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.
The Couch Trip
Brief Synopsis
An escaped mental patient claims to be a famous shrink and lands a gig as a radio psychologist.
Cast & Crew
Read More
Michael Ritchie
Director
Jerry Belson
Charles Sweigart
Jonathan Emerson
Jan Cobler
John D Lemay
Film Details
Also Known As
Couch Trip, Titta vi rymmer
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
1988
Production Company
Daniel P Church
Distribution Company
Orion Pictures
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 38m
Synopsis
An escaped mental patient claims to be a famous shrink and lands a gig as a radio psychologist.
Director
Michael Ritchie
Director
Cast
Jerry Belson
Charles Sweigart
Jonathan Emerson
Jan Cobler
John D Lemay
Susann Benn
David Clennon
Gloria Dorson
June Claman
Myrna White
Michael Ensign
Arye Gross
Duane Tucker
Michael Delorenzo
Robert M Dawson
Neal Kaz
Corey Rand
J. E. Freeman
Mickey Jones
Chevy Chase
Tino Insana
Linda R Favila
Don Stark
Benbow Ritchie
Robert Hirschfeld
David Wohl
Richard Romanus
Adrian Aron
Donna Mitchell
Rick Garcia
Beverly Archer
Tony Rolon
John Sinclair
Mary Gross
Victoria Jackson
Donald W Krafft
Lead Person
Dan Aykroyd
Charles Grodin
Susan Kellermann
Jean Sterling
David Grant Hayward
Jack Ritchie
Charles Levin
John Mahon
Michael Gregory
Scott Weintraub
Walter Matthau
Donna Dixon
Ralph Adano
Scott Thomson
Carol Mansell
Kevin Rooney
Ken Danziger
Crew
Gale Adler
Photography
Greg Agalsoff
Boom Operator
James Alexander
Sound Mixer
Matthew Alper
Assistant Camera Operator
Alicia Anthony
Production Auditor
Byron Eugene Ashbrook
Boom Operator
Sandina Bailo-lape
Sound Editor
Barry Bedig
Property Master
Tom Bellfort
Sound Editor
Laurin J Benson
Grip
David Bergad
Sound
Jimmie Bly
Production Designer
Gloria S Borders
Sound Editor
Robin Borman-wizan
Costumes
James T Boyle
Gaffer
Linda Brachman
Production Assistant
Joan Marie Bursler
Other
Paul Calabria
Animal Trainer
Pamela Cederquist
Production Coordinator
Ken Chase
Makeup
Leo Chavez
Grip
Michael Chavez
Camera Assistant
Richard Chirco
Swing Gang
Daniel P Church
Cable Operator
Richard Church
Sound Mixer
Jerry Cipperley
Transportation Captain
Pat Clark
Boom Operator
Stan Cockerell
Property Master Assistant
Bruce Cohen
Assistant Director
Michel Colombier
Music
Eddie Cooley
Song
Christine Cramer
Production Assistant
John Davenport
Song
Peter Davidian
Best Boy
Cariline Davis-dyer
Continuity
Melissa Deitz
Sound
Karin Dew
Animal Trainer
Nick Dimitri
Stunts
Jann Dutmer
Assistant Director
Pamela Easley
Post-Production Supervisor
Gary Fettis
Set Decorator
Clare Freeman
Sound
James A Garrett
Assistant Editor
Ralph Garrett
Stunts
Carl Gibson
Grip
Brian C Glover
Camera
Daniel C Gold
Assistant Camera Operator
Robert Goldsby
Production Assistant
Larry Gordon
Producer
Jerry Grandey
Assistant Director
Bob Hagans
Color Timer
Robert S Hahn
Camera Operator
Richard A Harris
Editor
Jim Henrikson
Music Editor
Richard Hymns
Sound Editor
Fred Inman
Other
Ronald A Jacobs
Sound Editor
Chris Johnson
Production Assistant
Mike Johnson
Stunts
Tom Johnson
Sound
Susan V Kalinowski
Hair
Steven Kampmann
Screenplay
Mitchell Kaplan
Other
Harriet Katz
Accounting Assistant
Frank J Keever
Grip
Harry Kohoyda
Production Auditor
Ken Kolb
Source Material (From Novel)
Robert Lattanzio
Other
Jack Leahy
Sound
Jay Lee
Production Assistant
Tom Mack
Assistant Director
Tom Mack
Associate Producer
Eddie Marks
Costume Supervisor
George Mcdowell
Liaison
Peter Mckernan
Pilot
Steve Mclean
Assistant Camera Operator
Brian D Mills
Grip
Jim Mills
Other
Paul Mindrup
Camera Assistant
Will M Mitchell
Swing Gang
Patricia Mock
Casting
John Moio
Stunts
Edward R. Nedin
Electrician
Suzanne Nupoff
Assistant
Craig Pinkard
Transportation Coordinator
Rudy G Pohlert
Electrician
Will Porter
Screenplay
Hillary Anne Ripps
Other
George N Robotham
Stunts
Ira Stanley Rosenstein
Assistant Director
Tim Ryan
Key Grip
Tom Sachs
Production
Tom Schurke
Video Playback
Robert Shoup
Sound Editor
Stephen P Shubin
Costumes
Chris Squires
Camera Operator
Paul Stader
Stunts
Sean Stein
Screenplay
Brian Steward
Production Assistant
Lonnie Stewart
Dolly Grip
George Stokes
Construction Coordinator
Chuck A. Tamburro
Other
Michael Tamburro
Pilot
Randy Thom
Sound
Robert C. Thomas
Dp/Cinematographer
Robert C. Thomas
Director Of Photography
Donald E. Thorin
Dp/Cinematographer
Donald E. Thorin
Director Of Photography
Jeffrey S Thorin
Assistant Camera Operator
Dennie Thorpe
Foley Artist
Kellett Tighe
Assistant
Chuck Waters
Stunt Coordinator
Gordan A Webb
Coproducer
Gordon A Webb
Production Manager
Cliff Wenger
Special Effects Coordinator
Neil Wenger
Assistant Editor
George Wilbur
Stunts
Jim Winburn
Stunts
Frank Wolf
Music
Sandi Yunt
Assistant
Donald N Zuckerman
Craft Service
Film Details
Also Known As
Couch Trip, Titta vi rymmer
MPAA Rating
Genre
Comedy
Release Date
1988
Production Company
Daniel P Church
Distribution Company
Orion Pictures
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 38m
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 June 23, 1988
Released in United States Winter January 15, 1988
Began shooting February 6, 1987.
Completed shooting May 1987.
Released in United States Winter January 15, 1988
Released in United States on Video June 23, 1988
