Great Balls of Fire! (film)
Encyclopedia
Great Balls of Fire! is a 1989 American
biographical film
directed by Jim McBride
and starring Dennis Quaid
as Jerry Lee Lewis
. Based on a biography by Myra Lewis and Murray M. Silver Jr., the screenplay is written by McBride and Jack Baran. The film is produced by Adam Fields, with executive producers credited as Michael Grais
, Mark Victor
, and Art Levinson.
The early life of Jerry Lee Lewis
, when he became a teen idol and married his 13-year-old cousin Myra, is depicted in this film. Until the scandal of the marriage depreciated his image, many had thought Lewis would supplant Elvis Presley
as the "King of Rock and Roll" in the 1950s.
from 1956-1958. Lewis is shown as a man with many different sides: a skilled performer with little discipline, an alcoholic, and an abusive husband. As Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms
," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
," and "Great Balls of Fire
" he falls in love with Myra Gale Lewis (Winona Ryder
), the 13-year-old daughter of his first cousin, and eventually marries her.
There is a sub-plot of Lewis' relationship with another cousin, the preacher Jimmy Swaggart
(Alec Baldwin
). Swaggart's career keeps him in constant conflict with his cousin's wild life of rock and roll, and brings out some uncomfortable exchanges. The financially successful Lewis buys a new car and a short time later gives it to his cousin, and when Swaggart praises the Lord for this gift, Lewis replies:
When a British
reporter discovers he is married to his teenage cousin, Lewis is condemned as a child molester and a pervert by the public. Lewis learns he is about to become a father, as his 13-year-old wife tells him she has become pregnant. The closing title card reads: "Jerry Lee Lewis is playing his heart out somewhere in America tonight."
admitted that it was never his intention to tie his film to the facts, and stated "This movie does not represent itself in any way to be a historical documentary. We use the book as a jumping-off point."
Jerry Lee Lewis
has openly stated that he hates the film and the book it was based on.
, Memphis, Tennessee
, and West Memphis, Arkansas
.
, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
, did not like the film because of its screenplay, and wrote, "This is a simpleminded rock 'n' roll history in which the pleasures are many and the troubles are few. Lewis, played by Dennis Quaid as a grinning simpleton with a crazy streak and a manic piano style, climbs the same career ladder as many of the stars of musical biographies, but he does it with lightning speed." Ebert also said that Quaid did a nice job of reproducing Lewis' stage persona.
Critic Caryn James wrote that the film portrays the fun side of rock and roll, and wrote, "Jim McBride's film is a compressed, cleaned-up version of the Jerry Lee Lewis story, but it re-creates the soul-shaking, brain-rattling fun of rock-and-roll. It also captures, perhaps for the first time on film, something of the sexual aura of rock-and-roll at its birth." Yet, she added that anyone looking for a true sense of music history will be let down by the film.
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reported that 65% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on twenty-three reviews.
label on June 8, 1989. Jerry Lee Lewis
re-recorded his music from the 1950s for the soundtrack with the title track "Great Balls Of Fire
," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "That Lucky Old Sun
." The soundtrack contains 12 tracks.
CD track listing
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
biographical film
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
directed by Jim McBride
Jim McBride
Jim McBride is an American television and film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:* David Holzman's Diary * My Girlfriend's Wedding...
and starring Dennis Quaid
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
as Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
. Based on a biography by Myra Lewis and Murray M. Silver Jr., the screenplay is written by McBride and Jack Baran. The film is produced by Adam Fields, with executive producers credited as Michael Grais
Michael Grais
Michael Grais is a screenwriter, most well-known as the co-writer of Poltergeist .He has also produced such movies as Great Balls of Fire! , Marked for Death and Sleepwalkers .- Biography :...
, Mark Victor
Mark Victor
Mark Victor is a screenwriter. He co-wrote Poltergeist , Poltergeist II: The Other Side , Marked for Death , and Cool World .-References:...
, and Art Levinson.
The early life of Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, when he became a teen idol and married his 13-year-old cousin Myra, is depicted in this film. Until the scandal of the marriage depreciated his image, many had thought Lewis would supplant Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
as the "King of Rock and Roll" in the 1950s.
Plot
Jerry Lee Lewis, nicknamed "The Killer", performs during the early years of rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
from 1956-1958. Lewis is shown as a man with many different sides: a skilled performer with little discipline, an alcoholic, and an abusive husband. As Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms
Crazy Arms
"Crazy Arms" is an American country song recorded by Ray Price. The song, released in May 1956, went on to become a hit that year and a honky-tonk standard. It was Price's first number one hit. The song was written by Ralph Mooney and Charles Seals...
," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" is a song best known in the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly hit version by Jerry Lee Lewis.-Origins of the song:...
," and "Great Balls of Fire
Great Balls of Fire
"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
" he falls in love with Myra Gale Lewis (Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
), the 13-year-old daughter of his first cousin, and eventually marries her.
There is a sub-plot of Lewis' relationship with another cousin, the preacher Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Swaggart
Jimmy Lee Swaggart is a Pentecostal American pastor, teacher, musician, television host, and televangelist. He has preached to crowds around the world through his weekly telecast...
(Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
). Swaggart's career keeps him in constant conflict with his cousin's wild life of rock and roll, and brings out some uncomfortable exchanges. The financially successful Lewis buys a new car and a short time later gives it to his cousin, and when Swaggart praises the Lord for this gift, Lewis replies:
- "Don't thank JesusJesusJesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, thank Jerry Lee Lewis!"
When a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
reporter discovers he is married to his teenage cousin, Lewis is condemned as a child molester and a pervert by the public. Lewis learns he is about to become a father, as his 13-year-old wife tells him she has become pregnant. The closing title card reads: "Jerry Lee Lewis is playing his heart out somewhere in America tonight."
Cast
- Dennis QuaidDennis QuaidDennis William Quaid is an American actor known for his comedic and dramatic roles. First gaining widespread attention in the 1980s, his career rebounded in the 1990s after he overcame an addiction to drugs and an eating disorder...
as Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The... - Winona RyderWinona RyderWinona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
as Myra Gale Brown - John DoeJohn Doe (musician)John Doe is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical performances and compositions span the rock, country and folk music genres...
as J.W. Brown - Stephen TobolowskyStephen TobolowskyStephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
as Jud Phillips - Trey WilsonTrey WilsonDonald Yearnsley "Trey" Wilson III was an American character actor known for playing rural, authoritarian type characters, most notably in comedies such as Raising Arizona and Bull Durham.-Early life:...
as Sam PhillipsSam PhillipsSamuel Cornelius Phillips , better known as Sam Phillips, was an American businessman, record executive, record producer and DJ who played an important role in the emergence of rock and roll as the major form of popular music in the 1950s... - Alec BaldwinAlec BaldwinAlexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
as Jimmy SwaggartJimmy SwaggartJimmy Lee Swaggart is a Pentecostal American pastor, teacher, musician, television host, and televangelist. He has preached to crowds around the world through his weekly telecast... - Steve AllenSteve AllenSteve Allen may refer to:*Steve Allen , American musician, comedian, and writer*Steve Allen , presenter on the London-based talk radio station LBC 97.3...
as Himself - Lisa BlountLisa BlountLisa S. Blount was an American film and television actress and Oscar-winning producer.-Career:...
as Lois Brown - Joshua Sheffield as Rusty Brown
- Mojo NixonMojo NixonMojo Nixon is an American musician, known for playing psychobilly music...
as James Van Eaton - Jimmie VaughanJimmie VaughanJames Lawrence "Jimmie" Vaughan is an American blues rock guitarist and singer from Dallas, Texas, United States. He is the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan....
as Roland Janes - David R. FergusonDavid R. FergusonDavid R. "Fergie" Ferguson began in the mid-1980s engineering Country Music recordings for "Cowboy" Jack Clement, at Clement's Cowboy Arms Hotel and Recording Spa, in Nashville, Tennessee...
as Jack ClementJack ClementJack Henderson Clement is an American singer, songwriter, and a record and film producer.Raised and educated in Memphis, Jack Clement was performing at an early age... - Robert Lesser as Alan FreedAlan FreedAlbert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
- Lisa Jane PerskyLisa Jane PerskyLisa Jane Persky is an American actress.Persky was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Jane Holley and Mort Persky...
as Babe - Peter CookPeter CookPeter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
as British reporter
Production
The story was co-written by Myra Gail Lewis (her autobiography Great Balls of Fire!), the former wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, with Murray Silver. Despite this, co-writer Silver was upset by the lack of accuracy in the film, claiming it was "phoney". Director Jim McBrideJim McBride
Jim McBride is an American television and film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Filmography:* David Holzman's Diary * My Girlfriend's Wedding...
admitted that it was never his intention to tie his film to the facts, and stated "This movie does not represent itself in any way to be a historical documentary. We use the book as a jumping-off point."
