RottenTomatoes.com freshness score: 100%
1 review counted: 1 positive; 0 negative
[In the table below, the column labeled "RT.c" shows a plus or minus sign, indicating whether the RottenTomatoes.com website rated the review mainly positive (+) or negative (-). If there is no plus or minus sign (+/-), it means there was no such evaluation done by RottenTomatoes.com]
| Source | Review Author | RT.c | Grade | Grade as # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E! Online | users | B+ | 84 | |
| BuyIndies.com | 4 stars (out of 5) | 78 | ||
| Deseret News | Chris Hicks | 3 stars (out of 4) | 75 | |
| Internet Movie Database | 88 users | 6.3 (out of 10) | 63 | |
| Austin Chronicle | Kathleen Maher | + | 2 1/2 stars (out of 5) | 45 |
| TV Guide Online | 2 1/2 stars (out of 5) | 45 |
Other reviews with neither a RottenTomatoes.com positive/negative evaluation nor a grade:
| Source | Reviewer | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Post | Rita Kempley | positive |
"Alan & Naomi" was directed by Sterling Van Wagenen, the co-founder of the Sundance Film Festival. The movie earned Van Wagenen, along with producers David Anderson and Mark Balsam, a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival. Van Wagenen had previously made a number of films for the Church, including "Christmas Snows, Christmas Winds" (1980), and he had distinguished himself as a producer. He produced "The Trip to Bountiful" (1985), for which Gerarldine Page won an Academy Award for Best Actress. The movie also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay, and a number of other awards. But after "Alan & Naomi," Van Wagenen focused on teaching at Brigham Young University and making documentaries. He never directed another feature film, so there was little reason for later movie reviewers or writers to talk about his past films, i.e., "Alan & Naomi." And the movie didn't have a very big release initially -- grossing only $259,311 at the U.S. box office.
Based on an acclaimed children's book by Myron Levoy, the video seems to have gained some popularity itself in schools. But having seen it, it's easy to see why it's not very popular or well-remembered, despite being an artistically and morally accomplished work of filmmaking.
"Alan & Naomi" tells the story of Alan, a young Jewish boy (perhaps 14 years old) living in World War II-era New York City, whose parents ask him to spend time with Naomi a young neighbor girl the same age that he is. Naomi is essentially catatonic. She has not spoken for years and screams when anybody other than her mother and grandmother approach her. She was traumatized when, while living in her native Paris, she witnessed her father being killed by Nazi soldiers.
Alan is not the least bit interested in becoming a regular visitor or helping this girl who up until now he has dismissed as crazy. But his parents, mainly his father, persuade him to do so, because it's the right thing to do. Alan's father is played very convincingly by Michael Gross, best known as the father of Michael J. Fox's character on the sitcom "Family Ties." Physically, Gross' character is so transformed into a different era and persona that I would not have recognized him if I had not seen the credits. Although playing, once again, a kindly father of a teenager, he creates here a distinctive yet very believable character, very much a New York Jew from the 1940s, but with depth,and in no way a stereotype or caricature.
The rest of the cast, including Amy Aquino as Alan's mother and Kevin Connolly as Alan's best friend Shaun, is uniformly excellent. But the movie largely hangs on the abilities of its lead actor, Lukas Haas, who dazzles with his natural and sympathetic turn as the young Alan. Haas is in nearly every scene, and his acting, which never seems like acting, transported me to the milieu and engaged me in the story.
Finally, Vanessa Zaoui deserves credit for succeeding with the challenging role of a traumatized catatonic Parisian girl who slowly -- but never completely -- emerges from within the mental walls erected to protect her from further trauma. Zaoui was nominated for a Best Young Actress award from the Young Artist Awards for her role as Naomi.
Apart from the performances, "Alan & Naomi" is commendable for the professionalism that is evident in every other aspect of the film. I was instantly struck by the cinematography -- how a cohesive period look was achieved, and made to look realistic yet also appealing, despite the relative poverty of Alan's neighborhood. Considerable care obviously went into the sets, and I was not surprised to see no less than nine set dressers credited with re-creating the 1940s homes, school, and exteriors.
