The Main Event (1979 film)
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| The Main Event | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Howard Zieff |
| Produced by | Howard Rosenman |
| Written by | Gail Parent Andrew Smith |
| Starring | Barbra Streisand Ryan O'Neal |
| Music by | Michael Melvoin (music score) |
| Cinematography | Mario Tosi (director of photography) |
| Editing by | Edward Warschilka |
| Studio | First Artists Barwood Films |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | June 22, 1979 |
| Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8 million |
| Box office | $42,800,000[1] |
The Main Event is a 1979 comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, written by Gail Parent and directed by Howard Zieff.
The film received negative reviews from critics, but was among the top 20 highest grossing films of the year at the box office. It was also the impetus for Barbra Streisand's first foray into disco[citation needed], singing the Golden Globe-nominated theme song written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts.
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[edit] Plot
Hillary Kramer (Streisand), a successful perfume magnate awakes one morning to find that her accountant has robbed her blind and left for South America. Going through all of her remaining assets she finds a boxer, purchased as a tax write off. She decides to take Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon (Ryan O'Neal) who is much more at home giving driving lessons, into the ring and use him as her key to riches. Eddie thinks this will only get him killed and resists.
Eventually, Hillary wears Eddie down and she gets funding (mainly from friends, associates, and colleagues) for his first fights, all of which go awry, either through Hillary's lack of knowledge about boxing or Eddie's out-of-shape condition (and general fear of being hit). All the while, Hillary and Eddie continue sparring on their own, thanks to their different personalities. But, as time (and fights) go on, they develop an increasingly personal relationship, which ultimately leads them to have to decide what they really want.
[edit] Main cast
- Barbra Streisand ... Hillary Kramer
- Ryan O'Neal ... Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon
- Paul Sand ... David
- Whitman Mayo ... Percy
- Patti D'Arbanville ... Donna
- Chu Chu Malave ... Luis
- Richard Lawson ... Hector Mantilla
- James Gregory ... Gough
[edit] Box office
Although critically panned, The Main Event was a box office smash. The film's budget grossed $42.8 million on a budget of $8 million, earning an additional $26.4 million in theatrical rentals, formulating a total gross of $69,200,000.[2]
[edit] Soundtrack
In June of 1979, a soundtrack was released on LP, cassette, and eight-track. In October 1993, it was released on CD. The CD is now out of print. The soundtrack seems to play as basically an extended single of "The Main Event/Fight", containing an 11:39 version, an edited and slightly altered version at 4:54, released as the single that hit #3 on the Pop Charts, and a ballad version titled simply "The Main Event" as it omits the "Fight" parts. A bootleg of the recording sessions for the title song exists with Streisand commenting on the vocal challenges the song contains. A DJ-only promo 12" single was released for "The Main Event/Fight" as well as a 7" promo that featured a unique shorter 3:59 version backed with the single release.
- The Main Event/Fight - Barbra Streisand
- Body Shop, The - Michalski & Ooversteen
- The Main Event/Fight (short version) - Barbra Streisand
- Copeland Meets The Coasters (Get A Job) - Michael Melvoin
- Big Girls Don't Cry - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
- It's Your Foot Again - Michael Melvoin
- Angry Eyes - Loggins & Messina
- I'd Clean A Fish For You - Michael Melvoin
- The Main Event (ballad) - Barbra Streisand
