Trading Places (1983)

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

Timothy Harris (written by) &
Herschel Weingrod (written by)

Release Date:

8 June 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

They're not just getting rich... They're getting even.

Plot:

A snobbish investor and a wily street con artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Plot Keywords:

Bet | Commodities | Broker | Criminal | Beggar

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 21	8:00 PM	VH1
Sun. Nov. 22	1:00 PM	VH1

Cast

Denholm Elliott	...	Coleman
Dan Aykroyd	...	Louis Winthorpe III
Maurice Woods	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Richard D. Fisher Jr.	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Jim Gallagher	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Anthony DiSabatino	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Bonnie Behrend	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Sunnie Merrill	...	Duke & Duke Employee
James Newell	...	Duke & Duke Employee (as Jim Newell)
Mary St. John	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Bonnie Tremena	...	Duke & Duke Employee
David Schwartz	...	Duke & Duke Employee
Ralph Bellamy	...	Randolph Duke
Don Ameche	...	Mortimer Duke
Tom Degidon	...	Duke Domestic

Also Known As:

Black or White (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:Atp | Iceland:L | Netherlands:6 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:S | Norway:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #26982) | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

30th Street Station - 3001 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Cinema Group Ventures

Trivia:

When explaining how their business works we can see a portrait of the Marquis De Lafayette over the right shoulder of Randolph Duke.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: On the train from Washington to New York, the sound of the train passing railroad crossings is heard several times. Due to the speed of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor line, there are no railroad crossings like that.

Quotes:

[after breaking a vase]
Billy Ray Valentine: Hey, sorry about that.
Randolph Duke: It's perfectly all right William. It was your vase.
Billy Ray Valentine: That was a cheap vase, right? That was a fake? Right?
Randolph Duke: I believe we paid $35,000. But if I remember correctly, we valued it for the insurance company at $50,000. You see, Mortimer? William has already made us $15,000.
[Coleman, Mortimer, Randolph, and Billy Ray start laughing]
Billy Ray Valentine: You want me to break something else?
Randolph Duke, Mortimer Duke, Coleman: NO!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Tripping the Rift: Power to the Peephole (#1.8)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

GET A JOB

Hugely funny film - Eddie Murphy's finest moment

Right from the opening credits, this film shows quality. It stands above other comedies due to the lack of filler material - every line is memorable. The cast is great; the two leads make the most of their characters (both as brokers and bums) but never overstep the mark, thanks partly to the tight editing. The plot becomes a little bizarre, but by that time you're already hooked, and the ending of the film is pure joy. To my mind, no recent comedy has been this good; it mixes high and low brow jokes without resorting to toilet humour, it doesn't pull any punches (spot the social commentary), the performances are masterful and the script achieves depth without sacrificing the one-liners or slowing the pace.