Grumpy Old Men


1h 42m 1993

Brief Synopsis

A longtime feud heats up when the men become rivals for a sexy new neighbor.

Film Details

Also Known As
Dos viejos gruñones, Griniga gamla gubbar, grincheux
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Romantic Comedy
Release Date
1993
Production Company
American Humane Association; D Bassett & Associates Inc; Davis Entertainment; Lynn Blumenthal Casting; Minnesota Film & Tv Board; Pacific Title & Art Studio; Panavision, Ltd.; Warner Bros. Pictures
Distribution Company
WARNER BROS. PICTURES DISTRIBUTION (WBPD); Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group; Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 42m

Synopsis

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau prove they haven't lost a step as the titular curmudgeons in this hilarious romantic comedy for the truly young at heart. The bitter bickering between these two elderly bachelors deepens when the beautiful Ann-Margaret moves into the neighborhood, shaking up both their lives. As both men vie for her attentions, the competitive nature of their friendship is brought to a whole new level. Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah and Kevin Pollock round out the cast of this modern comedy classic.

Crew

Peter Albiez

Special Effects Coordinator

Christopher Assells

Dialogue Editor

Hala Bahmet

Costumer

Kevin Bartnoff

Foley Artist

Edith Bergdahl

Song Arranger ("O Holy Night" "Joy To The World")

Eric Bergerson

Video Coordinator

Irving Berlin

Song ("Heat Wave")

Richard Berman

Producer

Felix Bernard

Song ("Winter Wonderland")

Susan Bierbaum

Script Supervisor

David Bifano

Synthesizer Programmer

Patrick Blymyer

Chief Lighting Technician

Kiim Bodner

Assistant Accountant

Kimberly Boege

Assistant Editor

Keane Bonath

Special Effects

Brooke Brooks

Assistant (To John Davis)

R Bush

Song ("Skinny (They Can'T Get Enough)")

Rick Canelli

Adr Recordist

Darlene K Chan

Associate Producer

Aryn Chapman

Art Department Researcher

David Chapman

Production Designer

Rudy Clark

Song ("Good Lovin'")

Nat King Cole

Song Arranger

Nat King Cole

Song Performer ("O Holy Night" "Joy To The World")

Dick Colean

Camera Operator

Bing Crosby

Song ("Winter Wonderland")

Tom Dahl

Rerecording Mixer

John Davis

Producer

Linda Deandrea

Hair Stylist

Douglas B Dick

Construction Coordinator

Michael Edwards

Song Arranger ("Cafe Polka")

Webley Edwards

Song Performer ("The Hukilau Song")

Victor Ennis

Assistant Sound Editor

Russell C. Fager

Production Sound Mixer

Fred Fairbrass

Song ("I'M Too Sexy")

Richard Fairbrass

Song ("I'M Too Sexy")

Christopher M Fisher

1st Camera Assistant

Ella Fitzgerald

Song Performer ("Heat Wave")

Linda Folk

Adr Editor

Adam C Frank

1st Assistant Film Editor

Jessica Gallavan

Adr Supervisor

Kent Genzlinger

Dga Trainee

Chris Gibbin

Other

Eric Gotthelf

Foley Mixer

Ron Grafton

Foley Recordist

Dale Grahn

Color Timer

Clay A. Griffith

Set Decorator

Mark Haack

Art Director

Rick Hart

Rerecording Mixer

Shelley Hawkos

Special Effects

Wayne Heitman

Rerecording Mixer

Ellen Heuer

Foley Artist

Chris Hogan

Dialogue Editor

Brad Holmes

Special Effects

Michael Hoover

Other

Sharon Howard-field

Casting

Greg Jensen

Special Effects Foreman

James Jensen

1st Camera Assistant

Johnny Jensen

Director Of Photography

Johnny Jensen

Dp/Cinematographer

Lisa Jensen

Costume Designer

Mark Steven Johnson

Screenwriter

Horst Jung

Caterer

Kenneth Karman

Supervising Music Editor

Randy Kelley

Sound Effects Editor

Bonnie Koehler

Film Editor

Dan Kolsrud

Unit Production Manager

Dan Kolsrud

Executive Producer

Hugh Langtry

Bestboy Grip

Walter Legawiec

Song Performer ("Oira, Oira Polka" "Krakow Mountain Polka")

Walter Legawiec

Song Arranger

Jack Lemmon

Song

Jack Lemmon

Song Performer ("Ode To Sydney")

