Fame
Original theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alan Parker
Produced by	David De Silva Alan Marshall
Written by	Christopher Gore
Starring	Irene Cara Debbie Allen Maureen Teefy Gene Anthony Ray Lee Curreri Laura Dean Paul McCrane Barry Miller Antonia Franceschi
Cinematography	Michael Seresin
Editing by	Gerry Hambling
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	16 May 1980
Running time	134 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Fame is a 1980 musical film conceived and produced by David De Silva, directed by Alan Parker. The film follows a group of students through their studies at a New York high school for performing arts (later renamed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts). The film is split into sections corresponding to auditions, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years. This movie ranked number 42 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies. Image File history File links Fame original theatrical poster. ... Alan Parker on the set of Pink Floyd The Wall Sir Alan Parker (born February 14, 1944) is a British film director, producer, writer, and actor. ... Alan Marshall (2 May 1902--21 January 1984) born in Noorat, Australia) was an Australian writer, story teller and social documentor, was . ... Irene Cara (born Irene Escalera on March 18, 1959[1] in The Bronx, New York City) is an American singer, Academy Award-winning songwriter and actress of African, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. ... Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor, choreographer, film director, television producer and a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities. ... Maureen Teefy. ... Gene Anthony Ray (May 24, 1962 – November 14, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best known for his portrayal of the street smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 motion picture Fame and the television spin-off which aired from 1982-1987. ... Lee Curreri (born January 4, 1961 in Bronx, New York) is an American actor and musician, best known for his role in the film Fame and afterwards appearance in the 1982 Fame TV series. ... Paul McCrane as Dr. Romano on ER. Paul David McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American movie, television and theatre actor. ... Barry Miller (born 6 February 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... May 16 is the 136th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (137th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The musical film is a film genre in which several songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative. ... Alan Parker on the set of Pink Floyd The Wall Sir Alan Parker (born February 14, 1944) is a British film director, producer, writer, and actor. ... NY redirects here. ... Main article: Secondary education High school is a name used in some parts of the world, and particularly in North America, to describe the last segment of compulsory education. ... The performing arts include theater, motion pictures, drama, comedy, music, dance, opera, magic and the marching arts, such as brass bands, etc. ... The Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts is located near the Juilliard School in the Lincoln Center district of Manhattan, on Amsterdam Avenue between 65th Street and 64th Street. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Tagline: Remember. Remember. Remember my name - Fame.

Plot summary

Auditions

The film opens with students auditioning for admittance. Those admitted include:

• Doris Finsecker - Drama (Maureen Teefy)
• Ralph Garcie, né Raul Garcia - Drama (Barry Miller)
• Coco Hernandez - Drama, Music and Dance (Irene Cara)
• Leroy Johnson - Dance (Gene Anthony Ray)
• Bruno Martelli - Music (Lee Curreri)
• Montgomery MacNeil - Drama (Paul McCrane)
• Lisa Monroe - Dance (Laura Dean)

Several of the teachers are also introduced: Maureen Teefy. ... Barry Miller (born 6 February 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actor. ... Irene Cara (born Irene Escalera on March 18, 1959[1] in The Bronx, New York City) is an American singer, Academy Award-winning songwriter and actress of African, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. ... Gene Anthony Ray (May 24, 1962 – November 14, 2003) was an American actor and dancer, who is best known for his portrayal of the street smart dancer Leroy in the 1980 motion picture Fame and the television spin-off which aired from 1982-1987. ... Lee Curreri (born January 4, 1961 in Bronx, New York) is an American actor and musician, best known for his role in the film Fame and afterwards appearance in the 1982 Fame TV series. ... Paul McCrane as Dr. Romano on ER. Paul David McCrane (born January 19, 1961) is an American movie, television and theatre actor. ...

• Miss Berg - Dance (Joanna Merlin)
• Mr. Farrell - Drama (Jim Moody)
• Ms. Grant - Dance (Debbie Allen)
• Mrs. Sherwood - English (Anne Meara)
• Mr. Shorofsky - Music (Albert Hague)

Debbie Allen (born Deborrah Kaye Allen on January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor, choreographer, film director, television producer and a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities. ... Anne Meara (born September 20, 1929) is an American comedian and actress. ... Albert Hague (Born October 13, 1920 in Berlin, Germany, Died November 12, 2001) was a German-born songwriter and composer. ...

