduces them to his law partner, his cousin Meredith, to whom Skip is immediately attracted. Later, Skip meets with Beatty to make a deal: In exchange for his rodeo participation, Skip requests his own crew (Harry, Jesus, Rory and Grossberger), along with a shared cell for the five of them, and various other amenities. Beatty agrees, later ordering Wilson to have a guard watch them at all times. Wilson orders his inmate ally, former rodeo champion Jack Graham, to monitor Skip and his team, and assures Graham that Skip will not survive the rodeo. |
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⚫ | Jesus and Rory inform Harry and Skip |
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Skip, Harry, Jesus, Rory, and Grossberger acquire tools they need for their escape; meanwhile, Meredith gets a job as a waitress in a local [[strip club]] searching for possible suspects and encounters the real bank robbers. At the rodeo stadium, each member of Skip's team but Grossberger retreats through a secret path, taking them through air vents to be met by either Jesus' wife or brother. Once through, they put on disguises and re-enter the grounds as audience members. |
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⚫ | Harry and Skip are visited by Garber, who introduces them to his |
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Skip ends up in a tie with rival champion Caesar Geronimo, and the two enter a "sudden death" event to win the prize: a bag of money tied to the horns of a large, [[Brahman (cattle)|Brahman]] bull. Skip suggests that they work together and give the money to the prisoners; while Skip distracts the bull and Caesar wins and throws the bag to the inmates, enraging the two wardens and allowing Skip the opportunity to escape. |
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While practicing for the rodeo, Skip, Harry, Jesus, Rory and Grossberger acquire tools they need for their escape, using the prison's metal shop to transform them into seemingly everyday items. Meredith gets a job as a waitress in a [[country music|country western]] [[strip club]] searching for possible suspects and encounters the real crooks. She calls Garber and the police. |
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⚫ | At a secret meeting spot, Jesus and Rory bid Harry and Skip farewell as they leave for [[Mexico]]. Harry and Skip get in their car but are intercepted by Garber and Meredith. She tells Harry and Skip that the police have arrested the real bank robbers, and the pair decide to return to their original idea of going to Hollywood. Skip asks Meredith to go with them, and she agrees. |
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The rodeo begins, but attempts to kill Skip fail. During the major events, each member of Skip's team escape through a secret opening, taking them through air vents to either a restroom where Jesus' wife provides them disguises, or through a vent to a hollow pushcart manned by Jesus' brother. Once through, they put on their disguises and re-enter the grounds as audience members. |
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Skip is to compete against champion Caesar Geronimo to swipe the prize: a bag of money (in reality the wardens' side bet) from the horns of a large, [[Brahman (cattle)|Brahman]] bull. Skip asks Caesar if he is tired of being his warden's stooge, suggesting that they give the money to the prisoners and offering to help Caesar win if he agrees to do so. Both contestants play hard, but Caesar wins. Inspired by Skip, Caesar throws the bag to the inmates. Skip prepares his escape through the secret opening, but Graham shows up, suspicious. Grossberger knocks Graham out and Skip escapes into the pushcart. The group drives off. |
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⚫ | At a secret meeting spot, Jesus and Rory bid Harry and Skip farewell as they |
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== Cast == |
== Cast == |
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{{castlist| |
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* [[Gene Wilder]] as Skip Donahue |
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* [[ |
* [[Gene Wilder]] as Skipper "Skip" Donahue |
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* [[Richard Pryor]] as Harold "Harry" Monroe |
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* [[Georg Stanford Brown]] as Rory Schultebrand |
* [[Georg Stanford Brown]] as Rory Schultebrand |
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* [[JoBeth Williams]] as Meredith |
* [[JoBeth Williams]] as Meredith |
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* [[Miguel Ángel Suárez]] as Jesus Ramirez |
* [[Miguel Ángel Suárez]] as Jesus Ramirez |
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* [[Craig T. Nelson]] as Deputy Ward Wilson |
* [[Craig T. Nelson]] as Deputy Warden Ward Wilson |
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* [[Barry Corbin]] as Warden Walter Beatty |
* [[Barry Corbin]] as Warden Walter Beatty |
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* [[Charles Weldon]] as Blade |
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* [[Nicolas Coster]] as Warden Henry Sampson |
* [[Nicolas Coster]] as Warden Henry Sampson |
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* [[Joel Brooks]] as Len Garber |
* [[Joel Brooks]] as Len Garber |
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* [[Jonathan Banks]] as Jack Graham |
* [[Jonathan Banks]] as Jack Graham |
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* [[Erland Van Lidth]] as Grossberger |
