Hoping for positive publicity, a tobacco company offers $25 million to any American town that quits smoking for 30 days. Amidst a media frenzy, Eagle Rock, Iowa accepts the challenge while the company's PR man tries to sabotage the effort.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Dick Van Dyke | ... |
Rev. Clayton Brooks
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| Pippa Scott | ... |
Natalie Brooks
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| Tom Poston | ... |
Mr. Stopworth
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| Edward Everett Horton | ... |
Hiram C. Grayson
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Bob & Ray | ... |
Hugh Upson / David Chetley / Sandy Van Andy / Walter Chronic / Paul Hardly / Arthur Lordly
(as Bob and Ray)
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| Vincent Gardenia | ... |
Mayor Quincey L. Wappler
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| Barnard Hughes | ... |
Dr. Proctor
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| Graham Jarvis | ... |
Amos Bush
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| Jean Stapleton | ... |
Mrs. Wappler
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| Barbara Cason | ... |
Letitia Hornsby
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| Judith Lowry | ... |
Odie Turman
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| Sudie Bond | ... |
Cissy
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| Helen Page Camp | ... |
Mrs. Watson
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| Paul Benedict | ... |
Zen Buddhist
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| Simon Scott | ... |
Mr. Kandiss
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Raymond Kark | ... |
Homer Watson
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| Peggy Rea | ... |
Mrs. Proctor
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| Woodrow Parfrey | ... |
Tobacco Executive
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George Mann | ... |
Bishop Manley
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Charles Pinney | ... |
Col. Galloway
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| M. Emmet Walsh | ... |
Art
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| Gloria LeRoy | ... |
The Hooker
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Eric Boles | ... |
Dennis
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Jack Grimes | ... |
TV Stage Manager
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| Walter Sande | ... |
Tobacco Executive
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| Harvey Jason | ... |
Hypnotist
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| Bob Newhart | ... |
Merwin Wren
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Spiro Agnew | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Robert Christopher | ... |
Television Director (uncredited)
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Murray Cline | ... |
Milkman (uncredited)
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| Michael Cornelison | ... |
Protester (uncredited)
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| Bob Elliott | ... |
Hugh Upson / David Chetley / Sandy Van Andy (uncredited)
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| Stan Gottlieb | ... |
Man on Operating Table (uncredited)
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| Ray Goulding | ... |
Walter Chronic / Paul Hardly / Arthur Lordly (uncredited)
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| Lynn Guthrie | ... |
Townsman (uncredited)
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| Hubert H. Humphrey | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Ted Knight | ... |
Mr. Slick (uncredited)
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| Norman Lear | ... |
Crying Man (uncredited)
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| Maureen McCormick | ... |
Talking Doll (uncredited) (voice)
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| Pat Nixon | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Richard Nixon | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Burt Prelutsky | ... |
Tourist Asking for Directions (uncredited)
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Mrs. Burt Prelutsky | ... |
Tourist's Wife (uncredited)
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| Ronald Reagan | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Charles White | ... |
Senator Sildge (uncredited)
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Jerry Whittington | ... |
Wilber Scott (uncredited)
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| Glenn Yarbrough | ... |
Working Stiff (uncredited)
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| Louis Zorich | ... |
Douglas Truesdale (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Norman Lear | ... | (directed by) |
Written by
| Norman Lear | ... | (screen story by) and |
| William Price Fox | ... | (screen story by) (as William Price Fox Jr.) |
| Norman Lear | ... | (screenplay by) |
| Margaret Rau | ... | (suggested from material by) and |
| Neil Rau | ... | (suggested from material by) |
Produced by
| Norman Lear | ... | producer (produced by) |
| Edward Stephenson | ... | associate producer (as Edward S. Stephenson) |
| Dick Van Dyke | ... | executive producer (uncredited) |
| Bud Yorkin | ... | executive producer |
Music by
