One-Trick Pony (film)
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| One-Trick Pony | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Robert M. Young |
| Written by | Paul Simon |
| Produced by | Michael Tannen |
| Starring | Paul Simon Blair Brown Rip Torn |
| Cinematography | Dick Bush |
| Edited by | Edward Beyer Barry Malkin David Ray |
| Music by | Paul Simon |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $843,215[1] |
One-Trick Pony is a 1980 feature film written by and starring Paul Simon and directed by Robert M. Young. It also stars Blair Brown, Rip Torn, Joan Hackett, Michael Pearlman, and Allen Garfield (credited under his birth name, Allen Goorwitz).
The song "Late in the Evening," from the film's soundtrack, hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the title song peaked at #40. After years of being available only on videocassette and laserdisc, One-Trick Pony was released by Warner Bros. on DVD in 2009.
Synopsis
Paul Simon plays Jonah Levin, a once-popular folk-rock musician who hasn't had a hit in ten years, and now opens for bands like the B-52's (Levin's bandmates are played by musicians Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Tony Levin, and Richard Tee, all of whom similarly backed Simon on One-Trick Pony's soundtrack album). He's trying to record a new album but faces a number of obstacles, including an indifferent record-company executive (Rip Torn) who's pressuring him to create a hit record with the help of a trendy producer (Lou Reed). Jonah is also trying to restore his relationship with his estranged wife, Marion (Blair Brown), and young son, Matty (Michael Pearlman).
Production
The title derives from a colloquial American expression meaning a person specializing in only one area, having only one talent, or of limited ability.[2][3]
The film has been said to be based on experiences in Simon's professional and personal life.[4] Walter Fox, the record company executive portrayed by Rip Torn, was rumored to be based on Walter Yetnikoff, who was President of CBS Records, Simon's former label, in the 1970s. (Simon went to Warner Bros. Records at the time of the film's release. The label, owned by the film's distributor, acquired the masters of Simon's CBS catalog that same year.) The film featured the last appearance of the original members of The Lovin' Spoonful, in a simulated TV show appearance.
The One-Trick Pony album was released concurrently. All of the songs on the album are featured in the film, though some are presented with a slightly different mix, e.g., "Jonah" features a harmonica solo (probably by Toots Thielemans) that's missing from the album version. The film also features "Soft Parachutes," Jonah Levin's sole hit as a recording artist, which is included as a bonus track on the album's 2004 reissue.
Cast
Actors
- Paul Simon as Jonah Levin
- Blair Brown as Marion
- Rip Torn as Walter Fox
- Joan Hackett as Lonnie Fox
- Allen Garfield as Cal van Damp
- Mare Winningham as Modeena Dandridge
- Michael Pearlman as Matty Levin
- Lou Reed as Steve Kunelian
- Steve Gadd as Danny Duggin
- Eric Gale as Lee-Andrew Parker
- Tony Levin as John Dibatista
- Richard Tee as Clarence Franklin
- Harry Shearer as Bernie Wepner
- Daniel Stern as Hare Krishna
Musicians
External links
References
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=onetrickpony.htm
- ^ "Oxford English Dictionary, Third edition, June 2004; online version March 2011".
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Oregon Pioneer Assoc. 32nd Ann. Reunion. 1905. p. 264.
- ^ Jackson, Laura. (2002). Paul Simon: The Definitive Bio. New York: Citadel Press. p 163