* [[Erland Van Lidth]] as Grossberger |
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* [[Lewis Van Bergen]] as Guard #1 |
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* [[Franklyn Ajaye]] as Young Man in Hospital |
* [[Franklyn Ajaye]] as Young Man in Hospital |
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* [[Cedrick Hardman]] as Big Mean |
* [[Cedrick Hardman]] as Big Mean |
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* [[Luis Ávalos]] as Chico |
* [[Luis Ávalos]] as Chico |
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* [[Esther Sutherland]] as Sissie |
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* [[Sidney Poitier#Personal life|Pamela Poitier]] as Mavis |
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* [[Claudia Cron]] as Joy |
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* [[Grand L. Bush]] as Slowpoke |
* [[Grand L. Bush]] as Slowpoke |
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* [[Alvin Ing]] as Doctor |
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* [[Herbert Hirschman]] as Man at Dinner Party |
* [[Herbert Hirschman]] as Man at Dinner Party |
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* [[Mickey Jones]] as Guard # |
* [[Mickey Jones]] as Guard #2 |
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* [[Billy Beck]] as Flycatching Prisoner |
* [[Billy Beck]] as Flycatching Prisoner |
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* [[Lee Purcell]] as Susan |
* [[Lee Purcell]] as Susan |
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}} |
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== Production == |
== Production == |
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The film was shot in Manhattan New York |
The film was shot in [[Manhattan, New York]]; [[Burbank, California]]; [[St. George, Utah]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Arc|first1=James V.|title=When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah|date=2010|publisher=Gibbs Smith|location=Layton, Utah|isbn=978-1423605874|edition=1st}}</ref> [[Florence, Arizona|Florence]] and [[Tucson, Arizona]] in 56 days from March 13 to May 23, 1980. |
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With ''Stir Crazy'', Pryor became the first black actor to earn a million dollars for a single film.<ref>{{cite news|title=Stir Crazy Grosses $100M|work=The New York Times |date=5 May 1981 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/05/movies/stir-crazy-grosses-100-million-at-the-box-office.html|last1=Harmetz |first1=Aljean }}</ref> |
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== Reception == |
== Reception == |
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=== Box office === |
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The movie received mixed to positive reviews. ''Stir Crazy'' currently has a 67% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes<ref>{{cite news|title= Pryor and Wilder Inside in 'Stir Crazy'|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=|url= http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9904EED81238F931A25751C1A966948260|accessdate=2012-07-09}}</ref> It was a box office success, grossing $101,300,000,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=stircrazy.htm |title=Stir Crazy (1980) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=1982-01-01 |accessdate=2010-08-27}}</ref> and being the third highest-grossing film of 1980, behind ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' and ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=1980 DOMESTIC GROSSES|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1980&p=.htm|accessdate=1 January 2011}}</ref> |
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The film was a box office success, setting a record opening week for Columbia Pictures of $12,972,131 and then setting a studio record $15,336,245 the following week, including a studio record single day gross of $3,237,279.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 21, 1983|title=Stir Crazy advertisement|pages=22–3}}</ref> It went on to gross $101,300,000,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=stircrazy.htm |title=Stir Crazy (1980) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |date=1982-01-01 |access-date=2010-08-27}}</ref> being the [[1980 in film#Highest-grossing films (U.S.)|third-highest-grossing film of 1980]], behind ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' and ''[[9 to 5 (film)|9 to 5]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=1980 Domestic Grosses|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=1980&p=.htm|access-date=1 January 2011}}</ref> It was Columbia's third film to gross $100 million and third highest-grossing film of all time, after ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' and ''[[Kramer vs. Kramer]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 5, 1981|page=7 section C|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/05/movies/stir-crazy-grosses-100-million-at-the-box-office.html|title=Stir Crazy Grosses $100 million at the Box Office|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean |access-date=May 9, 2020}}</ref> The box office total marked the first time a film directed by an [[African Americans|African-American]] earned more than $100 million.<ref name=1980s>{{cite book | title = Post-Soul Nation: The Explosive, Contradictory, Triumphant, and Tragic 1980s as Experienced by African Americans {Previously Known as Blacks and Before That Negroes} | last = George | first = Nelson | date = 2004 | publisher = Viking | author-link = Nelson George | isbn = 0670032751 | page = 18 }}</ref> |
