Arthur (1981) on Netflix
Arthur Bach, a wealthy drunk in New York City, stands to inherit a fortune only if he marries Susan Johnson, a woman he does not love. Then he meets Linda Marolla.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.9/1034,027 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes86%
Trailer
Plot summary
Arthur Bach is in his thirties and spends his days being chauffeured around New York City in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, drinking. His family holds the purse strings: a portion of their vast fortune comes to him only if he marries Susan Johnson, the upper-class daughter of Burt Johnson, a business acquaintance of his father Stanford. Arthur does not love Susan, though the family expects her to make him grow up. At his grandmother Martha's, he is warned again that refusing means being disowned. During a shopping trip with his valet Hobson, Arthur watches a young woman, Linda Marolla, steal a necktie, speaks up for her to the store security guard, and later asks her out. He remains under pressure to go through with the marriage.
Cast
- Marjorie Barnesas Hooker
- Dillon Evansas Plaza Maitre D'
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Arthur (1981)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Al Pacino, Jack Nicholson, John Travolta, Richard Dreyfuss and James Caan were all considered for the role of Arthur before Moore got it, and John Belushi was considered too; Alec Guinness and David Niven were in the running for Hobson.
- Christopher Cross was initially asked to score the film, but the writer-director was not comfortable with his lack of experience composing for film and gave the job to Burt Bacharach; Cross instead wrote "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" with Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen.
- Gordon initially wanted Dudley Moore to perform the role with an American accent, but it proved contentious: Moore had trouble doing so and eventually convinced Gordon to let him use his natural English accent.
- Debra Winger reportedly turned down the role of Linda Marolla, and Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Gilda Radner and Meryl Streep were all considered for the part as well.
- Arthur was the sole film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at the age of 44.