There's something of a warm glow to the whole production. Imagine a WWII Jewish period piece made by the same people who make the LDS "Homefront" public service ads. But although that is the look, "Alan & Naomi" does not have the feel or tone of "Homefront" ads and Church videos. This is, in fact, an often melancholy and even sad film, with an ending that will surprise you -- because while hopeful, it is not at all the happy ending one might expect.
The story itself probably has a lot to do with the relative lack of popularity. This is apparently a very faithful adaptation of the book, and the director does nothing to call attention to himself or his techniques, or to spice things up with added action or artificial plot devices. But clearly this is a difficult product to market. It is not a fun-fest for kids (such as "Spy Kids"), it doesn't feature animals, aliens or sports, nor is it animated. Yet the mere fact that it features child-age protagonists limits its appeal to many adults.
The movie is, however, a thoughtful, realistic, interesting film. "Alan & Naomi" requires more patience and a greater attention span than most children's movies. I found it an enjoyable experience, but one comparable to a bicycle ride in the park, rather than a roller coaster ride. There are stick ball games, the flying of toy glider planes, and even brief fisticuffs with a bully at school, all of which might spark interest in kids, but the movie is dominated by the gradual development of trust between Alan and the largely silent Naomi, mostly taking place in a single apartment. If you can get kids to watch the movie, there are remarkable lessons to be learned. There is no preachiness to the movie or artificiality to the characters, but the characters, despite making mistakes, simply exhibit a commendable and inspiring level of goodness and decency.
There is little in the way of "spectacle" in "Alan & Naomi." The movie doesn't really break new ground, nor is it particularly challenging. But this is a very professional piece of work, a carefully crafted, artistic film featuring beautiful cinematography and near-flawless acting. It is easily the best film made by the Leucadia Film Corporation (whose alumni include Blair Treu and Mitch Davis). I recommend renting it, but this isn't really a movie I would want to own and watch many times.
Perhaps most of all, the talent and professionalism with which "Alan & Naomi" was created made me regret that Van Wagenen has not directed other feature films. He has done admirable documentary work in recent years, including projects about the Dead Sea scrolls, and while at BYU he served as the executive producer of many LDS-themed projects, including the Elizabeth Hansen/Richard Dutcher collaboration "Eliza and I" (1997).
"Alan and Naomi" (along with "Schindler's List") is one of a number of movies that Kieth Merrill was talking about when he observed that Latter-day Saint filmmakers have made more movies about Jews than than they have made about Latter-day Saints. This is a very good movie about Jewish characters, notable in the way its characters are clearly Jewish, yet the film is universal in its approachability and its messages. But I would particularly like to see what Van Wagenen would have done if he had directed another dramatic film, with a story with Latter-day Saint characters.
"Alan & Naomi" is a sweet souvenir, a slightly faded, crumpled photograph of the way we were and might be again -- if only we cherished the message of this compelling little film. Set in Brooklyn in 1944, it is an exquisitely simple story, more felt than told, about a gawky adolescent who matures, with his parents' help, into a socially concerned young adult.
Lukas Haas, whose last film was "Rambling Rose," plays 14-year-old Alan Silverman with convincing discombobulation. His legs are too long and his voice is too squeaky. Nothing seems to fit him, not even his personality. The war, which preoccupies his father, Sol (Michael Gross), ranks way below stickball among Alan's concerns. Then one evening over marble cake and milk, he learns that his formidable mother (Amy Aquino) has volunteered him as a companion for a catatonic Jewish refugee who recently moved upstairs.
Alan storms out aghast, but is persuaded by the more diplomatic Sol to at least give it a try. "Why me?" he demands. "Because you're one of the lucky ones," explains his parent. Reluctantly, he agrees to give up stickball for an afternoon to visit the "crazy girl," fearing all the while that he'll be found out by his girl-detesting best friend Shaun Kelly (Kevin Connolly). Nothing could have prepared him for the profound suffering of lovely, lonely Naomi Kirschenbaum.