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===Critical response=== |
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The box office total marked the first time a film directed by an [[African Americans|African-American]] earned more than $100 million.<ref name=1980s>{{cite book | title = Post-Soul Nation: The Explosive, Contradictory, Triumphant, and Tragic 1980s as Experienced by African Americans {Previously Known as Blacks and Before That Negroes} | last = George | first = Nelson | date = 2004 | publisher = Viking | authorlink = Nelson George | isbn = 0670032751 | page = 18 }}</ref> |
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On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Stir Crazy'' has an approval rating of 69% based on 16 reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title= Stir Crazy (1980) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stir_crazy |website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date= June 17, 2022 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] it has a score of 56% based on reviews from 6 critics.<ref>{{cite web |title= Stir Crazy |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/stir-crazy |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date= May 4, 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title= Pryor and Wilder Inside in 'Stir Crazy'|work= [[The New York Times]]|url= https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9904EED81238F931A25751C1A966948260|access-date= 2012-07-09|archive-date= 2013-10-08|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131008030656/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9904EED81238F931A25751C1A966948260|url-status= dead}}</ref> |
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[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that it "starts strong", but "once Wilder and Pryor are thrown into prison, it seems to lose its way" as "the movie gets bogged down in developing its own plot. That is not always the best thing for a comedy to do, because if we're not laughing, it hardly matters what happens to the plot."<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/stir-crazy-1980 |title=Stir Crazy |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link= Roger Ebert |date=December 15, 1980 |website= [[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date= April 23, 2019 }}</ref> [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' panned the film as "a prison comedy of quite stunning humorlessness" which "appears to have been improvised, badly, more often than written."<ref>Canby, Vincent (December 12, 1980). "[https://www.nytimes.com/1980/12/12/archives/pryor-and-wilder-inside-in-stir-crazy.html Movie: Pryor and Wilder Inside in 'Stir Crazy']". ''[[The New York Times]]''. C10.</ref> [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "Sidney Poitier has directed ''Stir Crazy'' as if it were as much fun as his previous comedies—e.g., ''[[Uptown Saturday Night]]''. But no amount of bouncy good-naturedness can disguise the stretched-thin quality of the material."<ref>Thomas, Kevin (December 13, 1980). "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37536519/ 'Stir Crazy': Not Too Laughable]". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part II, p. 8.</ref> [[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' was positive, giving the film three stars out of four and writing, "There are explosively funny moments in this prison comedy that wouldn't be there without Pryor, who radiates a comic energy in a scene even when he's merely standing still."<ref>Siskel, Gene (December 16, 1980). "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37536347/gene_siskel_movie_reviewsstir/ 'Stir Crazy': Prison film is a riot thanks to Pryor]". ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. Section 3, p. 5.</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "The extensive comic talents of Richard Pryor take a below average film like ''Stir Crazy'' and make it into an often funny and saleable picture."<ref>"Film Reviews: Stir Crazy". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''. December 3, 1980. 24.</ref><ref>{{cite web |date= 1 January 1980 |author= Variety Staff |title= Stir Crazy |url= https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/stir-crazy-1200424656/ |website= Variety }}</ref> Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' also liked the film, stating that it "blends several inventive, high-spirited performing talents into a tangy, cheerful entertainment."<ref>Arnold, Gary (December 12, 1980). "Slapstick in the Slammer". ''[[The Washington Post]]''. E1.</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= 12 December 1980 |last= Arnold |first= Gary |title= Slapstick In the Slammer |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/12/12/slapstick-in-the-slammer/1398beb1-953e-42ad-91c0-148dfcbe870d/ |newspaper= [[Washington Post]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date= 12 December 1980 |last= Summers |first= K. C. |title= 'Stir Crazy': Moments Amid Mediocrities |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/12/12/stir-crazy-moments-amid-mediocrities/f6384220-ebd0-41e4-bf46-f3d882b04e72/ |newspaper= [[Washington Post]] }}</ref> [[David Ansen]] of ''[[Newsweek]]'' found the film "only intermittently funny", remarking that writer Bruce Jay Friedman is "trying for a formula film and can't land on the right formula. Is it a buddy movie, a caper comedy, a parody of prison films, an urban-cowboy neo-Western, a New York vs. Sun Belt comedy? Unfortunately it's more of a shambles than any of the above, albeit a fairly genial one."<ref>Ansen, David (December 15, 1980). "Lives of a Cell". ''[[Newsweek]]''. 111.</ref> |
