Johnny Dangerously
| Johnny Dangerously | |
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Theatrical release poster by Drew Struzan
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| Directed by | Amy Heckerling |
| Produced by | Michael Hertzberg |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | John Morris |
| Cinematography | David M. Walsh |
| Edited by | Pembroke J. Herring |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $9 million |
| Box office | $17.1 million |
Johnny Dangerously is a 1984 American parody of 1930s' crime/gangster movies. It was directed by Amy Heckerling; its four screenwriters included Bernie Kukoff and Jeff Harris.
The film stars Michael Keaton as an honest, goodhearted man who is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his mother's skyrocketing medical bills and to put his younger brother through law school. It also features Joe Piscopo, Marilu Henner, Maureen Stapleton, Peter Boyle, Griffin Dunne, Dom DeLuise, Danny DeVito, Dick Butkus and Alan Hale, Jr..
1935. A pet shop owner catches a young boy shoplifting a puppy. To discourage the kid from a life of crime, the owner tells a story.
1910. Young Johnny Kelly is a poor but honest newsboy in New York City. Johnny's mom, Ma Kelly, needs an operation they cannot afford. Since the execution of Johnny's father, Killer Kelly, Ma Kelly has supported Johnny and his younger brother, Tommy, who is fascinated by the law.
Johnny's fight with a local kid (Danny Vermin) attracted the notice of local crime boss Jocko Dundee, who offers Johnny a job. Seeing no honest way to earn the money for his mother's operation, Johnny agrees to work for Dundee, even though it probably means "breaking his mother's heart." He helps rob the nightclub belonging to Dundee's rival, Roman Moronie. When asked his name, Johnny coins "Johnny Dangerously", but Moronie, a malapropist of swearwords, claims he "never forgets a fargin' face."
Years pass. With Ma's continuing medical problems, Johnny goes to work for Dundee full-time. The whole neighborhood (including the Pope) knows that Kelly is really Johnny Dangerously, except for Ma and Tommy, who think he is a nightclub owner. Similarly, the gang knows nothing of Johnny's mother and brother.
Johnny comes to Dundee's headquarters to find he has taken on two new gang members: Danny Vermin and his sidekick Dutch. Danny has lived up to his potential and become a total scumbag, with a taste for using opera audiences as shooting galleries with his .88 Magnum pistol (according to Dutch, "They made it for him special." Danny then adds, "It shoots through schools!").
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