Vanessa Zaoui, a captivating young Parisian actress, masters the difficult role of Naomi, the daughter of a French Resistance fighter, who hasn't spoken since she saw her father beaten to death by the Nazis. She seems as unseeing as the tattered doll in her lap while she relentlessly shreds newspaper. On Alan's tentative first visit, she responds not at all to the desperate boy's limited conversation: "Bonjour, uuh, poodle, cancan, Paree, uuh, Eiffel Tower." But when he moves near her, she becomes hysterical.
Angry and scared, Alan wants to give up, but his parents persuade him to keep trying. Besides, whether he admits it to himself or not, Alan is involved in the mystery of Naomi. Still he keeps his rendezvous with the girl a secret from his freckled Irish friend Shaun, who is hurt when Alan refuses to confide in him until it nearly wrecks their relationship.
The friendship between the two boys is an admirable one, but it tends to interrupt the narrative momentum of Jordan Horowitz's screenplay (adapted from Myron Levoy's novel). Still, it seems as essential an ingredient in coming of age as the neighborhood bully, whose antisemitic gibes provoke a schoolyard fight between the three kids. Unfortunately, the roughhousing brings back awful memories for the recovering Naomi. "Alan & Naomi" is not a happy story, but a hopeful one. A directorial debut for producer Sterling VanWagenen, it bears the distinct imprint of the man who helped develop such independent films as "El Norte," "Desert Bloom," and "The Trip to Bountiful." Like VanWagenen's other projects, there's a homespun quality about this work, not only because it is frugally budgeted but because it reveals its old-fashioned values as humbly as does a kitchen sampler: Love thy neighbor.
*** [3 stars out of 4]
"Alan & Naomi" is a lovely little film, full of heart and charm and bolstered by fine performances and the sensitive direction of Sterling VanWagenen, here making his debut behind the camera.
A coming-of-age drama with a difference, "Alan & Naomi" tells of a teenager (Lukas Haas) growing up in Brooklyn, circa 1944. He plays stickball in the street, builds model airplanes and attends the local public school where his Jewishness seems to be a veiled issue, though his best friend is an Irish-Catholic.
Alan is a normal all-American lad coming into adolescence, and he just wants to do his homework at night, listen to the radio and be left alone by his parents (Michael Gross, the father on TV's "Family Ties," and Amy Aquino, a regular in the new show "Brooklyn Bridge").
In his tenement building there is another Jewish family, which includes a "crazy" girl about his age, Naomi (newcomer Vanessa Zaoui). Alan and his friends tend to make fun of her, but it isn't long before Alan's parents push him to befriend the girl, to help bring her out of her tormented mental state.
It seems she's slipped into catatonia since witnessing the death of her father at the hands of Nazis in her native France, and her main preoccupation these days is sitting in her room tearing newspapers into strips while she clings to her doll.
Alan is reluctant, of course -- even hostile at the suggestion. But, of course, he succumbs, and finds himself just sitting quietly in her room, watching her. Then he comes up with the idea of bringing in his ventriloquist's dummy, as a means to attempt communication through her doll. Soon she's coming out of her shell and Alan is taking her outdoors -- fearful all the while that his friends will see him with her and label him a sissy.
"Alan & Naomi" starts off exceptionally well, despite the unfortunate back-lot look of the Brooklyn streets. The setups are convincing, and the cast is very good as we come to know the principals involved.
Parents of teenagers will particularly identify with the domestic battles that follow as Alan's parents encourage him to do something he'd rather avoid.
After a time, however, "Alan & Naomi" begins to play like a made-for-TV disease-of-the-week film, in particular in its centerpiece scenes in Naomi's room, extended sequences that go on too long, allowing a claustrophobic sluggishness to set in.
But that proves to be a minor distraction as the film soon picks up its pace again and carries the audience to an expected ending that packs a punch.
Haas, whose lanky demeanor and changing voice perfectly accentuate his role as a confused adolescent forced to act out an adult role, is a fine actor, and Vanessa Zaoui, who really is French (though she oddly seems to lose her accent from time to time), is convincing and touching in her role. Also exceptionally enjoyable is Amy Aquino as Alan's mother, a feisty influence deserving of more screen time.
More humor would have made a big difference in the screenplay, by Jordan Horowitz, but VanWagenen's direction keeps things moving, and he obviously has great affection for the material.
Dick Hyman's score should also be noted as it adds much to the '40s atmosphere.