| Randy Newman | ... | (music by) |
Cinematography by
| Charles F. Wheeler | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| John C. Horger | ... | film editor |
Editorial Department
| Brian Brunette | ... | assistant editor |
| Richard Glazer | ... | assistant editor (as Dick Glazer) |
Casting By
| Ross Brown | ... | (uncredited) |
Art Direction by
| Archie J. Bacon | ... | (as Arch Bacon) |
Set Decoration by
| Fred Price | ||
Costume Design by
| Rita Riggs | ... | (costumes by) |
Makeup Department
| Mary Keats | ... | hair stylist |
| Thomas Tuttle | ... | makeup artist (as Tom Tuttle) |
Production Management
| Clark L. Paylow | ... | production manager (as Clark Paylow) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Claude Binyon Jr. | ... | assistant director |
| Robert Downey Sr. | ... | second unit director (as Robert Downey) |
| Herb Wallerstein | ... | second unit director |
| Lynn Guthrie | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Tony Wade | ... | property master |
Sound Department
| Paul Hochman | ... | sound editor |
| Arthur H. Pullen | ... | sound editor (as Art Pullen) |
| William Randall | ... | sound mixer |
| John Riordan | ... | sound editor (as John P. Riordan) |
| Jerry Whittington | ... | sound effects editor (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Jack Whitman | ... | camera operator |
| Don Stott | ... | gaffer (uncredited) |
Casting Department
| Jerry Best | ... | extra casting |
| Marion Dougherty | ... | casting: New York |
| Mary Jane Pollack | ... | local casting director (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Laurie Riley | ... | costumer (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Ralph James Hall | ... | music editor (as Ralph Hall) |
| Arthur Morton | ... | orchestrator |
| Aaron Rochin | ... | music mixer |
| Sid Sidney | ... | music editor |
Script and Continuity Department
| Duane Toler | ... | script supervisor |
| Lynn A. Aber | ... | script supervisor (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| C. Mason Harvey | ... | technical advisor |
| Jane Hoyt Thompson | ... | assistant to producer (as Jane Thompson) |
| Phill Norman | ... | title designer |
| Mac St. Johns | ... | unit publicist |
Production Companies
Distributors
- United Artists (1971) (United States) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1971) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos)
- United Artists (A-Asia) (1971) (Australia) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1972) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- United Artists (1972) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- CBS (1974) (United States) (tv) (original airing)
- MGM Home Entertainment (2010) (United States) (DVD) (dvdr)
- Olive Films (2018) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- Skouras Films (1972) (Greece) (theatrical)
- HanseSound (2022) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- HanseSound (2022) (Germany) (DVD)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (United States) (VHS)
- MGM/UA Home Entertainment (United States) (laserdisc)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Braun-Murray Associates (casting: Hollywood)
- Westheimer Company (title and optical effects)
- State of Iowa (with love and thanks: to the good people of)
- Percepto Records (score album released by) (limited edition)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Reverend Brooks leads the town in a contest to stop smoking for a month, But some tobacco executives don't want them to win, and try everything they can to make them smoke. If townspeople don't go nuts from wanting a cigarette, or kill each other from irritation and frustration, they will win a huge prize.
Written by Brian W Martz |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | What happens when an evil tobacco company offers $25,000,000 to an entire town to stop smoking for thirty days? What happens when 4,006 heavy smokers from Eagle Rock, Iowa take up the challenge? See more » |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Did You Know?
| Trivia | Dropping the cigarettes onto the crowd, in the last midnight town square gathering, was actually done by putting 8" diameter, 25'-long pipes against the trees in the town square. The pipes were then filled with cigarettes. Then, on cue, air was blasted into the pipe bottom, shooting them into the air and onto the crowd. After each take everyone was asked to gather up the cigarettes from the ground and turn them in so they could be reloaded into the cigarette canons and rained down again. The filming of this final scene took several weeks in the late fall in Iowa where it is pretty cold. In the movie it is supposed to be summer time so the actresses are dressed in summer dresses. Between takes, everyone (actors and extras) were huddled in winter coats sucking on ice cubes. The ice cubes kept their mouths and breath cold so there would be no visible vapor when they exhaled. See more » |
| Goofs | Bishop Manley calls Dearborn, Michigan "General Motors country." Actually, Dearborn is the home of Ford Motor Company, its world headquarters and its flagship River Rouge plant. No GM facilities have been located in Dearborn. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Casting By (2012). See more » |
| Soundtracks | He Gives Us All His Love See more » |
| Quotes |
Wren:
Big clocks are never wrong! See more » |