The 'Burbs
Encyclopedia
The 'Burbs is a 1989 American black comedy
thriller film directed by Joe Dante
starring Tom Hanks
, Bruce Dern
, Carrie Fisher
, Rick Ducommun
, Corey Feldman
and Henry Gibson
. The film was written by Dana Olsen
, who also has a cameo in the movie. The film pokes fun at suburban environments and their eccentric dwellers.
in the fictional suburban town of Hinkley Hills, Missouri. Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks
) awakens to strange noises coming from the house of his mysterious new next-door neighbors, the Klopeks, and goes outside to investigate. On his way back inside, he sees the cigar-smoking Vietnam veteran Lt. Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern
) watching the Klopeks' house from his bedroom window. The following morning, Ray watches Queenie, the dog of fellow neighbor Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon
), defecate on Rumsfield's lawn. Then, we meet Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman
), who lives across the street and is painting his house. Moments later, Rumsfield comes out and accidentally steps on it, causing a scene with Walter. Later, Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun
), the Petersons' other next-door neighbor, almost kills Ray while attempting to shoot some crows, then invites himself into Ray's home for breakfast. Ray and Art attempt to speak with their new neighbors, but are thwarted by an attack of bees.
That evening, Art and Ray spy on the Klopeks with Rumsfield. With Ricky and his girlfriend watching them, the three men watch Hans Klopek (Courtney Gains
) drive his dilapidated Pontiac
from the garage to the curb, then pull a large, heavy garbage bag from the car, place it in a garbage can and bang it with a stick. During the night, Ray watches the Klopeks digging in their back yard with pick-axes in the middle of a rainstorm. The following morning, Art runs out to check the contents of the garbage truck as it is collecting the Klopeks' can from the previous night. He is soon joined by Rumsfield and Ray, but their search in the hope of finding human remains is futile.
Bonnie Rumsfield (Wendy Schaal
) finds Queenie running loose and wonders if Walter went away and forgot to feed her. Ray, Art, Bonnie and Ricky go to Walter's house and Rumsfield, who removed a window pane, lets them in. Inside, they find Walter's toupee in the kitchen. Noting that the television was left on and a chair was turned over, Art and Rumsfield begin to worry. Ray collects Queenie and leaves a note for Walter explaining that he has his dog, seen by an older Klopek. The following night, Ray and Art have a meeting in the Petersons' basement and theorize about Walter's disappearance.
The following morning, Rumsfield and Art write a note to the Klopeks ("I know what you've done.") and slip it under their door. Art goes next door to tell Ray of the deed, which upsets him he was seen writing to Walter. As Ray talks to Art, Ray's dog Vince brings to them a bone he dug up from under the fence. Art identifies the bone as a femur
, and believes it to belong to Walter. At the request of Carol (Carrie Fisher
), Ray's wife, she, Ray, Rumsfield and Bonnie pay the Klopeks a visit. Art, intentionally not invited, snoops around in the Klopeks' back yard while the visitors meet Hans, Reuben (Brother Theodore
) and Werner (Henry Gibson
) inside. Later that evening, Ray has a meeting with Art and Rumsfield and reveals that he found Walter's toupee in the Klopeks' basement the previous day after he had earlier slipped it back through Walter's mailslot. The trio agree to investigate the contents of the Klopeks' back yard when the owners leave in the morning.
As the Klopeks leave for a meeting at the university, Carol and son Dave (Cory Danziger
) go to visit Carol's sister, Evelyn, leaving Ray free to explore the Klopeks' backyard. Their first order of business is to disable the Klopeks' security system. The result ends up almost electrocuting Art, but ends up disabling the alarm while also cutting off the power to the entire neighborhood. Art and Ray then jump over their fence into the Klopeks' yard while Rumsfield watches the proceedings from the roof of his house and Ricky invites his friends to watch Rumsfield. After hours of digging and finding nothing incriminating, Ray and Art venture into the Klopek house, where they discover in the basement a giant furnace with a capability of reaching a temperature of 5,000 degrees. Ray then begins to dig into the loose soil that constitutes the basement floor, believing there may be dead bodies buried there.
That evening, the Klopeks drive back to their home, only to reverse out when they see lights on in the basement. Not long after, Rumsfield, Art and Ricky are perturbed to see Walter return home. Then the Klopeks return with the police and Art tells Ricky to delay them while he goes into the Klopeks' home and rescues Ray. Ray hits a gas line with his pick-axe while continuing to dig out the basement floor. He yells for Art to flee right before the house explodes into flames with Ray still inside. A few minutes later, a disheveled Ray emerges from the flames just as his wife returns from dropping Dave at her sister's house.
Art talks to an officer, who explains that Walter had a medical problem and his family took him to the hospital. While away, Walter had made arrangements for the Klopeks to pick up his mail. When Ray had previously slipped the toupee back through the mail slot, it got picked up with the mail and newspapers. Ray is read the charges against him and ignores them in favor of admiring Carol's new hairstyle. Ray then snaps at Art and gives his "We're the lunatics, not them" speech, before lunging at Art and then throwing himself into an ambulance on a gurney
.
