Depending on the channel... this movie has various endings. I saw this in the theatre and remember the theatrical ending of Ivan being in bed and the kids coming in with a cake and smashing it in his face.
I was ten when I saw that ending and I have not seen it since.
On AMC... there's a totally different ending and when it played on HBO and other Cable movie channels, it's different still.
Anyone notice this?
That's my two cents. Spend them wisely!-London Farrell
The only ending I've seen is the stop action shot after Ivan and the kids pickup the Times review at the newstand. Are you sure you're remembering correctly the ending with Ivan and the kids and the cake? Sometimes memory is faulty or even creative. Tho I will admit I never really liked that stop action shot by the newstand. I would have prefered anything else - like all of them trapsing home up the street away from camera. That stop action shot/cop-out makes me think you may have a point - that there may have an alternate ending.
What say there, Fuzzy Britches? Feel like talking?
summerbrights is thinking correctly. Both the version I saw playing on the movie channel and the videotape of the film I now have end with the kids smashing cake on him (What a wonderfully weird family tradition) in bed.
What other endings have you all seen? I'd be interested in hearing them.
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The only ending I've ever seen is the one with Arthur and the kids reading the Times.
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Interesting. It appears there's a difference in the opening credits, too.
My US VHS copy has the opening credits in white text playing over the NYC skyline backdrop to the set in the playhouse--panning left until the camera reaches that horrible actor choking himself which begins the film. Moreover, this VHS copy ends with the scene people have mentioned with the kids celebrating Ivan's success by pouring champagne and cake on him while he is in bed.
I just picked up the British DVD release (which rocks, BTW. if you have any love for this movie and have the ability to watch foreign discs, pick this up. I NEVER thought I'd see this movie looking so clean and good), and the version they chose for DVD opens with white opening credits text on black screen--pretty traditional--and after this it just fades out and into the stupid choking actor. And this one ends with the freeze frame of Ivan and the kids cheering his review in tmes square.
Damn.....I've never seen a alternative ending, just him and the kids reading the times. But they do mention that they weren't going to read the reviews and wait til tomorrow(which suggests there was a alternative ending). It bugs me that all dvd's do not come equipt with alternative endings, miscellaneous things that might inform us on this kind of stuff. Just because a movie is old and didn't do very good doesn't mean it's marked off for good. More people now do like older movies or I think they do....ugh. Anyways I know that in Fast Times At Ridgemont High , over and over on regular cable they used to show missing scenes in that movie and I was stumped which version I was watching as I saw another version with Fast Times with more added scenes. This does happen quite often.....
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I remember the "cake" ending as well. Geraldo was playing is sax. Ivan makes a comment why aren't you in school wehn one relplies. "we've already been to school"
Much better ending.
I remember the "cake" ending; it was very funny and I don't understand why it was cut. Debbie was reading the play reviews from various newspapers. I believe it was champagne that was poured over his head. The cake was brought into the room and was pushed in his face. I agree, much better ending!
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Just saw this movie (again) on Saturday night on Encore. The ending was the "reading the Times review" one, but in this one, after Geraldo asks for a snake if the play is a hit, instead of Travalian saying "It means Geraldo gets his snake," when the kids ask what the review meant, this kids all just yell, "It's a hit!" and then the frame freezes. Definitely some weird editing going on... thought it might have been a time edit, but it was quarter after and the next movie didn't start for another 15 minutes. Still one of my favorite "guilty pleasure-cheesy 80s movies"!
shareI've often wondered about this as well.
I'd seen the movie many many times (all on cable) back in the 80s and, at that time, it had always included the full ending....Ivan and the kids celebrating on the street upon learning of the NY Times review....fade into a scene back at the apartment that has all the kids carrying a large cake into Ivan's room, singing Happy Birthday to him and then smashing the cake in his face as he wails "OOOOHHHHH," which is immediately followed by the closing title theme "Milk and Cookies."
For the past several years each time I've seen the movie the ending has been edited to a freeze frame of Ivan and the kids celebrating on the street with the closing theme beginning immediately. (Interesting side note...for those of you with keen ears, listen closely and you'll be able to hear the very end of Ivan's "cake scream" as the song begins to play...something you'd never even notice if you'd never seen the original ending and heard the scream.)
One of those strange oddities in film editing where you're never really sure why it's done.
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The first time it ran on HBO, the ending was with the cake in bed. After that, it was mainly everyone reading the Times at the newsstand.
"Why don't you have another beer?"-Scott Stevens
I've seen this movie more than once, and on more than one cable channel.
To the best of my knowledge, the cake scene IS IN the movie, BUT IS NOT THE ENDING.
The ending has always been the freeze frame of Ivan and the kids reading the Times review. The cake scene has to do with Ivan's BIRTHDAY and comes EARLIER in the film.
Interesting if the cake scene was presented as the ending. To me, I doubt it (just my 2 cents)... :-D
Again, the cake scene is earlier in the film, and the "review" scene is the ending.
Andyh74, many years ago when this movie was on HBO the first time, there was a cake scene at the very end. The kids were over Ivan with a cake, he's in bed, and the kids proceed to read more reviews to him. Afterwards, they drop the cake on him, everyone laughs, movie is over. Now it seems up to the movie channels to put that scene in as a buffer between other movies(to take up time). That's what we're saying.
