One-Trick Pony (film)

One-Trick Pony
Directed by Robert M. Young
Produced by Michael Tannen
Written by Paul Simon
Starring Paul Simon
Blair Brown
Rip Torn
Joan Hackett
Music by Paul Simon
Cinematography Dick Bush
Edited by Edward Beyer
Barry Malkin
David Ray
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • October 3, 1980 (1980-10-03)
Running time
 98 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Box office $843,215[1]

One-Trick Pony is a 1980 feature film written by and starring Paul Simon and directed by Robert M. Young. It also stars Blair Brown, Rip Torn, Joan Hackett, Mare Winningham, Michael Pearlman, Lou Reed, and Allen Garfield (credited under his birth name, Allen Goorwitz).

The song "Late in the Evening," from the film's soundtrack, hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the title song peaked at #40. After years of being available only on videocassette and laserdisc, One-Trick Pony was released by Warner Bros. on DVD in 2009.

Synopsis

Paul Simon plays Jonah Levin, a once-popular folk-rock musician who hasn't had a hit in ten years, and now opens for bands like the B-52's (Levin's bandmates are played by musicians Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, Tony Levin, and Richard Tee, all of whom similarly backed Simon on One-Trick Pony's soundtrack album). He's trying to record a new album, but faces a number of obstacles, including an indifferent record-company executive (Rip Torn) who's pressuring him to create a hit record with the help of a trendy producer (Lou Reed). Jonah is also trying to restore his relationship with his estranged wife, Marion (Blair Brown), and young son, Matty (Michael Pearlman).

Production

The title derives from a colloquial American expression meaning a person specializing in only one area, having only one talent, or of limited ability.[2][3]

Biographer Laura Jackson felt that the film may have been based on experiences in Simon's professional and personal life,[4] though Dave Marsh in a Rolling Stone review saw similarities with Simon's personality, but not with his life and career.[5] However, the character of Walter Fox, the record company executive portrayed by Rip Torn, is regarded as reflecting some of Simon's experiences in moving away from CBS Records, his former label, in the 1970s.[5] (Simon went to Warner Bros. Records at the time of the film's release. The label, owned by the film's distributor, acquired the masters of Simon's CBS catalog that same year.) In general the film is seen as not autobiographical, but uses some of Simon's experiences in the music business.[6] The film featured one of the last appearances of the original members of The Lovin' Spoonful, in a simulated TV show appearance.

The One-Trick Pony album was released concurrently. All of the songs on the album are featured in the film, though some are presented with a slightly different mix, e.g., "Jonah" features a harmonica solo (probably by Toots Thielemans) that's missing from the album version. The film also features "Soft Parachutes," Jonah Levin's sole hit as a recording artist, which is included as a bonus track on the album's 2004 reissue.

Cast

Actors

Musicians

References

  1. ↑ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=onetrickpony.htm
  2. ↑ "Oxford English Dictionary, Third edition, June 2004; online version March 2011". Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  3. ↑ Oregon Pioneer Assoc. 32nd Ann. Reunion. 1905. p. 264.
  4. ↑ Laura Jackson (2002). Paul Simon: The Definitive Bio. Citadel Press. p. 163.
  5. 1 2 Dave Marsh (30 Oct 1980). "What Do You Do When You'e Not a Kid Anymore And You Still Want to Rock and Roll". rollingstone.com.
  6. ↑ Dave Swanson (3 Oct 2015). "The Story of Paul Simon's 'One-Trick Pony' Movie and Album". ultimateclassicrock.com.

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