On the Right Track

On the Right Track
On the Right Track

On the Right Track movie poster
Directed by Lee Philips
Produced by Jim Begg
Ronald Jacobs
Written by Avery Buddy
Richard Moses
Tina Pine
Starring 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

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

  1. ^ 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")
  2. ^ Parish, James Robert. The Hollywood Book of Extravagance, (2007) (ISBN 978-0470052051)
  3. ^ (27 November 1980)Blacks on TV, Jet (magazine), p.54
  4. ^ a b (31 July 1980). Making a Film, Jet (magazine), p.41 (retrieved December 9, 2010)
  5. ^ 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...")
  6. ^ Ebony Interview: Gary Coleman, Ebony (magazine) (June 1980), p.33, Retrieved December 9, 2010
  7. ^ (7 February 1980). Gary Coleman to do Two Feature Movies, Jet (magazine), p.61 (retrieved December 9, 2010)
  8. ^ Film Bulletin (1980), p. 10, 18 ("A Guy Could Get Killed Out There (Gary Coleman): Formerly titled "New York Loves Lester." Zephyr Productions presentation")
  9. ^ (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")
  10. ^ Movie Review: On the Right Track, Cineman Syndicate (January 1984)
  11. ^ Labonte, Richard (11 July 1981). Young TV Favorite Stars in Real Movie, Ottawa Citizen
  12. ^ 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.")
  13. ^ Siskel, Gene (13 July 1981). 'On the Right Track' is just that--a truly charming Chicago movie, Chicago Tribune
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger. On the Right Track, Chicago Sun-Times (1981 review)
  15. ^ Thomas, Kevin (28 August 1981). "On the Right Track", is Generally, Los Angeles Times
  16. ^ Katz, Paul (25 June 2004). Planes, Trains, And..., Entertainment Weekly

External links

v · Lee Philips
1970s
The Girl Most Likely to... (1974) · The Stranger Within (1974) · Dynasty (1976)
1980s
On the Right Track (1981) · Samson and Delilah (1984)

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Greater Wrong of the Right — Infobox Album | Name = The Greater Wrong of the Right Type = Album Artist = Skinny Puppy Released = May 25, 2004 Recorded = 2002 2004 Genre = Industrial Length = 48:39 Label = Synthetic Symphony Producer = Mark Walk, cEvin Key Reviews = *… …   Wikipedia

  • on the wrong track — {adv. phr.} Lost; pursuing the wrong lead. * /Professor MacAlister confessed that his chemical experiments were on the wrong track./ Contrast: BARK UP THE WRONG TREE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • on the wrong track — {adv. phr.} Lost; pursuing the wrong lead. * /Professor MacAlister confessed that his chemical experiments were on the wrong track./ Contrast: BARK UP THE WRONG TREE …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Music Has the Right to Children — Studio album by Boards of Canada Released 20 April 199 …   Wikipedia

  • Do the Right Thing — This article is about the film. For the song, see Do the Right Thing (song). For the TV series, see Do the Right Thing (TV series). Do the Right Thing Theatrical release poster …   Wikipedia

  • The Smallgoods — is an Australian indie pop band originally from the Victorian coastal town of Port Fairy, but now based in Melbourne. The band s music draws on influences from 1960s artists such as The Beatles and The Byrds, along with more recent pop influences …   Wikipedia

  • The Adventure of the Norwood Builder — The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the second tale from The Return of Sherlock Holmes . The story was first published in Strand Magazine in 1903… …   Wikipedia

  • The Salt Pit — is the codename of an isolated clandestine CIA black site prison, and interrogation centre in Afghanistan. It is located north of Kabul and functioned as a brick factory prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan. In the winter of 2005 the Salt Pit… …   Wikipedia

  • The Littl' Bits — Infobox animanga/Header name = The Littl Bits caption = The children of The Littl Bits , from left to right: Willibit, Lillabit, Snagglebit, Chip, Browniebit ja name = 森の陽気な小人たち ベルフィーとリルビット ja name trans = Mori no Yōki na Kobitotachi: Berufi to… …   Wikipedia

  • The Sims — This article is about the first game in the series. For an overview of the whole series, see The Sims (series). For games with Sim in the title, see List of Sim games. The Sims North American box art Developer(s) …   Wikipedia

  • The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — Studio album by Lauryn Hill Released …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”