As Ray has concluded that he and the neighbors were wrong about the Klopeks, Werner Klopek joins Ray in the ambulance a short while later. Werner, thinking Ray must have seen the skull of one of his former neighbors in the basement, attempts to murder Ray to collect his skull too, revealing that Art was right all along about the Klopeks. Hans assumes the role of the ambulance driver, but crashes into the Weingartners' house during the three-way struggle. The gurney, with Ray and Werner aboard, rolls out of the ambulance and down the street. Ray makes a citizen's arrest
on his would-be murderer as Ricky uncovers a large selection of bones in the Klopeks' trunk. The Klopeks are then arrested and the charges against Ray are dropped.
monologue
about why he moved to the suburbs for "quiet... the good life", but says "if you do anything different, people say 'Oh look, there goes the weirdo.'"
Scenes from the original ending involving Rumsfield speaking to the police as well as talking to Ray remain, but are filmed in different locations. Also a brief scene of a befuddled Hans being questioned by one of the two detectives is included in the alternate ending.
based the script, under the working title Life in the 'Burbs, on experiences from his own childhood: "I had an ultranormal middle-class upbringing, but our town had its share of psychos. There was a legendary hatchet murder in the thirties, and every once in a while, you'd pick up the local paper and read something like 'LIBRARIAN KILLS FAMILY, SELF'. As a kid, it was fascinating to think that Mr. Flanagan down the street could turn out to be Jack the Ripper
. And where there's fear, there's comedy. So I approached The 'Burbs as Ozzie and Harriet Meet Charles Manson
."
Olsen's script attracted producer Larry Brezner, who brought it to Imagine Films. It was greeted with a warm reception from Brian Grazer
. "I liked the concept of a regular guy taking a vacation in his own neighborhood, plus it was funny and well written. It suddenly dawned on me that Joe Dante
would be fantastic [as a director] because it's a mixture of comedy, horror, and reality."
Dante, the director of Gremlins
and Innerspace
, and his partner, Michael Finnell
, were immediately impressed by the concept of the movie. Dante, who specializes in offbeat subject matters, was intrigued by the blending of real-life situations with elements of the supernatural. "When I tell people about the story, a remarkable number say, 'On my grandmother's block, there were people like that. They never mowed their lawn, and they never came out, and they let their mail stack up, and nobody knew who they were'. And I must confess that in my own neighborhood there's a house like that, falling to wrack and ruin. I think this is perhaps a more common even than most people are aware of."
Dante, Brezner and Finnell agreed that Tom Hanks
would be the most suitable actor to portray the harried Ray Peterson, a conservative man who tries to introduce excitement into his life by investigating the activities of his strange neighbors. Dante referred to Hanks as "the reigning everyman
, a guy that everybody can identify with" and went on to give the umpteenth comparison between Hanks and James Stewart
. Brezner echoed the sentiments, saying, "Hanks is an actor capable of acting funny rather than funny acting. He also has no problem with transition from comedy to pathos, as he showed in Nothing in Common
, and he's now proving himself as one of the country's most versatile actors."
Hanks accepted the role of Ray with enthusiasm. "What's so bizarrely interesting about this black psychocomedy is that the stuff that goes on in real life in a regular neighborhood will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck." He was also intrigued by his character with distinctive personality traits. "Sometimes there's more of an opportunity to create than others. Here's a guy with a great life — a nice house, a wife, a beautiful tree, a nice neighborhood — and he's happy. Next day, he hates it all. I thought something must've happened to him offstage. And that's the challenge for me of the part: to communicate Ray's offscreen dilemma. One of the reasons Ray doesn't go away on vacation is because it's another extension of the normalcy he's fallen into. So he thinks he'll try a more Bohemian thing, which is to just hang around the house. With a week's worth of free time on his hands, Ray is drawn into the pre-occupations of his neighbors, who always seem to be at home. But what I did is just back-story embellishment that any actor will do. Perhaps from my repertory experience. I don't ask a director for motivation. If he says, 'Go over to the window', I find the reason myself."
Hanks found admiration for Dante's directorial style, saying "Joe has a stylized, visionary way of looking at the entire movie. It's pure film-making — the story is told from the camera's point of view, and that's a type of movie I haven't made." Dante, in turn, praised his star. "The most impressive thing about Tom Hanks as a comic actor is how effortless he makes it seem. He actually is very diligent about his acting, but his comic sense of what is going to work — and what isn't — is really unparalleled."
The ten-week shoot took place during the summer of 1988, with Dante directing Hanks and the high-profile supporting cast. Dante's laid-back, casual style encouraged improvisation among the actors. He noted, "Tom doesn't like to do scenes the way they're always done. He goes out of his way to put a different spin on everything and his being good as he is and as open as he is encouraged the other actors to do the same. It set a tone for the movie that made it a lot of fun to make."
