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Swing Shift ()


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A woman finds romance when she takes a job at an aircraft plant to help make ends meet after her husband goes off to war.

Director:
Awards:
  • Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.
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Cast verified as complete

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Kay Walsh
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Lucky Lockhart
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Hazel Zanussi
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Biscuits Toohey
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Jack Walsh
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Annie
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Jeannie Sherman
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Laverne
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Violet Mulligan
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Edith Castle
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Johnny Bonnaro
Morris 'Tex' Biggs ...
Clarence
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Spike
Danny Darst ...
Deacon (as Daniel Dean Darst)
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Rupert George
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Lt. O'Connor (as Christopher Lemmon)
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Moon Willis
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French deMille / Documentary Narrator
Laura Hawn ...
Ethel
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Rollo
Susan Barnes ...
Skinny
Beth Henley ...
Bible Pusher
Gene Borkan ...
M.P. at embarkation
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Frankie Parker
Phillip Christon ...
Recruit at Egyptian
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Genevieve (as Penny Johnson)
Isabell O'Connor ...
Rita (as Isabell Monk)
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First Interviewer
Sandy McLeod ...
Second Interviewer
George 'Red' Schwartz ...
Cribman (as George Schwartz)
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Assistant Cribman
Oceana Marr ...
Ladies' Room Inspector
Richard K. Way ...
Factory Soldier
Harold Jackson ...
Piano Player at Sorrentino's
Don Carrara ...
Drunk Sailor
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Cpl. Bobby Danzig
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'Swing Shift' Bandleader
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Jamboree Singer
Lissette LeCorn ...
Peggy (age 3)
Jessica Gaynes ...
Peggy (age 7)
Deena Marie ...
Paper Girl
Roger Rook ...
Bellhop
Joseph Hutton ...
Seaman Amtzis
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New Year's Eve Marine #1
David B. Carlton ...
New Year's Eve Marine #2
Lisa Chadwick ...
Vocalist at Kelly's
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Waiter at Kelly's
Eugene Jackson ...
Bartender at Kelly's (as Eugene W. Jackson)
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Bouncer at Kelly's
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Mabel Stoddard
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Mr. MacBride
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Benjie Bancroft ...
Workman (uncredited)
Ian Bruce ...
Club Patron (uncredited)
Boyd Cabeen ...
Workman (uncredited)
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Dancer (uncredited)
Jack Clinton ...
Workman (uncredited)
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Soldier's Wife (uncredited)
Sig Frohlich ...
Workman (uncredited)
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Photographer at Funeral (uncredited)
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Musician extra (uncredited)
John Marlin ...
Workman (uncredited)
Jim Michael ...
Bartender (uncredited)
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Wallflower at the Swing Shift Jamboree (uncredited)
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Sailor (uncredited)
Luci-Lynn Norris ...
Neighbor (uncredited)
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Dancer (uncredited)
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US Navy Officer (uncredited)
James Turley ...
Workman (uncredited)

Directed by

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Jonathan Demme

Written by

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Nancy Dowd ... (written by) (as Rob Morton)
 
Bo Goldman ... () (uncredited)
 
Ron Nyswaner ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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Jerry Bick ... producer
Charles Mulvehill ... associate producer
Arlene Sellers ... executive producer
Alex Winitsky ... executive producer

Music by

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Patrick Williams

Cinematography by

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Tak Fujimoto ... director of photography

Editing by

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Craig McKay

Editorial Department

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Gib Jaffe ... additional film editor

Production Design by

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Peter Jamison

Art Direction by

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Bo Welch

Set Decoration by

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Jeff Haley
R. Chris Westlund

Costume Design by

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Joe I. Tompkins

Makeup Department

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Kathryn Blondell ... hair stylist (as Kathryn L. Blondell)
E. Thomas Case ... makeup artist (as Tom Case)
Jerry O'Dell ... makeup artist (as Gerald O'Dell)
Kim Samson ... hair stylist

Production Management

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Charles Mulvehill ... unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Carla Brand Breitner ... second second assistant director
Michael Looney ... second assistant director
Sharon Mann ... second second assistant director (as Sharon S. Mann)
Charles Myers ... first assistant director (as C.A. Myers)
Evelyn Purcell ... second unit director
Cynthia Riddle ... trainee assistant director

Art Department

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Steve Chorney ... poster artist
Dennis DeWaay ... construction coordinator
Jack Johnson ... illustrator
Scott W. Leslie ... set dresser
Margie Stone McShirley ... set designer
William Kemper Wright ... leadman (as William Wright)
Tom Duffield ... set designer (uncredited)
Jaymes Hinkle ... graphics designer (uncredited)
Frank White ... labor (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Gary Alexander ... re-recording mixer
James Beshears ... sound editor
Allan Bromberg ... assistant sound editor
Charles L. Campbell ... supervising sound editor
Larry Carow ... sound editor
Chris Jenkins ... re-recording mixer
Dennis Jones ... boom operator
Tom Overton ... sound mixer (as Tommy Overton)
David Pettijohn ... sound editor
Norman B. Schwartz ... adr dialogue editor
Larry Stensvold ... re-recording mixer
Roger Sword ... sound editor
Greg Orloff ... foley recordist (uncredited)
John Roesch ... foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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Rodney M. Byrd ... special effects
Richard Lea ... special effects