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{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}} |
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==Television series== |
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[[CBS]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Kelley|first=Bill|date=September 22, 1985|title=Network Losers Face Swift Ax|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-09-22-8502090859-story.html|work=Sun Sentinel|location= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenberg|first=Howard|date=September 18, 1985|title=CBS Debuts 4 New Series Tonight : The New Fall TV Season|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-09-18-ca-6271-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref> adapted ''Stir Crazy'' as a [[Stir Crazy (TV series)|television series]] as part of its [[1985–86 United States network television schedule|1985 fall lineup]].<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor|first=John J.|date=September 18, 1985|title=TV Reviews: New CBS Wednesday Night Lineup|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/09/18/arts/tv-reviews-new-cbs-wednesday-night-lineup.html|work=New York Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Margulies|first=Lee|date=May 8, 1985|title='Jeffersons' Out of CBS Lineup|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-08-ca-6652-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|location= |access-date=}}</ref> This version starred [[Larry Riley (actor)|Larry Riley]] as Harry Fletcher and Joseph Guzaldo as Skip Harrington, who were [[miscarriage of justice|wrongfully convicted]] and sentenced to 132 years in prison. While working on a [[chain gang]], they escape and set out after Crawford (Marc Silver), the man who had actually committed the crime for which they had been sentenced. |
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None of the people involved in the film had a major role in this series. It was pulled from the CBS fall lineup in October 1985, the month after its premiere,<ref>{{cite news |last=Brioux|first=Bill|date=July 26, 2010|title=TCA Press Tour: Still a Kick 25 Years Later|url=https://brioux.tv/blog/2010/07/26/tca-press-tour-still-a-kick-25-years-later/|work=brioux.tv|location= |access-date=}}</ref> and put on hiatus. It returned in a new time slot in December 1985 and a few more episodes were aired, also to low [[Nielsen ratings|ratings]]. The program was permanently cancelled<ref>{{cite book |last=Mednick|first=Brian Scott|author-link= |date= December 2010|title=Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBHMDwAAQBAJ&q=STIR+CRAZY+1985+cbs&pg=PT63|location= |publisher= |page= |isbn=}}</ref> after the January 7, 1986 broadcast. |
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== See also == |
== See also == |
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* [[ |
* [[Gene Wilder#Filmography|Gene Wilder filmography]] |
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* [[List of American films of 1980]] |
* [[List of American films of 1980]] |
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== References == |
== References == |
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{{ |
{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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* {{IMDb title|0081562}} |
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{{Wikiquote}} |
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* {{ |
* {{TCMDb title|91435}} |
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* {{ |
* {{AFI film|56509}} |
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* {{Rotten Tomatoes|stir_crazy|Stir Crazy}} |
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{{Sidney Poitier}} |
{{Sidney Poitier}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Stir Crazy}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stir Crazy}} |
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[[Category:1980 films]] |
[[Category:1980 films]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1980 comedy films]] |
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[[Category:1980s |
[[Category:1980s buddy comedy films]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1980s crime comedy films]] |
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[[Category:1980s prison films]] |
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[[Category:African-American comedy films]] |
[[Category:African-American comedy films]] |
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[[Category:American films]] |
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Films about miscarriage of justice]] |
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[[Category:American |
[[Category:American crime comedy films]] |
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[[Category:American prison films]] |
[[Category:American prison comedy films]] |
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[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]] |
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]] |
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[[Category:English-language films]] |
[[Category:1980s English-language films]] |
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[[Category:Films adapted into television |
[[Category:Films adapted into television shows]] |
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[[Category:Films directed by Sidney Poitier]] |