Filmed entirely at Universal Studios
, The 'Burbs presented technical and logistical problems for Dante and the crew. "I can't think of many pictures since Lifeboat
that all take place in the same area," Dante said as production got under way. "There was a lot of temptation to broaden it and go outside the neighborhood, but it seemed to violate the spirit of the piece. It's almost the kind of thing that could be a stage play except that you could never do on-stage what we've done in this movie."
Dante used the Colonial Street
set on the back lot for the Mayfield Place cul-de-sac. The set had once been used in Dragnet
(1987) also starring Tom Hanks. Coincidentally, the structure used as the Petersen home in The 'Burbs was used as the home of the virgin Connie Swail in Dragnet. At the time The 'Burbs began production the Colonial Street set was being used as the location for the Still the Beaver television series — the 1980s follow-up to Leave It to Beaver
, so the entire area 'reeked' of normalcy. Dante said, "I asked [production designer] James Spencer, a veteran of Poltergeist and Gremlins
if he thought he could turn that street into the neighborhood we needed in that period of time. Spencer rose to the challenge, and within a few days they began work on sketching out the proposed designs for the sets. Spencer observed, "We had to be on the spot. Due to the lack of time, it would have been ludicrous to do our drawing elsewhere."
The sacred Beaver household had to be carted away to make room for the dilapidated Klopek home. By the time Spencer was through, the entire street had been reconfigured.
The Klopeks' house was not completely destroyed, and remained almost intact as it appeared in The 'Burbs for a number of years, albeit without the tower. The whole building can be clearly seen in a season-two episode of Quantum Leap. The house no longer exists in an easily recognizable form (the Van de Kamp house in Desperate Housewives
) but the right façade does still have some features of the original style. The original Klopek garage sits alongside the house, in much the same style as in The 'Burbs.
The other houses (many of which are just façades) have been used in countless television shows, movies and music videos through the years. Perhaps the most notable is The Munsters
house, which is home to the Butler family in The 'Burbs. Due to its recognizability, the house's facade is never completely shown in the film. Two new houses, which were built specifically for the movie, were Walter Seznick's (which is still there to this day, see Desperate Housewives) and the Klopeks'.
.
On UK terrestrial TV, The 'Burbs has traditionally been shown late at night, uncut, on BBC One
, but ITV
have since bought the rights to show it and it has enjoyed Sunday mid-afternoon showings on ITV1
, ITV4
and late-night showings on ITV3
.
and in some places parodies some of his other work, or well-known signature tunes, from other movies (Patton
and Once Upon a Time in the West
, for example).
Total duration: 30:34
Deluxe edition, also by Varèse Sarabande
:
The insert of the 2007 album includes the following note from Varèse producer Robert Townson:
"Universal Pictures released The 'Burbs in February of 1989. No soundtrack album was forthcoming. A mere three years later (although it seemed like a lot longer at the time) the score was rescued in the Varèse Sarabande CD Club. Well, thirty minutes of it was, at any rate. But Jerry Goldsmith's exceptionally inventive and inspired score for The 'Burbs had a lot more to offer. As of 2007, the Musician Union rules have changed in this neighborhood. Though a straight re-issue of our original CD would go against the Club's intent, an expansion of this order (over twice the amount of music) in this new era of soundtrack releases, seemed to warrant a special exception. This expanded edition also returns to Jerry Goldsmith's original track titles, where our previous release featured titles by yours truly. Now over an hour long, this Deluxe Edition of The 'Burbs gives a new generation the chance to discover a comedy classic. It gives those who've been to this neighborhood before the opportunity to revisit the Peterson house, now with a new coat of paint, some new landscaping and a roomy extension that has been added. Hinckley Hills has been refurbished and is all set to weather the next decade or two. It's a great place to raise a family!"
The music played during the fight scene between Werner and Ray, known as either "Runaway Ambulance" or "My Skull/The Gurney", is also used at a crucial point in Dante's next film, Gremlins 2.
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
thriller film directed by Joe Dante
Joe Dante
Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
starring Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
, Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
, Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
, Rick Ducommun
Rick Ducommun
Richard "Rick" Ducommun is a Canadian actor and comedian, often seen in supporting roles on both television and the silver screen.Ducommun was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan...
, Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
and Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson was an American actor and songwriter, best known as a cast member of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for his recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
. The film was written by Dana Olsen
Dana Olsen
Dana Olsen is an American actor, film producer and screenwriter. His written works include George of the Jungle, The 'Burbs and Inspector Gadget...
, who also has a cameo in the movie. The film pokes fun at suburban environments and their eccentric dwellers.
