document_title: How to Train Your Dragon 2

question_text: who dies in how to train your dragon 2

question_tokens: who dies in how to train your dragon 2

root

text: How to Train Your Dragon 2

text: Plot[edit]

text: Five years after the Viking village of Berk and the dragons made peace, they now live together in harmony. Hiccup goes on adventures with his dragon, Toothless, as they discover and map unexplored lands. Now 20 years old, he is being pressed by his father, Stoick the Vast, to succeed him as chieftain, although Hiccup remains unsure if he is ready for this responsibility.

tag: p

text: While investigating a burnt forest, Hiccup and Astrid discover the remains of a fort encased in ice and meet a group of dragon trappers led by Eret, who blames them for his fort's destruction and attempts to capture their dragons for an insane conqueror named Drago Bludvist. The two dragon riders escape and return to Berk to warn Stoick about the dragon army that Drago is amassing. Stoick orders the villagers to fortify the island and prepare for battle. Hiccup, however, refuses to believe that war is inevitable. After Stoick interrupts Hiccup's plan to get Eret to take him to Drago, Stoick explains that he once met Drago at a gathering of chiefs, where Drago, mocked after offering the chiefs his service in return for their servitude, murdered them all using armored dragons, with Stoick as the only survivor. Undeterred, Hiccup flies off with Toothless in search of Drago to try to reason with him.

text: They run into a dragon rider named Valka, who is revealed to be Hiccup's long-lost mother. She explains that she, like her son, could not bring herself to kill dragons. After being carried off during a dragon raid, she spent 20 years rescuing dragons from Drago's traps and bringing them to an island nest created out of ice by a gigantic Alpha dragon called a "Bewilderbeast", which is able to control smaller dragons. Stoick tracks Hiccup to the nest, where he discovers that his wife is still alive. Meanwhile, Astrid and the other riders kidnap Eret to find Drago, but Drago captures them and learns of Berk's dragons.

text: Drago and his armada lay siege to the nest, where he reveals that he has his own Bewilderbeast to challenge the Alpha. A battle ensues between the two colossal dragons, which ends with Drago's Bewilderbeast killing its opponent and becoming the new Alpha. Drago's Bewilderbeast then seizes control of all the adult dragons, which hypnotically obey. Hiccup tries to persuade Drago to end the violence, but Drago orders him killed. Toothless, under the Bewilderbeast's influence, approaches Hiccup and launches a blast, but Stoick pushes Hiccup out of the way and is hit instead, dying as a result. The Bewilderbeast momentarily relinquishes control of Toothless, but Hiccup drives him away in a fit of despair. Drago maroons Hiccup and the others on the island and rides Toothless, again under the control of the Bewilderbeast, to lead his army to conquer Berk. Stoick is given a Viking funeral and Hiccup, now having lost both his father and dragon, is unsure what to do. Valka encourages him by telling him that he alone can unite humans and dragons, and inspired by her words and his father's, Hiccup decides to return to Berk to stop Drago.

text: The dragon riders fly baby dragons back to Berk, as they are immune to the Bewilderbeast's control. They find that Drago has already attacked the village and taken control of its dragons. Hiccup confronts Drago and a brainwashed Toothless while the other riders work to distract the Bewilderbeast. Hiccup succeeds in freeing Toothless from the Bewilderbeast's control, much to Drago's surprise. Hiccup and Toothless briefly separate Drago from the Bewilderbeast and confront Drago on the ground, but the Bewilderbeast attacks them, encasing them in ice. However, Toothless blasts away the ice, revealing that both Hiccup and he are unharmed. He then challenges the Bewilderbeast, shooting it in the face repeatedly, which breaks its control over the other dragons, who side with Toothless as the new Alpha dragon. All the dragons repeatedly fire at the Bewilderbeast until Toothless fires a final massive blast, breaking its left tusk. Defeated, the Bewilderbeast retreats under the sea with Drago on its back. The Vikings and dragons celebrate their victory and Hiccup is made chieftain of Berk.

text: Afterwards, Berk undergoes repairs while feeling secure knowing that its dragons can defend it.

