Jumpin' Jack Flash (film)
Encyclopedia
Jumpin' Jack Flash is a 1986 spy
comedy film
starring Whoopi Goldberg
, Stephen Collins, Carol Kane
, John Wood
, Annie Potts
, and Jonathan Pryce
. The film was directed by Penny Marshall
in her theatrical film directorial debut.
The film was one of the first to feature online communications as a key part of the plot.
The soundtrack includes two versions of the song "Jumpin' Jack Flash
"; one by The Rolling Stones
, and the other by Aretha Franklin
.
) transfers funds for the First National Bank
in Manhattan, New York. She does not quite fit with the bank's corporate image, despite being a good employee and popular with her coworkers. However, she is often chastised by her no-nonsense boss James Page (Peter Michael Goetz
).
Set against the backdrop of the pre-Glasnost
Cold War
, Terry is contacted by a man calling himself "Jumpin' Jack Flash" who turns out to be a British Intelligence agent in Eastern Europe
that is being pursued by the KGB
. After being given a riddle for his password, Terry determines the password to be B-flat, after the key in which "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is supposedly written (while the actual song by The Rolling Stones
is recorded in the key of F). Jack sends her to the British Consulate to deliver the message "Dog's barking, can't fly without umbrella" to Department C. Despite feeling ludicrous, Terry delivers the message to Jeremy Talbot (John Wood
) who is apparently puzzled and sends Terry away, telling her there is no Department C. Jack then asks her to enter his apartment in New York to retrieve a frying pan, on which are Jack's CIA contacts to acquire a passport.
Terry begins to be monitored. Peter Caen (Stephen Collins), a CIA agent working under the alias Marty Phillips, arrives at First National Bank as a new coworker of Terry. A computer technician (James Belushi
) shows up to repair her terminal, but when Terry calls Sperry Corporation
to confirm his identity, the technician vanishes. Terry is finally contacted by one of Jack's contacts, Mark Van Meter (Jeroen Krabbé
), who meets her at the docks. After being stunned to realize Terry is a banker and has no relationship at all with the intelligence community, Van Meter notices they are being watched and pushed Terry off the docks and into the East River to save her life, but is shot and killed himself. The police dismiss Terry's claim of the murder and Peter bails her out of jail. Terry continues to follow leads and is nearly abducted by the computer tech, a KGB agent, but knocks him out with Jack's frying pan. Jack then tells her how to break into the British Consulate central computer. Conning her way in under the guise of an entertainer, she manages to enter the mainframe, but Talbot deactivates the computer link before Jack receives a contact. Going through one of Jack's romantic contacts, Lady Sarah Billings (Sara Botsford
), Terry is rebuffed and then captured by the KGB, who lock her in a phone booth and drag her around the city. After escaping when the booth is knocked over, Terry is injected with truth serum by the computer tech posing as a police officer, but escapes after trapping his arm in a car window and rolling the car into traffic. Terry again contacts Sarah and makes an impassioned plea for her help. Sarah tells Terry she would rather let Jack be killed than risk losing face. A disgusted Terry chastises Sarah for her indifference to Jack's plight and walks out. She then stumbles into work and after embarrassing Mr. Page by yanking off his fake hairpiece in front of the entire office, passes out.
Terry awakes at home and is dropped in on by Sarah who has had a change of heart and gives her a contact. After passing the contact to Jack, she is again captured by the KGB and learns that the contact is a KGB mole who turns out to be Talbot himself. After nearly being tortured with a power sander, Terry escapes and is caught by police. After realizing the police are arresting her rather than protecting her, Terry escapes. She rushes to the bank and is again ambushed by the KGB and Talbot. After struggling with the KGB and biting Talbot's groin, she confirms to Jack that the contact will kill him. Marty identifies himself as Peter Caen and gives Jack the correct contact.
After initially not showing up at a restaurant where he and Terry plan to meet, Jack (Jonathan Pryce
) appears in her office to thank her personally by taking her out to dinner.
