- On the Right Track
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On the Right Track
On the Right Track movie posterDirected by Lee Philips Produced by Jim Begg
Ronald JacobsWritten by Avery Buddy
Richard Moses
Tina PineStarring Gary Coleman Music by Arthur B. Rubinstein Cinematography Jack L. Richards Editing by Bill Butler Distributed by 20th Century Fox Release date(s) March 6, 1981 (and later in different cities) Running time 97 minutes Country United States Language English On the Right Track is a 1981 comedy film that was the first feature film starring Gary Coleman.[1] It was directed by Lee Philips, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released to theaters by 20th Century Fox in the spring of 1981.
Contents
Background
After the debut of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes in November 1978, Gary Coleman quickly gained popularity. Zephyr Productions was created to promote Coleman's star potential, and 1981's On the Right Track was the first movie developed from that initiative.[2][3] It was filmed in 1980, primarily in Chicago.[4][5] New York Loves Lester was an early working title for the project, when the film was planned to be set in New York City.[6][7] The subsequent working title was A Guy Could Get Killed Out There.[4][8]
Plot
Gary Coleman stars as a homeless shoeshine boy named Lester who is living in a locker in a train station. (Union Station in Chicago, to be exact.) Already a beloved figure among the staff at the station who look after him, and suffering attempts to move him to an orphanage, he finds great popularity after it is revealed that he has an amazing talent for picking winning horses at the racetrack.[9][10]
Primary Cast
- Gary Coleman - Lester
- Michael Lembeck- Frank
- Lisa Eilbacher- Jill
- Maureen Stapleton - Mary/Bag Lady
- Norman Fell- Mayor
- Herb Edelman- Sam
- Bill Russell- Robert
Reception
Though it received a number of reviews concluding that it was overly sappy or simply capitalizing on Coleman's TV following (which it was),[11][12] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune,[13] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times,[14] and Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times[15] gave it somewhat more positive reviews.
The film was released on VHS in the 1980s, but it has never seen an official release on DVD. The movie has not received much attention in latter years, though a short amusing article in Entertainment Weekly in 2004 did a comparison of the film to the then newly-released Tom Hanks film The Terminal, where Hanks' character lives for months in an airport terminal.[16]
References
- ^ Blowen, Michael (21 April 1981). Review - Movie - Right Track, Wrong Direction - On the Right Track, The Boston Globe ("On the Right Track marks Coleman's feature film debut He plays Lester, a 10 year old orphan who lives in luggage lockers in Chicago's Union Station")
- ^ Parish, James Robert. The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, (2007) (ISBN 978-0470052051)
- ^ (27 November 1980)Blacks on TV, Jet (magazine), p.54
- ^ a b (31 July 1980). Making a Film, Jet (magazine), p.41 (retrieved December 9, 2010)
- ^ Coleman Family & Davidson, Bill. Gary Coleman: Medical Miracle (1982) (ISBN 978-0425055953) ("It was Saturday, June 28, near the end of filming On the Right Track, Gary's first big theatrical movie for 20th Century-Fox distribution. It was about a young orphan, a horse-race-betting genius, who lives in a baggage locker in...")
- ^ Ebony Interview: Gary Coleman, Ebony (magazine) (June 1980), p.33, Retrieved December 9, 2010
- ^ (7 February 1980). Gary Coleman to do Two Feature Movies, Jet (magazine), p.61 (retrieved December 9, 2010)
- ^ Film Bulletin (1980), p. 10, 18 ("A Guy Could Get Killed Out There (Gary Coleman): Formerly titled "New York Loves Lester." Zephyr Productions presentation")
- ^ (11 July 1981). At the movies, Chicago Tribune ("Gary Coleman makes his movie debut as a high spirited orphan in "On the Right Track." 20th Century-Fox")
- ^ Movie Review: On the Right Track, Cineman Syndicate (January 1984)
- ^ Labonte, Richard (11 July 1981). Young TV Favorite Stars in Real Movie, Ottawa Citizen
- ^ Maslin, Janet (18 July 1981). 'Track', Vehicle for Middle-Aged Child Star, The New York Times ("On the Right Track is a vehicle for Mr. Coleman that depends entirely on the premise that he is lovable. Only his most ardent television fans are likely to accept this.")
- ^ Siskel, Gene (13 July 1981). 'On the Right Track' is just that--a truly charming Chicago movie, Chicago Tribune
- ^ Ebert, Roger. On the Right Track, Chicago Sun-Times (1981 review)
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (28 August 1981). "On the Right Track", is Generally, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Katz, Paul (25 June 2004). Planes, Trains, And..., Entertainment Weekly
External links
- On the Right Track at the Internet Movie Database
- On the Right Track at AllRovi
1970s 1980s On the Right Track (1981) · Samson and Delilah (1984)Categories:- American films
- English-language films
- 1981 films
- 1980s comedy films
- 1980s romance films
- 20th Century Fox films
- Films shot in Chicago, Illinois
- Films set in Chicago, Illinois
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