Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a 1988 biographical film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Jeff Bridges. The film tells the story of Preston Tucker and his attempt to produce and market the 1948 Tucker Sedan, which was met with scandal between the Big Three and accusations of stock fraud from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Joan Allen, Martin Landau, Elias Koteas, Frederic Forrest and Christian Slater appear in supporting roles.
Coppola began development on a film based on the life of Preston Tucker in 1973, originally with Marlon Brando in the lead role. Starting in 1976, Coppola planned Tucker to be both a musical and an experimental film with music and lyrics written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The idea eventually collapsed when Coppola's American Zoetrope experienced financial problems. Tucker was restored in 1986 when Coppola's friend, George Lucas, joined as a producer.
Principal photography, shot mostly in Marin County, California, started in April 1987 and finished the following July. Development and production for Tucker: The Man and His Dream included the involvement of Preston Tucker's children and grandchildren. The film was released with critical praise, but was a box office bomb. The release of Tucker provided a lift for prices of 1948 Tucker Sedans, as well as a renewed appreciation for Preston Tucker and his automobiles.
Plot
A 1940s promotional film by the Tucker Automobile Company introduces Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) and a new automobile filled with technological innovations. Tucker has a dream of making a safe and reliable family automobile but faces the inevitable problems of a start-up enterprise. Relating back to an earlier start as an inventor and entrepreneur, as a staunch family man, his loyal wife (Joan Allen) and children, headed by his namesake, Preston Tucker Jr. (Christian Slater), his efforts are to support his family. Preston Tucker's fascination and obsession with automobiles began as a child. In 1935 he started a successful partnership with racing car innovator Harry Miller. As World War II was commencing, Tucker designed an armored car for the United States military, which was rejected for being too fast. However, the gun turret design from the car was actively put in production during the war.
At war's end, with the proceeds from a successful wartime turret as a bankroll, Tucker hires young designer Alex Tremulis (Elias Koteas) to help him create a radical new car design, the 1948 Tucker Torpedo. Tucker's dream of manufacturing an innovative, revolutionary automobile with futuristic features will pit him against the oppressive Big Three. With the support of his long-time New York financier Abe Karatz (Martin Landau), Tucker is determined to make his car a reality. Karatz initially finds Tucker's idea too bizarre, then decides to help search for financing in the 1948 Tucker Sedan. After causing nation-wide interest by advertising the "Tucker Torpedo" in Pic magazine, Tucker and Abe purchase the enormous Dodge Chicago Plantt to begin manufacturing 50 Tucker Torpedos within one year using government money. Despite ground-breaking features such as disc brakes, seat belts, a fuel-injected engine in the rear, a padded dashboard, and a front windshield that popped out in a severe collision, the new car is beset with problems.
Launching the car in a spectacular way, the Tucker company is met with positive enthusiasm and reception from both shareholders and the general public. However, the board of directors of the Tucker Corporation become dubious of Tucker's ideas and decide to send him off on a publicity campaign. Confronted by animosity from the Big Three automakers and the authorities including Michigan Senator Homer S. Ferguson (Lloyd Bridges) in Washington, D.C., Tucker returns to Chicago to find that the Tucker Corporation executives are attempting to take complete control of his company, and cancel his innovative designs for the sake of budget cuts. Senator Ferguson then becomes fundamental in the Senate War Investigating Committee against Howard Hughes (Dean Stockwell), who gives Tucker advice on how to deal with oppressive politicians and the blockade from the Big Three. While the manufacturing of the Tucker Torpedo continues beset with technical problems, Tucker is faced with allegations of stock fraud. Ferguson's investigation against Tucker with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), causes Karatz to resign who was convicted of bank fraud, explaining that the SEC would use it against Tucker. Yellow journalism also starts ruining Tucker's public image even though the ultimate courtroom battle is resolved when he parades his entire production run of 50 Tucker Torpedos, proving that he has reached production status.
On his final date of his trial, Tucker is acquitted on all charges after giving a speech to the jurors on how capitalism in the United States is starting to be exploited through efforts of large corporations against small businessman inventors like himself. The dream is ultimately dashed as Tucker's company falls into bankruptcy and Preston Tucker succumbs to a heart attack seven years later, never able to realize his dream.