"Alan & Naomi" is rated PG for some violence (primarily in Naomi's flashbacks) and mild profanity.
** 1/2 [2 1/2 stars out of 5]
A compassionate and determinedly modest debut from producer and Sundance cofounder Sterling VanWagenen, ALAN & NAOMI boasts fine central performances from juvenile star Lukas Haas and newcomer Vanessa Zaoui.
Alan Silverman (Haas), already in the dog house with some of his classmates, who think he's a gangly sissy, is desperate to prove himself on the stickball team when his loving parents, Sol and Ruth (well played by Michael Gross of TV's "Family Ties" and Amy Aquino), deal their only son a devastating blow, virtually ordering him to sacrifice his afterschool playtime in order to serve as Good Samaritan to a new neighbor's young ward, a French girl named Naomi Kirschenbaum (Zaoui) who is suffering from catatonia as a result of witnessing the brutal death of her father, a member of the French Resistance, at the hands of the Nazis. When Alan, not understanding her tormented background or fully grasping the extent of her present plight, first meets Naomi, he's repulsed by her and resentful of having to spend his afternoons with an unresponsive girl who does nothing but stare into space while mechanically ripping newspapers to shreds. As these sessions continue, however, Alan begins to take a personal interest in his charge and begins working hard to reach her. The breakthrough comes when Alan, a passably good ventriloquist, uses his dummy to communicate with Naomi. She responds through her ragged doll and a friendship blossoms, first between dummy and doll, and eventually between the two youngsters themselves.
Initially embarrassed about his involvement with the troubled Naomi, Alan avoids telling the truth to his best friend Shaun (Kevin Connolly) and, as a result, he almost loses Shaun's friendship forever. Finally, Alan confesses all to Shaun and takes him to meet Naomi. At first, Shaun refuses to forgive Alan for his fibs, but all is forgiven after a local bully, shouting racial slurs, pounces on the smaller Alan and Shaun comes to his friend's defense. Near the conclusion, Naomi suffers a relapse, hides in a cellar and smears soot over her face. The touching finale finds Alan comforting Naomi on a bench outside the sanitorium where she has been taken by Mrs. Liebman (Zohra Lampert), her guardian. She's reverted to her previous catatonic state, but Alan's assured expression effectively conveys his hope for her future.
Set during the mid-1940s, some viewers will likely criticize ALAN & NAOMI for not offering a tougher, more realistic view of its subject matter, such as the unsparing portrait of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller offered by Arthur Penn in THE MIRACLE WORKER. In truth, Jordan Horowitz's screenplay is decidedly sentimental, largely eschewing the more unpleasant aspects of Naomi's recovery, but the film remains a sweetly affecting coming-of-age story that younger audiences, and tender-hearted older viewers, will doubtlessly appreciate. The Brooklyn period settings have been faithfully recreated by production designer George Goodridge in Wilmington, North Carolina. (Adult situations.)
Crew
| Producer | David Anderson Mark Balsam |
| Exec. Producer | Jonathan Pillot |
| Co-Producer | Don Schain |
| Assoc. Producer | Edward M. Grant Jordan Horowitz |
| Director | Sterling VanWagenen |
| Writer | Jordan Horowitz (from the novel by Myron Levoy) |
| Source | Myron Levoy |
| Editor | Cari Coughlin |
| Musical Composer | Dick Hyman |
| Production Designer | George Goodridge |
| Art Director | Barbara Kahn Kretschmer |
| Costumes | Alonzo V. Wilson |
| Cinematographer | Paul Ryan |
** 1/2 [2 1/2 stars out of 5]
Alan & Naomi is set during World War II in New York. It exhibits the kind of excruciating attention to detail that signals misty nostalgia and an impossibly functional family life. Another early indicator that the syrup is going to pour is the presence of Michael Gross as a wise and understanding Jewish father. (He was last seen, you will remember, as the WASPy but no less wise father of Michael J. Fox in Family Ties.) This time his son is played by Lukas Haas. Here named Alan, Haas is a young boy for whom the reality of war is expressed by model airplanes and his father's obsessive tracking of campaigns with maps and pushpins. It comes closer, however, when Naomi (Zaoui), a catatonic survivor of the Gestapo, arrives to stay with the family upstairs. Now, what do you suppose is going to happen? Yes, Alan is given the assignment of trying to draw Naomi out of her shell. He resists, of course, but his resistance serves mainly as an excuse for Gross to philosophize, after which Haas does whatever it is he is asked to do.