text: Voice cast[edit]

text:
Jay Baruchel as Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, the son of the Viking chief Stoick the Vast and Valka. His best friend and dragon is Toothless, a Night Fury.
Cate Blanchett as Valka, Stoick's wife and Hiccup's long-lost mother.[5] She rides the dragon Cloudjumper, a Stormcutter, who carried her off during an earlier dragon attack on Berk.
Gerard Butler as Stoick the Vast, the chieftain of the Viking tribe of Berk, Hiccup's father, and Valka's husband. He rides the dragon Skullcrusher, a Rumblehorn.
Craig Ferguson as Gobber the Belch, Stoick's closest friend and a seasoned warrior. He rides the dragon Grump, a Hotburple.
America Ferrera as Astrid Hofferson, Hiccup's girlfriend.[6] She rides the dragon Stormfly, a Deadly Nadder.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Fishlegs Justin Ingerman, rider of dragon Meatlug, a Gronckle.
Jonah Hill as Snotlout Jorgenson, rider of dragon Hookfang, a Monstrous Nightmare.
T. J. Miller and Kristen Wiig as Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston, fraternal twins, share a two-headed Hideous Zippleback named Barf and Belch.
Djimon Hounsou as Drago Bludvist, a ruthless warlord and dragon hunter who seeks to take over the world with a dragon army.[7] He has a prosthetic left arm, since he lost his real arm during an earlier encounter with dragons, and wears a dragon-hide cape immune to dragon-fire attacks.
Kit Harington as Eret, Son of Eret, a dragon trapper who sells captured dragons to Drago.[8][9] He sports a scar on his chest given to him by Drago following the last time he showed up with no dragons.

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: After the success of the first film, the sequel was announced on April 27, 2010.[10][11] "How to Train Your Dragon ... has become DreamWorks Animation's next franchise. We plan to release the sequel theatrically in 2013," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation's CEO.[11] It was later revealed that DeBlois had started drafting the outline for a sequel in February 2010 at Skywalker Ranch, during the final sound mix of the first film.[12]:10 The film was originally scheduled for release on June 20, 2014,[13] but in August 2013 the release date was moved forward one week to June 13, 2014.[14]

text: The film was written, directed, and executive produced by Dean DeBlois, the co-writer/co-director of the first film.[13] Bonnie Arnold, the producer of the first film, also returned, while Chris Sanders, who co-directed and co-wrote the first film, acted only as an additional executive producer this time due to his involvement with The Croods.[15] When offered the sequel, DeBlois accepted it on condition he can turn it into a trilogy. For the sequel, he intended to revisit the films of his youth, with The Empire Strikes Back and My Neighbor Totoro[16] having the pivotal inspirations for the film.[17] "What I loved especially about Empire is that it expanded Star Wars in every direction: emotionally, its scope, characters, fun. It felt like an embellishment and that's the goal."[18]

text: The entire original voice cast – Baruchel, Butler, Ferguson, Ferrera, Hill, Mintz-Plasse, Miller, and Wiig – returned for the sequel.[19] On June 19, 2012, it was announced that Kit Harington, of Game of Thrones fame, was cast as one of the film's antagonists.[9] At the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International, it was announced that Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou had joined the cast; they lent their voices to Valka and Drago Bludvist, respectively.[20]

text: While the first film was set in a generic North Sea environment, the creative team decided to focus on Norway this time around. Early in the sequel's development, about a dozen of them traveled there for a week-long research trip, where they toured Oslo, Bergen, and the fjords.[12]:12–13 DeBlois, together with Gregg Taylor (DreamWorks' head of feature development) and Roger Deakins (a cinematographer who served as visual consultant), then broke off from the group to visit Svalbard and see polar bears in the wild with the assistance of armed guides.[12]:12–16

text: DeBlois explained that he had learned from directing Lilo and Stitch (2002) that "if you set an animated film in a place you want to visit, there's a chance you might get to go there."[12]:14 He had wanted to visit Svalbard for some time, after learning of its stark beauty from a couple of backpackers he met during earlier visits to Iceland to work with post-rock band Sigur Rós on the 2007 documentary film Heima.[12]:14

text: Animation[edit]

text: Over the five years before the film's release,[22] DreamWorks Animation had substantially over-hauled its production workflow and animation software. How to Train Your Dragon 2 was the first DreamWorks Animation film that used "scalable multicore processing", developed together with Hewlett-Packard. Called by Katzenberg as "the next revolution in filmmaking", it enabled artists for the first time to work on rich, complex images in real time, instead of waiting eight hours to see the results the next day.[23] The film was also the studio's first film to use its new animation and lighting software through the entire production. Programs named Premo[24] and Torch allowed much more subtlety, improving facial animation and enabling "the sense of fat, jiggle, loose skin, the sensation of skin moving over muscle instead of masses moving together."[25]

text: By the time production was complete, over 500 people had worked on the film at DreamWorks Animation's headquarters in Glendale, as well as its branch offices at PDI/DreamWorks in Redwood City and DreamWorks India in Bangalore.[12]:158–159

text: Release[edit]