Plot
The movie opens at night, on Mayfield Place, a cul-de-sacCul-de-sac
A cul-de-sac is a word of French origin referring to a dead end, close, no through road or court meaning dead-end street with only one inlet/outlet...
in the fictional suburban town of Hinkley Hills, Missouri. Ray Peterson (Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
) awakens to strange noises coming from the house of his mysterious new next-door neighbors, the Klopeks, and goes outside to investigate. On his way back inside, he sees the cigar-smoking Vietnam veteran Lt. Mark Rumsfield (Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
) watching the Klopeks' house from his bedroom window. The following morning, Ray watches Queenie, the dog of fellow neighbor Walter Seznick (Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon
Gale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
), defecate on Rumsfield's lawn. Then, we meet Ricky Butler (Corey Feldman
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
), who lives across the street and is painting his house. Moments later, Rumsfield comes out and accidentally steps on it, causing a scene with Walter. Later, Art Weingartner (Rick Ducommun
Rick Ducommun
Richard "Rick" Ducommun is a Canadian actor and comedian, often seen in supporting roles on both television and the silver screen.Ducommun was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan...
), the Petersons' other next-door neighbor, almost kills Ray while attempting to shoot some crows, then invites himself into Ray's home for breakfast. Ray and Art attempt to speak with their new neighbors, but are thwarted by an attack of bees.
That evening, Art and Ray spy on the Klopeks with Rumsfield. With Ricky and his girlfriend watching them, the three men watch Hans Klopek (Courtney Gains
Courtney Gains
-Life and career:Gains achieved success during the 1980s with a variety of roles in films such as Children of the Corn, Hardbodies, Lust in the Dust, Back to the Future, Can't Buy Me Love, Colors,Wing Commander III, The 'Burbs and Memphis Belle...
) drive his dilapidated Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
from the garage to the curb, then pull a large, heavy garbage bag from the car, place it in a garbage can and bang it with a stick. During the night, Ray watches the Klopeks digging in their back yard with pick-axes in the middle of a rainstorm. The following morning, Art runs out to check the contents of the garbage truck as it is collecting the Klopeks' can from the previous night. He is soon joined by Rumsfield and Ray, but their search in the hope of finding human remains is futile.
Bonnie Rumsfield (Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Francine Smith in the TV series American Dad!.-Personal life:...
) finds Queenie running loose and wonders if Walter went away and forgot to feed her. Ray, Art, Bonnie and Ricky go to Walter's house and Rumsfield, who removed a window pane, lets them in. Inside, they find Walter's toupee in the kitchen. Noting that the television was left on and a chair was turned over, Art and Rumsfield begin to worry. Ray collects Queenie and leaves a note for Walter explaining that he has his dog, seen by an older Klopek. The following night, Ray and Art have a meeting in the Petersons' basement and theorize about Walter's disappearance.
The following morning, Rumsfield and Art write a note to the Klopeks ("I know what you've done.") and slip it under their door. Art goes next door to tell Ray of the deed, which upsets him he was seen writing to Walter. As Ray talks to Art, Ray's dog Vince brings to them a bone he dug up from under the fence. Art identifies the bone as a femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
, and believes it to belong to Walter. At the request of Carol (Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
), Ray's wife, she, Ray, Rumsfield and Bonnie pay the Klopeks a visit. Art, intentionally not invited, snoops around in the Klopeks' back yard while the visitors meet Hans, Reuben (Brother Theodore
Brother Theodore
Brother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
) and Werner (Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson
Henry Gibson was an American actor and songwriter, best known as a cast member of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for his recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
) inside. Later that evening, Ray has a meeting with Art and Rumsfield and reveals that he found Walter's toupee in the Klopeks' basement the previous day after he had earlier slipped it back through Walter's mailslot. The trio agree to investigate the contents of the Klopeks' back yard when the owners leave in the morning.
As the Klopeks leave for a meeting at the university, Carol and son Dave (Cory Danziger
Cory Danziger
Cory Danziger is an American actor and political activist. He is sometimes mis-credited as Cory Danzinger.Danziger was born in Los Angeles County, California. His most notable role was as Dave Peterson, the son of Tom Hanks' character, Ray, in the 1989 cult film The 'Burbs...
) go to visit Carol's sister, Evelyn, leaving Ray free to explore the Klopeks' backyard. Their first order of business is to disable the Klopeks' security system. The result ends up almost electrocuting Art, but ends up disabling the alarm while also cutting off the power to the entire neighborhood. Art and Ray then jump over their fence into the Klopeks' yard while Rumsfield watches the proceedings from the roof of his house and Ricky invites his friends to watch Rumsfield. After hours of digging and finding nothing incriminating, Ray and Art venture into the Klopek house, where they discover in the basement a giant furnace with a capability of reaching a temperature of 5,000 degrees. Ray then begins to dig into the loose soil that constitutes the basement floor, believing there may be dead bodies buried there.
That evening, the Klopeks drive back to their home, only to reverse out when they see lights on in the basement. Not long after, Rumsfield, Art and Ricky are perturbed to see Walter return home. Then the Klopeks return with the police and Art tells Ricky to delay them while he goes into the Klopeks' home and rescues Ray. Ray hits a gas line with his pick-axe while continuing to dig out the basement floor. He yells for Art to flee right before the house explodes into flames with Ray still inside. A few minutes later, a disheveled Ray emerges from the flames just as his wife returns from dropping Dave at her sister's house.