Keith G Lewis

Costume Supervisor

Robert J Litt

Rerecording Mixer

Jane Lydon

Other

Ray Lykins

Stunts

Rob Manzoli

Song ("I'M Too Sexy")

Blaine Marcou

Construction Foreman

Frank Marocco

Song ("Liar'S Polka")

Pat Marshall

Assistant Chief Lighting Technician

Tim Marshall

Rigging Gaffer

Tommy Marshall

Transportation Captain

Bill Mcintosh

Stunts

Linda Melazzo

Makeup Artist

Lisa D Menke

Staff Assistant

Thomas R Miller

Dolly Grip

Jessica Molitor

Special Effects

Susan Montgomery

Production Accountant

Dick Moran

Key Grip

Lonna Morgan

Assistant (To Darryl Hannah)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Composer Haydn Qurartet #14 In G Major K. 38

Trina Mrnak

Costumer

Molly Muir

2nd Assistant Director

Peter Mullin

Staff Assistant

Thomas Newman

Song ("Liar'S Polka")

Gregory J Niska

Staff Assistant

Cybele O'brien

Assistant Sound Editor

Thomas J. O'connell

Adr Mixer

Linda Olson

Transportation Co-Captain

Ernie Orsatti

Stunts

Ernie Orsatti

Stunt Coordinator

Jack Owens

Song ("The Hukilau Song")

Susan Peck

Casting Associate

Jack E Pelissier

Assistant Art Director

Ron Phillips

Still Photographer

Michele Platt

Assistant (To Donald Petrie)

Chris Porter

Special Effects

Vic Radulich

Dialogue Editor

Spiro Razatos

Stunts

Otis Redding

Song Performer ("Love Man")

Otis Redding

Song

Arthur Resnick

Song ("Good Lovin'")

Linda R Rizzuto

Hair Stylist

Dave Robling

Transportation Coordinator

William Ross

Orchestrator

Dennis Sands

Other

Tom Sann

Staff Assistant

Kathy Sarreal

Associate Producer

Erika Schlaeger

Craft Service

Dirk Schmitz

Other

Steve Schoenberg

Associate Film Editor

Rosalie Seifert

2nd Camera Assistant

Patrick Sellers

Foley Editor

Rick Sharp

Key Makeup Artist

Elizabeth Shelton

Assistant Costume Designer

Andrew Silver

Music Editor

Alan Silvestri

Music

Michael S. Singer

Unit Publicist

Dick Smith

Song

Dick Smith

Song ("Winter Wonderland")

Mark D Steinbeck

Boom Operator

Mark P. Stoeckinger

Sound Effects Supervisor

Randy Suhr

1st Assistant Director

Jerry Swift

Property Assistant

Michael Szakmeister

Dialogue Editor

Cat Thompson

Location Manager

Elliot Tyson

Rerecording Mixer

Kim Waugh

Additional Audio

Aaron M Weinberg

Production Aide

Doug Wise

1st Assistant Director

Douglas E Wise

Assistant Director

Frank Yankovic

Song ("Cafe Polka")

Trudy Yee

Assistant Editor

Jim Zemansky

Property Master

Film Details

Also Known As
Dos viejos gruñones, Griniga gamla gubbar, grincheux
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Romance
Romantic Comedy
Release Date
1993
Production Company
American Humane Association; D Bassett & Associates Inc; Davis Entertainment; Lynn Blumenthal Casting; Minnesota Film & Tv Board; Pacific Title & Art Studio; Panavision, Ltd.; Warner Bros. Pictures
Distribution Company
WARNER BROS. PICTURES DISTRIBUTION (WBPD); Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group; Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Technical Specs

Duration
1h 42m

Articles

Grumpy Old Men


With its release in 1993, Grumpy Old Men marked the return of the comedy pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Beginning with The Fortune Cookie (1966), hitting their stride with the seminal The Odd Couple (1968), and continuing with the underrated The Front Page (1974) and Buddy, Buddy (1981), Lemmon and Matthau established themselves as one of the premier comedy teams in film history. In the nine years since their last comic offering, each actor had enjoyed some success on his own - Lemmon with a powerfully dramatic turn in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Matthau stealing scenes from Robin Williams in the comedy The Survivors (1983) - but nothing like the chemistry produced by their on-screen performances in The Odd Couple. As Matthau mused, "Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality. The Odd Couple was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that." Grumpy Old Men, the tale of two codgers in a lifelong rivalry exacting daily revenge upon each other, ignited the Lemmon/Matthau spark once again, delighting old fans while creating new ones.

