| | | | Playing For Keeps
(1986) |
ritten and directed by prolific producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, Playing for keeps is typical of the kind of harmless, fun teen movie that were so prolific and popular in the 80's.
It has a soundtrack including many of the sounds of the day, including Duran Duran offshoot "Arcadia", an upbeat story and 'message' (you can live your dreams, the little people can win after all etc) and is the kind of simple popular 80's entertainment that makes high-brow movie reviewers and critics puke.
Well, we're not high-brow critics, so I'm gonna say that Playing For Keeps is perfectly reasonable entertainment for 80's movie fans, but is definitely not the greatest either...
It's cliche, formula stuff folks. The premise is this: unemployed city teenager Danny Jordano finds that an upstate hotel is one of the family heirlooms. Determined to make a success of something he inspires his friends to come along for the ride and travels up to see the hotel.
It is, of course a dump, and worse still is destined to be demolished so that the inevitable corrupt property developer can turn it into a toxic waste dump or something like that.
What follows is standard manic teen stuff where they have to make repairs so that the property meets the building code and thwart the property developer. Mixed in are the standard madcap chases, diversionary tactics, an unexpected wise old sage to help them and, of course, those mandatory 80's musical montages.
What makes it reasonable are the performances of the unknown cast and the sheer nostalgia of this kind of pap 80's filmmaking.
 Don't forget that Playing For Keeps is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
|
| | | | 
If you're an 80's fan, its perfectly OK stuff really, but hardly a classic.
|
| | | |  | 
You can now correct/update any item of trivia by clicking the "Update" button next to it...
| |
The man that played the store manager is actually the Mayor of Honesdale.  -Thanks to Kevin Adolfson
The lady that ran out into the street yelling about the price of steak being so cheap, is the local District Magistrate! -Thanks to Kevin Adolfson
Jill (stockholder) was played by Lisa Schultz in her film debut. She was Penthouse Pet for December 1983. She reigned from the lovely Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia. She still lives on the Charlottes and no longer has an interest in making movies after her attempt in 1986. -Thanks to Travis O'Brien
Lisa Schultz currently resides in Victoria, BC. She is an amazing, talented artist and an aspiring writer. -Thanks to Cheryl Tardif
« Click
here to add some Playing For Keeps trivia
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Playing For Keeps or 80's Comedy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Tootsie ..... Raising Arizona ..... Good Morning, Vietnam ..... Blues Brothers ..... Heathers ..... Fast Times At Ridgemont High ..... This Is Spinal Tap ..... Naked Gun ..... Adventures In Babysitting ..... Airplane ..... License To Drive ..... Money Pit ..... Porky's ..... Risky Business ..... Twins ..... Soul Man .....[More]
| | | |
The film was apparently shot in reverse. The ending scenes of the house completely intact were shot first. The rest of the time the people in charge of the set slowly destroyed the house until it looked like it did in the beginning of the movie. When the production ended, the entire cast and crew left town and left the house and property in a shambles. The owner of the property at that time left town as well and never came back... It later became a drug rehab center in 1988 and they added lots of drywall and shoddy construction to repair the damage done to the house by the "movie people"... -Thanks to Brian Eastburn
This seems to be the first movie ever produced by successful independant producers Miramax Pictures.
Playing For Keeps was one of the first movies that Marisa Tomei (Tracy) made. At the time Playing For Keeps was made she was 22 years old. -Thanks to Albert
«
Click
here to add a new Behind-the-Scenes item for Playing For Keeps
|  |  |  | | Playing For Keeps
Locations |
|
| | |
The opening scenes of the movie were filmed in New York city.
On location filming was done at Hawley Pennsylvania, USA. The house that was used in the movie is an abandoned estate in the mountains, set on the top of a hill near Bethany, PA, just north of Honesdale. It was formally a resort known as Bethany Colony and has real "Amityville" horror house appeal. After the movie, it became a drug and alcohol rehab center. [Thanks to Kevin Adolfson and Caroline Zimmerman]
Many of the townspeople who remember the movie were very upset because of the damage the crew did.
The house used to be the Woolworth estate (of F.W. Woolworth stores fame). Mrs. Woolworth died in the home in 1967, and her son didn't want anything to do with the house. It has passed through many different owners. The house currently is a part of a property that now an old-folks home, and is in terrible disrepair. [Thanks to Brian Eastburn & Caroline Zimmerman]
Also, most of the downtown shots were in Hawley, PA, but the scene with the grocery store is actually from a grocery store in Honesdale, on 6th Street. [Thanks to Kevin Adolfson]
The location in the movie where the girl was near a field, that was located on RT. 191 in Lake Ariel [Thanks to Penny]
Can you help? Do you know any of the (or any other) filming locations used for Playing For Keeps, particularly The exact address of the house? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[STEREO or SURROUND]](dd2.gif) | --- |
| | |
| | | |
The soundtrack CD features all the standard 80's pop sort of stuff from the era.
Its actually pretty good stuff for 80's muzak fans because it can occasionally be had for as little as $2 used. Use our search feature to locate copies.
«
Click here to add new music trivia for Playing For Keeps
Soundtrack Available:
Used On CD
| | | |
 NEW!
Use our radical Retro Assistant to show you the most accurate information for hard-to-find Playing For Keeps products anywhere on the web...
At a glance, you can now see all the Movie
releases, Soundtracks
or Movie
Posters, Scripts and Books ever available with online price comparisons, even if they're
rare, out of print or only available in another country!
Over 3 years in development and covering more than 10,000 of the
best products hand picked by our editors, we think it's the most fun and retro way to celebrate the era --and find what you
want.
It covers Playing For Keeps DVD,
VHS,
Blu-ray,
HD-DVD,
Downloads,
Soundtrack
CDs, Movie
Posters, Scripts, Books and more... Why not give
it a try...
The
80's Movies Rewind is proudly a spam-free
non-commercial site, written by movie fans... for movie fans.
If
you enjoy this site, please help to support us and keep us
POP UP & SPAM FREE by ordering your stuff through our services.
As you probably already know, we
are not a corporation, but just 80's fans like you...
| | |
 | | Recent
Additions |
March 3, 2008: Commando USA / UK Blu-ray Coming Soon.
February 28, 2008: Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Soundtrack Update.
Previous
additions
We're always updating and improving, so please and check back with us regularly...
|
| | |
