Director Michael Ritchie died April 16th at the age of 62. A Wisconsin native, Ritchie studied at Harvard before succumbing to the attractions of the theatre. He started working in television during the 1960s where he directed episodes of The Big Valley and The Man from UNCLE among others. He moved into feature films with Downhill Racer (1969) at star Robert Redford's invitation and later directed Redford again in The Candidate (1972). The latter is a classic look at American political life that hasn't lost any of its power or insights over the years. This was the start of Ritchie's most productive period when he made several films that were both popular and critically acclaimed. You can find his sly wit and sense of critical drama in Smile (1975), The Bad News Bears (1976) and Semi-Tough (1978). By the 1980s, though, Ritchie's films focused less on social criticism and more on stars. The Survivors (1983) with Robin Williams remains under-rated but Ritchie-directed vehicles for Eddie Murphy (1986's The Golden Child), Bette Midler (1980's Divine Madness) and Chevy Chase (two Fletch films) didn't quite achieve their potential. Some of the old Ritchie spark and intelligence appeared in the made-for-cable The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) which earned him a Directors Guild Award. One of his final films was the long-awaited screen adaptation of The Fantasticks (1995) which partly brought Ritchie back to his theatrical roots.
ANN SOTHERN: 1909 - 2001
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
Semi-Tough
Brief Synopsis
Two football players both love the boss' daughter.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Michael Ritchie
Director
Burt Reynolds
Kris Kristofferson
Roger E Mosley
Melonie Magruder
Lindsey Nelson
Herself
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Action
Sports
Release Date
1977
Location
Dade County, Florida, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 47m
Sound
Stereo
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Synopsis
A comedy about two football players and their mutual girlfriend. Includes many spoofs and parodies about various self-help groups and personal self-improvement seminars that were wildly popular during the 1970's.
Director
Michael Ritchie
Director
Cast
Burt Reynolds
Kris Kristofferson
Roger E Mosley
Melonie Magruder
Lindsey Nelson
Herself
Paul Hornung
Himself
Norman Alden
Jenifer Shaw
Thom Phillips
Ron Silver
Mickey Caruso
Janet Brandt
Lotte Lenya
Niki Flacks
Robert Preston
Bert Convy
Peter Bromilow
Jerry Belson
Jim Mckrell
Mary Rae Hoskins
Ed Jones
Ava Roberts
Hugh Corrian
Richard Masur
Jill Clayburgh
Rose Pearson
Fred Stuthman
Joe Kapp
Dick Schaap
Himself
Mark Franklin
William Wolf
Kewin Furry
Brian Dennehy
Carl Weathers
Mary Jo Catlett
Crew
Theoni V. Aldredge
Costumes
Theoni V. Aldredge
Wardrobe
Gene Autry
Music
Walter Bernstein
Screenplay
Lynne Birdt
Production Coordinator
Milton C Burrow
Sound Editor
Hank Edds
Makeup
Tom Ellingwood
Makeup
Phil Epstein
Production Assistant
Tom Fears
Technical Advisor
Jerry Fielding
Music
Richard A Harris
Editor
Walter Scott Herndon
Production Designer
Paul Hornung
Other
Dan Jenkins
Source Material (From Novel)
Cheryal Kearney
Set Decorator
Michel Legrand
Music
Alan Levine
Production Manager
Linda Mcgowan
Location Manager
David Merrick
Producer
Ann Monette
Production Assistant
Hal Needham
Stunt Coordinator
Lindsey Nelson
Other
Frank O'neill
Technical Advisor
Scott Parker
Production Assistant
Michael Phillips
Location Manager
Richard Portman
Sound
Dick Raseigne
Construction Coordinator
Charles Rosher Jr.
Other
Charles Rosher Jr.
Director Of Photography
Dick Schaap
Other
David Sosna
Assistant Director
Ken Swor
Assistant Director
Barry D Thomas
Sound
William Tuttle
Makeup
Film Details
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Action
Sports
Release Date
1977
Location
Dade County, Florida, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 47m
Sound
Stereo
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Articles
TCM Remembers - Michael Ritchie
TCM Remembers - Michael Ritchie
Director Michael Ritchie died April 16th at the age of 62. A Wisconsin native, Ritchie studied at Harvard before succumbing to the attractions of the theatre. He started working in television during the 1960s where he directed episodes of The Big Valley and The Man from UNCLE among others. He moved into feature films with Downhill Racer (1969) at star Robert Redford's invitation and later directed Redford again in The Candidate (1972). The latter is a classic look at American political life that hasn't lost any of its power or insights over the years. This was the start of Ritchie's most productive period when he made several films that were both popular and critically acclaimed. You can find his sly wit and sense of critical drama in Smile (1975), The Bad News Bears (1976) and Semi-Tough (1978). By the 1980s, though, Ritchie's films focused less on social criticism and more on stars. The Survivors (1983) with Robin Williams remains under-rated but Ritchie-directed vehicles for Eddie Murphy (1986's The Golden Child), Bette Midler (1980's Divine Madness) and Chevy Chase (two Fletch films) didn't quite achieve their potential. Some of the old Ritchie spark and intelligence appeared in the made-for-cable The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (1993) which earned him a Directors Guild Award. One of his final films was the long-awaited screen adaptation of The Fantasticks (1995) which partly brought Ritchie back to his theatrical roots.
ANN SOTHERN: 1909 - 2001
Actress Ann Sothern passed away on March 15th at the age of 89. Her film career spanned sixty years and included a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for The Whales of August (1987) and several Emmy nominations for her roles in the TV shows Private Secretary (1953) and The Ann Sothern Show (1958). Sothern was born as Harriette Lake in North Dakota. She made her first film appearance in 1927 in small roles (so small, in fact, that some sources omit any films before 1929) before deciding to work on Broadway instead. Shortly afterwards she signed with Columbia Pictures where studio head Harry Cohn insisted she change her name because there were already too many actors with the last name of Lake. So "Ann" came from her mother's name Annette and "Sothern" from Shakespearean actor E.H. Sothern. For most of the 1930s she appeared in light comedies working with Eddie Cantor, Maurice Chevalier, Mickey Rooney and Fredric March. However, it wasn't until she switched to MGM (after a brief period with RKO) and made the film Maisie (1939) that Sothern hit pay dirt. It proved enormously popular and led to a series of nine more films through 1947 when she moved into dramas and musicals. During the 50s, Sothern made a mark with her TV series but returned to mostly second tier movies in the 1960s and 1970s. Finally she earned an Oscar nomination for her work in 1987's The Whales of August (in which, incidentally, her daughter Tisha Sterling played her at an earlier age). Turner Classic Movies plans to host a retrospective film tribute to her in July. Check back for details in June.
Quotes
Trivia
'Burt Reynolds' based his character on friend Don Meredith's football career
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Fall November 1, 1977
Released in United States Fall November 1, 1977