Supported by a stellar cast including Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis, and Daryl Hannah, Grumpy Old Men categorically owed its runaway hit status to its two leading men. In a 1996 interview, Matthau quickly circumvented any self-congratulatory talk and declares the secret of the film's success: "Because it was about a couple of guys in the Midwest, snapping at each other, calling each other names, looking forward to that every day." For all their onscreen barbs, the duo was relaxed and fun-loving behind the scenes.

In a 2001 Larry King Live interview, Ann-Margret recalled an anecdote about the recently-deceased Matthau during the filming of Grumpy: "...it was so wonderful to see his relationship with Jack, you know. Just really concerned about each other, and I've got a picture of them – and Jack doesn't know this. It's so cute. It's the sun and the snow and that goofy hat that Walter always wore – and here they are in their director's chairs, and they're both taking a snooze in the sun. It's so cute."

On location in Minnesota, the film suffered a couple of mishaps during shooting. In her 1994 autobiography My Story, Ann-Margret tells of a snow ride with Lemmon gone awry: "As I drove Jack on the back of my snowmobile, I took an icy turn very fast and careened into a steel Dumpster. Worried about losing Jack, I clung to the bike as if my life depended on it. I desperately looked around for Jack. Then someone told me that he'd bailed out far back and was fine. I nursed a broken wrist for a while. But no big deal. Life goes on." Matthau, on the other hand, waited until the wrap for his misfortune; he was hospitalized with double pneumonia shortly after filming ended. He would suffer another run-in with the illness in the late 1990s before finally succumbing in July 2000. Lemmon would die just four days short of a year later; he was buried near his friend "Waltz" in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The eternal jokester, Lemmon's headstone reads, "Jack Lemmon -- In."

Grumpy provided the two actors with not only a return to form, but a box office validation of their efforts. In the new 2006 biography, A Twist of Lemmon, son Chris Lemmon comments, "I remember seeing Pop after the success of Grumpy, and I sensed immediately that it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Not only had this movie put him and Walter back on the map, it was the first big commercial hit for Pop in a while as well, and in a profession as perilous as acting, where there are no guarantees (except, of course, that you'll probably fail), this was a blessed event, one that allowed Pop to sit back and relax a little." One imagines Matthau as more nonplussed; after all, the lifelong friends enjoyed a yin-yang acting relationship. As Grumpy producer John Davis noted, "Where Walter was irascible and funny and mean and challenging, Jack was just always laughing at Walter's jokes and being sweet and lovable." But as one of the only two true experts on the subject, Lemmon eloquently declared, "It was a very unusual relationship right off the bat, the very first day, because it clicked so totally and easily there was just nothing to it." And Matthau? No comment. After all, this is the man who wanted to be a pharmacist when he grew up.

Producer: Richard C. Berman, John Davis, Dan Kolsrud
Director: Donald Petrie
Screenplay: Mark Steven Johnson
Cinematography: Johnny E. Jensen
Film Editing: Bonnie Koehler
Art Direction: Mark Haack
Music: Irving Berlin, Felix Bernard, R. Bush, Rudy Clark, Richard Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli, Frank Marocco, Thomas Newman, Jack Owens, Arthur Resnick, Alan Silvestri, Frankie Yankovic
Cast: Jack Lemmon (John Gustafson), Walter Matthau (Max Goldman), Ann-Margret (Ariel Truax), Burgess Meredith (Grandpa Gustafson), Daryl Hannah (Melanie), Kevin Pollak (Jacob Goldman).
C-103m. Letterboxed.