Freshman Year

Students learn on the first day of classes that academics are weighted equally with performance. Leroy clashes with Mrs. Sherwood in English class. Doris is overwhelmed by the energy and spontaneity in the lunchroom and flees, meeting Montgomery.

As the year progresses, Coco tries to convince Bruno to book performing gigs with her. Doris and Montgomery become friends, and Doris worries that she's too ordinary against the colorful personalities of the other students. Leroy and Mrs. Sherwood continue to clash over Leroy's refusal to do homework (Leroy is illiterate and ashamed to admit it). Bruno and his father argue over Bruno's reluctance to play his music publicly. Coco tells Bruno of her belief that she's "doing my last dance on this dark little planet" so it has to be spectacular. Miss Berg warns Lisa she is not working hard enough. Graduating senior Michael (Boyd Gaines) wins a prestigious scholarship and tells Doris that the William Morris Agency wants to send him out for auditions for television pilots. World illiteracy rates by country Literacy is the ability to read and write. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, as a doctrine or mystical belief, holds the notion that some essential part of a living being (or in some variations, only human beings) can survive death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to be reborn in a new... Boyd Gaines is an American actor born on May 11, 1953. ... Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency was the largest diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, Miami, London, and Shanghai. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...

Sophomore Year

New student Hillary van Doren (Antonia Franceschi) joins the school, and she and Coco clash over Leroy. Hillary seduces him. Bruno and Mr. Shorofsky debate the merits of traditional orchestras versus synthesized instruments. As an acting exercise, students have to divulge a painful memory. Ralph tells of learning about the death of Freddie Prinze. Doris relates her humiliation at being forced by her stage mother to sing at a child's birthday party. Montgomery discusses discovering his homosexuality, in the process coming out to the school, for which he is teased by Ralph wearing Rocky Horror Picture Show-style drag. Bruno's father plays Bruno's music (the title song Fame) outside the school, inspiring the student body to dance in the streets. Miss Berg drops Lisa from the dance program, and Lisa, after initially apparently considering suicide, instead drops her dance clothes on the subway tracks and declares "Fuck it, if I can't dance I'll change to the drama department." Frederick Karl Pruetzel (22 June 1954 – 29 January 1977), better known as “Freddie Prinze” was an American stand-up comedian and actor. ... In the United States theater, television and movie industries, a stage mother is the term for the mother of a child actor. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Coming out of the closet (very often shortened to coming out in winking reference to the public introduction of debutantes) describes the voluntary public announcement of ones (often homosexual or bisexual) sexual orientation or gender identity. ... The Rocky Horror Picture Show (first released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 1975) is a comedy-horror musical film directed by Jim Sharman from a screenplay by Sharman and Richard OBrien, who also composed the songs. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the willful act of killing oneself. ...

Junior Year

Ralph and Doris discover their mutual attraction, but their growing intimacy leaves Montgomery feeling excluded. Hillary brings Leroy home to shock her father and stepmother. Ralph's young sister is attacked and raped by a junkie, and so he lashes out at his mother`s attempts to comfort the child by taking her to the local Catholic church. Doris also begins to question her Jewish upbringing, changing her name to "Dominique DuPont." She and Ralph attend a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the 8th Street Playhouse, and during the "Time Warp" Doris rips off her blouse and joins the stage show. She becomes giddy the next day as she realizes that as an actress she can put on any personality she wants, but is sobered upon running into Michael, struggling as an actor and waiting tables. Definition Intimacy is complex in that its meaning varies from relationship to relationship, and within a given relationship over time. ... A junkie (or junky) is a heroin addict. ... The name Catholic Church can mean a visible organization that refers to itself as Catholic, or the invisible Christian Church, viz. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... The Rocky Horror Picture Show (RHPS) (first released in the United Kingdom on 14 August 1975) is a cult-science fiction-comedy-horror musical film directed by Jim Sharman from a screenplay by Sharman and Richard OBrien. ... The Time Warp is a dance featured in the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, performed during the chorus of the song of the same name. ...

