What happens when Henry Winkler’s dapper elegance is paired with Michael Keaton’s insane, scene-stealing energy? You get hilarious gold!
Night Shift (1982), which was also Ron Howard’s first feature film, was the beginning of a cult classic. Winkler and Keaton’s intense chemistry lights up the screen, Shelley Long adds her irresistible charm, and if you look closely, you might even spot a young Kevin Costner in the chaos.
But the real surprise? Shelley Long’s timeless “magic in the kitchen” moment. Are you ready to discover this timeless film’s hidden meanings? Let’s get started!
From funeral home to mayhem
The eccentric comedy classic Night Shift, which debuted in 1982, showcased Ron Howard’s growing directing abilities and exposed audiences to Michael Keaton’s timeless charm.
The film, which is set at a New York City morgue, revolves around the surprising bond between Henry Winkler’s character, Chuck Lumley, a mild-mannered night shift worker, and his new, eccentric, and highly ambitious coworker Bill Blazejowski (played by Michael Keaton).
After they find a unique business opportunity—using the morgue as a location for a fancy escort service—the two find themselves in unexpected and amusing scenarios.
It’s not just the clever humor that makes this movie stand out, but the incredible chemistry between the three characters. The fact that all of their characters are likable makes viewing them more enjoyable.
Callback after callback
One cannot talk about Night Shift without mentioning Michael Keaton.
Michael Keaton is portrayed in Night Shift as being amusing, funny, and undeniably charming in the 1980s, despite the fact that not many people remember him as a wild and crazy child. At the time of the comedy film, which was his breakthrough performance and first major leading part, Keaton was virtually unknown, having only acted in a B-comedy and the CBS comedy series Report to Murphy.
“I don’t know how many times I had to go back in and audition,” he recalls. “Callback after callback was all that occurred.”
In the end, Keaton succeeded in convincing the writers and producers. With his broad Irish face, thinning brown hair, flashing green eyes, and quick-talking demeanor, Keaton was a superb portrayal of Bill “Blaze” Blazejowski. His timing and passion were flawless, but there was one more thing:
“I came along just at the time when the changeover from television to film actors was becoming possible,” Keaton later said of his rise to prominence.
To fully immerse himself in his performance, Michael Keaton would turn up the music and blast Bruce Springsteen, especially “10th Avenue Freeze-Out” from the Born to Run album.
“I purposely went to see it alone on opening day,” he recalls. I wanted to sit in the middle of the theater in the afternoon because it was so great. I’m at a loss for words, to tell the truth.
The man who helped Keaton steal the movie
Ron Howard had hit gold when he selected Keaton for Night Shift.
In one scene after another, Keaton surpassed the more seasoned Henry Winkler, who was already well-known on television for his performance as “The Fonz.” With reviews praising his performance, Keaton’s path to Hollywood opened wide. But Keaton’s success—and his entire cinematic career—might not have started without Henry Winkler’s silent but vital help.
When Henry was given the option between the two segments, he went with the more muted one, Ron Howard revealed in an interview with the Boston Globe.
Then he helped Michael steal the picture. He gave Michael a lot of choices. “I know (you’ll get laughs) if you take this routine one step further,” he would tell Michael.
Henry Winkler deliberately juxtaposed the meek morgue director with his famous, tough-guy character, Fonzie, in Night Shift. He posted on Twitter, “I thought I’d play Richie Cunningham for once.”
Henry Winkler did not like Keaton.
It’s astonishing that Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton never collaborated again after Night Shift, considering their clear chemistry. Their on-screen relationship was balanced, funny, and memorable.
They may not have worked together again because of their early romance during Night Shift’s production. When they first read together, Henry wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to collaborate with Michael. Howard considered for a while before saying, “The guy’s talented, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable working with him.”
Ron Howard told him that this uneasiness was good because it was a reflection of their connection in the film, which demonstrated Chuck’s uneasiness with Bill. Their on-screen relationship had a genuine, uneven feel because of their early conflict, which later passed.
Famous individuals who came close to landing the iconic role
Rumor has it that Kurt Russell and Mickey Rourke tried out for the role of Bill Blazejowski. Moreover, Ron Howard claims that Michael Keaton wasn’t the first choice. They had also tried to cast John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, and Bill Murray by contacting John Candy. However, none of them showed any interest, either because they believed the role was too small or because they didn’t want to pursue it.
After viewing Michael’s work, one of the authors, Lowell Ganz, informed me that Ron Howard said, “Keaton is going to be a star for somebody, and he might as well be a star for us.”
An improvised scene
Because of his natural comic genius, which brings spontaneous, humorous situations to life, you can’t help but believe that Michael Keaton was inventing things up as he went along in Night Shift. One of the best spontaneous sequences is when a blind man asks Winkler and Keaton for spare change. How does Keaton respond? He gives the man a check. The first Keaton!
Did you see Ron Howard in the movie?
At the box office, Ron Howard’s first film as director brought in a solid $21,095,638. The former child actor was forced to appear himself, nevertheless. Ron and his wife, Cheryl, can be seen sharing a kiss in front of Chuck’s (Henry Winkler) apartment building if you look closely.
