Swing Shift (film)

Swing Shift is a 1984 feature film directed by Jonathan Demme and produced by and starring Goldie Hawn with Kurt Russell. It also starred Christine Lahti, Fred Ward and Ed Harris. Lahti earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her tragic portrayal of heart-broken ex-singer and Hawn's character's close friend Hazel, losing to Peggy Ashcroft for A Passage to India. Singer Belinda Carlisle made a foray into the film, and Holly Hunter can be seen in one of her first movie roles.

Plot

During the Second World War, Kay Walsh (Goldie Hawn) is a woman who has been assigned to work in an armaments factory in California while her husband Jack (Ed Harris), a Leading Seaman, is overseas in naval service.

Lonely and vulnerable, Kay falls for the charms of another man, a musician named Lucky (Kurt Russell), and befriends her embittered neighbor Hazel (Christine Lahti), a former singer. The three of them enjoy their time together until Kay's husband comes home and realizes what has occurred.

Cast

• Goldie Hawn as Kay Walsh
• Kurt Russell as Lucky Lockhart
• Christine Lahti as Hazel Zanussi
• Ed Harris as Jack Walsh
• Fred Ward as Biscuits Toohey
• Belita Moreno as Mabel Stoddard
• Holly Hunter as Jeannie
• Sudie Bond as Annie
• Patty Maloney as Laverne
• Lisa Pelikan as Violet
• Phillip Christon as Egyptian Recruit

Production

Swing Shift has become a case study for a star/producer/director conflict. Hawn and Russell saw the film as a lighthearted vehicle while the director Demme attempted to create a more serious film. Hawn and Warner Brothers requested a recut and partial re-shooting in order to get the movie they had hired Demme to film. Demme's director's cut exists on bootleg VHS only. Both cuts run 100 minutes.

External links

• Swing Shift at IMDb
• Swing Shift at AllMovie
• Swing Shift at Box Office Mojo