[[Category:Films directed by Sidney Poitier]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Tom Scott (saxophonist)]] |
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[[Category:Films set in Arizona]] |
[[Category:Films set in Arizona]] |
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[[Category:Films set in California]] |
[[Category:Films set in California]] |
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[[Category:Films set in Manhattan]] |
[[Category:Films set in Manhattan]] |
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[[Category:Films set in New York City]] |
[[Category:Films set in New York City]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Films set in prison]] |
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[[Category:Films shot in Arizona]] |
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[[Category:Films shot in California]] |
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[[Category:Films shot in New York City]] |
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[[Category:Films shot in Utah]] |
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[[Category:Films about prison escapes]] |
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[[Category:Films with screenplays by Bruce Jay Friedman]] |
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[[Category:1980s American films]] |
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[[Category:English-language crime comedy films]] |
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[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]] |
Latest revision as of 06:47, 22 December 2024
Stir Crazy | |
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Directed by | Sidney Poitier |
Written by | Bruce Jay Friedman |
Produced by | Hannah Weinstein |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Fred Schuler |
Edited by | Harry Keller |
Music by | Tom Scott |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $10 million[1] |
Box office | $101 million (USA) |
Stir Crazy is a 1980 American comedy film directed by Sidney Poitier, written by Bruce Jay Friedman, produced by Hannah Weinstein,[2] and starring Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor as two unemployed friends who are given 125-year prison sentences after getting framed for a bank robbery. While in prison they befriend other prison inmates. The film reunited Wilder and Pryor, who had appeared previously in the 1976 comedy thriller film Silver Streak. The film was released in the United States on December 12, 1980 to mixed reviews, and was a major financial success.
Plot
[edit]Aspiring actor Harold "Harry" Monroe is fired from his job as a waiter when cooks accidentally use his stash of marijuana as oregano at a dinner party. His friend, aspiring playwright Skipper "Skip" Donahue, is also fired from his job as a store detective when he accuses a woman of shoplifting. Skip, the optimist of the two, spins their shared unemployment positively and convinces Harry that they should travel to California, and they leave New York City in a battered Dodge camper-van.
In Arizona, Skip gets the pair a gig performing a song and dance routine dressed in woodpecker costumes as a promotion for a bank. While they are on a break, two other men steal the costumes and rob the bank, and Harry and Skip are arrested and convicted of the crime. They are given 125-year sentences and sent to a maximum-security prison.
In prison, they make friends with bank robber Jesus Ramirez and openly-gay Rory Schultebrand, who killed his stepfather. After three months, Skip and Harry visit Warden Walter Beatty and Deputy Warden Ward Wilson, the head guard, with a list of grievances. The unsympathetic Wilson orders Skip to ride a mechanical bull, and to everyone's surprise, Skip is able to ride the bull at full power. Beatty immediately orders Wilson to "invite" Skip to compete in the prison's annual rodeo competition.
Jesus and Rory inform Harry and Skip that the rodeo is a crooked operation run by Beatty and the neighboring prison: the money from the rodeo, which is supposed to go to the prisoners, ends up in the wardens' pockets. However, the four hatch a plan for escape involving Skip refusing to participate until the warden provides concessions. They warn Skip that he will be tortured by the warden, and Skip manages to withstand the abuse, including a week in the "hot box" and he and Harry being forced to share a cell with hulking, seemingly-mute serial killer Grossberger.
Harry and Skip are visited by their lawyer, Les Garber, who introduces them to his law partner, his cousin Meredith, to whom Skip is immediately attracted. Later, Skip meets with Beatty to make a deal: In exchange for his rodeo participation, Skip requests his own crew (Harry, Jesus, Rory and Grossberger), along with a shared cell for the five of them, and various other amenities. Beatty agrees, later ordering Wilson to have a guard watch them at all times. Wilson orders his inmate ally, former rodeo champion Jack Graham, to monitor Skip and his team, and assures Graham that Skip will not survive the rodeo.
Skip, Harry, Jesus, Rory, and Grossberger acquire tools they need for their escape; meanwhile, Meredith gets a job as a waitress in a local strip club searching for possible suspects and encounters the real bank robbers. At the rodeo stadium, each member of Skip's team but Grossberger retreats through a secret path, taking them through air vents to be met by either Jesus' wife or brother. Once through, they put on disguises and re-enter the grounds as audience members.
