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Even though this raunchy 1982 comedy wasn't really a flop as such, it's surprisingly obscure - especially considering that it was a launching pad for its director and one of its leading men. Night Shift was directed by Ron Howard and stars his old mate from Happy Days, Henry Winkler, as Chuck - an unhappily engaged, unassertive, New York City morgue assistant, who used to be a Wall Street stockbroker. When he's moved to the night shift he's joined by the hyperactive Bill, played by Michael Keaton in his first starring role. Chuck's neighbour is prostitute Belinda (Shelley Long), whose line of work takes a turn for the worse after her pimp was murdered. One morning Chuck returns to the apartment building after work to find her in the elevator having been beaten by a client. He tells Bill about his concerns for her wellbeing, who suggests that the pair become pimps for Belinda and her friends and use the morgue as their base of operations. Chuck reluctantly agrees and they become "lovebrokers" - rather than pimps. They don't take a huge cut of the women's payments and Chuck uses his financial wizardry to invest a percentage of the income to make even more money for them. However, his old anxiety from his Wall Street days returns as he's certain they're about to be caught, not mention things start to fall apart with his fiance Charlotte (Gina Hecht). Bill though is completely swept up in his new lifestyle and has become cocky and complacent. But with the thugs who work for the not-so-friendly neighbourhood pimps on their tails, there's actually good reason for them to be looking over their shoulder. The film not only provided breakout roles to several of its stars [more on that below], but it was also an early CV entry for a number of future big names. Credited as "Frat Boy #1", Kevin Costner, can be seen at the party in the morgue. And a young Shannen Doherty, later of Beverly Hills, 90210 and Charmed, is one of the Bluebell girl scouts that attack Chuck. The thugs are played by Richard Belzer (Law &amp; Order: Special Victims Unit) and Grand L Bush (Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, and Demolition Man). And if the brothel owner looks familiar, that's because he was played by the late Joe Spinell - who was Rocky's loan-shark boss in the first two movies. The feature track of the film is the Burt Bacharach penned 'That's What Friends Are For', although not the most famous version - that would be the 1985 cover by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder, as "Dionne &amp; Friends". The Night Shift version, performed by Rod Stewart, is the first recording of the song, which was actually written for the movie. It's one of a number of pieces that Bacharach contributed, along with the titular theme - performed by Quarterflash - which plays over the opening credits as a hearse makes its way through the nighttime streets of New York City to the morgue. Bill's favourite song is the Rolling Stones' 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', which he's singing along to on his walkman when the character is introduced and it's the only music that's ever playing in his car. And with the movie being distributed by Warner Bros, the music of WB stalwarts Van Halen makes an appearance, with their cover of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me' playing in the party at the morgue scene. Night Shift was actually a modest success upon its release, earning just over $21 million at the box office. Critically it was received quite well in the most part and it holds a 92 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Keaton - who garnered considerable praise for his performance - was the big winner from the cast, going on to be a star of the decade. While for Long, she also began her time as a small screen fixture as Diane in Cheers, which debuted that same year. Not to forget Winkler, he was was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for 'Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy' for his part. And although he'll never not be known as The Fonz, his turn as Chuck proved there's more to him than his Happy Days character. This wasn't Howard's directorial debut, that would be 1977's Grand Theft Auto for exploitation master Roger Corman's New World Pictures. But it was his first foray into more "mainstream" movies, which hasn't worked out too badly. So what makes Night Shift obscure? Well, despite it being an important launching pad, it occupies no real place in pop culture history. Nobody quotes it, there aren't really any "famous scenes", and despite the success of everyone involved nobody is known as "XYZ of Night Shift fame". And when it comes to references to Howard's early work, it's often glossed over and his next film Splash is usually the one that's cited. This could be down to the risqué subject matter, which admittedly hasn't dated particularly well in parts. And while there mightn't be any real "famous scenes" there is a somewhat "infamous scene" that has been retroactively shamed as "homophobic". Never mind that this film was made in 1982 and is very much a product of its time. And accusing a time capsule from the past of not upholding the standards that we live by today, isn't exactly a meritorious task. OBSCURE MOVIE REVIEWS RATINGS: GUILTY PLEASURE Given its bawdy content, and the tone in which it's delivered, Night Shift has to be considered a 'Guilty Pleasure'. It ain't a "woke" movie, but then it wouldn't be, because that wasn't a thing at the time - as comedian Bill Maher said, "in the 80s being 'woke' meant that you'd taken too much cocaine". It's not the easiest movie to find, YouTube Movies is the best option. But it's readily available when compared to other racy movies of the era that are now considered monstrous, such as the Porky's series which has seemingly been scrubbed from existence. However, don't think that it's all dirty jokes. This film has real heart that's best demonstrated in the warm friendship of the leading trio - which is almost too sweet when teamed with 'That's What Friends Are For'. Yes, Keaton is great and was rightly praised for his performance, because his future star quality is definitely on show. But Winkler and Long are excellent as well. Sadly, the proverbial toe-tag on Night Shift reads 'John Doe', because it remains unknown to so many. Read more Obscure Movie Reviews here:

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