Alan & Naomi is boring in its predictability. It only jerks out its deep rut of a storyline when Naomi has a brutal flashback of her father's murder and that jarring note serves only to heighten impatience with the sentimental mush being served up here. The feeling of restlessness is mitigated only by the two young leads, Haas and French actress Zaoui. Haas wins praise every time he appears onscreen and he deserves it no less here. He makes the most of the awkwardness of adolescence, creating a real and fully-fleshed character distinct from the hordes of cute, simpering child actors endured by audiences lately. Zaoui, too, is a stand out, though in a more conventional way. She's strikingly beautiful and she plays up the cute French angle to the hilt. Luckily, she never teeters over into obvious manipulation. Certainly, she has the tougher job. Catatonic for much of the movie, she has to make the most of the speaking parts she gets. Sadly, it's not likely there will be much of an audience to applaud these teens' efforts.
Alan & Naomi occupies that difficult niche, the classy children's film. It is perhaps a little too sophisticated for children, but it will definitely bore adults.
Category: Drama
Director: Sterling Vanwagenen
Cast: Lukas Haas, Michael Gross, Vanessa Aquino, Zohra Lampert
Running Time: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG
Distributor: Columbia TriStar Home Video
Summary:
Set in Brooklyn, 1944, a slice of America during wartime is portrayed. A 14-year-old boy is tries to break down the psychological wall his French-Jewish mother put up when her husband was brutally murdered.
users grade
B+
Alan and Naomi (1991)
Directed by: Sterling VanWagenen
Purchasing Information
This title is being sold by Facets Multimedia (seller rated 4/5 stars).
Length: 94 minutes
Country: USA
Alan and Naomi
Rated: PG (Adult Situations, Questionable for Children)
Alan (Lukas Haas) is a typically streetwise Brooklyn teenager of the 1940s. Naomi (Vanessa Zaoui) is a French-Jewish refugee of Nazi oppression, recently moved into the apartment above Alan's. Ever since witnessing the murder of her father, Naomi has remained in a catatonic state. Alan's well-meaning efforts to help the girl at first seem to do more harm than good. But eventually the boy's sincerity and hitherto untapped compassion win out, and the two young people form a strong, unbreakable bond. Alan & Naomi is based on a novel by Myron Levoy.
Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Lukas Haas | Alan Drucker Silverman |
| Vanessa Zaoui | Naomi Kirschenbaum |
| Michael Gross | Sol Silverman |
| Amy Aquino | Ruth Silverman |
| Zohra Lampert | Mrs. Liebman |
| Kevin Connolly | Shaun Kelly |
| Victoria Christian | Mrs. Kirschenbaum |
| Vanessa Aquino | |
| Mark Fincannon | Mr. Kirschenbaum |
| Michael Kennedy | |
| Blake Edwards | Tommy Frankel |
| Michael Gwynne | |
| Mick McGovern | Officer Danny |
| Mary McMillan | Mrs. Landley |
| Richard Olsen | Finch |
| D. Anthony Pender | Usher |
Alan & Naomi
USA, 1991, 95 min
English
Sterling Vanwagenen
In Brooklyn 1944, 14-year-old Alan Silverman reluctantly agrees at the urging of his parents (Michael Gross, Amy Aquino) to befriend Naomi, a girl down the block. It seems Naomi was rendered traumatized when, during the Holocaust, she witnessed her father's brutal murder by the Nazis. Though Alan is apprehensive about helping Naomi, he eventually gives it his best shot. Only after Alan uses his ventriloquist's dummy to speak to Naomi does she respond at all. But she answers not in her own voice, but through her doll. Despite this progress, Alan still wonders if he can reach her any further. Now that he cares for Naomi, however, he has no choice but to keep trying. A touching tale of loss and recovery.