, was problematic. The script was troubled and would often be rewritten on the set. It began with Howard Zieff
as director. However, he was replaced early in the production by Penny Marshall
.
Uncredited
, .
Spy film
The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy . Many novels in the spy fiction genre have been adapted as films, including works by John Buchan, John Le Carré, Ian Fleming and Len Deighton...
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
starring Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Stephen Collins, Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
, John Wood
John Wood (English actor)
John Wood, CBE was an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied law at Jesus College, Oxford where he was president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Changing to drama, Wood became known as a stage actor, appearing in numerous West End productions as well as on...
, Annie Potts
Annie Potts
Anne Hampton "Annie" Potts is an American film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the 1980s popular films such as Ghostbusters , Pretty in Pink , Jumpin' Jack Flash , Who's Harry Crumb? and Ghostbusters II . Potts is also known as a voice-actress...
, and Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
. The film was directed by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
in her theatrical film directorial debut.
The film was one of the first to feature online communications as a key part of the plot.
The soundtrack includes two versions of the song "Jumpin' Jack Flash
Jumpin' Jack Flash
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding...
"; one by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, and the other by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
.
Plot
Teresa "Terry" Doolittle (Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
) transfers funds for the First National Bank
First National Bank
First National Bank may refer to:-Banking institutions :* First National Bank of Florida, based in Milton, Florida, with branches in Pensacola and other cities in the Florida Panhandle.* FNB Corporation of Hermitage, Pennsylvania...
in Manhattan, New York. She does not quite fit with the bank's corporate image, despite being a good employee and popular with her coworkers. However, she is often chastised by her no-nonsense boss James Page (Peter Michael Goetz
Peter Michael Goetz
Peter Michael Goetz is an American actor.Goetz was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Esther L. and Irving A. Goetz, a construction engineer. Goetz studied at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and the University of Minnesota, from which he...
).
Set against the backdrop of the pre-Glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Terry is contacted by a man calling himself "Jumpin' Jack Flash" who turns out to be a British Intelligence agent in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
that is being pursued by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. After being given a riddle for his password, Terry determines the password to be B-flat, after the key in which "Jumpin' Jack Flash" is supposedly written (while the actual song by The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
is recorded in the key of F). Jack sends her to the British Consulate to deliver the message "Dog's barking, can't fly without umbrella" to Department C. Despite feeling ludicrous, Terry delivers the message to Jeremy Talbot (John Wood
John Wood (English actor)
John Wood, CBE was an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied law at Jesus College, Oxford where he was president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Changing to drama, Wood became known as a stage actor, appearing in numerous West End productions as well as on...
) who is apparently puzzled and sends Terry away, telling her there is no Department C. Jack then asks her to enter his apartment in New York to retrieve a frying pan, on which are Jack's CIA contacts to acquire a passport.
Terry begins to be monitored. Peter Caen (Stephen Collins), a CIA agent working under the alias Marty Phillips, arrives at First National Bank as a new coworker of Terry. A computer technician (James Belushi
James Belushi
James Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
) shows up to repair her terminal, but when Terry calls Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation
Sperry Corporation was a major American equipment and electronics company whose existence spanned more than seven decades of the twentieth century...
to confirm his identity, the technician vanishes. Terry is finally contacted by one of Jack's contacts, Mark Van Meter (Jeroen Krabbé
Jeroen Krabbé
Jeroen Aart Krabbé is a Dutch actor and film director who has appeared in many Dutch and international films.-Biography:...
), who meets her at the docks. After being stunned to realize Terry is a banker and has no relationship at all with the intelligence community, Van Meter notices they are being watched and pushed Terry off the docks and into the East River to save her life, but is shot and killed himself. The police dismiss Terry's claim of the murder and Peter bails her out of jail. Terry continues to follow leads and is nearly abducted by the computer tech, a KGB agent, but knocks him out with Jack's frying pan. Jack then tells her how to break into the British Consulate central computer. Conning her way in under the guise of an entertainer, she manages to enter the mainframe, but Talbot deactivates the computer link before Jack receives a contact. Going through one of Jack's romantic contacts, Lady Sarah Billings (Sara Botsford
Sara Botsford
Sara Botsford is a Canadian television and film actress. She is probably best known for her role of Ann Hildebrand in the television series E.N.G. for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role...