text: The film was screened out of competition on May 16, 2014 at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[27] In the United States, the film premiered on June 8, 2014, at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, and was theatrically released on June 13, 2014.[28] The film was also digitally remastered into IMAX 3D and released to international theaters on June 13, 2014.[29]

text: Home media[edit]

text: How to Train Your Dragon 2 was released digitally on October 21, 2014, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2014.[30] The Blu-ray combo pack and digital release is accompanied by a new animated short film Dawn of the Dragon Racers, in which Hiccup and friends compete to become the first Dragon Racing Champion of Berk.[30] A double DVD pack with the film and Dawn of the Dragon Racers was released exclusively at Walmart stores.[31] As of February 2015, 7.5 million home entertainment units have been sold worldwide.[32]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a "certified fresh" score of 92% based on reviews from 165 critics; the site's consensus states: "Exciting, emotionally resonant, and beautifully animated, How to Train Your Dragon 2 builds on its predecessor's successes just the way a sequel should."[33] Metacritic gave the film a score of 76/100 based on reviews from 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore during the opening weekend gave the film a grade A.[35] Audiences were a mix of 47% female and 53% male. Children and Young Adults responded most strongly, with those aged under 25 giving a grade A+.[36][37]

text: At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, Peter Debruge of Variety praised the film and its ambitions: "The pressures to make a giant four-quadrant monstrosity must be enormous, and yet, like his unflappable hero Hiccup, How to Train Your Dragon 2 writer-director Dean DeBlois has prevailed, serving up DreamWorks Animation's strongest sequel yet — one that breathes fresh fire into the franchise, instead of merely rehashing the original. Braver than Brave, more fun than Frozen, and more emotionally satisfying than so many of its live-action counterparts, Dragon delivers. And good thing, too, since DWA desperately needs another toon to cross the half-billion-dollar threshold."[38] Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News gave the film three out of five stars, saying 'It's the unflinching edge that gives the film its unexpected depth'."[39] Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three out of four stars, saying "How to Train Your Dragon 2 doesn't play it safe, and that's why it's the rare sequel that doesn't feel somewhat stale."[40] Lou Lumenick of The New York Post gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Dragon 2 really soars when our hero is aloft, imparting some important lessons about family, ecology and war for young audiences. It should also do very healthy business for hit-starved DreamWorks Animation."[41] Joe McGovern of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying "The flight path needs straightening, but this is still a franchise that knows how to fly."[42] Jody Mitori of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film three out of four stars, saying "For audiences who want a sweet story, they can't beat the first film of a boy finding his best friend. For those who are ready for the next stage, try this one about a boy becoming a man."[43]

text: Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film four out of five stars, saying "It seemed as if there was nowhere new to go after the first film, but this is a richer story that dares to go darker and is thus more rewarding."[44] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Dragon 2, like The Empire Strikes Back, takes sequels to a new level of imagination and innovation. It truly is a high-flying, depth-charging wonder to behold."[45] Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars, saying "DeBlois, who also wrote the script, successfully juggles the multiple story lines, shifting allegiances and uncharted lands."[46] Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Gruesome? A little. Scary? You bet. But that's exactly what makes the "Dragon" films so different, and so much better, than the average children's fare."[47] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "For once, we have an animated sequel free of the committee-job vibe so common at every animation house, no matter the track record."[48] Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film a negative review, saying "The story seems to be going somewhere until it comes to a halt with the inevitable showdown between the forces of darkness and the forces of light."[49] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Taking its cues as much from Star Wars and Game of Thrones as from its own storybook narrative, How to Train Your Dragon 2 breathes fire into a franchise sequel."[50]

text: Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Nearly as exuberant as the original, How to Train Your Dragon 2 nimbly avoids sequel-itis."[51] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film four out of four stars, saying "The impressive part is the storytelling confidence of writer/director Dean DeBlois. He has created a thoughtful tale as meaningful for grown-ups as it is pleasurable for its young primary audience."[52] Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "This may be the first and last time anyone says this, but if How to Train Your Dragon 2 is this good, why stop at 3 and 4?"[53] Moira MacDonald of The Seattle Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Young and old fans of the first movie will be lining up for the wit, for the inventiveness of the characters, for the breathtaking visuals — and just the sheer fun of it all."[54] Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "One of this year's true surprises, the superior animated sequel not only is infused with the same independent spirit and off-kilter aesthetic that enriched the original, it also deepens the first film's major themes."[55] Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "This was not a sequel that anybody needed, outside of the accountants. And there's another already planned."[56] John Semley of The Globe and Mail gave the film four out of four stars, saying "More than just teaching kids what to think about the world they're coming into, it's a rare film that encourages them to think for themselves."[57]

