The Main Event (1979 film)

Infobox Film
name = The Main Event


image_size =
caption = Promotional movie poster
director = Howard Zieff
producer =
writer =
narrator =
starring = Barbra Streisand
Ryan O'Neal
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Warner Brothers
released = June 22, 1979
runtime = 112 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0079510

"The Main Event" is a 1979 comedy starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal, written by Gail Parent and directed by Howard Zieff.

The film received negative reviews from critics, but was one of the among the Top 10 highest grossing films of the year at the box office. It was also the impetus for Barbra Streisand's first foray into disco, singing the theme song written by Paul Jabara and Bruce Roberts, which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Plot

Hillary Kramer, a successful perfume magnate awakes one morning to find that her accountant has robbed her blind and left for South America. Going through all of her remaining assets she finds a boxer, purchased as a tax write off. She decides to take Kid Natural, (Eddie Scanlon) who is much more at home giving driving lessons, into the ring and use him as her key to riches. Eddie thinks this will only get him killed and resists.

Eventually, Hillary wears Eddie down and she gets funding (mainly from friends, associates, and colleagues) for his first fights, all of which go awry, either through Hillary's lack of knowledge about boxing or Eddie's out-of-shape condition (and general fear of being hit). All the while, Hillary and Eddie continue sparring on their own, thanks to their different personalities. But, as time (and fights) go on, they develop an increasingly personal relationship, which ultimately leads them to have to decide what they really want.

Main cast

*Barbra Streisand ... Hillary Kramer
*Ryan O'Neal ... Eddie "Kid Natural" Scanlon
*Paul Sand ... David
*Whitman Mayo ... Percy
*Patti D'Arbanville ... Donna
*Chu Chu Malave ... Luis
*Richard Lawson ... Hector Mantilla
*James Gregory ... Gough

oundtrack

In June of 1979, a soundtrack was released on LP, cassette, and eight-track. In October of 1993, it was released on CD. The CD is now out of print. The soundtrack seems to play as basically an extended single of "The Main Event/Fight", containing an 11:39 version, an edited and slightly altered version at 4:54, released as the single, and a ballad version titled simply "The Main Event" as it omits the "Fight" parts. A bootleg of the recording sessions for the title song exists with Streisand commenting on the vocal challenges the song contains. A DJ-only promo 12" single was released for "The Main Event/Fight" and was thus the first release for Streisand in this format.

#Main Event, The/Fight - Barbra Streisand
#Body Shop, The - Michalski & Ooversteen
#Main Event, The/Fight (short version) - Barbra Streisand
#Copeland Meets The Coasters (Get A Job) - Michael Melvoin
#Big Girls Don't Cry - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
#It's Your Foot Again - Michael Melvoin
#Angry Eyes - Loggins & Messina
#I'd Clean A Fish For You - Michael Melvoin
#Main Event, The (ballad) - Barbra Streisand

Trivia

According to some sources, Diana Ross was also considered for the lead role, as she had dated O'Neal.

According to several Streisand biographies, Streisand directed the scene at the frozen lake after the director refused to, feeling the scene was unnecessary.

The title song was written by Paul Jabara, who had also written "Last Dance" for "Thank God It's Friday"; the song was hit on the Billboard Top 10 Pop Charts, and won a Grammy.

A number of critics took notice of the attention paid to Streisand's derriere throughout the film, as she is often seen bending over or otherwise has her back to the screen.

The film was co-written by Gail Parent, who also helped write the TV show The Golden Girls, among others.

External links

*imdb title|id=0079510|title=The Main Event