Tootsie
original film poster
Directed by	Sydney Pollack
Produced by	Sydney Pollack Dick Richards
Written by	Larry Gelbart Barry Levinson (uncredited) Elaine May (uncredited) Murray Schisgal from the story by Larry Gelbart and Don McGuire
Starring	Dustin Hoffman Jessica Lange Teri Garr Dabney Coleman Charles Durning
Music by	Dave Grusin Songs by Stephen Bishop Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	December 17, 1982
Running time	119 min
Language	English
Budget	US$21,000,000
IMDb profile

George Fields and Dorothy Michaels at the Russian Tea Room

Tootsie is a 1982 comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult makes it hard for him to find work. In desperation, he goes to extraordinary lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray, Sydney Pollack, George Gaynes, Lynne Thigpen and Geena Davis (in her film debut). Tootsie was adapted by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson (uncredited), Elaine May (uncredited) and Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. It was directed by Pollack. Image File history File links Tootsie_imp. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Richard (Dick) N. Richards (b. ... Larry Gelbart (b. ... Barry Levinson Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a Jewish-American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. ... Elaine May (b. ... Murray Schisgal (born November 25, 1926) is an award-winning American playwright and screenwriter. ... Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning, BAFTA-winning, and five-time Golden Globe-winning American method actor. ... Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Teri Garr (born December 11, 1947 in Lakewood, Ohio) is an American actress and comedienne. ... Dabney Wharton Coleman (born January 3, 1932) is an American actor. ... Charles Durning Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American actor of stage and screen, born to an impoverished Irish American Catholic family, which he left as soon as possible to ease the financial pressure on his mother. ... David Grusin (born June 26, 1934 in Littleton, Colorado) is an American composer, arranger and pianist. ... Stephen Bishop (born November 14, 1951 in San Diego, California) is an American singer and guitarist. ... Alan Bergman (born 11 September 1925) is a prolific lyricist and songwriter, particularly of music for stage and film. ... Marilyn Bergman (née Keith, born 1929) is a composer, songwriter and author. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Image File history File links Tootsie_at_the_Russian_Tea_Room. ... Image File history File links Tootsie_at_the_Russian_Tea_Room. ... Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman at the Russian Tea Room in Tootsie The Russian Tea Room between the Metropolitan and Carnegie Hall Towers The Russian Tea Room is a restaurant in New York City, located at 150 West 57th Street between Carnegie Hall Tower and Metropolitan Tower. ... // This is the year of film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which will become the highest grossing movie for almost 15 years (until Titanic), earning double or triple against any major film of the 1980s. ... Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning, BAFTA-winning, and five-time Golden Globe-winning American method actor. ... Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Teri Garr (born December 11, 1947 in Lakewood, Ohio) is an American actress and comedienne. ... Dabney Wharton Coleman (born January 3, 1932) is an American actor. ... Charles Durning Charles Durning (born February 28, 1923 in Highland Falls, New York) is an American actor of stage and screen, born to an impoverished Irish American Catholic family, which he left as soon as possible to ease the financial pressure on his mother. ... William James Bill Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning American comedian and actor. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... George Gaynes (George Jongejans) (born May 16, 1917) is a Finnish-born American actor. ... Lynne Thigpen (December 22, 1948 – March 12, 2003) was a Tony Award-winning, Image Award-nominated American stage and television actress. ... Virginia Elizabeth Geena Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-nominated American actress and former fashion model. ... Larry Gelbart (b. ... Barry Levinson Barry Levinson (born April 6, 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a Jewish-American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. ... Elaine May (b. ... Murray Schisgal (born November 25, 1926) is an award-winning American playwright and screenwriter. ...

In 1998 the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. Additionally, it was listed as #62 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Movies list and #2 on its "100 Years, 100 Laughs. The United States National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The first of the AFI 100 Years. ... The 100 funniest American films. ...

Synopsis

Michael Dorsey (Hoffman) is a respected but perfectionist actor on the verge of turning forty. Nobody in New York wants to hire him anymore because he is so difficult to work with. Not having worked in four months, he eventually hears of an opening in a soap opera set in "Southwest General Hospital" (a parody of General Hospital) from his friend Sandy Lester (Garr), who initially tries out for the role but doesn't get it. In desperation, he cross-dresses, auditions as 'Dorothy Michaels' and eventually wins the part. Perfectionism can refer to: perfectionism (philosophy) perfectionism (psychology) perfectionist movement a utopian societal movement in the late 19th, early 20th century United States from which hails Oneida Society and which is historically related to the Modern Spiritualist movement. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... For other uses, see General Hospital (disambiguation). ... This articles is about cross-dressing in general, that is the act of wearing the clothing of another gender for any reason. ...

Michael thinks it is just a temporary job to pay the bills, but he proves to be so popular as a feisty hospital administrator that, to his dismay, the producers sign him to a long-term contract. Dorothy is such a hit that she is even featured on the covers of a number of well-known magazines.