In the subway scene, Ron Howard personally plays the annoying saxophone. It would be impossible for a Ron Howard picture to be complete without the inclusion of his brother Clint Howard, who plays the film’s quirky character Jeffrey.
Kevin Costner makes an appearance
Night Shift has a number of well-known characters in some very early roles!
Kevin Costner briefly appears as a frat boy at the morgue party. He doesn’t talk, but you can see him lingering around as Michael Keaton performs. He’s wearing a checkered shirt, a collegiate cardigan knotted around his waist, and a bottle on his head.
Next is Shannen Doherty, who makes her feature film debut in an elevator scene as a “Blue Bell” (a character akin to a Girl Scout). Surprisingly, these fleeting cameos by future stars add a little additional fun to this quirky classic.
The beginning of a well-known song
Did you know that Night Shift was the first band to perform the well-known song “That’s What Friends Are For”? It was first sung by Rod Stewart for the 1982 soundtrack, but it became a global hit when Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder collaborated on it in 1986. In addition, their version soared to the top of the Billboard charts and raised almost $3 million for AIDS research.
In addition to classic tunes like Van Halen’s “You Really Got Me” and the Rolling Stones’ live performance of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” the film opens with the charming Night Shift theme by Quarterflash.
Shelley Long did not want to play a prostitute.
For those who haven’t seen or heard of Night Shift, Shelley Long plays Belinda, a tough yet kind sex prostitute who lives next door to Chuck, played by Henry Winkler. After her pimp is killed, Belinda meets Chuck and Bill (Michael Keaton), who offer to help her by operating her business in a completely insane way.
Ron Howard had come to admire Shelley Long after her performance in Caveman (1981). However, when he needed her for Night Shift (1982), she was in California working on another movie. Despite this, Howard convinced her to take a quick two-day trip to Hollywood.
During that time, the endearing actress tested out for the role of the female lead, Belinda, and was asked to return the following day to see Henry Winkler. Long was reluctant to play a prostitute at first, but after some investigation, she finally accepted the role.
She impressed us right away when she showed up at our house looking like a hooker and read to Henry. Ron said their moments were already being arranged on the videotape.
“The healthiest and happiest hooker”
In the early 1980s, comedies featuring prostitutes were surprisingly popular. Around the same time as Night Shift, Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton starred in the Broadway musical-based movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The following summer, Tom Cruise gained notoriety for turning his parents’ house into a brothel in the movie Risky Business.
Belinda, a prostitute who wins Chuck over, is portrayed by Shelley Long as “the happiest, most wholesome hooker you’ll ever see on screen,” according to critics. Some even made the jest that she might be a Girl Scout troop leader.
The famous scene involving the egg
The scene in Night Shift where Shelley Long’s character Belinda makes Chuck breakfast is one of the show’s many humorous moments. When Chuck first sees Belinda cooking in her underwear, Henry Winkler’s reaction is anything but Fonz-like. This is a wonderful moment!
When Belinda asks Chuck what kind of egg he wants, he replies that he wants scrambled eggs. When she starts cooking, it’s clear that she’s making fried eggs.
But when the eggs are done, she somehow spills scrambled eggs onto their plates! When Chuck talks to her, she obviously switches things up, but frankly, with Shelley Long’s charisma, who is interested in the eggs?
Shannen Doherty’s personality
This is another mistake from the film that someone who values details would have missed: Although Shannen Doherty is billed as a “Bluebird,” Chuck refers to her role as a “Bluebell.”
Flowers must have been mistaken for birds by him.
“A portion of my anatomy appeals to him.”
Being seen in her underwear didn’t exactly delight Shelley Long, but her character Belinda didn’t mind. “When the cameras weren’t rolling, it was hard for me,” she remarked.
In joking, she also asked her husband what he thought of her going about her Night Shift wearing only her underwear. “He didn’t mind me running around in my skivvies—that’s a part of my anatomy he likes,” she said, laughing.
The error in the subway
While many of the scenes in Night Shift were filmed in New York, the morgue was really erected on a purpose constructed set in Hollywood, California.
Many of the sequences, including the one where Chuck, Bill, and Belinda run away at the end and the one where Bill finds prospective clients outside movie theaters, were shot at Times Square in Manhattan.
However, a little mistake did occur during the Big Apple scenes.
Chuck stays on the subway in one moment as Bill says, “This is my stop,” and gets off. The train next to Bill, however, is the Times Square – Grand Central shuttle, which doesn’t stop in between, if you look closely.
This movie would not have been conceivable with a different cast. Henry Winkler, Shelley Long, and Michael Keaton share a mystical relationship that makes heart, humor, and special moments come to life.Not only is Night Shift a comedy, but it also depicts the story of unlikely friendships, personal growth, and finding connections in the most unlikely places.
What is your favorite scene from this classic from the 1980s? Share this post with your friends to take a nostalgic trip back to one of the most hilarious films of its time!
