Trading Places is a Christmas movie that came out in theaters on July 8, 1983, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy.
Synopsis[]
Brothers Randolph and Mortimer Duke own a commodities brokerage firm, Duke & Duke Commodity Brokers, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Holding opposing views on the issue of nature versus nurture, they make a wager and agree to conduct an experiment—switching the lives of two people on opposite sides of the social hierarchy and observing the results. They witness an encounter between their managing director—the well-mannered and educated Louis Winthorpe III, engaged to the Dukes' grandniece Penelope—and a poor street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine; Valentine is arrested at Winthorpe's insistence because of a suspected robbery attempt. The Dukes decide to use the two men for their experiment.
Winthorpe is framed as a thief, drug dealer and philanderer by Clarence Beeks, a man on the Dukes’ payroll. Winthorpe is fired from Duke & Duke, his bank accounts are frozen, he is denied entry to his Duke-owned home, and he is vilified by Penelope and his friends. He befriends Ophelia, a prostitute who helps him in exchange for a financial reward once he is exonerated. The Dukes post bail for Valentine, install him in Winthorpe's former job, and grant him use of Winthorpe's home. Valentine becomes well versed in the business, using his street smarts to achieve success, and begins to act in a well-mannered way.
During the firm's Christmas party, Winthorpe plants drugs in Valentine's desk, attempting to frame him, and brandishes a gun to escape. Later, the Dukes discuss their experiment and settle their wager for $1. They plot to return Valentine to the streets, but have no intention of taking back Winthorpe. Valentine overhears the conversation and seeks out Winthorpe, who has attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. Valentine, Ophelia, and Winthorpe's butler, Coleman, nurse him back to health and inform him of the experiment. Watching a television news broadcast, they learn that Beeks is transporting a secret United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) report on orange crop forecasts. Winthorpe and Valentine recall large payments made to Beeks by the Dukes. They realize the Dukes will obtain the report early to corner the market on frozen concentrated orange juice.
On New Year's Eve, the four board Beeks' train, intending to switch the original report with a forgery that predicts low orange crop yields. Beeks uncovers their scheme, and attempts to kill them, but is knocked unconscious by a gorilla being transported on the train. The four disguise Beeks with a gorilla costume and cage him with the real gorilla. The group deliver the forged report to the Dukes in Beeks' place. After sharing a kiss with Ophelia, Winthorpe travels to New York City with Valentine, carrying with them Coleman's and Ophelia's life savings to carry out their plan.
On the commodities trading floor, the Dukes commit their holdings to buying frozen concentrated orange juice futures contracts—a legal agreement to buy something at a future date. Other traders follow their lead, inflating the price. Valentine and Winthorpe short sell their frozen concentrated orange juice futures contracts at the inflated price. Following the broadcast of the actual crop report and its prediction of a normal harvest, the price of orange juice futures plummets. Valentine and Winthorpe buy futures at the lower price from everyone except the Dukes, to fulfill the contracts they sold short earlier, turning an immense profit. After the closing bell, Valentine and Winthorpe explain to the Dukes that they made a wager on whether they could get rich and make the Dukes poor at the same time, and Valentine collects $1 from Winthorpe. The exchange manager and his assistants approach the Dukes to settle their margin call. When the Dukes make it clear they do not have the $394 million due, the manager orders the Dukes' exchange seats sold, and their corporate and personal assets confiscated, effectively bankrupting them. Randolph collapses holding his chest and Mortimer shouts at the others, demanding the floor be reopened in a futile plea to recoup their losses. The now wealthy Valentine, Winthorpe, Ophelia, and Coleman vacation on a tropical beach, while Beeks and the gorilla are loaded onto a ship bound for Africa.
Songs[]
- Mozart's Marriage of Figaro: "Overture"
- Mozart's "Andante Cantabile" from K-465 - Murray Adler, Harris Goldman, David Schwartz and Armand Kaproff
- "Out of the Sheets-Into the Streets" - Dave Williams
- "Do Ya Wanna Funk?" - Sylvester
- "Oralee Cookies" - "The Hot Toddies"
- "The Louis Winthorpe III Blues" - Mike Lang, Chuck Domanico, George Doering and Ron Lee
- "Jingle Bell Rock" - Brenda Lee
- "The Big Waltz"
- "The Loco-Motion" - Little Eva
- "Get a Job" - The Silhouettes
Cast[]
| Actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Denholm Elliott | Coleman |
| Dan Aykroyd | Louis Winthorpe III |
| Maurice Woods Richard D. Fisher Jr. Jim Gallagher Anthony DiSabatino Bonnie Behrend Sunnie Merrill Jim Newell Mary St. John Bonnie Tremena David Schwartz |
Duke & Duke Employees |
| Ralph Bellamy | Randolph Duke |
| Don Ameche | Mortimer Duke |
| Tom Degidon William Magerman Alan Dellay Florence Anglin Ray D'Amore Bobra Suiter Herb Peterson Sue Dugan Walt Gorney B. Constance Barry |
Duke Domestics |
| P. Jay Sidney | Heritage Club Doorman |
| Eddie Murphy | Billy Ray Valentine |
| Avon Long | Ezra |
| Tom Mardirosian | Officer Pantuzzi |
| Charles Brown | Officer Reynolds |
| Robert Curtis Brown | Todd |
| Nicholas Guest | Harry |
| John Bedford Lloyd | Andrew |
| Tony Sherer | Philip |
| Robert Earl Jones | Attendant |
| Robert E. Lee Peter Hock Eddie Jones John McCurry |
Cops |
| Kristin Holby | Penelope Witherspoon |
| Clint Smith | Doo Rag Lenny |
| Ron Taylor | Big Black Guy |
| James D. Turner | Even Bigger Black Guy |
| Giancarlo Esposito Steve Hofvendahl |
Cellmates |
| James Eckhouse | Guard |
| Paul Gleason | Clarence Beeks |
| Gwyllum Evans | President of Heritage Club |
| Frank Oz | Corrupt Cop |
| Michele Mais Barra Kahn |
Hookers |
| Bill Cobbs | Bartender |
| Joshua Daniel | Party Goer |
| Jamie Lee Curtis | Ophelia |
| Jacques Sandulescu | Creepy Man |
| W.B. Brydon | Bank Manager |
| Margaret H. Flynn | Duke & Duke Receptionist |
| Kelly Curtis | Muffy |
| Tracy K. Shaffer | Constance |
| Susan Fallender | Bunny |
| Bo Diddley | Pawnbroker |
| Alfred Drake | President of Exchange |
| Lucianne Buchanan | President's Mistress |
| Paul Garcia Jed Gillin |
Jr. Executives |
| Jimmy Raitt | Ophelia's Client |
| Kate Taylor | Duke's Secretary |
| Philip Bosco | Doctor |
| Bill Boggs | Newscaster |
| James Belushi | Harvey |
| Deborah Reagan | Harvey's Girlfriend |
| Al Franken Tom Davis |
Baggage Handlers |
| Don McLeod | Gorilla |
| Stephen Stucker | Stationmaster |
| Richard Hunt | Wilson |
| Paul Austin John Randolph Jones Jack Davidson Bernie McInerney |
Traders |
| Maurice D. Copeland | Secretary of Agriculture |
| Ralph Clanton Bryan Clark |
Officials |
| Gary Klar Afemo Omilami |
Longshoremen |
| Shelly Chee Chee Hall | Monica |
| Donna Palmer | Gladys |
| Barry Dennen | Demitri |
External links[]
- Trading Places at the Internet Movie Database
- Trading Places at the Movie Database
- Trading Places at Rotten Tomatoes
content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
|