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Night Shift (film)
Encyclopedia
Night Shift is a 1982 comedy film
, one of Ron Howard
's earliest directorial
efforts. It stars Howard's Happy Days
co-star Henry Winkler
along with Michael Keaton
, in his first starring role, and Shelley Long, who later in the year would star as Diane Chambers in the popular sitcom Cheers
. Also appearing are Richard Belzer
, and (as usual for Ron Howard films) Clint Howard
. A young Kevin Costner
has a brief scene as "Frat Boy #1", Shannen Doherty
appears as a Bluebell scout, and Vincent Schiavelli
plays a man who delivers a sandwich to Winkler's character.
. His displeasure at being "promoted" to night shift supervisor to make room for his boss's nephew is exacerbated by the irrational exuberance of Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski (Keaton), his new coworker. However, both men are inspired by the plight of Chuck's prostitute neighbor, Belinda (Long), to apply Chuck's M.B.A. education and Bill's entrepreneurial spirit to open a prostitution
service, that treats the women fairly, with headquarters at the morgue.
. The closing theme song, "That's What Friends Are For
," was written by Burt Bacharach
and Carole Bayer Sager
. The song is performed by Rod Stewart
in the film. It was later covered
by Dionne Warwick
& Friends (Stevie Wonder
, Gladys Knight
, and Elton John
); Warwick's version became a Billboard
Grammy Award-winning #1 hit and raised millions for AIDS
causes.
The official soundtrack was released in 1982 on the Ladd Company label and was distributed by Warner Bros. It included ten selected tracks from the film, six of which were written just for the film. The tracks included are as follows:
The soundtrack was a vinyl only release. The versions of "Talk Talk" and "Penthouse and Pavement" that are on the soundtrack are different to any other releases of the songs as they were specially mixed for the soundtrack.
Other songs heard in the film include "You Really Got Me
" by Van Halen
and a live version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash
" by The Rolling Stones
, taken from the 1977 live album Love You Live
; a section of "Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra
is also heard.
reports that 89% of 19 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.4 out of 10. Many reviewers praised the performances of the two male leads, particularly Michael Keaton.
TV Guide' s Movie Guide wrote that "Winkler turns in the best performance of his career, and Keaton is wonderful." The Chicago Reader' s Jonathan Rosenbaum compared Night Shift to the subsequent comedy film Risky Business
(which also dealt with the theme of prostitution), noting that Night Shift isn't "... as snappily directed or as caustically conceived, ... but it's arguably just as sexy and almost as funny." The New York Times Janet Maslin, however, deemed Night Shift "... a halfway funny movie, one that's got loads of good gags in its first half and nothing but trouble in its second."
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...
, one of Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
's earliest directorial
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
efforts. It stars Howard's Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
co-star Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler
Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE is an American actor, director, producer, and author.Winkler is best known for his role as Fonzie on the 1970s American sitcom Happy Days...
along with Michael Keaton
Michael Keaton
Michael John Douglas , better known by the stage name Michael Keaton, is an American actor known for his early comedic roles, most notably his performance as the title character of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice . Keaton is also famous for his dramatic portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's...
, in his first starring role, and Shelley Long, who later in the year would star as Diane Chambers in the popular sitcom Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
. Also appearing are Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
, and (as usual for Ron Howard films) Clint Howard
Clint Howard
Clinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
. A young Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
has a brief scene as "Frat Boy #1", Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
appears as a Bluebell scout, and Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television often described as "the man with the sad eyes." He was notable for his numerous and often critically acclaimed cameo appearances.-Early life:Schiavelli was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a...
plays a man who delivers a sandwich to Winkler's character.
Plot
Chuck (Winkler), formerly a successful stockbroker, has found a refuge from the ulcer-inducing Wall Street rat race in his job as an attendant at the New York City morgueMorgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
. His displeasure at being "promoted" to night shift supervisor to make room for his boss's nephew is exacerbated by the irrational exuberance of Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski (Keaton), his new coworker. However, both men are inspired by the plight of Chuck's prostitute neighbor, Belinda (Long), to apply Chuck's M.B.A. education and Bill's entrepreneurial spirit to open a prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
service, that treats the women fairly, with headquarters at the morgue.
Soundtrack
The movie's opening theme song is "Night Shift" by QuarterflashQuarterflash
Quarterflash was an American rock group formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon. The band was made up of Rindy Ross , her husband Marv Ross , Jack Charles , Rick DiGiallonardo , Rich Gooch , and Brian David Willis...
. The closing theme song, "That's What Friends Are For
That's What Friends Are For
"That's What Friends Are For" is a 1982 song written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and introduced by Rod Stewart for the soundtrack of the film Night Shift.-Dionne Warwick cover:...
," was written by Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager
Carole Bayer Sager is an American lyricist, songwriter, singer, and painter.-Introduction:Born in New York City, Sager graduated from New York University, where she majored in English, dramatic arts and speech...
. The song is performed by Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
in the film. It was later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
& Friends (Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
); Warwick's version became a Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Grammy Award-winning #1 hit and raised millions for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
causes.
The official soundtrack was released in 1982 on the Ladd Company label and was distributed by Warner Bros. It included ten selected tracks from the film, six of which were written just for the film. The tracks included are as follows:
- "Night Shift" by Quarterflash
- "Street Talk" by Burt Bacharach
- "Girls Know How" by Al JarreauAl JarreauAlwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
- "The Love Too Good to Last" by The Pointer Sisters
- "That's What Friends Are For" by Rod Stewart
- "Someday, Someway" by Marshall CrenshawMarshall CrenshawMarshall Crenshaw is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist best known for his song "Someday, Someway".-Biography:...
- "Penthouse and PavementPenthouse and Pavement-2010 3-disc Special Edition:Disc 1:#" Fascist Groove Thang"#"Penthouse And Pavement"#"Play To Win"#"Soul Warfare"#"Geisha Boys And Temple Girls"#"Let's All Make A Bomb"#"The Height Of The Fighting"#"Song With No Name"...
" by Heaven 17Heaven 17Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory... - "Talk Talk" by Talk TalkTalk TalkTalk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
- "Everlasting Love" by Rufus and Chaka Khan
- "Night Shift Love Theme (instrumental)" by Burt Bacharach
The soundtrack was a vinyl only release. The versions of "Talk Talk" and "Penthouse and Pavement" that are on the soundtrack are different to any other releases of the songs as they were specially mixed for the soundtrack.
Other songs heard in the film include "You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...
" by Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
and a live version of "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...
" 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...
, taken from the 1977 live album Love You Live
Love You Live
Love You Live is a double live album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1977. It is drawn from Tour of the Americas shows in the US in the summer of 1975, Tour of Europe shows in 1976 and performances from the infamous El Mocambo nightclub concert venue in Toronto in 1977...
; a section of "Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter" by the Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
is also heard.
Critical reception
The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator 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...
reports that 89% of 19 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.4 out of 10. Many reviewers praised the performances of the two male leads, particularly Michael Keaton.
TV Guide
Risky Business
Risky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...
(which also dealt with the theme of prostitution), noting that Night Shift isn't "... as snappily directed or as caustically conceived, ... but it's arguably just as sexy and almost as funny." The New York Times Janet Maslin, however, deemed Night Shift "... a halfway funny movie, one that's got loads of good gags in its first half and nothing but trouble in its second."