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 | Criminal | Broker | Commodities | Millionaire

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

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)
Die Glücksritter (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Un fauteuil pour deux (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
De mendigo a millonario (Argentina) [es]
Entre pillos anda el juego (Spain) [es]
Kolo srece (Serbia) [sr]
Nieoczekiwana zmiana miejsc (Poland) [pl]
Ombytta roller (Sweden) [sv]
Os Ricos e os Pobres (Portugal) [pt]
Rollebyttet (Norway) [no]
Trocando as Bolas (Brazil) [pt]
Una poltrona per due (Italy) [it]
Vaihtokaupat (Finland) [fi]

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:

Director Trademark: [John Landis] [SYNW]on a poster in the apartment.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the President of the Heritage Club announces that there is a thief among them there is a Baltimore City Flag standing right behind him.

Quotes:

Billy Ray: No thanks, guys, I already had breakfast this morning.
Mortimer Duke: This is not a *meal*, Valentine. We are here to TRY to explain to you what is we do here.
Randolph Duke: We are 'commodities brokers', William. Now, what are commodities? Commodities are agricultural products... like coffee that you had for breakfast... wheat, which is used to make bread... pork bellies, which is used to make bacon, which you might find in a 'bacon and lettuce and tomato' sandwich.
[Billy Ray turns and gives a long look at the camera]
Randolph Duke: Randolph
[continuing]
Randolph Duke: And then there are other commodities, like frozen orange juice... and GOLD. Though, of course, gold doesn't grow on trees like oranges.
[chuckles]
Randolph Duke: Clear so far?
Billy Ray: [nodding, smiling] Yeah.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Step by Step: Trading Places (#3.5)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

THE LOUIS WINTHORPE III BLUES

Murphy and Aykroyd at their best

Could this movie honestly have been any more funny? I saw it again, as I have repeatedly for years, and still laughed. My new son had never seen it before and liked it as well. Murphy was at the top of his game back then and Aykroyd is the perfect snob-class elitist. Some of these jokes are so timeless that I still refer to them from time-to-time and they STILL get laughs, both from people who have and haven't seen this film.

Yes, the jokes are a bit dated and somewhat slapstick, but this was a sign of the times. Most 80s comedies were full of slapstick moments. Jamie Lee Curtis was at the height of her sexy image and I'd forgotten how well she'd played her role. The late Don Ameche is so animated that it played perfectly into the mood of the film.

You can find this film in the bargain bin of most stores these days. I saw it for sale for only $5.50. It's worth owning.