Art talks to an officer, who explains that Walter had a medical problem and his family took him to the hospital. While away, Walter had made arrangements for the Klopeks to pick up his mail. When Ray had previously slipped the toupee back through the mail slot, it got picked up with the mail and newspapers. Ray is read the charges against him and ignores them in favor of admiring Carol's new hairstyle. Ray then snaps at Art and gives his "We're the lunatics, not them" speech, before lunging at Art and then throwing himself into an ambulance on a gurney
Gurney
A gurney, known as a trolley in British medical context, is the U.S. term for a type of stretcher used in modern hospitals and ambulances in developed areas. A hospital gurney is a kind of narrow bed on a wheeled frame which may be adjustable in height. For ambulances, a collapsible gurney is a...
.
As Ray has concluded that he and the neighbors were wrong about the Klopeks, Werner Klopek joins Ray in the ambulance a short while later. Werner, thinking Ray must have seen the skull of one of his former neighbors in the basement, attempts to murder Ray to collect his skull too, revealing that Art was right all along about the Klopeks. Hans assumes the role of the ambulance driver, but crashes into the Weingartners' house during the three-way struggle. The gurney, with Ray and Werner aboard, rolls out of the ambulance and down the street. Ray makes a citizen's arrest
Citizen's arrest
A citizen's arrest is an arrest made by a person who is not acting as a sworn law-enforcement official. In common law jurisdictions, the practice dates back to medieval Britain and the English common law, in which sheriffs encouraged ordinary citizens to help apprehend law breakers.Despite the...
on his would-be murderer as Ricky uncovers a large selection of bones in the Klopeks' trunk. The Klopeks are then arrested and the charges against Ray are dropped.
Alternate ending
Werner Klopek attempts to kill Ray while wearing a sinister white coat, but he is caught in the act by Rumsfield and Carol. While being arrested, he gives a satiricalSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
about why he moved to the suburbs for "quiet... the good life", but says "if you do anything different, people say 'Oh look, there goes the weirdo.'"
Scenes from the original ending involving Rumsfield speaking to the police as well as talking to Ray remain, but are filmed in different locations. Also a brief scene of a befuddled Hans being questioned by one of the two detectives is included in the alternate ending.
Cast
- Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
as Ray Peterson - Bruce DernBruce DernBruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...
as Lt. Mark Rumsfield - Carrie FisherCarrie FisherCarrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
as Carol Peterson - Rick DucommunRick DucommunRichard "Rick" Ducommun is a Canadian actor and comedian, often seen in supporting roles on both television and the silver screen.Ducommun was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan...
as Art Weingartner - Corey FeldmanCorey FeldmanCorey Scott Feldman is an American film and television actor. He became known during the 1980s, with roles in the Hollywood films Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, The Goonies, Stand by Me, The Lost Boys, License to Drive, Dream a Little Dream, Gremlins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
as Ricky Butler - Henry GibsonHenry GibsonHenry Gibson was an American actor and songwriter, best known as a cast member of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and for his recurring role as Judge Clark Brown on Boston Legal.-Early life:...
as Dr. Werner Klopek - Brother TheodoreBrother TheodoreBrother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
as Uncle Reuben Klopek - Courtney GainsCourtney Gains-Life and career:Gains achieved success during the 1980s with a variety of roles in films such as Children of the Corn, Hardbodies, Lust in the Dust, Back to the Future, Can't Buy Me Love, Colors,Wing Commander III, The 'Burbs and Memphis Belle...
as Hans Klopek - Wendy SchaalWendy SchaalWendy Schaal is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Francine Smith in the TV series American Dad!.-Personal life:...
as Bonnie Rumsfield - Gale GordonGale GordonGale Gordon was an American character actor perhaps best remembered as Lucille Ball's longtime television foil—and particularly as cantankerously combustible, tightfisted bank executive Theodore J. Mooney, on Ball's second television situation comedy, The Lucy Show...
as Walter Seznick - Dick MillerDick MillerRichard "Dick" Miller is an American character actor who has appeared in over 100 films, particularly those produced by Roger Corman, and later in films of directors who started their careers with Corman, including James Cameron and Joe Dante, with the distinction of appearing in every film made...
as Vic - Robert PicardoRobert PicardoRobert Picardo is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years , Ben Wheeler in Wagons East, and as...
as Joe - Cory DanzigerCory DanzigerCory Danziger is an American actor and political activist. He is sometimes mis-credited as Cory Danzinger.Danziger was born in Los Angeles County, California. His most notable role was as Dave Peterson, the son of Tom Hanks' character, Ray, in the 1989 cult film The 'Burbs...
as Dave Peterson - Nick KattNicky KattNicholas Lea "Nicky" Katt is an American actor known for his role as unorthodox teacher Harry Senate on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public.-Career:...
as Steve Kuntz - Dana OlsenDana OlsenDana Olsen is an American actor, film producer and screenwriter. His written works include George of the Jungle, The 'Burbs and Inspector Gadget...