by Eleanor Quin
Grumpy Old Men

Grumpy Old Men

With its release in 1993, Grumpy Old Men marked the return of the comedy pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Beginning with The Fortune Cookie (1966), hitting their stride with the seminal The Odd Couple (1968), and continuing with the underrated The Front Page (1974) and Buddy, Buddy (1981), Lemmon and Matthau established themselves as one of the premier comedy teams in film history. In the nine years since their last comic offering, each actor had enjoyed some success on his own - Lemmon with a powerfully dramatic turn in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), Matthau stealing scenes from Robin Williams in the comedy The Survivors (1983) - but nothing like the chemistry produced by their on-screen performances in The Odd Couple. As Matthau mused, "Every actor looks all his life for a part that will combine his talents with his personality. The Odd Couple was mine. That was the plutonium I needed. It all started happening after that." Grumpy Old Men, the tale of two codgers in a lifelong rivalry exacting daily revenge upon each other, ignited the Lemmon/Matthau spark once again, delighting old fans while creating new ones. Supported by a stellar cast including Ann-Margret, Burgess Meredith, Ossie Davis, and Daryl Hannah, Grumpy Old Men categorically owed its runaway hit status to its two leading men. In a 1996 interview, Matthau quickly circumvented any self-congratulatory talk and declares the secret of the film's success: "Because it was about a couple of guys in the Midwest, snapping at each other, calling each other names, looking forward to that every day." For all their onscreen barbs, the duo was relaxed and fun-loving behind the scenes. In a 2001 Larry King Live interview, Ann-Margret recalled an anecdote about the recently-deceased Matthau during the filming of Grumpy: "...it was so wonderful to see his relationship with Jack, you know. Just really concerned about each other, and I've got a picture of them – and Jack doesn't know this. It's so cute. It's the sun and the snow and that goofy hat that Walter always wore – and here they are in their director's chairs, and they're both taking a snooze in the sun. It's so cute." On location in Minnesota, the film suffered a couple of mishaps during shooting. In her 1994 autobiography My Story, Ann-Margret tells of a snow ride with Lemmon gone awry: "As I drove Jack on the back of my snowmobile, I took an icy turn very fast and careened into a steel Dumpster. Worried about losing Jack, I clung to the bike as if my life depended on it. I desperately looked around for Jack. Then someone told me that he'd bailed out far back and was fine. I nursed a broken wrist for a while. But no big deal. Life goes on." Matthau, on the other hand, waited until the wrap for his misfortune; he was hospitalized with double pneumonia shortly after filming ended. He would suffer another run-in with the illness in the late 1990s before finally succumbing in July 2000. Lemmon would die just four days short of a year later; he was buried near his friend "Waltz" in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. The eternal jokester, Lemmon's headstone reads, "Jack Lemmon -- In." Grumpy provided the two actors with not only a return to form, but a box office validation of their efforts. In the new 2006 biography, A Twist of Lemmon, son Chris Lemmon comments, "I remember seeing Pop after the success of Grumpy, and I sensed immediately that it seemed like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Not only had this movie put him and Walter back on the map, it was the first big commercial hit for Pop in a while as well, and in a profession as perilous as acting, where there are no guarantees (except, of course, that you'll probably fail), this was a blessed event, one that allowed Pop to sit back and relax a little." One imagines Matthau as more nonplussed; after all, the lifelong friends enjoyed a yin-yang acting relationship. As Grumpy producer John Davis noted, "Where Walter was irascible and funny and mean and challenging, Jack was just always laughing at Walter's jokes and being sweet and lovable." But as one of the only two true experts on the subject, Lemmon eloquently declared, "It was a very unusual relationship right off the bat, the very first day, because it clicked so totally and easily there was just nothing to it." And Matthau? No comment. After all, this is the man who wanted to be a pharmacist when he grew up. Producer: Richard C. Berman, John Davis, Dan Kolsrud Director: Donald Petrie Screenplay: Mark Steven Johnson Cinematography: Johnny E. Jensen Film Editing: Bonnie Koehler Art Direction: Mark Haack Music: Irving Berlin, Felix Bernard, R. Bush, Rudy Clark, Richard Fairbrass, Rob Manzoli, Frank Marocco, Thomas Newman, Jack Owens, Arthur Resnick, Alan Silvestri, Frankie Yankovic Cast: Jack Lemmon (John Gustafson), Walter Matthau (Max Goldman), Ann-Margret (Ariel Truax), Burgess Meredith (Grandpa Gustafson), Daryl Hannah (Melanie), Kevin Pollak (Jacob Goldman). C-103m. Letterboxed. by Eleanor Quin

Ossie Davis (1917-2005)


Ossie Davis, the distinguished African-American character actor, director and civil rights activist, died of natural causes on February 4 in Miami Beach, where he was filming a movie. He was 87.

He was born Raiford Chatman Davis on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia. His parents called him "R.C." When his mother registered his birth, the county clerk misunderstood her and thought she said "Ossie" instead of "R.C.," and the name stuck. He graduated high school in 1936 and was offered two scholarships: one to Savannah State College in Georgia and the other to the famed Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, but he could not afford the tuition and turned them down. He eventually saved enough money to hitchhike to Washington, D.C., where he lived with relatives while attending Howard University and studied drama.

