Gordy
Encyclopedia
Gordy is a 1995 feature film
about a piglet who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to Omaha, Nebraska
to a slaughterhouse). The piglet, named Gordy, experiences the lives of others which are part of the film's side plots, including travelling country music singers Luke McAllister and his daughter Jinnie Sue; and lonely boy Hanky Royce whose mother is engaged to a sinister businessman, Gilbert Snipes. Gordy changes lives for the people he encounters due to their ability to understand him. The film was released to theatres on May 12, 1995. It was distributed by Miramax Family Films
.
Gordy was originally conceived in the early 1970s by Green Acres
creator Jay Sommers
and writer Dick Chevillat as a vehicle for the Arnold Ziffel
character from the television series. Both are given writing credit for the film, although Sommers had died some ten years before the release of Gordy.
It was shot in Marietta
and Coweta County, Georgia
. Other scenes were shot in Branson, Missouri
.
The film featured the song "Pig Power" by Tag Team. A music video was produced for the song, featuring clips from the film.
). Jinnie Sue, not knowing Gordy's name, calls him Pinky.
They travel to a dinner party where Luke performs for the governor of Arkansas. Also there is rich businessman, Henry Royce (Ted Manson
), his daughter Jessica (Deborah Hobart), her rather dull but scheming fiancé, Sipes (James Donadio), and Jessica's lonely young son Hanky. Hanky wanders off on his own and meets Gordy and Jinnie Sue. Hanky falls into a swimming pool, but cannot swim. Jinnie Sue rushes off to get help, but Gordy dives into the pool with an inflatable and saves Hanky. Grateful, Hanky is given Gordy as a pet. Gordy's bravery also makes him suddenly famous.
Royce and Sipes have alternate decisions on who the new mascot of the Royce company should be: Gordy or Jessica. In the end, Gordy wins, due to a switched camera lens used on Jessica's promotion. Sipes is determined to remove Gordy and then take control of the company. He sends his two guards, Dietz and Krugman to kidnap Gordy, but Gordy and Hanky escape on board a school bus, which the two men pursue. On the way, they are distracted briefly by a cross-dressing thief, and discover that Gordy and Hanky have escaped onto a feeding truck. The two unexpectedly meet up with the MacAllisters, who learn from the radio that Hanky has apparently runaway. Another bulletin follows, revealing Henry Royce has died of a heart attack. The MacAllisters return Hanky and Gordy to the Royce building in St. Louis, Missouri where an attorney reveals Henry has left his company to Hanky and Gordy.
Cousin Jake, upon learning Gordy's family is missing, organizes a giant country-wide search to locate them and also a country music concert in Branson, Missouri in Gordy's name. A host of country singers perform, as well as a surprise speech from President Bill Clinton
(just an impersonator) who unveils a new stamp of Gordy. Sipes sends his men to kill Gordy but he is saved by Cousin Jake. Jake returns Gordy to Hanky and Jinnie Sue. Everyone learns from someone who calls into the telethon where Gordy's parents are going to be slaughtered at an unidentified slaughterhouse in Nebraska. Sipes tries to hide the fact that the very same slaughterhouse is owned by the Royce family. However, a battle happens between Sipes and Luke, Jessica and Luke knocking him out with the suitcase of Brinks, the family attorney. Gordy, Hanky, Jinnie Sue, Jessica, Luke, Cousin Jake and Brinks race to stop the slaughterhouse from killing Gordy's parents but a train slows them down. Hanky successfully rings the lovestruck supervisor and the slaughterhouse is shut down just in time. To Gordy's happiness his parents and siblings have survived and he is reunited with his father who was also about to be killed at the slaughterhouse. The pigs are moved back to the farm, which Luke decides to buy and in the end he marries Jessica, Hanky, Jinnie Sue and Cousin Jake moving in too. Gordy has a happy ending, his family together again with new members.
, which was another film featuring a young talking pig. Rotten Tomatoes
rated the film with a 17% based on six reviews. Both movies premiered in the same year. Although Gordy was released first, it was not very successful, while Babe was a box office hit, won several awards (including an Academy Award for Visual Effects
) and spawned a sequel.
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
about a piglet who searches for his missing family (who are taken away to Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
to a slaughterhouse). The piglet, named Gordy, experiences the lives of others which are part of the film's side plots, including travelling country music singers Luke McAllister and his daughter Jinnie Sue; and lonely boy Hanky Royce whose mother is engaged to a sinister businessman, Gilbert Snipes. Gordy changes lives for the people he encounters due to their ability to understand him. The film was released to theatres on May 12, 1995. It was distributed by Miramax Family Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
.