(cameoCameo appearanceA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
) as Cop - Patrika DarboPatrika DarboPatrika Darbo is an American actress.-Early life:Born Patricia Davidson in Jacksonville, Florida, Darbo grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. She studied theater at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, graduating in 1970, and undertook further study at the Atlanta School of Drama...
as Suzanne Weingartner
Production
Screenwriter Dana OlsenDana Olsen
Dana Olsen is an American actor, film producer and screenwriter. His written works include George of the Jungle, The 'Burbs and Inspector Gadget...
based the script, under the working title Life in the 'Burbs, on experiences from his own childhood: "I had an ultranormal middle-class upbringing, but our town had its share of psychos. There was a legendary hatchet murder in the thirties, and every once in a while, you'd pick up the local paper and read something like 'LIBRARIAN KILLS FAMILY, SELF'. As a kid, it was fascinating to think that Mr. Flanagan down the street could turn out to be Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. And where there's fear, there's comedy. So I approached The 'Burbs as Ozzie and Harriet Meet Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
."
Olsen's script attracted producer Larry Brezner, who brought it to Imagine Films. It was greeted with a warm reception from Brian Grazer
Brian Grazer
Brian Thomas Grazer is an Academy Award-winning American film and television producer who co-founded Imagine Entertainment in 1986 with Ron Howard. Together they have produced many acclaimed films, including Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind .- Career :Brian Grazer began his career as a producer...
. "I liked the concept of a regular guy taking a vacation in his own neighborhood, plus it was funny and well written. It suddenly dawned on me that Joe Dante
Joe Dante
Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
would be fantastic [as a director] because it's a mixture of comedy, horror, and reality."
Dante, the director of Gremlins
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
and Innerspace
Innerspace
Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
, and his partner, Michael Finnell
Michael Finnell
Michael Finnell is a film producer active from the 1970s to the present. He has produced several horror-comedy films, particularly with director Joe Dante. Finnell worked for American producer Roger Corman before emerging as a producer in his own right....
, were immediately impressed by the concept of the movie. Dante, who specializes in offbeat subject matters, was intrigued by the blending of real-life situations with elements of the supernatural. "When I tell people about the story, a remarkable number say, 'On my grandmother's block, there were people like that. They never mowed their lawn, and they never came out, and they let their mail stack up, and nobody knew who they were'. And I must confess that in my own neighborhood there's a house like that, falling to wrack and ruin. I think this is perhaps a more common even than most people are aware of."
Dante, Brezner and Finnell agreed that Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
would be the most suitable actor to portray the harried Ray Peterson, a conservative man who tries to introduce excitement into his life by investigating the activities of his strange neighbors. Dante referred to Hanks as "the reigning everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
, a guy that everybody can identify with" and went on to give the umpteenth comparison between Hanks and James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
. Brezner echoed the sentiments, saying, "Hanks is an actor capable of acting funny rather than funny acting. He also has no problem with transition from comedy to pathos, as he showed in Nothing in Common
Nothing in Common
Nothing in Common is a 1986 comedy-drama film, directed by Garry Marshall. It stars Tom Hanks and, in his last movie role, Jackie Gleason. The film proved to be Gleason's final film role, as he was suffering from colon cancer, liver cancer, and thrombosed hemorrhoids during production.The film,...
, and he's now proving himself as one of the country's most versatile actors."
Hanks accepted the role of Ray with enthusiasm. "What's so bizarrely interesting about this black psychocomedy is that the stuff that goes on in real life in a regular neighborhood will make your hair stand up on the back of your neck." He was also intrigued by his character with distinctive personality traits. "Sometimes there's more of an opportunity to create than others. Here's a guy with a great life — a nice house, a wife, a beautiful tree, a nice neighborhood — and he's happy. Next day, he hates it all. I thought something must've happened to him offstage. And that's the challenge for me of the part: to communicate Ray's offscreen dilemma. One of the reasons Ray doesn't go away on vacation is because it's another extension of the normalcy he's fallen into. So he thinks he'll try a more Bohemian thing, which is to just hang around the house. With a week's worth of free time on his hands, Ray is drawn into the pre-occupations of his neighbors, who always seem to be at home. But what I did is just back-story embellishment that any actor will do. Perhaps from my repertory experience. I don't ask a director for motivation. If he says, 'Go over to the window', I find the reason myself."
Hanks found admiration for Dante's directorial style, saying "Joe has a stylized, visionary way of looking at the entire movie. It's pure film-making — the story is told from the camera's point of view, and that's a type of movie I haven't made." Dante, in turn, praised his star. "The most impressive thing about Tom Hanks as a comic actor is how effortless he makes it seem. He actually is very diligent about his acting, but his comic sense of what is going to work — and what isn't — is really unparalleled."