Cast
Production
Director Francis Ford Coppola conceived the idea to make a film based on the life of Preston Tucker while attending the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television in the early 1960s.[1] In June 1973, during the filming of The Godfather Part II (1974), Coppola announced his intention to start development at American Zoetrope as writer, producer and director. He had already approached Marlon Brando for the lead role.[2] He then purchased the life rights from the Tucker Estate in 1976,[3] and, in addition to Brando, discussed the part with Jack Nicholson.[4] Burt Reynolds was also considered.[5] Taking inspiration from Citizen Kane (1941), Kabuki theater and the work of Bertolt Brecht, Coppola initially planned to make Tucker as a "dark kind of musical."[1] He later said that the idea resembled the style of an experimental film,[6] similar to Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), which he produced.[1]
The musical would have placed Tucker in the lead role, but storylines would have interwoven Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Harvey Samuel Firestone and Andrew Carnegie as supporting characters. Leonard Bernstein agreed to write the music, and Betty Comden and Adolph Green were hired to write the lyrics. They all spent a week planning the musical at Coppola's home in California,[3] which resulted into Bernstein already writing one song.[6] Coppola had also approached Gene Kelly as a consultant for the dance choreography.[2] However, financing for Tucker fell through when Coppola's production company, American Zoetrope, filed for bankruptcy after the box office failures of One from the Heart (1982) and The Cotton Club (1984).[1][7] Coppola abandoned Tucker for the time being and went to work on Peggy Sue Got Married (1986).[3]
In 1986,[3] during the production of Captain EO (1986),[8] Coppola's friend George Lucas encouraged him to revive development for Tucker, believing it to be "the best film Francis had ever been involved with."[3] In addition, Lucas agreed to cover duties as executive producer and offered the use of his filmmaking companies, Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic.[8] He also convinced Coppola to drop the musical idea in favor of doing a homage to the films of Frank Capra, especially Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939).[3] Coppola became interested in the American Dream aspect of the storyline, as well as post-World War II capitalism and politics.[6] At one point, Coppola approached Capra with an invitation to produce the film with Lucas, but Capra disagreed with Coppola concerning the characterization of Tucker as a dreamer, whom Capra thought was a failure.[5] Although Coppola explained that he overall enjoyed the final result of the film and his relationship with Lucas, the director commented in a July 1988 interview with Robert Lindsey of The New York Times that Tucker is "not the movie I would have made at the height of my power."[3]
Coppola originally intended to write the screenplay himself, but dropped the idea due to his commitment to the filming of Gardens of Stone (1987). Arnold Schulman, who had scripted Capra's A Hole in the Head (1959), was hired to write the script for Tucker, eventually collaborating with David Seidler.[1] Although providing major additions in rewriting the Schulman and Seidler scripts, Coppola's work was uncredited when his request for a credit was overruled by the Writers Guild of America.[2] The filmmakers devised a $24 million production budget, but were turned down by Universal Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, TriStar Pictures and Paramount Pictures. The studios wanted Coppola and Lucas to lower it to $15 million. Distributors were also cautious to work with Lucas after the 1986 commercial and critical failures of both Labyrinth[5] and Howard the Duck.[1] Lucas decided to cover the $24 million budget himself, and pre-production proceeded.[3]
Jeff Bridges was cast in the title role and, for research, studied Preston Tucker's mannerisms and movements through home movies. Tucker's descendants also granted Bridges the opportunity to sport the man's black pearl ring and cuff links for his wardrobe. Prestons's son, John Tucker, said that Bridges has "got it all in the mannerisms and the look. My father was very positive, always thinking of what came next. Jeff captures that."[4] Martin Landau was enthusiastic to take the role of Abe Karatz as a means to avoid typecasting.[9] Principal photography for Tucker started on April 13, 1987. The following month, Lucas convinced Paramount Pictures to distribute the film[8] and cover the majority of the budget.[3] He was helped by the fact that the studio was courting Coppola to direct The Godfather Part III (1990).[8] The studio also insisted on amplifying the title to Tucker: The Man and His Dream.[1]
The Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Richmond, California doubled for the Dodge Chicago Plant although the majority of filming took place in Marin County, California.[1] Principal photography ended on July 17, 1987.[5] Forty-nine of the original fifty-one production line Tucker Torpedos still exist, and many are in excellent condition.[10] Twenty-one of the cars were borrowed from members of the Tucker Automobile Club of America.[1] The release of Tucker: The Man and His Dream in August 1988 provided a lift for prices of Tucker Torpedos as well as a renewed appreciation for Preston Tucker and his automobiles. Lucas and Coppola each own two Tuckers, irreverently called the "Tin Goose".[11] Lucas eventually sold one of his cars in September 2005 for $385,500.[12] Tucker also represents the first film to have audio mixing work done at Lucas's Skywalker Ranch.[13]Despite helming his "labor of love," Coppola was insistent that Tucker... would be his last Hollywood project, embarking on a "period of amateurism and experimentation as a Hollywood dropout." [14]
Historical accuracy
Coppola was adamant to include the involvement of Preston Tucker's children, grandchildren and members of the Tucker Estate during the development of Tucker in the late-1970s, as well as filming in 1987.[15] Coppola and Lucas acknowledged that they purposely intended to portray Tucker in an entirely sympathetic way.[3] Anahid Nazarian, Coppola's librarian, spoke of the historical inaccuracies. "Preston Tucker didn't really have an assembly line; there's one in the film. He actually had five kids; there are only four in the film. Our story takes place in one year; the real story took place over four years. People who know the story will find a lot of what they call errors. I'm sure I'll be deluged with letters."[9]
Her research, collected over several years, consisted of books, some 350 articles, interviews with the Tucker family, hundreds of photographs, home movies and information from the Tucker Automobile Club of America. "We knew the facts," Nazarian continued, "but to fit the spirit of the story in a film that is exciting and has characters you love and characters you hate - that made us change a lot of things. Things like the president of the Tucker Company was a good guy really, but we needed a villain, so we made him a villain."[9] Alex Tremulis is depicted as the chief car designer of the Tucker Torpedo, but the film ignores the involvement of Philip Egan. Tremulis also served as one of the historical consultants during production.[16]The preeminent judges of the film were the legion of Tucker owners and collectors who were members of the Tucker Automobile Club, who pronounced that the "basic theme of the movie is quite accurate..." although "the film compresses time and often takes artistic license with facts in order to more effectively present the story." [11]
Release
Tucker: The Man and His Dream was released in the United States on August 12, 1988, earning $3,709,562 in its opening weekend in 720 theaters. The film eventually grossed $19.65 million in US totals[17] and was declared a box office bomb because it did not reimburse its $24 million production budget.[1][18] Pocket Books published a novelization written by Robert Tine to coincide with the release of the film.[19] Paramount Home Video released Tucker: The Man and His Dream on DVD in October 2000, which included audio commentary by director Francis Ford Coppola, the 1948 promotional film Tucker: The Man and the Car (with optional commentary by Coppola), as well as a making-of featurette, Under the Hood: Making Tucker.[20]
Tucker went on to receive positive feedback from critics. Based on 35 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of the critics enjoyed the film with an average score of 7.2/10 average.[21] By comparison Metacritic calculated an average score of 74/100, based on 13 reviews.[22] Richard Schickel of Time magazine praised the film for its over-exaggerated kitsch style. He also believed the role of Preston Tucker to be Jeff Bridges' best performance.[23] Janet Maslin from The New York Times agreed, writing that Coppola, known for his dark approach on his previous films, "found the directorial range to actually make a feel-good movie.[24] In addition, Desson Thomson, writing in The Washington Post, called the film a "satisfying commercial breakthrough for Coppola," and praised the cinematography of Vittorio Storaro, as well as the ubiquitous approach for Dean Stockwell's cameo appearance as Howard Hughes.[25] Roger Ebert gave a mixed review. "Preston Tucker lacks an ounce of common sense or any notion of the real odds against him. And since the movie never really deals with that - never really comes to grips with Tucker's character - it begins as a saga but ends in whimsy."[26]
At the 61st Academy Awards, Martin Landau was nominated For Best Supporting Actor, while production and set designers Dean Tavoularis and Armin Ganz (Art Direction) and Milena Canonero (Costume Design) were also nominated for their work.[27] Landau did end up winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture,[28] while Tavoularis won the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design.[29] Casting directors Jane Jenkins and Janet Hirshenson were honored with a nomination by the Casting Society of America.[30] Music composer Joe Jackson received a Grammy Award nomination.[5]
References
- Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baxter 1999, pp. 367–371.