Other films shown at the festival:
The Assault (1986)
Berlin Jerusalem (1989)
Escape to the Rising Sun (1991)
Himmo: King of Jerusalem (1987)
Hot Bagels: The Hole Story (1979)
Isaac Singer's Nightmare and Mrs. Pupko's Beard (1974)
The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob (1974)
Moise (1991)
Molly's Pilgrim (1985)
Night of the Long Knives (1983)
Uncle Moses (1932)
UNKNOWN SECRETS: Art and the Rosenberg Era (1990)
Disability: General Catatonic state
Notes: Set In Brooklyn, New York in 1944 a friendship between two teenagers. But one is a French-Jewish refugee left in a catatonic state after seeing her father murdered. From book by Levoy, Myron
Source: Teaching for Visual Literacy: 50 Great Young Adult Films
URL: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/spring94/Teasley.html
Alan & Naomi (US, Sterling VanWagenen, 1991, PG, 95 min.). Alan is a Jewish boy living in New York at the end of World War II. When Alan would rather be playing stick ball in the streets, his parents make him spend time with Naomi, a French refugee girl whose experiences in Nazi-occupied France have left her catatonic. Alan and Naomi develop a friendship that helps herbegin to live and trust again. Great portrayal of the friendship between the boy and girl.
Alan and Naomi, Sterling VanWagenen, dir. (1991)
The Lakes Art Center will host two film series this year. Movies start at 7:15 for this winters Special Series...
"Alan & Naomi"
May 13 - 1992, 96 m. Directed by Sterling Van Wagenen.
A carefully paced, splendidly acted sleeper which unravels in Brooklyn during 1944. A jewish. American teenager befriends a catatonic escapee from the holocaust and attempts to connect with her.
User Rating: 6.3 out of 10 (based on 88 votes)
[Sample User Comment:]
Jonathan Rimorin (cromwell-3)
Date: 22 September 1999
Summary: a poignant film. Haas' performance is exquisite
The plot, which you can read elsewhere on this page, seems slim and easily dismissable; one can imagine an ABC afternoon special made on the same themes. The film's grace, however, is achieved entirely by its performances. Lukas Haas, as an American Brooklyn boy initially irritated by his Jewish heritage, is wonderful to watch as his character grows in affection and charm. Michael Gross is surprising in his affable characterisation of Alan's Dad -- not a far stretch from his "Family Ties" role perhaps but charming nevertheless. The film is mawkish in a few instances but on the whole it is incredibly bittersweet and poignant. See this movie.
Alan has little feeling about the war currently taking place in Europe. His father's despair at Hitler's advance seems slightly unreasonable to him. Alan is more concerned with gaining approval from his gentile schoolmates and, to do this, he is trying to build his physical strength. Then Naomi and her mother move into an apartment in Alan's building. Naomi is deeply disturbed (her father was beaten to death by the Nazis as she watched) and Alan is asked to make contact with her. At first Alan is an unwilling participant in Naomi's therapy, but they gradually achieve real friendship. Alan's commitment and friendship eventually strengthens Naomi to the extent that she comes to school. Alan has discarded his search for admiration of his classmates to the degree that he is proud to be associated with Naomi in spite of their disdain. Then Alan and Naomi are taunted by a racist bully. When she sees Alan being bloodied and beaten, Naomi's precarious hold on sanity is broken and she retreats beyond Alan's and probably anybody's reach.
At the beginning this seems like an overly simplistic story. As the reader continues, however, the plot and characters take on more complexity. A yellow model airplane is used as a symbol throughout the story. The avoidance of pat solutions and the downbeat ending lifts this above many young adult novels and the oblique view of the war and the Holocaust opens many avenues for dialogue and further research into either mental illness or the events of World War II.