The ten-week shoot took place during the summer of 1988, with Dante directing Hanks and the high-profile supporting cast. Dante's laid-back, casual style encouraged improvisation among the actors. He noted, "Tom doesn't like to do scenes the way they're always done. He goes out of his way to put a different spin on everything and his being good as he is and as open as he is encouraged the other actors to do the same. It set a tone for the movie that made it a lot of fun to make."
The set
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, The 'Burbs presented technical and logistical problems for Dante and the crew. "I can't think of many pictures since Lifeboat
Lifeboat (film)
Lifeboat is an American war film directed by Alfred Hitchcock from a story written by John Steinbeck. The film stars Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, Mary Anderson, John Hodiak, Henry Hull, Heather Angel, Hume Cronyn and Canada Lee, and is set entirely on a lifeboat.The film is...
that all take place in the same area," Dante said as production got under way. "There was a lot of temptation to broaden it and go outside the neighborhood, but it seemed to violate the spirit of the piece. It's almost the kind of thing that could be a stage play except that you could never do on-stage what we've done in this movie."
Dante used the Colonial Street
Colonial Street
Colonial Street is one of the backlot street sets at Universal Studios Hollywood. The street set has a long history, spanning over 60 years of movies and television...
set on the back lot for the Mayfield Place cul-de-sac. The set had once been used in Dragnet
Dragnet (1987 film)
Dragnet is a 1987 film comedy starring Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks, directed by Tom Mankiewicz, based on the television crime drama of the same name starring Jack Webb. The screenplay is written by Aykroyd, Alan Zweibel and Mankiewicz. The original music score is by Ira Newborn...
(1987) also starring Tom Hanks. Coincidentally, the structure used as the Petersen home in The 'Burbs was used as the home of the virgin Connie Swail in Dragnet. At the time The 'Burbs began production the Colonial Street set was being used as the location for the Still the Beaver television series — the 1980s follow-up to Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver
Leave It to Beaver is an American television situation comedy about an inquisitive but often naïve boy named Theodore "The Beaver" Cleaver and his adventures at home, in school, and around his suburban neighborhood...
, so the entire area 'reeked' of normalcy. Dante said, "I asked [production designer] James Spencer, a veteran of Poltergeist and Gremlins
Gremlins
Gremlins is a 1984 American horror comedy film directed by Joe Dante, released by Warner Bros. The film is about a young man who receives a strange creature—called a Mogwai—as a pet, which then spawns other creatures who transform into small, destructive, evil monsters. It was followed by a sequel,...
if he thought he could turn that street into the neighborhood we needed in that period of time. Spencer rose to the challenge, and within a few days they began work on sketching out the proposed designs for the sets. Spencer observed, "We had to be on the spot. Due to the lack of time, it would have been ludicrous to do our drawing elsewhere."
The sacred Beaver household had to be carted away to make room for the dilapidated Klopek home. By the time Spencer was through, the entire street had been reconfigured.
The Klopeks' house was not completely destroyed, and remained almost intact as it appeared in The 'Burbs for a number of years, albeit without the tower. The whole building can be clearly seen in a season-two episode of Quantum Leap. The house no longer exists in an easily recognizable form (the Van de Kamp house in Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
) but the right façade does still have some features of the original style. The original Klopek garage sits alongside the house, in much the same style as in The 'Burbs.
The other houses (many of which are just façades) have been used in countless television shows, movies and music videos through the years. Perhaps the most notable is The Munsters
The Munsters
The Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
house, which is home to the Butler family in The 'Burbs. Due to its recognizability, the house's facade is never completely shown in the film. Two new houses, which were built specifically for the movie, were Walter Seznick's (which is still there to this day, see Desperate Housewives) and the Klopeks'.
The residents of Mayfield Place
- 667: Walter Seznick
- 668: Unspecified
- 669: The Klopeks
- 670: The Rumsfields
- 671: The Petersons
- 672: Ricky Butler
- 673: The Weingartners
Critical reaction
The 'Burbs received fairly mixed reviews and currently holds a 46% fresh 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...
.
Box office
The film opened at number 1 with $11,101,197 in its opening weekend (2/17-20). Overall, in the US, the film made $36,601,993 and $49,101,993 worldwide.Home media
The first DVD release of The 'Burbs was Region 1, which contains English and French languages since it was sold in the United States and Canada, and includes the alternate ending as a bonus feature. This was followed in 2004 by the European/Australian Region 2/4 release entitled The 'Burbs Uncut. The 'uncut' in the title refers only to scenes removed from the TV versions are present on the DVD; there is nothing additional from the theatrical release.On UK terrestrial TV, The 'Burbs has traditionally been shown late at night, uncut, on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, but ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
have since bought the rights to show it and it has enjoyed Sunday mid-afternoon showings on ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
, ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
and late-night showings on ITV3
ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
.