- ^ a b c Schumacher 1999, pp. 183, 283, 324
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lindsey, Robert. "Francis Ford Coppola: Promises to Keep". The New York Times, July 24, 1988. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ a b Corliss, Richard and Jean McDowell. "How Bridges Fights Boredom." Time, August 15, 1988. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Schumacher 1999, pp. 396-399, 402
- ^ a b c Francis Ford Coppola, DVD audio commentary, 2000, Tucker: The Man and the Car (1948), American Zoetrope / Paramount Home Video
- ^ Mottram, James. "Interview: Francis Ford Coppola on the film he couldn't refuse". The Independent, November 16, 2007. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Hearn 2005, pp. 158–159.
- ^ a b c Garcia, Chris. "Martin Landau Rolls Up in a New Vehicle." Austin American-Statesman, August 7, 1988. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ Rasmussen 1996, p, 82.
- ^ a b Clark, Larry. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream: A Look Behind The Scenes." TACA, #417. Retrieved on June 14, 2009.
- ^ Kinney, Dave. "Only 52 Tuckers Were Built, but Their Impact Is Still Felt." The New York Times, October 29, 2006. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
- ^ Pasquariello, Nick "Sound design for a dreamer." filmsound.org. Retrieved on May 29, 2009.
- ^ Phillips and Hill 2004, p. 130.
- ^ Under the Hood: Making Tucker, 2000, American Zoetrope / Paramount Home Video
- ^ Fox, Margalti. "Philip Egan, a Designer of a Fabled Sedan, Dies at 88." Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 12, 2009. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean. "A Blockbuster Summer of Blockbusters." The New York Times, June 9, 1988. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker: The Man and His Dreams Movie Tie-in (Paperback)." Amazon.com, August 1, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker - The Man and His Dream (1988)." Amazon.com, October 24, 2000. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988): Reviews." Metacritic. Retrieved on May 24, 2009.
- ^ Schickel, Richard. "On The Road to Utopia." Time, August 15, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." The New York Times , August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ Desson, Thomas. "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." The Washington Post, August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Tucker: A Man and His Dream." Chicago Sun-Times, August 12, 1988. Retrieved on May 27, 2009.
- ^ "Tucker: The Man and His Dream." Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
- ^ "Search: Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture." Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
- ^ "1988 BAFTA Awards." British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
- ^ "Artios History." Casting Society of America. Retrieved on May 28, 2009.
- Bibliography
- Baxter, John. Mythmaker: The Life and Work of George Lucas. New York: Spike Books, 1999. ISBN 0-380-97833-4.
- Cheetham Craig, ed. American Cars: The Automobiles That Made America. Rochester, Kent, UK: Grange Books, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-650-2.
- Cheetham Craig. The World's Worst Cars. From Pioneering Failures To Multimillion Dollar Disasters. London: Amber Books, 2005. ISBN 1-904687-35-0.
- "Company News: Roll Over, DeLorean; Shaky Attempt to Honor A Failed 40's Car Maker." The New York Times, December 29, 1992.
- Cowie, Peter. Coppola: A Biography. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994. ISBN 0-306-80598-7.
- Hearn, Marcus. The Cinema of George Lucas. New York: Abrams Books, 2005. ISBN 0-8109-4968-7.
- LaFrance, J.D. "Cinematic Pleasures: Tucker, The Man and His Dream." Erasing Clouds, Issue 25, July/August 2004.
- Lewis, Jon. Whom God Wishes to Destroy... Francis Coppola and the New Hollywood. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 1995. ISBN 0-82231-889-X.
- Phillips, Gene D. Godfather: The Intimate Francis Ford Coppola. Lexington, Ky : University Press of Kentucky, 2004. ISBN 0-81312-304-6.
- Phillips, Gene D. and Rodney Hill. Francis Ford Coppola: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series). Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi, 2004. ISBN 978-1578066667.
- Rasmussen, Harry. Imperial Palace Auto Collection. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International (Paddock & Pearson, Inc.), 1996.
- Schumacher, Michael. Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life. New York City : Three Rivers Press, 1999. ISBN 0-609-80677-7.
External links
