Bette Midler: Down And Out In Beverly Hills Facts And Trivia
Nick Nolte spent five weeks as a homeless person in preparation for his role.
Nick Nolte’s character remarks that he became a bum in part because he was “pretty active politically in the ’60s. Sold some draft cards.” In real life, Nolte received five years’ probation for selling fake draft cards in the 1960s.
Right before Richard Dreyfuss is rear-ended by the police car, he drives past a movie marquee advertising Jaws (1975), the movie that propelled him to stardom.
When Dave (Richard Dreyfuss) and Jerry (Nick Nolte) are out to lunch, Jerry is approached by a character who asks if she had seen him at the Cannes film festival, “something to do with Nicaragua”. Nick Nolte previously starred in Under Fire (1983), set in Nicaragua.
One of two 1986 movies starring actress-comedian Bette Midler. The other film was Ruthless People (1986). Both were made by Touchstone Pictures. In both flicks, Midler’s character was first named Barbara, Barbara Whiteman in this movie and Barbara Stone in the other film.
When the alarm goes off and police helicopters hover over Dave Whitman’s (Richard Dreyfuss) house, his son runs out of the house with a video camera and says, “Close encounters of the fourth kind, take one,” a reference to Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), starring Richard Dreyfuss.
In the spin-off TV series Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1987), Anita Morris plays Barbara Whiteman, the role originally played by Bette Midler in this movie. Morris and Midler co-starred in Ruthless People (1986) though they shared no scenes together in that film.
When the Whiteman’s son is filming around the house with a video-camera, Barbara Whiteman (Bette Midler) says to those present including Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss) that’s how Steven Spielberg got his start. Dreyfuss starred in three Spielberg films: Jaws (1975), Always (1989) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
The first movie from the Disney company (produced/released under their “Touchstone” company) to receive an “R” rating from the MPAA.
First of two films [to date, August 2013] that actress Bette Midler has made with director Paul Mazursky. The second was Scenes from a Mall (1991) which was made and released about five years later. That movie also had Beverly Hills as its setting, particularly the Beverly Center shopping mall on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.
The name of Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte)’s mutt was “Kerouac” whilst the name of the Whiteman’s black-and-white dog was “Matisse”. The latter was portrayed by Mike the Dog who even got seventh billing in the credits. Publicity for this picture reported that it was the debut feature film performance of Mike the Dog. The film is also Mike the Dog’s only ever appearance in a cinema movie.
The fluid that Nick Nolte “vomits” into Richard Dreyfuss’ face, after being rescued from drowning, was a combination of orange juice and beer.
Since this film is a remake of Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932), which translates as “Boudu Saved From Drowning”, the working title of the project was “Jerry Saved From Drowning”, with Jerry Baskin (Nick Nolte) being the equivalent character to Priape Boudu (Michel Simon) in the original French film.
The make and model of Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss)’s luxury car was a white 1978 Corniche Series II Rolls-Royce convertible whilst the make and model of Barbara Whiteman (Bette Midler)’s luxury car was a cream 1980 Mercedes-Benz SL [R107] convertible.
The customized license plate number on Dave Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss)’ car read “DAV BAR”. “DAV-BAR” is also the brand name for Whiteman’s line of coat-hangers which he made his fortune out of. Its product tagline read “Since 1964”.
The name of the song which the picture is bookended by was the catchy Talking Heads tune “Once in a Lifetime”.
Bette Midler first became famous as a singer and actually sings a song in one scene in this movie but this tune does not feature on the film’s soundtrack.
The movie spurred a short-lived television sitcom series, Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1987), which was broadcast the following year in 1987.
One of a mid-late 1980s mini-cycle of movie comedies which starred Bette Midler that were all produced by the then new adult Walt Disney brand of Touchstone Pictures. The films include Big Business (1988), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987) and Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986).
One of a mini-cycle of 1980s “Beverly Hills” titled Hollywood movies that were made after the box-office success of 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The films include Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Troop Beverly Hills (1989), Beverly Hills Vamp (1989), Beverly Hills Brats (1989), Beverly Hills Madam (1986), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills (1989).
The movie was made and released about fifty-four years after Jean Renoir’s source French film Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932) had been by first released in 1932.
The real-life location of the Whitemans’ house is actually situated in Beverly Hills at 802 North Bedford Drive off Sunset Boulevard. The rear of the home though was shot somewhere else, actually just a block north of director Paul Mazursky’s Alpine Drive house at 722 North Rexford Drive.
Star Billing: Nick Nolte (1st), Bette Midler (2nd), Richard Dreyfuss (3rd), Elizabeth Peña (4th), Little Richard (5th), Evan Richards (6th), Mike the Dog (7th) and Tracy Nelson (8th).
The movie was made and released about sixty-seven years after René Fauchois’ source French play “Boudu sauvé des eaux” (“Boudu saved from the waters”) had been by first performed in 1919.
Principal photography on this picture started in May 1985.
The film was notable for featuring Nick Nolte eating dog food twice, once out of a dog bowl and then later out of a pet food can.
This film was made and released in the same 1986 year as another American “Down and Out” titled production which was the 1986 documentary Down and Out in America (1986).
Little Richard not only sang two songs for the film which are both featured on the movie’s soundtrack but also played a fifth billed role in the picture as Orvis Goodnight
Third of four writing collaborations of Leon Capetanos and Paul Mazursky. The pictures are Tempest (1982), Moon Over Parador (1988), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986).
The films lead cast of six players featured three of them named “Richard(s)”. They were Richard Dreyfuss, Little Richard and Evan Richards
Richard Dreyfuss sports a mustache in this movie whilst Nick Nolte sports a beard at the start of the film but this is refined to just a mustache by the second act.
One of a number of movies that actor Richard Dreyfuss made at the Walt Disney film studios during the 1980s under the studio’s Touchstone Pictures banner.
According to Rating the Movies, “Dale Launer’s screenplay [for Bette Midler’s other 1986 film Ruthless People (1986)] contains clever commentary on the culture of Los Angeles’ nouveaux riche”. Interestingly, the script for Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) does the same.
According to show-business trade-paper Variety, the film is a “comedy of manners” which “continues [writer-director] Paul Mazursky’s love-hate relationship with the bourgeoisie and its institutions, especially marriage”.
The nick-name of David Whiteman (Richard Dreyfuss) was “Dave”.
Director Cameo
Paul Mazursky: As the accountant Sidney Waxman.
During the closing credits of the film, you see a homeless person pushing a shopping cart through the alley. Is that person an actor portraying a homeless person or an actual homeless person that agreed to be filmed? And what is the name of this person?
You sound like the kind of guy who already knows the answer. D