Senior Year

Ralph follows in the footsteps of his idol Freddie Prinze and performs stand-up comedy at Catch a Rising Star and garners some initial success. He falls into a hard-party lifestyle and strains his relationship with Doris. Given a prime spot at a comedy club, he bombs. Hillary is offered a spot with the San Francisco ballet and, to take it, has an abortion. Coco is approached in a diner by a sleazy guy claiming to be a director. She goes to his apartment for a "screen test" and he manipulates her into undressing. Leroy is offered a spot in Alvin Ailey's dance company, but to be accepted he must graduate. He finds Mrs. Sherwood outside her husband's hospital room and lashes out at her. She lashes back and, chagrined, he comforts her. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Catch a Rising Star is a chain of comedy clubs, founded in New York City in 1972. ... Screen Test was a British childrens quiz show produced by the BBC which ran from 1969 to 1984. ... Alvin Ailey, Jr. ...

At graduation, the student body performs the finalé, I Sing The Body Electric. I Sing the Body Electric is: (1855) a poem by Walt Whitman. ...

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

• Academy Award for Best Song - Fame, Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford (winner)
• Academy Award for Best Score - Michael Gore (winner)
• Academy Award for Best Song - Out Here On My Own, Michael Gore and Lesley Gore (nominated)
• Academy Award for Best Sound - Michael J. Kohut, Aaron Rochin, Jay M. Harding, Christopher Newman (nominated)
• Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay - Christopher Gore (nominated)
• Academy Award for Best Film Editing - Gerry Hambling (nominated)

The Academy Award for Best Song is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are songwriters and composers. ... From Rule Sixteen of the Special Rules for The Music Awards Original Score: An original score is a substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer. ... Lesley Gore, French EP Lesley Gore (born May 2, 1946 in New York City as Lesley Sue Goldstein) is an American singer and songwriter, one of the best known performers of the girl group era. ... The Academy Award for Sound Mixing is an Academy Award that recognizes the finest or most aesthetic sound mixing or recording, and is generally awarded to the production sound mixers and re-recording mixers of the winning film. ... The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ...

BAFTA Awards

• BAFTA Award for Best Sound - Christopher Newman, Les Wiggins, Michael J. Kohut (won)
• BAFTA Award for Best Editing - Gerry Hambling (nominated)
• BAFTA Award for Best Direction - Alan Parker (nominated)
• Anthony Asquith Award for Best Music - Michael Gore (nominated)

Winners of the BAFTA Award for Best Direction presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. ... Alan Parker on the set of Pink Floyd The Wall Sir Alan Parker (born February 14, 1944) is a British film director, producer, writer, and actor. ... The Honourable Anthony Asquith (November 9, 1902-February 20, 1968) was a respected British film director. ...

Golden Globes

• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Fame, Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford (won)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy - Irene Cara (nominated)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Michael Gore (nominated)

For the main article see Golden Globe Awards. ... The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1951. ... Irene Cara (born Irene Escalera on March 18, 1959[1] in The Bronx, New York City) is an American singer, Academy Award-winning songwriter and actress of African, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent. ... For the main article see Golden Globe Awards. ...

Grammy Awards

Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture or a Television Special - Michael Gore, Anthony Evans, Paul McCrane, Dean Pitchford, Lesley Gore, Robert F. Colesberry (nominated) The Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media has been awarded since 1960. ... Robert F. Colesberry was an American film and television producer and first assistant director notable for his work as a producer on the Emmy award winning miniseries The Corner and Peabody award winning The Wire for HBO. Colesberry had a recurring cameo on the wire as detective Ray Cole. ...

Spin-offs

Fame spawned a successful television show and an Off-Broadway musical that ran on London's West End for ten years. It also spawned a non-musical play featuring the title song from the film as its lone musical number. Fame was an American television series that ran from 1982 to 1987. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... // West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre in London, or sometimes more specifically for shows staged in the large theatres of Londons Theatreland . Along with New Yorks Broadway Theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of theatre in the...

External link

• Fame at the Internet Movie Database