"Why don't you have another beer?"-Scott Stevens
I also remember the cake scene at the end. Also, why are they cutting "It means Geraldo gets his snake". I just finished watching the movie for the second time on a premium movie channel and that line is cut. There is a real bad edit at the end. I hope the dvd has the cake and snake line in it.
shareFatsubul is absolutely right. There was a cake scene at the end on tv many years ago. I had forgotten that they reprised the cake deal at the very end of the movie. It has not been on the cable versions for years. But I also remember that an ending previously had the "It means Geraldo gets his snake." line. I just saw the end again on Encore, and there are now with the freeze frame without the snake line, and it's a shame because that line is great. Its being cut out makes absolutely no sense. The line is so good and takes up so little time that it's really a better ending than the second cake scene.
shareSo if I understand you correctly, the movie fades after the "review" scene, then ends with the "cake" scene, and then the credits? Or is it "review," credits, fade out/in, and then the "cake" scene? Hmmm...
I didn't entirely discount an alternate ending with the "cake" scene--just that whenever I've seen it, it ends with the "review" scene, then credits. Entirely possible to have several versions of a film float around--it's happened before.
I might have to go back and look at it again! :-D
Okay, this is how I remember it many years ago on HBO:
Ivan and the kids leave the restraunt to get the reviews at a newsstand. They read the review, Ivan says that Gerado gets his snake. The kids cheer and fade to the next morning with Ivan in bed. The kids are standing over him, with a cake, and they are reading their own reviews. The cake is dropped on Ivan, the kids jump on the bed, stop fade to credits.
Now, since HBO, Cinemax, etc., are trying to fit in as many movies as they can, they either shorten this movie(end it at the corner newsstand)or include the original ending(cake on bed)to take up more time before the next show.
"Why don't you have another beer?"-Scott Stevens
That is exactly how I remember it. If someone has the recently released dvd maybe they can let us know. Maybe I will move it up to #1 on my Netflix list.
shareThe first time I saw this movie it had the "cake in the bed" ending. Every other time it was them reading the times in the street. When Ivan tells them he's going home at the restaurant, he just tells them that because he's nervous sitting in the restaurant. I think they end it with them reading the times in the street because it's a convenient place to edit for commercials. The "cake ending isn't important to the plot, but I love that scene.
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Yes, originally there were two cake scenes in the film. Two versions exist of this film. I posted information concerning the two versions on both the Alternate Versions section, and the Alternate Version on Region 1 DVD post.
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Just watched this on AMC. No cake ending. :(
I also remember the original ending. It was one of my favorite films as a kid and I know I had it on tape way back when and watched it over and over. I noticed too that there was a weird beginning that someone else brought up. Black screen with white credits and all of a sudden a guy is choking. That would have scared the crap out of me as a kid so I know that's not how it originally began.
At least AMC showed the line about Geraldo getting his snake...
The people you idolize wouldn't like you.
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The first time I saw this movie it had the "cake in the bed" ending. Every other time it was them reading the times in the street. When Ivan tells them he's going home at the restaurant, he just tells them that because he's nervous sitting in the restaurant. I think they end it with them reading the times in the street because it's a convenient place to edit for commercials. The "cake ending isn't important to the plot, but I love that scene.
Yes, the film originally ended with the kids smashing cake all over Pacino in bed. If you listen carefully, you can even hear the sounds of Pacino shouting and laughing with the kids underneath the song that plays over the freezeframe of them reading the Times review.
I've often wondered why they lopped off the final scene and didn't even bother to remix the sound so that you couldn't hear the scene under the song. Sloppy indeed. I guess the picture was so NOT a hit that they didn't figure on wasting any money cleaning it up from the cable T.V. version that has been playing for a long time.
Not a particularly good film, but, I have a strange affection for it anyway. Pacino is kind of weird and wonderful trying to play warm and cozy. At least he only shouts a couple of times, it was all the way back in '82 after all.
Hi, can anybody tell me if the cake scene is available on U.S. (Region 1) DVD? because I have the DVD where the movie ends at the newsstand. I'd like to see the cake scene at the end. Thank you!
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When I was a kid, my mother had the movie on VHS, and the cake in bed ending was there. Since then, I've never seen it on AMC or STARZ or anywhere else. I just ordered the DVD, but I'm sure it won't be there either. Also, the VHS version had Ivan working in his basement and the doorbell rang and there were the girlscouts selling cookies. Every other time I've watched the movie, that scene has been moved to another place in the movie. Why can't they leave well enough alone?
"She flattened a Dear John with a John Deere." - Douglas Wambaugh
Unfortunately, the DVD release does not contain the cake ending. I am not sure why different versions of the film exist on video and DVD.
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BIGANDY21, why do you keep reposting your entry, which describes the alternate ending?
I can understand if you admire the alternate ending, but do you need to keep reposting about it?
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I'm not sure what you mean by "keep reposting". I've been trying to learn about the original ending, and this is the first time I've seen a post about it, so thanks to BIGANDY21. Hopefully nobody will delete it.
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