Complicating things even further, he is strongly attracted to one of his co-stars, Julie Nichols (Lange). She is already in an unhealthy relationship with the amoral, sexist director, Ron Carlisle (Coleman). When Michael (at a party as himself) approaches Julie with a line that she had previously told Dorothy she'd be receptive to, she instead throws a drink in his face. Yet when he makes tentative advances (as Dorothy), Julie is shocked to think Dorothy might be a lesbian and later tells "her" that she likes her, but not in a romantic way.

Meanwhile, Dorothy has her own admirers to contend with, an older male cast member, John Van Horn (Gaynes) and Julie's widowed father, Les (Durning). Michael's roommate, writer Jeff Slater (Murray), and his agent, George Fields (Pollack), are in on the masquerade and watch in amazement as the situation barrels out of control.

Michael finds a clever way to extricate himself. When the cast is forced to perform a scene live, he improvises and reveals that he is actually the character's twin brother who took her place to avenge her, just the sort of weird plot twist for which soaps are noted (in particular the General Hospital "Sally Armitage is really Max Hedges!" storyline). This gives everybody a more-or-less graceful way out. Julie is so shocked and outraged, she slugs him in the stomach (after the cameras are turned off). A Plot twist is a change (twist) in the direction or expected outcome of the plot of a film or novel. ...

Some weeks later, Michael waits for her outside the studio and touchingly confesses that "... I was a better man with you as a woman than I ever was with a woman as a man." and she forgives him.

Academy Awards

The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Jessica Phyllis Lange (born April 20, 1949) is a two-time Academy Award-winning American actress. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the awards given to actresses working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Teri Garr (born December 11, 1947 in Lakewood, Ohio) is an American actress and comedienne. ... The Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the awards given to actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is a two-time Academy Award-winning, BAFTA-winning, and five-time Golden Globe-winning American method actor. ... The Academy Award for Directing is one of the awards given to directors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Charles Rosher the first recipient in 1928 The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is awarded each year to a cinematographer for his work in one particular motion picture. ... Owen Roizman, born 22 September 1936, is a celebrated cinematographer and a Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ... The Academy Award for Film Editing was first given for films issued in 1934. ... // The Academy Award for Best Original 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. ... David Grusin (born June 26, 1934 in Littleton, Colorado) is an American composer, arranger and pianist. ... Alan Bergman (born 11 September 1925) is a prolific lyricist and songwriter, particularly of music for stage and film. ... Marilyn Bergman (née Keith, born 1929) is a composer, songwriter and author. ... // The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Academy Awards, awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which are voted on by others within the industry. ... Sydney Pollack (born July 1, 1934 in Lafayette, Indiana) is an American actor, producer, and director. ... Richard (Dick) N. Richards (b. ... 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. ... Larry Gelbart (b. ... Murray Schisgal (born November 25, 1926) is an award-winning American playwright and screenwriter. ...

Production

The idea of having director Sydney Pollack playing Hoffman's agent George Fields was Hoffman's. Pollack initially resisted the idea, but Hoffman eventually convinced him to take the role.

Scenes set in the New York City Russian Tea Room were filmed in the actual restaurant. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman at the Russian Tea Room in Tootsie The Russian Tea Room between the Metropolitan and Carnegie Hall Towers The Russian Tea Room is a restaurant in New York City, located at 150 West 57th Street between Carnegie Hall Tower and Metropolitan Tower. ...

Pop culture references

• The film is referred to many times in the series 30 Rock, such as in the episodes "Blind Date" and "Fireworks".
• Kathy Whitmire, who was the mayor of Houston, Texas when the film was released, was often said to bear an uncanny resemblance to Hoffman's character. This later led Whitmire to appear on an episode of I Love the '80s on VH1.
• In an episode of Family Guy, Stewie references this movie to a time when he tried looking for work. It then shows Stewie dressed in Dustin Hoffman's character, although smaller, walking through a crowd. He shouts out to a taxi twice in falsetto, and then shouts, "TAXI!" in a deeper, manly voice to catch the driver's attention.
• The indie comedy Butch Jamie by writer/director/actor Michelle Ehlen is said to be a lesbian version of Tootsie.

This article is about the TV series. ... Kathryn J. Kathy Whitmire (born 29th October 1946) was Mayor of the city of Houston, Texas from 1982 to 1991. ... Houston redirects here. ... I Love the 80s is a television program that was produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and later for American TV audiences by VH1. ... VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division... Family Guy is an Emmy Award-winning American animated television series about a dysfunctional family in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. ... Stewart Gilligan Stewie Griffin is a fictional character in the animated television series Family Guy. ... Michelle Ehlen is a filmmaker and actress best known for her comedic feature Butch Jamie. ...

See also

• Cross-dressing in film and television

Film poster for Glen or Glenda Cross-dressing in motion pictures began in the early days of the silent films. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Tootsie

• Tootsie at the Internet Movie Database