Michael Gross
Alan
&
Naomi
Amy Aquino
Zohra Lampert
Kevin Connolly
And Introducing
Vanessa Zaoui
as Naomi
Production Design
George Goodridge
Editor
Cari Coughlin
Director of Photography
Paul Ryan
Music Composed and Conducted by
Dick Hyman
Co-Producer
Don Schain
Executive Producer
Jonathan Pillot
Based Upon The Novel By
Myron Levoy
Screenplay By
Jordan Horowitz
Produced By
David Anderson
Mark Balsam
Directed By
Sterling VanWagenen
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Alan Silverman | Lukas Haas |
| Naomi Kirschenbaum | Vanessa Zaoui |
| Sol Silverman | Michael Gross |
| Ruth Silverman | Amy Aquino |
| Shaun Kelly | Kevin Connolly |
| Mrs. Liebman | Zohra Lampert |
| Mrs. Kirschenbaum | Victoria Christian |
| Joe Condello | Charlie Dow |
| Ken Newman | Randy Williams |
| Mrs. Landley | Mary McMillan |
| Finch | Richard K. Olsen |
| Gloria | Stacy Moseley |
| Mr. Kirschenbaum | Mark Fincannon |
| Norma | Becky Wyatt |
| Larry Dennison | Derek Knott |
| Usher | D. Anthony Pender |
| Tony Ferrara | Shawn Ryan |
| Boy #1 | Brian Button |
| Officer Danny | Nick McGovern |
| Officer Pat | Michael Kennedy |
Stunt Coordinator Frank Ferrara
Associate Producers
Edward M. Grant
Jordan Horowitz
| Production Manager | David Blake Hartley |
| First Assistant Director | Rip Murray |
| Second Assistant Directors | Juliette Yager Cynthia E. Williams |
| Production Coordinator | Chrissie Davis |
| Production Accountant | Anne K. Moosman |
| Script Supervisor | Sandra Marley Haskell |
| First Assistant Camera | Spencer L. McDonald |
| Second Assistant Camera | Bill Finger |
| Still Photographer | Merie Weismiller Wallace |
| Additional Photography | Herb Harton |
| Gaffer | Steve Perry |
| Best Boy/Electrical | Keith Pickett |
| Electricians | Mark Smith Terry D. Long Dale C. Robinson |
| Key Grip | Scott R. Davis |
| Best Boy/Grip | Robert G. Hoelen |
| Dolly Grip | Monte E. Bass |
| Grips | Michael Adams Michael Bonsignore Logan Berkshire Scott Hillman |
| Sound Mixer | Rick Waddell |
| Boom Operator | Gary Theard |
| Art Director | Barbara Kahn Kretschmer |
| Property Master | Tantar LeViseur |
| Set Decorator | Vernon Harrell |
| Leadman | Stephen C. Peterman |
| Set Dressers | Elizabeth Giles Louis Terry Carl Hector John Bromell John D. Kretschmer Polar Bear Shaw Russ Jones Peter J. Durand Fermon Judd |
| Assistant Property Master | Beth Berkshire |
| Art Department Assistants | Sarah VanWagenen Dax Anderson Tara Foran |
| Storyboard Artist | Brian Stultz |
| Sign Painter | Hank P. Constantineau |
| Model Maker | Daniel Samppala |
| Construction Coordinator | Danny Kiser |
| Construction Foreman | Gary Long |
| Set Carpenters | Barry Spencer Rufus Best |
| Standby Carpenter | Dick VanNewkirk |
| Charge Scenic | John D. Wallace |
| Scenic Painter | Larry Shepard |
| Special Effects | Greg Hull |
| Costume Designer | Alonza V. Wilson |
| Costume Supervisor | Erika Anderson |
| Costumer | Anna M. Welcome |
| Costume Assistant | Kristina VanWagenen |
| Seamstress | Ilse Graves |
| Key Makeup Artist | Jeff Goodwin |
| Key Hair Stylist | Michelle Johnson |
| Assistant Hair Stylist | Dalaree Goodwin |
| Location Manager | Sandy Johnston |
| Assistant Production Coordinator | Carrie DuRose |
| Assistant to Mr. Schain | Nicole Silverstein |
| Assistant Production Accountant | Mary Bridges |
| Post-Production Accountant | Jeff Crane |
| Production Assistants/Set | Betsy Anderson Janalee O'Bagy Manny Sarris |
| Production Assistant/Office | John Stuart |
| Set Medic | C.F. Burton |
| Craft Services | Randall Pickett |
| Catering by | Ferrovia |
| Chef | Mark Snyder |
