Night Shift *** (1982, Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long) – Classic Movie Review 7107

Director Ron Howard’s frantic 1982 comedy Night Shift stars Henry Winkler as Chuck Lumley, who takes a job as an attendant in a macabre morgue and gets mixed up with crazy, obnoxious partner Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton), hooker neighbour Belinda Keaton (Shelley Long) and a group of lively lowlifes.

Night Shift is a weird, crazily plotted but good-natured black comedy, niftily written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, taken at a hectic pace by director Howard, and acted with great verve by the appealing cast. Winkler successfully breaks out from his image as The Fonz on TV’s Happy Days and Keaton excels in his bright film star début (after a tiny role in 1978’s Rabbit Test).

Director Howard, here making his second movie (after Grand Theft Auto), was Winkler’s co-star on Happy Days. Howard went on to win the Oscar as Best Director for A Beautiful Mind (2001).

Also in the cast are Gina Hecht, Pat Corley, Bobby Di Cicco, Nita Talbot, Richard Belzer, Charles Fleischer, Basil Hoffman, Tim Rossovich, Clint Howard, Joe Spinell, Kevin Costner and Shannen Doherty.

Night Shift is directed by Ron Howard, runs 105 minutes, is made by The Ladd Company and Major Studio Partners, released by Warner Bros, is written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, is shot by James Crabe, is produced by Brian Glazer and is scored by Burt Bacharach.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7107

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