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.
Diggstown
Brief Synopsis
"Rocky" meets "The Sting," in this story about a boxer and a con artist.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Michael Ritchie
Director
James Woods
Louis Gossett
Bruce Dern
Heather Graham
Nelly Bly
Film Details
Also Known As
Midnight Sting
MPAA Rating
Genre
Action
Comedy
Drama
Sports
Release Date
1992
Production Company
Reggie Dunn
Distribution Company
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC. (MGM )
Location
Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento, California, USA; Deer Lodge, Montana, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 37m
Synopsis
"Rocky" meets "The Sting," in this story about a boxer and a con artist.
Director
Michael Ritchie
Director
Cast
James Woods
Louis Gossett
Bruce Dern
Heather Graham
Nelly Bly
David Candreva
Randall Cobb
Michael Delorenzo
Willie Green
Benny Urquidez
Jim Caviezel
Michael Mcgrady
Oliver Platt
Duane Davis
Victor Koliacos
John Short
George Wallace
Laura Tate
Larry Ham
William Acedo
Lead Person
Cyndi James Gossett
David Fresco
John Walter Davis
Kim Robillard
Troy A Smith
Randall Cobb
Jose Alcala
Jeremy Roberts
Kenneth White
Wilhelm Von Homburg
Roger Hewlett
Orestes Matacena
Rocky Pepeli
Jeff Benson
Alex Garcia
Ray Turner
Thomas Wilson Brown
Marshall Bell
Frank Collison
Crew
Marshall Adams
Rigging Gaffer
Michael Alexonis
Grip
Lindy Alsobrooks
Dolly Grip
Brook Bacon
Assistant Property Master
Brydon Bertram Baker Iii
Boom Operator
James Barber
Camera Assistant
C C Barnes
Assistant Director
Bobby Bass
Other
Sharon Bialy
Casting
Marc Bonilla
Soloist
Fritz Braden
Transportation Coordinator
Roger Brown
Song
Zane Bruce
Foley Artist
Carole Buglewicz
Casting Associate
Gary Burritt
Negative Cutting
Kathleen Callahan
Assistant
Ken Chase
Makeup
Harry Cheney
Foley Editor
John Chickanis
Electrician
Sharal Churchill
Music
Jeff Clark
Assistant Camera Operator
Eden Clark-coblenz
Set Costumer
Martin Coblenz
Transportation Captain
Dan Coffie
Assistant Director
Gigi Coker
Makeup
Denorvell Collier
Stunts
Brian Corbett
Foreman
Mark Cottrell
Location Manager
Kurt Courtland
Assistant Sound Editor
Carol Cymbala
Song
Mike Daigle
Scenic Artist
Jeff Dashnaw
Stunts
Brad Dechter
Original Music
Luiz Defreitas
Consultant
Deborah Lamia Denevar
Makeup
Alex Desir
Stunts
Michael Devine
Set Designer
Barbara Drake
Set Decorator
Reggie Dunn
Cable Operator
Lisa Erndt
Set Costumer
Wayne Finkelman
Costume Designer
Gerry Fisher
Director Of Photography
Richard Foreman
Photography
Chip Fowler
Production Coordinator
Dennis Glass
Makeup Artist
Sybil Gray
Set Costumer
Alan Haft
Assistant
Don Hall Jr.
Sound Editor
Larry Hand
Production Accountant
Otis Harper
Assistant
Barbara Harris
Voice Casting
Kimberly Harris
Sound Mixer
Rick Hart
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Tim Healey
Production Supervisor
Stephen Hendrickson
Production Designer
Gil Hernandez
Assistant Costume Designer
Richard Herrington
Lighting Technician
Shane Toulouse Holliday
Grip
James Newton Howard
Music
Michael Kehoe
Craft Service
David Kelley
Assistant Director
Duncan Kennedy
Consultant
R. J. Kizer
Adr Editor
Sarah Jo Knight
Production Assistant
Charlie Kolich
Other
Jackie Krost
Music
Steve Lambert
Stunts
Kevin Larosa
Pilot
Melinda Leeson
Set Costumer
Mark R Lilienthal
Special Effects Supervisor
Mark "travis" Little
Swing Gang
Tom Mack
Assistant Director
Debra L. Manwiller
Casting
Douglas Mckay
Swing Gang
Steven Mckay
Associate Producer
Steven Mckay
Screenplay
Dana Mcvicker
Song Performer
Vito Mirabella
Grip
Donald O Mitchell
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Gary Moglovkin
Accounting Assistant
Frank Montano
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Jim Nickerson
Stunt Coordinator
Kevin Nolting
Assistant Editor
Thomas J. O'connell
Adr Mixer
Michael K O'melia
Electrician
Beverly O'sullivan
Other
Helen Ostenberg
Other
Randy Owen
Song
Richard Pagano
Casting
Nina Paskowitz
Hair Stylist
Mona Personius
Swing Gang
Drew Petrotta
Props Assistant
Bill Pine
Color Timer
Joseph Ponticelle
Assistant Camera Operator
Michael C Price
Dolly Grip
Maryann Raines
Accounting Assistant
Jimmy Raitt
Property Master
Luke Reichle
Costume Supervisor
Richard Ricci
Electrician
Josh Rich
Grip
Gary Ritchie
Other
Bill Roe
Camera Operator
Sharon Roesler
Associate Producer
David Ronan
Swing Gang
Hewn Ruff
Special Thanks To
Joseph Sabella
Foley Artist
Anthony Saenz
Other
Judith Saunders
Script Supervisor
Arthur C Schaefer
Unit Production Manager
Arthur C Schaefer
Line Producer
Jill Schaffel
Production Assistant
Robert Schaffel
Producer
Robert Schaper
Other
Robert Schick
Production Assistant
Kirk Schuler
Sound Editor
Jackson Schwartz
Foley Mixer
Ellen Segal
Music Editor
Ron Senso
Foreman
Dennis Smith
Camera Operator
Rusty Smith
Art Director
Rusty Smith
Production
Michael Stanton
Song Performer
Michael Stanton
Song
George B Stephenson
Camera Operator
Jeffrey D. Stevens
Other
Keith A Talley
Key Grip
Gary Theard
Boom Operator
Don Thompson
Assistant Editor
Benny Urquidez
Technical Advisor
Youssef Vahabzadeh
Coproducer
Greg Van Horn
Set Designer
Sib E Ventress
Assistant Production Coordinator
Carl Jackson Vipperman
Song
Michael Vojvoda
Swing Gang
Don S Walden
Sound Editor
Chuck Waters
Stunts
Tom Wholey
Electrician
John O Wilde
Sound Editor
David Williams
Foley Editor
Leonard Wise
Source Material (From Novel)
Julie Withers
Swing Gang
Douglas A Womack
Construction Coordinator
Wallace W Wright
Assistant
Tara Vincent Zanecki
Assistant
Don Zimmerman
Editor
John Zinman
Art Assistant
Film Details
Also Known As
Midnight Sting
MPAA Rating
Genre
Action
Comedy
Drama
Sports
Release Date
1992
Production Company
Reggie Dunn
Distribution Company
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC. (MGM )
Location
Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento, California, USA; Deer Lodge, Montana, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 37m
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
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States on Video January 27, 1993
Released in United States Summer August 14, 1992
Began shooting October 11, 1991.
Completed shooting December 20, 1991.
Released in United States Summer August 14, 1992
Released in United States on Video January 27, 1993
