Swing Shift (film)

Swing Shift
Theatrical release poster by Steven Chorney
Directed by	Jonathan Demme
Written by	Nancy Dowd Bo Goldman Ron Nyswaner
Produced by	Jerry Bick
Starring	Goldie Hawn Kurt Russell Christine Lahti Fred Ward Ed Harris
Cinematography	Tak Fujimoto
Edited by	Gib Jaffe Craig McKay
Music by	Peter Allen Bruce Langhorne Patrick Williams
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	April 13, 1984 (1984-04-13)
Running time	100 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
Box office	$6,650,206

Swing Shift is a 1984 American romantic drama war film directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by and starring Goldie Hawn with Kurt Russell. It also stars Christine Lahti, Fred Ward and Ed Harris. Lahti earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her feisty, on-point portrayal of heartbroken ex-singer and Hawn's character's close friend Hazel, losing to Peggy Ashcroft for A Passage to India. Singer Belinda Carlisle made a foray into acting and Holly Hunter can be seen in one of her first movie roles.

Plot

During World War II, Kay Walsh (Goldie Hawn) is a woman who signs up to work in an armaments factory in California while her husband Jack (Ed Harris), a U.S. Naval seaman, is overseas in naval service.

Lonely and vulnerable, Kay falls for the charms of another man, a musician named Lucky (Kurt Russell), and befriends her embittered neighbor Hazel (Christine Lahti), a former singer. The three of them enjoy their time together until Kay's husband comes home and realizes what has occurred.

Cast

• Goldie Hawn as Kay Walsh
• Kurt Russell as Lucky Lockhart
• Christine Lahti as Hazel Zanussi
• Ed Harris as Jack Walsh
• Fred Ward as Biscuits Toohey
• Belita Moreno as Mabel Stoddard
• Holly Hunter as Jeannie
• Sudie Bond as Annie
• Patty Maloney as Laverne
• Lisa Pelikan as Violet
• Phillip Christon as Egyptian Recruit
• Charles Napier as Moon Willis
• Alana Stewart as Frankie Parker

Production

Swing Shift has become a case study for a star/producer/director conflict. Hawn and Russell saw the film as a lighthearted vehicle while the director Demme attempted to create a more serious film. Hawn and Warner Brothers requested a recut and partial re-shooting in order to get the movie they had hired Demme to film.

Reception

As of July 2018, Swing Shift holds a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews.

External links

• Swing Shift at IMDb
• Swing Shift at the TCM Movie Database
• Swing Shift at AllMovie
• Swing Shift at Box Office Mojo
• Swing Shift at Rotten Tomatoes