Soundtrack
The thirteen-track orchestral soundtrack was composed by Jerry GoldsmithJerry Goldsmith
Jerrald King Goldsmith was an American composer and conductor most known for his work in film and television scoring....
and in some places parodies some of his other work, or well-known signature tunes, from other movies (Patton
Patton (film)
Patton is a 1970 American biographical war film about U.S. General George S. Patton during World War II. It stars George C. Scott, Karl Malden, Michael Bates, and Karl Michael Vogler. It was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner from a script by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H...
and Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West
Once Upon a Time in the West is a 1968 Italian epic spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone for Paramount Pictures. It stars Henry Fonda cast against type as the villain, Charles Bronson as his nemesis, Jason Robards as a bandit, and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader with a...
, for example).
- "Main Title" - 2:23
- "Welcome to Mayfield Place" - 2.20
- "New Neighbors" - 2:06
- "Klopek House" - 2:02
- "Storytelling" - 3:20
- "Neighborhood Watch" - 2:01
- "A Nightmare in the 'Burbs" - 2:30
- "Brownies?" - 0:47
- "The Assault" - 2:36
- "Ray Peterson, Neighbor from Hell" - 1:43
- "Runaway Ambulance" - 2:24
- "Vacation's End" - 2:12
- "End Titles" - 4:10
Total duration: 30:34
Deluxe edition, also by Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande
Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums as well as newer releases by artists no longer under a contract...
:
- "Night Work" (Main Title) - 2:38
- "The Window / Home Delivery" - 2:22
- "The Raven" - 0:51
- "Nocturnal Feeders" - 0:27
- "Good Neighbors" - 2:06
- "Let's Go" - 2:04
- "Bad Karma" - 0:38
- "The Sentinel" - 3:22
- "My Neighborhood" - 2:04
- "The Garage" - 4:24
- "Spare Key" - 1:19
- "The Note" - 1:00
- "Devil Worship" - 1:12
- "The Dream" - 2:34
- "The Note #2" - 1:28
- "This is Walter" - 2:00
- "Snooping Around" - 0:50
- "I'm O.K." - 1:02
- "Ask Him" - 1:24
- "What's in the Cellar?" - 1:00
- "The Wig" - 2:23
- "Hot Wires" - 2:39
- "Red Rover, Red Rover" - 1:11
- "No Beer" - 3:07
- "Home Furnace" - 1:44
- "No Lights" - 0:48
- "Walter's Home" - 1:58
- "Something is Moving" - 1:46
- "There's a Body" - 1:04
- "My Skull / The Gurney" - 2:24
- "The Trunk" - 1:41
- "Pack Your Bags" - 2:15
- "Square One" (End Credits) - 4:14
The insert of the 2007 album includes the following note from Varèse producer Robert Townson:
"Universal Pictures released The 'Burbs in February of 1989. No soundtrack album was forthcoming. A mere three years later (although it seemed like a lot longer at the time) the score was rescued in the Varèse Sarabande CD Club. Well, thirty minutes of it was, at any rate. But Jerry Goldsmith's exceptionally inventive and inspired score for The 'Burbs had a lot more to offer. As of 2007, the Musician Union rules have changed in this neighborhood. Though a straight re-issue of our original CD would go against the Club's intent, an expansion of this order (over twice the amount of music) in this new era of soundtrack releases, seemed to warrant a special exception. This expanded edition also returns to Jerry Goldsmith's original track titles, where our previous release featured titles by yours truly. Now over an hour long, this Deluxe Edition of The 'Burbs gives a new generation the chance to discover a comedy classic. It gives those who've been to this neighborhood before the opportunity to revisit the Peterson house, now with a new coat of paint, some new landscaping and a roomy extension that has been added. Hinckley Hills has been refurbished and is all set to weather the next decade or two. It's a great place to raise a family!"
The music played during the fight scene between Werner and Ray, known as either "Runaway Ambulance" or "My Skull/The Gurney", is also used at a crucial point in Dante's next film, Gremlins 2.
Songs used in the film
- "Machine" by Circus of PowerCircus of Power-Overview:The band formed in 1986 in New York City. A no-frills band heavy on tattoos, biker-band lyrics and leather, the band consisted of vocalist Alex Mitchell, guitar players Ricky Mahler and Gary Sunshine, bassist Craymore Stevens, and drummer Ryan Maher. The group played in New York for...
- "Bloodstone" by JetboyJetboy (band)Jetboy is a San Francisco hard rock band formed in 1983. The band transplanted themselves to LA In 1986 after signing a major deal with Elektra Records. Their musical influences ranged from Punk rock to Rock n' roll with a good dose of Blues thrown in...
- "Questa o Quella" by Enrico Caruso
- "Locked in a Cage" by Jetboy
- "Make Some Noise" by Jetboy
- "The Showdown" by Ennio MorriconeEnnio MorriconeEnnio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
- "My Fault" by Ennio Morricone
External links
- The 'Burbs Neighbourhood
- Windows Live Local - Mayfield Place from the air
- A discussion on the opening sequence
- The Klopek house (slide 14) in the New York Daily NewsNew York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
' "Iconic Movie Homes" feature, June 2009