Skip ends up in a tie with rival champion Caesar Geronimo, and the two enter a "sudden death" event to win the prize: a bag of money tied to the horns of a large, Brahman bull. Skip suggests that they work together and give the money to the prisoners; while Skip distracts the bull and Caesar wins and throws the bag to the inmates, enraging the two wardens and allowing Skip the opportunity to escape.
At a secret meeting spot, Jesus and Rory bid Harry and Skip farewell as they leave for Mexico. Harry and Skip get in their car but are intercepted by Garber and Meredith. She tells Harry and Skip that the police have arrested the real bank robbers, and the pair decide to return to their original idea of going to Hollywood. Skip asks Meredith to go with them, and she agrees.
Cast
[edit]- Gene Wilder as Skipper "Skip" Donahue
- Richard Pryor as Harold "Harry" Monroe
- Georg Stanford Brown as Rory Schultebrand
- JoBeth Williams as Meredith
- Miguel Ángel Suárez as Jesus Ramirez
- Craig T. Nelson as Deputy Warden Ward Wilson
- Barry Corbin as Warden Walter Beatty
- Charles Weldon as Blade
- Nicolas Coster as Warden Henry Sampson
- Joel Brooks as Len Garber
- Jonathan Banks as Jack Graham
- Erland Van Lidth as Grossberger
- Lewis Van Bergen as Guard #1
- Franklyn Ajaye as Young Man in Hospital
- Cedrick Hardman as Big Mean
- Luis Ávalos as Chico
- Esther Sutherland as Sissie
- Pamela Poitier as Mavis
- Claudia Cron as Joy
- Grand L. Bush as Slowpoke
- Alvin Ing as Doctor
- Herbert Hirschman as Man at Dinner Party
- Mickey Jones as Guard #2
- Billy Beck as Flycatching Prisoner
- Lee Purcell as Susan
Production
[edit]The film was shot in Manhattan, New York; Burbank, California; St. George, Utah[3] Florence and Tucson, Arizona in 56 days from March 13 to May 23, 1980.
With Stir Crazy, Pryor became the first black actor to earn a million dollars for a single film.[4]
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]The film was a box office success, setting a record opening week for Columbia Pictures of $12,972,131 and then setting a studio record $15,336,245 the following week, including a studio record single day gross of $3,237,279.[5] It went on to gross $101,300,000,[6] being the third-highest-grossing film of 1980, behind The Empire Strikes Back and 9 to 5.[7] It was Columbia's third film to gross $100 million and third highest-grossing film of all time, after Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Kramer vs. Kramer.[8] The box office total marked the first time a film directed by an African-American earned more than $100 million.[9]
Critical response
[edit]On Rotten Tomatoes, Stir Crazy has an approval rating of 69% based on 16 reviews.[10] On Metacritic it has a score of 56% based on reviews from 6 critics.[11][12]
Roger Ebert gave the film two stars out of four and wrote that it "starts strong", but "once Wilder and Pryor are thrown into prison, it seems to lose its way" as "the movie gets bogged down in developing its own plot. That is not always the best thing for a comedy to do, because if we're not laughing, it hardly matters what happens to the plot."[13] Vincent Canby of The New York Times panned the film as "a prison comedy of quite stunning humorlessness" which "appears to have been improvised, badly, more often than written."[14] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Sidney Poitier has directed Stir Crazy as if it were as much fun as his previous comedies—e.g., Uptown Saturday Night. But no amount of bouncy good-naturedness can disguise the stretched-thin quality of the material."[15] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune was positive, giving the film three stars out of four and writing, "There are explosively funny moments in this prison comedy that wouldn't be there without Pryor, who radiates a comic energy in a scene even when he's merely standing still."[16] Variety wrote, "The extensive comic talents of Richard Pryor take a below average film like Stir Crazy and make it into an often funny and saleable picture."[17][18] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post also liked the film, stating that it "blends several inventive, high-spirited performing talents into a tangy, cheerful entertainment."[19][20][21] David Ansen of Newsweek found the film "only intermittently funny", remarking that writer Bruce Jay Friedman is "trying for a formula film and can't land on the right formula. Is it a buddy movie, a caper comedy, a parody of prison films, an urban-cowboy neo-Western, a New York vs. Sun Belt comedy? Unfortunately it's more of a shambles than any of the above, albeit a fairly genial one."[22]
The film was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress for Georg Stanford Brown in drag.[23]
Television series
[edit]CBS[24][25] adapted Stir Crazy as a television series as part of its 1985 fall lineup.[26][27] This version starred Larry Riley as Harry Fletcher and Joseph Guzaldo as Skip Harrington, who were wrongfully convicted and sentenced to 132 years in prison. While working on a chain gang, they escape and set out after Crawford (Marc Silver), the man who had actually committed the crime for which they had been sentenced.