), Terry is rebuffed and then captured by the KGB, who lock her in a phone booth and drag her around the city. After escaping when the booth is knocked over, Terry is injected with truth serum by the computer tech posing as a police officer, but escapes after trapping his arm in a car window and rolling the car into traffic. Terry again contacts Sarah and makes an impassioned plea for her help. Sarah tells Terry she would rather let Jack be killed than risk losing face. A disgusted Terry chastises Sarah for her indifference to Jack's plight and walks out. She then stumbles into work and after embarrassing Mr. Page by yanking off his fake hairpiece in front of the entire office, passes out.
Terry awakes at home and is dropped in on by Sarah who has had a change of heart and gives her a contact. After passing the contact to Jack, she is again captured by the KGB and learns that the contact is a KGB mole who turns out to be Talbot himself. After nearly being tortured with a power sander, Terry escapes and is caught by police. After realizing the police are arresting her rather than protecting her, Terry escapes. She rushes to the bank and is again ambushed by the KGB and Talbot. After struggling with the KGB and biting Talbot's groin, she confirms to Jack that the contact will kill him. Marty identifies himself as Peter Caen and gives Jack the correct contact.
After initially not showing up at a restaurant where he and Terry plan to meet, Jack (Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
) appears in her office to thank her personally by taking her out to dinner.
Cast
- Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
as Teresa "Terry" Doolittle, the film's protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, a bored bank worker adored by her colleagues for her sarcastic attitude and outspoken views, who gets involved with helping Jack escape his pursuers and return home safely. - Jonathan PryceJonathan PryceJonathan Pryce, CBE is a Welsh stage and film actor and singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and meeting his longtime partner English actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s...
as "Jack", a DISDefence Intelligence StaffDefence Intelligence is a key member of the United Kingdom Intelligence Community but differs from the agencies in that it is not a stand-alone organisation but is a constituent part of the Ministry of Defence . The organisation employs a mixture of civilian and military staff and is funded...
agent trapped in an unnamed Eastern BlocEastern blocThe term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
country who is being pursued by KGB agents. For most of the film, only his voice is heard when speaking to Terry over the computer. In the final scene of the movie he meets Terry at First National Bank where she works. - Stephen Collins as Marty Phillips, a CIA agent (whose real name is Peter Caen) and friend of Jack's that has gone undercover as a new employee at First National Bank.
- John WoodJohn Wood (English actor)John Wood, CBE was an English actor.-Biography:Wood was born in Derbyshire and studied law at Jesus College, Oxford where he was president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. Changing to drama, Wood became known as a stage actor, appearing in numerous West End productions as well as on...
as Jeremy Talbot, the film's primary antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
. He is a KGBKGBThe KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
sleeper agent who works undercover at the British Consulate in New York City. He attempts to use Terry to lure Jack into a deadly ambush. - James BelushiJames BelushiJames Adam "Jim" Belushi is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is the younger brother of comic actor John Belushi.-Early life:Belushi was born in Chicago...
(credited as Jim Belushi) as Sperry Repairman / Furious Cab Driver / Injured Cop. - Sara BotsfordSara BotsfordSara Botsford is a Canadian television and film actress. She is probably best known for her role of Ann Hildebrand in the television series E.N.G. for which she won a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role...
as Lady Sarah Billings, one of Jack's romantic contacts. - Peter Michael GoetzPeter Michael GoetzPeter Michael Goetz is an American actor.Goetz was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Esther L. and Irving A. Goetz, a construction engineer. Goetz studied at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and the University of Minnesota, from which he...
