Torch Song Trilogy (1988)

Director:

Paul Bogart

Writers (WGA):

Harvey Fierstein (play)
Harvey Fierstein (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

It takes a lot of guts and a helluva sense of humor to live life in Arnold's shoes.

Plot:

Tony Award-winning actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein re-creates his role as the unsinkable Arnold...

Plot Keywords:

Drag Queen | Homosexual | Male Prostitution | Autobiographical | Transvestism

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Anne Bancroft	...	Ma Beckoff
Matthew Broderick	...	Alan Simon
Harvey Fierstein	...	Arnold Beckoff
Brian Kerwin	...	Ed Reese
Karen Young	...	Laurel
Eddie Castrodad	...	David
Ken Page	...	Murray
Charles Pierce	...	Bertha Venation
Axel Vera	...	Marina Del Rey
Benji Schulman	...	Young Arnold Beckoff
Nick Montgomery	...	Chorus Boy #1
Robert Neary	...	Chorus Boy #2
Kim Clark	...	Female Bar Patron #1
Stephanie Penn	...	Female Bar Patron #2
Geoffrey Harding	...	Man with Lighter

Also Known As:

Amici, complici, amanti (Italy) [it]
Arnold (Finland) [fi]
Corações de Papel (Portugal) [pt]
Das Kuckucksei (West Germany) [de]
Essa Estranha Atração (Brazil) [pt]
Kakukktojás (Hungary) [hu]
Kenen kengissä seisot (Finland) [fi]
Muzyczna trylogia (Poland) [pl]
Trilogía de Nueva York (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

120 min | Brazil:114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-14 (1989) | Finland:K-16 (1992) | Iceland:L | Canada:14A | Canada:G (Quebec) | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Denville, New Jersey, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Torch Song Trilogy" by Harvey Fierstein opened at the Little Theater in New York on June 10, 1982, ran for 1222 performances and won the 1983 Tony Award for the Best Play.

Quotes:

Laurel: Just because I said that's what I wanted doesn't mean that's what I wanted. I mean, it may be what I wanted, but that doesn't mean I'm necessarily ready for it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hercules Against the Moon Men (#5.10)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Maggie May

Preaching to the Converted, but How Sweet it Is

TST is like Harvey Fierstein himself: you love it or you loathe it; I love it. Preachy and heavy-handed as "Torch" is at times, it's also a brilliant, hilarious, and truly heartfelt look at how gay men love each other and their families. Arnold Beckoff, like Harvey, apologizes to no one for who and what he his, and his pride is infectious. And Matthew Broderick, as Arnold's model lover, has never been more appealing.