As much as he enjoyed studying dramatics, Davis had a hunger to practice the trade professionally and in 1939, he left Howard University and headed to Harlem to work in the Rose McClendon Players, a highly respected, all-black theater ensemble in its day.

Davis' good looks and deep voice were impressive from the beginning, and he quickly joined the company and remained for three years. With the onset of World War II, Davis spent nearly four years in service, mainly as a surgical technician in an all-black Army hospital in Liberia, serving both wounded troops and local inhabitants before being transferred to Special Services to write and produce stage shows for the troops.

Back in New York in 1946, Davis debuted on Broadway in Jeb, a play about a returning black soldier who runs afoul of the Ku Klux Klan in the deep south. His co-star was Ruby Dee, an attractive leading lady who was one of the leading lights of black theater and film. Their initial romance soon developed into a lasting bond, and the two were married on December 9, 1948.

With Hollywood making much more socially conscious, adult films, particularly those that tackled themes of race (Lonely Are The Brave, Pinky, Lost Boundaries all 1949), it wasn't long before Hollywood came calling for Davis. His first film, with which he co-starred with his wife Dee, was a tense Joseph L. Mankiewicz's prison drama with strong racial overtones No Way Out (1950). He followed that up with a role as a cab driver in Henry Hathaway's Fourteen Hours (1951). Yet for the most part, Davis and Dee were primarily stage actors, and made few film appearances throughout the decade.

However, in should be noted that much of Davis time in the '50s was spent in social causes. Among them, a vocal protest against the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and an alignment with singer and black activist Paul Robeson. Davis remained loyal to Robeson even after he was denounced by other black political, sports and show business figures for his openly communist and pro-Soviet sympathies. Such affiliation led them to suspicions in the anti-Communist witch hunts of the early '50s, but Davis, nor his wife Dee, were never openly accused of any wrongdoing.

If there was ever a decade that Ossie Davis was destined for greatness, it was undoubtly the '60s. He began with a hit Broadway show, A Raisin in the Sun in 1960, and followed that up a year later with his debut as a playwright - the satire, Purlie Victorious. In it, Davis starred as Purlie, a roustabout preacher who returns to southern Georgia with a plan to buy his former master's plantation barn and turn it into a racially integrated church.

Although not an initial success, the play would be adapted into a Tony-award winning musical, Purlie years later. Yet just as important as his stage success, was the fact that Davis' film roles became much more rich and varied: a liberal priest in John Huston's The Cardinal (1963); an unflinching tough performance as a black soldier who won't break against a sadistic sergeant's racial taunts in Sidney Lumet's searing war drama The Hill (1965); and a shrewd, evil butler who turns the tables on his employer in Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969).

In 1970, he tried his hand at film directing, and scored a hit with Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), a sharp urban action comedy with Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques as two black cops trying to stop a con artist from stealing Harlem's poor. It's generally considered the first major crossover film for the black market that was a hit with white audiences. Elsewhere, he found roles in some popular television mini-series such as King, and Roots: The Next Generation (both 1978), but for the most part, was committed to the theater.

Happily, along came Spike Lee, who revived his film career when he cast him in School Daze (1988). Davis followed that up with two more Lee films: Do the Right Thing (1989), and Jungle Fever (1991), which also co-starred his wife Dee. From there, Davis found himself in demand for senior character parts in many films throughtout the '90s: Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Client (1994), I'm Not Rappaport (1996), and HBO's remake of 12 Angry Men (1997).

Davis and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, In This Life Together, and in 2004, they were among the artists selected to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. Davis had been in Miami filming an independent movie called Retirement with co-stars George Segal, Rip Torn and Peter Falk.