None of the people involved in the film had a major role in this series. It was pulled from the CBS fall lineup in October 1985, the month after its premiere,[28] and put on hiatus. It returned in a new time slot in December 1985 and a few more episodes were aired, also to low ratings. The program was permanently cancelled[29] after the January 7, 1986 broadcast.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Epstein, Andrew (12 May 1980). "A Pryor Decision Stirs Controversy". Los Angeles Times. p. g5.
- ^ "Stir Crazy". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 978-1423605874.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (5 May 1981). "Stir Crazy Grosses $100M". The New York Times.
- ^ "Stir Crazy advertisement". Variety. January 21, 1983. pp. 22–3.
- ^ "Stir Crazy (1980)". Box Office Mojo. 1982-01-01. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "1980 Domestic Grosses". Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (May 5, 1981). "Stir Crazy Grosses $100 million at the Box Office". The New York Times. p. 7 section C. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ George, Nelson (2004). Post-Soul Nation: The Explosive, Contradictory, Triumphant, and Tragic 1980s as Experienced by African Americans {Previously Known as Blacks and Before That Negroes}. Viking. p. 18. ISBN 0670032751.
- ^ "Stir Crazy (1980)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ "Stir Crazy". Metacritic. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "Pryor and Wilder Inside in 'Stir Crazy'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 15, 1980). "Stir Crazy". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (December 12, 1980). "Movie: Pryor and Wilder Inside in 'Stir Crazy'". The New York Times. C10.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (December 13, 1980). "'Stir Crazy': Not Too Laughable". Los Angeles Times. Part II, p. 8.
- ^ Siskel, Gene (December 16, 1980). "'Stir Crazy': Prison film is a riot thanks to Pryor". Chicago Tribune. Section 3, p. 5.
- ^ "Film Reviews: Stir Crazy". Variety. December 3, 1980. 24.
- ^ Variety Staff (1 January 1980). "Stir Crazy". Variety.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (December 12, 1980). "Slapstick in the Slammer". The Washington Post. E1.
- ^ Arnold, Gary (12 December 1980). "Slapstick In the Slammer". Washington Post.
- ^ Summers, K. C. (12 December 1980). "'Stir Crazy': Moments Amid Mediocrities". Washington Post.
- ^ Ansen, David (December 15, 1980). "Lives of a Cell". Newsweek. 111.
- ^ Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.
- ^ Kelley, Bill (September 22, 1985). "Network Losers Face Swift Ax". Sun Sentinel.
- ^ Rosenberg, Howard (September 18, 1985). "CBS Debuts 4 New Series Tonight : The New Fall TV Season". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ O'Connor, John J. (September 18, 1985). "TV Reviews: New CBS Wednesday Night Lineup". New York Times.
- ^ Margulies, Lee (May 8, 1985). "'Jeffersons' Out of CBS Lineup". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Brioux, Bill (July 26, 2010). "TCA Press Tour: Still a Kick 25 Years Later". brioux.tv.
- ^ Mednick, Brian Scott (December 2010). Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad.
External links
[edit]- Stir Crazy at IMDb
- Stir Crazy at the TCM Movie Database
- Stir Crazy at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- 1980 films
- 1980 comedy films
- 1980s buddy comedy films
- 1980s crime comedy films
- 1980s prison films
- African-American comedy films
- American buddy comedy films
- Films about miscarriage of justice
- American crime comedy films
- American prison comedy films
- Columbia Pictures films
- 1980s English-language films
- Films adapted into television shows
- Films directed by Sidney Poitier
- Films scored by Tom Scott (saxophonist)
- Films set in Arizona
- Films set in California
- Films set in Manhattan
- Films set in New York City
- Films set in prison
- Films shot in Arizona
- Films shot in California
- Films shot in New York City
- Films shot in Utah
- Films about prison escapes
- Films with screenplays by Bruce Jay Friedman
- 1980s American films
- English-language crime comedy films
- English-language buddy comedy films