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Murphy's Romance

Year:

1986

Duration:

107 min

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

IMDB rate:

6.9

Director:

Martin Ritt

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 nominations

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1986-01-31

Filming Locations: Florence, Arizona, USA

Earnings

Budget: $13,000,000

Opening Weekend: $47,906 (USA) (29 December 1985)

Gross: $940,325 (USA) (26 January 1986)

Cast

Actor

Character

Henry Slate

Sally Field

Emma Moriarty

James Garner

Murphy Jones

Brian Kerwin

Bobby Jack Moriarty

Corey Haim

Jake Moriarty

Dennis Burkley

Freeman Coverly

Georgann Johnson

Margaret

Dortha Duckworth

Bessie

Michael Prokopuk

Albert

Billy Ray Sharkey

Larry Le Beau

Michael Crabtree

Jim Forrest

Anna Levine

Wanda

Charles Lane

Amos Abbott

Bruce French

Rex Boyd

John C. Becher

Jesse Parker

Tom Rankin

Ben

Peggy McCay

Mrs. Willis

Carole King

Tillie

Ted Gehring

Auctioneer

Joshua Ravetch

Henry Bass

C. Ray Cook

Voice at Bingo Game

Eugene Cochran

Jonas

Gene Blakely

Lucien Holt

Sherry Lynn Amorosi

Doris

Patricia Ann Willoughby

Lil

Mike Casper

Hay Trucker

Hugh Burritt

Kid in Car Crash

Michael Friel

Clerk #1

Art Royer

Clerk #2

Irving Ravetch

Customer

Michael Hungerford

Auction Bidder #1

John Higgenbotham

Boy at Barbecue

Drasha Meyer

Ice Cream Lady

Ron Nix

Auction Bidder #2

Johnny Ray Anthony

Auction Bidder #3

Paul Pinnt

Auction Bidder #4

Mark Burkett

Bank Customer (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Columbia Pictures really wanted Marlon Brando for his "box office allure", despite the fact he hadn't been in a film since 1980, while Garner more recently played the lead in Victor Victoria (1982). Director Martin Ritt and 'Sally Field' insisted on Garner. (Well, she was going to be the one getting kissed.)

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One of the few films to successfully appeal its MPAA rating. In a pivotal scene with Murphy, Bobby Jack asks him if he and Emma have been "fucking". The MPAA "automatic language rule" normally does not allow even a single instance of a "sexually derived" vulgarity, in a sexual context, in a PG-13 release.

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Gene Blakely's final film.

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Goofs

Early in the film, when "Murphy Jones" is shown playing the fiddle at the dance hall, his bow strokes and fingerings are totally unrepresentative of the music heard on the soundtrack. Obviously, James Garner hasn't the slightest idea how to play the violin, and the sequence was over-dubbed.

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Murphy uses the same fountain dispenser for Coke (when Emma wanted a lemon coke), water (when Emma wanted Excedrin and water) and club soda (when Emma wanted a chocolate soda) and always pulls the handle toward himself.

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Quotes

Murphy: It might be the ball cock.

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Bobby Jack Moriarty: I just ain't had enough good times yet.

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Emma: [to Jake, after telling him she's going to ask Bobby Jack to leave] You sure have had a short childhood.

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