My Favorite Year
| My Favorite Year | |
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Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
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| Directed by | Richard Benjamin |
| Produced by |
Michael Gruskoff Art Levinson Mel Brooks (Uncredited) Joel Chernoff (Uncredited) |
| Written by | Dennis Palumbo (Story and screenplay) Norman Steinberg |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Mark Linn-Baker |
| Music by | Ralph Burns |
| Cinematography | Gerald Hirschfeld |
| Edited by | Richard Chew |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $20,123,620 |
My Favorite Year is a 1982 American comedy film written by Dennis Palumbo and Norman Steinberg, and directed by Richard Benjamin, which tells the story of a young comedy writer. It stars Peter O'Toole, Mark Linn-Baker, Jessica Harper, and Joseph Bologna. O'Toole was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film was adapted into an unsuccessful 1992 Broadway musical of the same name.
Benjy Stone (Mark Linn-Baker), the narrator, tells of the summer (in his "favorite year" of 1954) he met his idol, swashbuckling actor Allan Swann (Peter O'Toole). In the early days of television, Benjy works as a junior comedy writer for a variety show starring Stan "King" Kaiser (Joseph Bologna). As a special upcoming guest, they get the still famous (though largely washed-up) Swann. However, when he shows up, they realize that he is a roaring drunk. Kaiser is ready to dump him, until Benjy intervenes and promises to keep him sober during the week leading up to the show.
As Benjy watches out for Swann (or at least tries to keep up with him), they learn much about each other, including the fact that they both have family they try to hide from the rest of the world. In Benjy's case, it's his Jewish mother (Lainie Kazan), who is married to a Filipino former bantamweight boxer, Rookie Carroca (Ramon Sison), and Benjy's embarrassing relatives, such as uncouth Uncle Morty (Lou Jacobi). For Swann, it is his young daughter, Tess (Cady McClain), who has been raised entirely by her mother, one of his many ex-wives. He stays away, but continues to keep tabs on her secretly, frustrated that he cannot muster the courage to reconnect with her.
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Wikipedia