as James Page, the manager of First National Bank and Terry's often frustrated, no-nonsense boss. - Vyto RuginisVyto RuginisVyto Ruginis is an American actor known for playing a vampire, Russell Winters, in the cult TV series Angel in its first episode, "City Of", as well as for his appearances in CSI, House MD, The X-Files, ER, Law & Order and other television programs.Vyto has appeared in such films as "Devils...
as Carl, another KGB agent; Talbot's menacing silent henchman. - Carol KaneCarol KaneCarolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
as Cynthia, a co-worker of Terry's at First National Bank. - Jon LovitzJon LovitzJonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
as Doug, a co-worker of Terry's at First National Bank. - Lynne Marie StewartLynne Marie StewartLynne Marie Stewart is an American film and television actress, best known for her performance as Miss Yvonne, the Most Beautiful Woman in Puppet Land. She originated the role in the 1981 stage show The Pee-wee Herman Show and on the CBS television show Pee Wee's Playhouse...
as Karen, a co-worker of Terry's at First National Bank. - Phil HartmanPhil HartmanPhilip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
(credited as Phil E. Hartmann) as Fred, a co-worker of Terry's at First National Bank. - Tracey UllmanTracey UllmanTracey Ullman is a British stage and television actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, screenwriter and author ....
as Fiona - Michael McKeanMichael McKeanMichael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
as Leslie
Production
Production of the film, originally conceived as a vehicle for Shelley LongShelley Long
Shelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
, was problematic. The script was troubled and would often be rewritten on the set. It began with Howard Zieff
Howard Zieff
Howard Zieff , was an American director, television commercial director, and advertising photographer.-Biography:...
as director. However, he was replaced early in the production by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
.
Soundtrack
(Selected List)- "Jumpin' Jack FlashJumpin' Jack Flash"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding...
" – Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All... - "Jumpin' Jack FlashJumpin' Jack Flash"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is a song by English rock band The Rolling Stones, released as a single in 1968. Called "supernatural Delta blues by way of Swinging London" by Rolling Stone, the song was perceived by some as the band's return to their blues roots after the psychedelia of their preceding...
" – The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up... - "Set Me Free" – The Pointer Sisters
- "You Can't Hurry LoveYou Can't Hurry Love"You Can't Hurry Love" is 1966 song originally released by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song topped the United States Billboard pop singles chart and in the UK in the top 5, released and peaking late summer in 1966...
" – The SupremesThe SupremesThe Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco... - "Window to the World" – Face to FaceFace to Face (new wave band)Face to Face was a new wave Boston, Massachusetts quintet.-Formation:Guitarist Stuart Kimball formed the band in New Hampshire during the late '70s with a close group of friends...
- "Trick of the Night" – BananaramaBananaramaBananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
- "Hold On" – Billy Branigan
- "Misled" – Kool & The GangKool & the GangKool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and...
- "Rescue MeRescue Me (Fontella Bass song)"Rescue Me" is a song written by Fontella Bass, Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith. In 1965, it was released as a single by Fontella Bass. It would prove the biggest hit of Bass' career, reaching #1 on the R&B charts for four weeks and placing at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" – Fontella BassFontella BassFontella Bass is an American soul singer, who is best known for the 1965 R&B hit "Rescue Me", which she also co-wrote.-Early life:...
Uncredited
- "Rule Britannia" – "Alfred"
- "Roses from the South, Op.388" – Johann Strauß, Jr.
- "Tales of the Vienna Woods, Op.325" – Johann Strauß, Jr.
- "Artist's Life, Op.316" – Johann Strauß, Jr.
- "Sabre Dance" – "Gayane"
- "God Save the QueenGod Save the Queen"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
" – Henry Carey - "Overture" – "La Nozze di Figaro"
Reception
Jumpin' Jack Flash received generally negative reviews from critics and fans, earning an approval rating of 28% on Rotten TomatoesRotten 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...
, .
External links
- Review of Jumpin' Jack Flash at TVGuide.com