In addition to his widow Dee, Davis is survived by three children, Nora Day, Hasna Muhammad and Guy Davis; and seven grandchildren.

by Michael T. Toole

Ossie Davis (1917-2005)

Ossie Davis, the distinguished African-American character actor, director and civil rights activist, died of natural causes on February 4 in Miami Beach, where he was filming a movie. He was 87. He was born Raiford Chatman Davis on December 18, 1917 in Cogdell, Georgia. His parents called him "R.C." When his mother registered his birth, the county clerk misunderstood her and thought she said "Ossie" instead of "R.C.," and the name stuck. He graduated high school in 1936 and was offered two scholarships: one to Savannah State College in Georgia and the other to the famed Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, but he could not afford the tuition and turned them down. He eventually saved enough money to hitchhike to Washington, D.C., where he lived with relatives while attending Howard University and studied drama. As much as he enjoyed studying dramatics, Davis had a hunger to practice the trade professionally and in 1939, he left Howard University and headed to Harlem to work in the Rose McClendon Players, a highly respected, all-black theater ensemble in its day. Davis' good looks and deep voice were impressive from the beginning, and he quickly joined the company and remained for three years. With the onset of World War II, Davis spent nearly four years in service, mainly as a surgical technician in an all-black Army hospital in Liberia, serving both wounded troops and local inhabitants before being transferred to Special Services to write and produce stage shows for the troops. Back in New York in 1946, Davis debuted on Broadway in Jeb, a play about a returning black soldier who runs afoul of the Ku Klux Klan in the deep south. His co-star was Ruby Dee, an attractive leading lady who was one of the leading lights of black theater and film. Their initial romance soon developed into a lasting bond, and the two were married on December 9, 1948. With Hollywood making much more socially conscious, adult films, particularly those that tackled themes of race (Lonely Are The Brave, Pinky, Lost Boundaries all 1949), it wasn't long before Hollywood came calling for Davis. His first film, with which he co-starred with his wife Dee, was a tense Joseph L. Mankiewicz's prison drama with strong racial overtones No Way Out (1950). He followed that up with a role as a cab driver in Henry Hathaway's Fourteen Hours (1951). Yet for the most part, Davis and Dee were primarily stage actors, and made few film appearances throughout the decade. However, in should be noted that much of Davis time in the '50s was spent in social causes. Among them, a vocal protest against the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and an alignment with singer and black activist Paul Robeson. Davis remained loyal to Robeson even after he was denounced by other black political, sports and show business figures for his openly communist and pro-Soviet sympathies. Such affiliation led them to suspicions in the anti-Communist witch hunts of the early '50s, but Davis, nor his wife Dee, were never openly accused of any wrongdoing. If there was ever a decade that Ossie Davis was destined for greatness, it was undoubtly the '60s. He began with a hit Broadway show, A Raisin in the Sun in 1960, and followed that up a year later with his debut as a playwright - the satire, Purlie Victorious. In it, Davis starred as Purlie, a roustabout preacher who returns to southern Georgia with a plan to buy his former master's plantation barn and turn it into a racially integrated church. Although not an initial success, the play would be adapted into a Tony-award winning musical, Purlie years later. Yet just as important as his stage success, was the fact that Davis' film roles became much more rich and varied: a liberal priest in John Huston's The Cardinal (1963); an unflinching tough performance as a black soldier who won't break against a sadistic sergeant's racial taunts in Sidney Lumet's searing war drama The Hill (1965); and a shrewd, evil butler who turns the tables on his employer in Rod Serling's Night Gallery (1969). In 1970, he tried his hand at film directing, and scored a hit with Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), a sharp urban action comedy with Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques as two black cops trying to stop a con artist from stealing Harlem's poor. It's generally considered the first major crossover film for the black market that was a hit with white audiences. Elsewhere, he found roles in some popular television mini-series such as King, and Roots: The Next Generation (both 1978), but for the most part, was committed to the theater. Happily, along came Spike Lee, who revived his film career when he cast him in School Daze (1988). Davis followed that up with two more Lee films: Do the Right Thing (1989), and Jungle Fever (1991), which also co-starred his wife Dee. From there, Davis found himself in demand for senior character parts in many films throughtout the '90s: Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Client (1994), I'm Not Rappaport (1996), and HBO's remake of 12 Angry Men (1997). Davis and Dee celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998 with the publication of a dual autobiography, In This Life Together, and in 2004, they were among the artists selected to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. Davis had been in Miami filming an independent movie called Retirement with co-stars George Segal, Rip Torn and Peter Falk. In addition to his widow Dee, Davis is survived by three children, Nora Day, Hasna Muhammad and Guy Davis; and seven grandchildren. by Michael T. Toole

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Released in United States Winter December 25, 1993

Released in United States on Video July 6, 1994

Completed shooting April 13, 1993.

Began shooting February 2, 1993.

Released in United States Winter December 25, 1993

Released in United States on Video July 6, 1994