Going in Style
Encyclopedia
Going in Style is a 1979
caper film written and directed by Martin Brest
. It stars George Burns
, Art Carney
, Lee Strasberg
and Charles Hallahan
. The casino scenes were shot at the Aladdin Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
.
), Al (Art Carney
), and Willie (Lee Strasberg
) are three senior citizens who share a small apartment in New York City
. They live off social security
checks and spend their days sitting on a park bench, reading newspapers, feeding pigeons, and fending off obnoxious children.
It is a dull life, and finally Joe is driven to suggest something radical to break the monotony: why not go on a stick-up? None of them has a criminal history (though Joe claims he "did some stealing during the war"), but just planning the bank robbery fills them with optimism. Al surreptitiously borrows some pistols from the collection of his nephew, Pete (Charles Hallahan
). The trio, disguised with novelty Groucho Marx
-style glasses, pulls off their heist to the tune of USD
$35,000 dollars.
Unfortunately, the excitement is too much for Willie, who suffers a fatal heart attack
the same day. At his funeral, Joe and Al decide to give the bulk of the money to Pete and his family without telling him where it's from. They decide to splurge with the rest on a whirlwind excursion to Las Vegas
.
Meanwhile, the eccentric robbery has become a colorful story for the media and the police are closing in on the amateur criminals. The night after their return from Vegas, where they excitedly win even more money gambling, Al dies in his sleep, leaving Joe by himself.
On his way to Al's funeral, Joe is arrested. When Al's nephew arrives to visit Joe in prison and says he'll find a way to legally free Joe, Joe asks Pete not to bother. Joe explains that he gets three square meals a day and generally is getting "treated like a king around here", due to the police hoping he'll reveal where the stolen money is. The movie ends as Joe is being escorted back to his cell. He looks mischievously at Pete and says, "Besides, no tin-horn joint like this could ever hold me!"
1979 in film
The year 1979 in film involved some significant events.- Major events :* March 5 - Production begins on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.* May 25 - Alien, a landmark of the science fiction genre, is released....
caper film written and directed by Martin Brest
Martin Brest
Martin Brest is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.-Education:He was born in a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York....
. It stars George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
, Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
, Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
and Charles Hallahan
Charles Hallahan
Charles John Hallahan was an American film, television and stage actor best known for his performances in Going in Style, The Thing, and Dante's Peak.-Life and career:...
. The casino scenes were shot at the Aladdin Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
.
Plot synopsis
Joe (George BurnsGeorge Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
), Al (Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
), and Willie (Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg
Lee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
) are three senior citizens who share a small apartment in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. They live off social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
checks and spend their days sitting on a park bench, reading newspapers, feeding pigeons, and fending off obnoxious children.
It is a dull life, and finally Joe is driven to suggest something radical to break the monotony: why not go on a stick-up? None of them has a criminal history (though Joe claims he "did some stealing during the war"), but just planning the bank robbery fills them with optimism. Al surreptitiously borrows some pistols from the collection of his nephew, Pete (Charles Hallahan
Charles Hallahan
Charles John Hallahan was an American film, television and stage actor best known for his performances in Going in Style, The Thing, and Dante's Peak.-Life and career:...
). The trio, disguised with novelty Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. His rapid-fire delivery of innuendo-laden patter earned him many admirers. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers, of whom he was the third-born...
-style glasses, pulls off their heist to the tune of USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$35,000 dollars.
Unfortunately, the excitement is too much for Willie, who suffers a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
the same day. At his funeral, Joe and Al decide to give the bulk of the money to Pete and his family without telling him where it's from. They decide to splurge with the rest on a whirlwind excursion to Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
.
Meanwhile, the eccentric robbery has become a colorful story for the media and the police are closing in on the amateur criminals. The night after their return from Vegas, where they excitedly win even more money gambling, Al dies in his sleep, leaving Joe by himself.
On his way to Al's funeral, Joe is arrested. When Al's nephew arrives to visit Joe in prison and says he'll find a way to legally free Joe, Joe asks Pete not to bother. Joe explains that he gets three square meals a day and generally is getting "treated like a king around here", due to the police hoping he'll reveal where the stolen money is. The movie ends as Joe is being escorted back to his cell. He looks mischievously at Pete and says, "Besides, no tin-horn joint like this could ever hold me!"
Cast
- George BurnsGeorge BurnsGeorge Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
as Joe - Art CarneyArt CarneyArthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
as Al - Lee StrasbergLee StrasbergLee Strasberg was an American actor, director and acting teacher. He cofounded, with directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective"...
as Willie - Charles HallahanCharles HallahanCharles John Hallahan was an American film, television and stage actor best known for his performances in Going in Style, The Thing, and Dante's Peak.-Life and career:...
as Pete - Pamela Payton-WrightPamela Payton-Wright-Biography:Payton-Wright was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Eleanor Ruth and Gordon Edgar Payton-Wright. She graduated from the Birmingham-Southern College in 1963. She began her television career in 1972 as Rhonda on Corky...
as Kathy - Siobhan Keegan as Colleen
- Brian Neville as Kevin