Gordy was originally conceived in the early 1970s by Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
creator Jay Sommers
Jay Sommers
Jay Sommers was a producer, director and comedy writer whose career spanned four decades. He wrote more than 90 television comedy episodes, produced 63, and had a major responsibility for creating the Green Acres television show...
and writer Dick Chevillat as a vehicle for the Arnold Ziffel
Arnold Ziffel
Arnold Ziffel was a pig featured in Green Acres, an American situation comedy that was produced by Filmways, Inc., and originally aired on the CBS network from 1965 to 1971...
character from the television series. Both are given writing credit for the film, although Sommers had died some ten years before the release of Gordy.
It was shot in Marietta
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
and Coweta County, Georgia
Coweta County, Georgia
Coweta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 89,215. The 2009 Census Estimate placed the population at 131,936...
. Other scenes were shot in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
.
The film featured the song "Pig Power" by Tag Team. A music video was produced for the song, featuring clips from the film.
Synopsis
A young spunky piglet, named Gordy (Justin Garms), lives on Meadow Brook Farm somewhere in Arkansas. After his father is taken up North to an undetermined fate (in Gordy's point of view anyway), the piglet learns from the farm's rooster that his mother and siblings were taken while he pursued his father. Determined to locate his family and return to the farm, Gordy heads out alone to find them. He eventually ends up in the care of Jinnie Sue MacAllister (Kristy Young), a young upbeat country singer who lives in a camper van with her also country singer father, Luke (Doug Stone), and their "manager", Cousin Jake (Tom LesterTom Lester
Thomas William "Tom" Lester is an American actor and evangelist. He may be best remembered for his role as Oliver & Lisa Douglas's farmhand, Eb Dawson, in the television series Green Acres, and appeared in the movies Gordy and Benji.-Biography:Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi...
). Jinnie Sue, not knowing Gordy's name, calls him Pinky.
They travel to a dinner party where Luke performs for the governor of Arkansas. Also there is rich businessman, Henry Royce (Ted Manson
Ted Manson
Ted Manson was an American film actor with a career that spanned over 30 years.Born in Columbus, Ohio, Manson graduated from West High School. He attended both Ohio State University and John Carroll University. In the 1950s he started acting with the Players Club and the Ohio State University...
), his daughter Jessica (Deborah Hobart), her rather dull but scheming fiancé, Sipes (James Donadio), and Jessica's lonely young son Hanky. Hanky wanders off on his own and meets Gordy and Jinnie Sue. Hanky falls into a swimming pool, but cannot swim. Jinnie Sue rushes off to get help, but Gordy dives into the pool with an inflatable and saves Hanky. Grateful, Hanky is given Gordy as a pet. Gordy's bravery also makes him suddenly famous.
Royce and Sipes have alternate decisions on who the new mascot of the Royce company should be: Gordy or Jessica. In the end, Gordy wins, due to a switched camera lens used on Jessica's promotion. Sipes is determined to remove Gordy and then take control of the company. He sends his two guards, Dietz and Krugman to kidnap Gordy, but Gordy and Hanky escape on board a school bus, which the two men pursue. On the way, they are distracted briefly by a cross-dressing thief, and discover that Gordy and Hanky have escaped onto a feeding truck. The two unexpectedly meet up with the MacAllisters, who learn from the radio that Hanky has apparently runaway. Another bulletin follows, revealing Henry Royce has died of a heart attack. The MacAllisters return Hanky and Gordy to the Royce building in St. Louis, Missouri where an attorney reveals Henry has left his company to Hanky and Gordy.