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
has openly stated that he hates the film and the book it was based on.
Filming locations
The film was filmed on location in Marion, ArkansasMarion, Arkansas
Marion is a city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,901 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Crittenden County, and is part of the Memphis metropolitan area...
, Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis, Arkansas
West Memphis is the largest city in Crittenden County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 27,666 at the 2000 census, with an estimated population of 28,181 in 2005, and 31,329 in 2011 ranking it as the state's 11th largest city, behind Hot Springs...
.
Critical response
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, did not like the film because of its screenplay, and wrote, "This is a simpleminded rock 'n' roll history in which the pleasures are many and the troubles are few. Lewis, played by Dennis Quaid as a grinning simpleton with a crazy streak and a manic piano style, climbs the same career ladder as many of the stars of musical biographies, but he does it with lightning speed." Ebert also said that Quaid did a nice job of reproducing Lewis' stage persona.
Critic Caryn James wrote that the film portrays the fun side of rock and roll, and wrote, "Jim McBride's film is a compressed, cleaned-up version of the Jerry Lee Lewis story, but it re-creates the soul-shaking, brain-rattling fun of rock-and-roll. It also captures, perhaps for the first time on film, something of the sexual aura of rock-and-roll at its birth." Yet, she added that anyone looking for a true sense of music history will be let down by the film.
The review aggregator 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...
reported that 65% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on twenty-three reviews.
Awards
- Young Artist Awards: Young Artist Award; Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture, Winona Ryder; 1990.
Exhibition
The film opened in wide release in the United States on June 30, 1989. The box-office receipts were poor. The first week's gross were $3,807,986 and the total receipts for the two week run were $13,691,550. The film was in wide release for ten days. In its widest release the film was featured in 1,417 theaters across the country.Soundtrack
An original motion picture soundtrack was released by the producers on the Polydor RecordsPolydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
label on June 8, 1989. Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
re-recorded his music from the 1950s for the soundtrack with the title track "Great Balls Of Fire
Great Balls of Fire
"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "That Lucky Old Sun
That Lucky Old Sun
"That Lucky Old Sun" is a 1949 popular song with music by Beasley Smith and words by Haven Gillespie. Like "Ol' Man River", its lyrics contrast the toil and intense hardship of the singer's life with the obliviousness of the natural world.-1949 recordings:...
." The soundtrack contains 12 tracks.
CD track listing
- "Great Balls Of FireGreat Balls of Fire"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
" - "High School ConfidentialHigh School ConfidentialThe 45rpm single High School Confidential was the third gold disc for piano rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1958. A different take of the song featured on the soundtrack of the MGM movie of the same title. In the movie Jerry Lee played the title song in the beginning and end of the movie,...
" - "Big Legged Woman" - Booker T. LauryBooker T. LauryBooker T. Laury was an American boogie-woogie, blues, gospel and jazz pianist and singer. Over his lengthy career, Laury worked with various musicians including Memphis Slim and Mose Vinson...
- "I'm On FireI'm on Fire"I'm on Fire" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. In 1985, it became the fourth single released from his massively successful album Born in the U.S.A..-History:...
" - "Rocket 88Rocket 88"Rocket 88" is a rhythm and blues song that was first recorded at Sam Phillips' recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on 3 March or 5 March 1951...
" - Jackie BrenstonJackie BrenstonJackie Brenston was an African American R&B singer and saxophonist, who recorded, with Ike Turner's band, the first version of the proto-rock and roll song "Rocket 88".-Biography:...
And The Delta Cats - "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
- "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" - Valerie WellingtonValerie WellingtonValerie Wellington was an African American, Chicago blues and electric blues singer and actress. Her 1984 album, Million Dollar $ecret saw her work with Sunnyland Slim, Billy Branch, and Magic Slim. In her early years, Wellington also worked with Lee "Shot" Williams...
- "Breathless"
- "Crazy ArmsCrazy Arms"Crazy Arms" is an American country song recorded by Ray Price. The song, released in May 1956, went on to become a hit that year and a honky-tonk standard. It was Price's first number one hit. The song was written by Ralph Mooney and Charles Seals...
" - Jerry Lee Lewis/Dennis Quaid - "Wild One"
- "That Lucky Old Sun"
- "Great Balls of Fire" (Original Version)
External links
- Great Balls of Fire! film trailer at You Tube