Stunts

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Dick Warlock ... stunt double: Kurt Russell (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Jamie Anderson ... camera operator
Edward Brown Jr. ... assistant camera
Paul Caven ... best boy electric
Adam Glick ... set lighting technician
Melton Maxwell ... gaffer
John T. Ramsey ... key grip
Dwayne Redlin ... best boy grip
Peter Santoro ... assistant camera
Michael J. Schwartz ... rigging electric
John R. Shannon ... still photographer (as John Shannon)
Stephen St. John ... steadicam operator
Albert Hood ... electrician (uncredited)
Paul Jacobsen ... electrician: practical fixtures (uncredited)
Michael T. Travers ... grip (uncredited)

Casting Department

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Marion Dougherty ... casting
M.L. Tanner ... casting assistant: credited

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Michele Dittrick ... costumer
Silvio Scarano ... costume supervisor: men
Pamela Wise ... costume supervisor: women
Robert Iannaccone ... costumer (uncredited)

Location Management

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Sam Mercer ... location manager

Music Department

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Beth Bergeron ... music editor
Gary Goetzman ... lyricist: additional original songs
Jack Hayes ... orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Bruce Langhorne ... composer: additional original songs
Billy May ... orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Michael Moores ... orchestrator: Patrick Williams
Morgan Cavett ... music contractor (uncredited)
George Doering ... musician (uncredited)
Malcolm McNab ... musician: trumpet (uncredited)
Stephen Mitchell ... musician (uncredited)
L. Loren Newkirk ... musician (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Marie Kenney ... script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Brent Armitage ... production assistant
Nancy E. Barr ... production coordinator: re-takes
Pablo Ferro ... title designer
Jim Gerwig ... caterer
Eileen Omaye ... assistant: Jerry Bick
June Petersen ... assistant: Mr. Demme
Rob Riddell ... production coordinator / production staff
W. Thomas Snyder ... production assistant
Phillip Christon ... intern (uncredited)

Thanks

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Rob Riddell ... very special thanks

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

Jack and Kay Walsh are typical of many couples of the 1940s, where he is the breadwinner and she the housewife dependent upon him to do the man's duties around the house. Jack believes one of their neighbors in the housing complex in which they live in Los Angeles is white trash - he letting her know so at every opportunity, while Kay is quietly curious about her. That neighbor is streetwise Hazel Zanussi, an aspiring singer who does get a chance to sing on occasion at the club managed by her casual boyfriend, Biscuits Toohey, although he relegates her to being one of the taxi dancers more often against her wants, while he cheats on her behind her back despite truly having feelings for her. Hazel just wants to make an honest living. Their worlds are turned upside down on December 7, 1941 when the US enters WWII with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. Jack immediately enlists in the Navy, and while he will send money home, his decision leaves Kay largely to fend for herself. Against what she knows are Jack's wishes, Kay decides to follow the request made by the government to the female population to do their part in the war effort by getting an assembly line job at a factory, in Kay's case as a riveter at Santa Monica-based MacBride, a military aircraft manufacturer. Hazel, too, gets a job there. Despite a rocky start based on how Hazel knows Jack feels about her, Kay and Hazel become best friends in the process, largely in their and their fellow female employees needing to stand up to the taunts by their less than enthusiastic male colleagues. Working for a living and having Hazel as a friend results in Kay standing on her own two feet for the first time, including making important decisions on her own. Kay is pursued romantically by their line leadman, Lucky Lockhart, who sees himself more as a musician, a trumpeter, than a factory worker. Kay has to decide how far to go with Lucky, to whom she is admittedly attracted, but she does not want to betray Jack, especially due to the reason for his absence. With all these issues going on in Kay's life, she will be tested to see if she can go back to her previous life in all its aspects if and when Jack makes it home, especially after the war. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines When America marched off to war the women marched into the factory. From then on...nothing was the same. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Chicas en pie de guerra (Spain)
  • Græsenker (Denmark)
  • Tyttö joka paiski töitä (Finland)
  • Stratiotes dihos opla (Greece)
  • Nashim B'Oreff (Israel, Hebrew title)
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Runtime
  • 100 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $15,000,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend United States $2,270,136, 15 Apr 1984

Did You Know?

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Trivia In an early scene, Ed Harris, clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist, plops down on a chair. For a split second, his genitals are fully exposed. This scene somehow evaded the censors (and in a PG-rated film) and in the first video release, the scene is intact. The scene has now disappeared from subsequent releases. However, it is included on the print shown on Turner Classic Movies. See more »
Goofs When the service men are boarding the bus, and Kay is saying goodbye to her husband, a man appears with a megaphone to announce the bus is departing. His megaphone is a self-contained transistor one which was not available in 1941. See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Unlawful Entry/Pinocchio/A League of Their Own/Highway 61/The Adjuster (1992). See more »
Soundtracks Someone Waits For You See more »
Crazy Credits Opening credits are shown over old, black and white photos. See more »
Quotes Documentary Narrator: Each returning serviceman will get his job back when the war is won. And you girls and women, you'll be going home. Back to being housewives and mothers as you promised to do when you came to work with us. Your lives will return to normal.
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