Cousin Jake, upon learning Gordy's family is missing, organizes a giant country-wide search to locate them and also a country music concert in Branson, Missouri in Gordy's name. A host of country singers perform, as well as a surprise speech from President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
(just an impersonator) who unveils a new stamp of Gordy. Sipes sends his men to kill Gordy but he is saved by Cousin Jake. Jake returns Gordy to Hanky and Jinnie Sue. Everyone learns from someone who calls into the telethon where Gordy's parents are going to be slaughtered at an unidentified slaughterhouse in Nebraska. Sipes tries to hide the fact that the very same slaughterhouse is owned by the Royce family. However, a battle happens between Sipes and Luke, Jessica and Luke knocking him out with the suitcase of Brinks, the family attorney. Gordy, Hanky, Jinnie Sue, Jessica, Luke, Cousin Jake and Brinks race to stop the slaughterhouse from killing Gordy's parents but a train slows them down. Hanky successfully rings the lovestruck supervisor and the slaughterhouse is shut down just in time. To Gordy's happiness his parents and siblings have survived and he is reunited with his father who was also about to be killed at the slaughterhouse. The pigs are moved back to the farm, which Luke decides to buy and in the end he marries Jessica, Hanky, Jinnie Sue and Cousin Jake moving in too. Gordy has a happy ending, his family together again with new members.
Cast
- Doug Stone as Luke MacAllister: A country singer, and the father of Jinnie Sue.
- Kristy Young as Jinnie Sue MacAllister: The daughter of Luke, also a country singer.
- Tom LesterTom LesterThomas William "Tom" Lester is an American actor and evangelist. He may be best remembered for his role as Oliver & Lisa Douglas's farmhand, Eb Dawson, in the television series Green Acres, and appeared in the movies Gordy and Benji.-Biography:Lester was born in Laurel, Mississippi...
as Cousin Jake: Luke's cousin and the manager of his group. - Deborah Hobart as Jessica Royce: The daughter of Henry Royce and mother of Hanky, engaged to Sipes.
- Michael Roescher as Hanky Royce: The lonely but friendly son of Jessica. He becomes a good friend to Gordy.
- James Donadio as Gilbert Sipes: The fiance of Jessica and main antagonist. He is a rather selfish and scheming man who is looking to take over the Royce company.
- Ted MansonTed MansonTed Manson was an American film actor with a career that spanned over 30 years.Born in Columbus, Ohio, Manson graduated from West High School. He attended both Ohio State University and John Carroll University. In the 1950s he started acting with the Players Club and the Ohio State University...
as Henry Royce: The elderly executive of the Royce company, father of Jessica and grandfather of Hanky. He dies part-way through the film of a heart attack. - Tom Key as Brinks: The comical friendly attorney of the Royce family and Sipes. He usually follows the advice of his conscience.
- Jon Kohler and Afemo OmilamiAfemo OmilamiAfemo Omilami is an American actor.-Career:He has appeared in many films such as Glory , The Firm , Gordy , Remember the Titans , Hounddog , and The Blind Side...
as Dietz and Krugman: Sipes's incompetent henchmen.
Voices
- Justin Garms as Gordy: A young piglet who sets out from his home to find his missing family.
- Hamilton CampHamilton CampHamilton Camp was an English-American singer, songwriter, actor and voice actor.-Early life:Camp was born in London, England, and was evacuated during World War II to the United States as a child with his mother and sister. He became a child actor in films and onstage...
as Gordy's Father: An adult pig who was taken up North to be slaughtered, and as Richard the Rooster. - Jocelyn Blue as Gordy's Mother: She and her children are also taken for slaughter.
- Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Narrator - Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
as Wendy - Earl BoenEarl BoenEarl Boen is an American actor and voice actor. He is perhaps best known as criminal psychologist Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator series...
as Minnesota Red - Frank Soronow as Dorothy the Cow
- Billy Bodine as Piglet
- Blaek McIver Ewing as Piglet
- Julianna Harris as Piglet
- Sabrina Weiner as Piglet
- Heather Bahler as Piglet
- Jim MeskimenJim MeskimenJim Ross Meskimen is an American comedian and actor, perhaps best known for his work on the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway? and as the voice of President George W. Bush and other politicians for the internet Jib Jab animated shorts...
as the voice of Bill ClintonBill ClintonWilliam Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Reception
Along with overwhelmingly negative reviews, Gordy was eclipsed by the movie BabeBabe (film)
Babe is a 1995 Australian-American film directed by Chris Noonan. It is an adaptation of the 1983 novel The Sheep-Pig, also known as Babe: The Gallant Pig in the United States, by Dick King-Smith and tells the story of a pig who wants to be a sheepdog...
, which was another film featuring a young talking pig. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
rated the film with a 17% based on six reviews. Both movies premiered in the same year. Although Gordy was released first, it was not very successful, while Babe was a box office hit, won several awards (including an Academy Award for Visual Effects
Academy Award for Visual Effects
The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects.-History of the award:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1928, presenting a...
) and spawned a sequel.