| Chef's Assistant | Riva Grantham |
| Transportation Coordinator | Neil A. Hyman |
| Transportation Captain | Bill Pitts |
| Drivers | David Outlaw Anthony Forester Edward W. Bozeman Lorri F. Sumner Linda Pickett Jesse Adam Smith |
| Honeywagon Driver | Ron M. Field |
| Paris Casting | Jeanne Biras |
| Extras Coordinator | Pam Plummer |
| Stand-ins | Duke Anderson Arthur VanWagenen William VanWagenen Alex Balestrero |
| Miss Zaoui's Dialogue Coach | Jean-Marie Pelissie |
| Mr. Haas' Guardian | Susan B. Abjornson |
| First Assistant Editors | Doug Boyd Carole Henderson Harrington |
| Second Assistant Editor | Dean Holder |
| Apprentice Editors | Pamela Choules Tracy Dorsey Jennifer D. Scudder Doug Richen |
| Post Production Sound Services by | Allied-WBS Film & Video |
| Re-Recording Mixer | Byron Wilson |
| Supervising Sound Editor | Doug Bryan |
| Assistant Re-Recording Mixer | Jeff Timbs |
| Assistant Sound Editor | Logan Breit |
| Foley Artist | Robert J. Castaldo |
| Negative Cutters | Gary Wallace Karen Witte |
| Color Timer | Robert Colley |
| Titles & Optics Designed by | Cinema Research Corporation |
| Title Design | David L. Aaron |
| Cameras and Lenses Supplied by | Ultravision |
| Color by | Allied-WBS Film & Video |
| Music Recording Engineer | Roy B. Yokelson Antland Productions, New York |
| Music Recording Supervisor | Walt Levinsky |
| Musical Contractor | Joe Malin |
| Assistant Engineers | Aaron Kropf Susan Pelino Todd Whitelock |
Dick Hyman
Conductor and Pianist
| Saxophone | Ray Beckenstein |
| Saxophone | Frank Wess |
| Saxophone | Wally Kane |
| Trumpet | John Frosk |
| Trumpet | Mel Davis |
| Trumpet | Joe Wilder |
| Trombone | Joel Helleny |
| Trombone | Dan Barrett |
| Guitar | Vincent Bell |
| Bass | John Beal |
| Drums | Ted Sommer |
| Percussion | Dave Carey |
| Clarinet, Flute, Saxophone | Phil Bodner |
| Violin | Matthew Raimondi |
| Violin | Anahid Ajemian |
| Viola | Maureen Gallagher |
| Cello | Mark Shuman |
John Mical
Musical Preparation
"On the Wings of Forever"
Performed by B.J. Thomas
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
Written and Produced by
Douglas A. Snider & Paul Overstreet
Sincere Appreciations to the Following:
Jessica Bagg
Grant R. Brimhall
Sharon Dorais
Rabbi & Mrs. Harold Friedman
Dr. Robert Prehn, Program Director, the Oaks
Douglas A. & Sandra Snider
Pam Weinraub
The Offices of Senators Orrin Hatch & Jessie Helms
East Coast Sets & Scenery
Group Earth Nursery
Hammond, Inc.
Lionel Trains, Inc.
Rand McNally & Company
Trimblehouse
The City of Wilmington, North Carolina
Through the courtesy of the "Jewish Forward"
UCLA Film & Television Archive
Cup from "Lonesome Stranger" provided by
Turner Entertainment, Inc.
Tom Mix Radio Broadcast courtesy of
The Ralson Purina Company and
Licensed by Radio Spirits, Inc.
Filmed at the Carolco Studios, Inc.
Wilmington, North Carolina
Copyright © 1991 Leucadia Film Corporation
All Rights Reserved
The persons and events portrayed in this production
are fictitious. No similarity to actual persons,
living or dead, is intended or should be inferred.
Leucadia Film Corporation is the author
of this film/motion picture for the purpose
of article 15(2) of the Berne Convention
and all national laws giving effect thereto.
This motion picture is protected under laws of
the United States and other countries. Any
unauthorized exhibition, distribution or
reproduction of this motion picture or videotape
or any part thereof (including the soundtrack)
may result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
From
The Leucadia Corporation
The Maltese Companies, Inc.