text: Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "How to Train Your Dragon 2 is its own standalone picture, with a surprising range of emotions that surpasses the original and a brisk pace and manner of storytelling that give it purpose and direction. The fact that it's also so much fun, no matter what your age, almost feels like a bonus."[58] Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars, saying "Not only does this second movie match the charm, wit, animation skill and intelligent storytelling of the original, I think it even exceeds it."[59] Lisa Kennedy of The Denver Post gave the film a positive review, saying "How to Train Your Dragon 2 is soaring, emotionally swooping, utterly satisfying fun."[60] Bob Mondello of NPR gave the film an 8.5 out of 10, saying "It's clear that [director Dean DeBlois] took inspiration from the first Star Wars trilogy — not a bad model for breathing new life, and yes, a bit of fire, into one of Hollywood's more nuanced animated franchises."[61] Inkoo Kang of The Wrap gave the film a mixed review, saying "If there isn't enough to feel, at least there's a lot to look at. Thanks to the superb 3-D direction by DeBlois, we swoop through the air, whoosh down dragons' tails, and juuust baaaarely [sic] squeeze into small crevices, but still, those experiences are only like being on a really great rollercoaster — they don't mean anything."[62] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a B-, saying "There aren't just more dragons, but more characters, more plot, more everything. The trade-off is that the charm of the original gets a little lost, a casualty of rapid-franchise expansion."[63]

text: Box office[edit]

text: How to Train Your Dragon 2 grossed $177 million in North America, and $441.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $618.9 million.[3] The film is the second highest-grossing animated film of 2014, behind Big Hero 6, and the twelfth highest-grossing film of the year in any genre.[3][64][65] While How to Train Your Dragon 2 only earned $177 million at the US box office, compared to $217 million for its predecessor,[66] it performed much better at the international box office, earning $438 million to How to Train Your Dragon's $277 million. Calculating in all expenses, Deadline.com estimated that the film made a profit of $107.3 million.[67]

text: In the United States and Canada, the film earned $18.5 million on its opening day,[68] and opened at number two in its first weekend, with $49,451,322.[69] In its second weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing an additional $24,719,312.[70] In its third weekend, the film stayed at number three, grossing $13,237,697.[71] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $8,961,088.[72]

text: Its $25.9 million opening weekend in China was the biggest ever for an animated film in the country, surpassing the record previously held by Kung Fu Panda 2.[73]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award / Film Festival
Category
Recipient(s)
Result

Annie Awards[74]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Won

Animated Effects in an Animated Production
James Jackson, Lucas Janin, Tobin Jones, Baptiste Van Opstal, Jason Mayer
Nominated

Character Animation in a Feature Production
Fabio Lignini
Won

Steven "Shaggy" Hornby
Nominated

Thomas Grummt
Nominated

Directing in a Feature Production
Dean DeBlois
Won

Music in a Feature Production
John Powell, Jónsi
Won

Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Truong "Tron" Son Mai
Won

Writing in a Feature Production
Dean DeBlois
Nominated

Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
John K. Carr
Won

Academy Awards[75]
Best Animated Feature
Dean DeBlois and Bonnie Arnold
Nominated

British Academy Children's Awards[76]
Kid's Vote - Film in 2014
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Children's Feature Film in 2014
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Critics' Choice Movie Award[77]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Golden Globe Awards[78]
Best Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Won

Hollywood Film Awards[79]
Best Hollywood Animation Award
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Won

National Board of Review[80]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Won

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards[81]
Favorite Animated Movie
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Online Film Critics Society[82]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

People's Choice Awards[83]
Favorite Family Movie
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Phoenix Film Critics Society[84]
Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Producers Guild of America
Best Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Bonnie Arnold
Nominated

San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award[85]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Satellite Awards[86]
Best Motion Picture Animated or Mixed Media
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association[87]
Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Saturn Awards[88]
Saturn Award for Best Animated Film
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Nominated

Saturn Award for Best Music
John Powell
Nominated

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
How to Train Your Dragon 2

Soundtrack album by John Powell

Released
June 17, 2014

Recorded
2014

Genre
Film score

Length
60:07

Label
Relativity Music Group

John Powell film scores chronology

Rio 2
(2014)Rio 22014
How to Train Your Dragon 2
(2014)

text: Composer John Powell, who earned his first Academy Award nomination for his music in the original movie, returned to score the sequel. Powell described the project "a maturation story" and stated that he too tried to achieve the same maturation in the structure of his music by developing further every aspect of his compositions from the original film.[89]

text: Recording took place during April 2014 at Abbey Road Studios in London[90] with a 120 piece orchestra, a 100-voice choir,[91] and a wide array of ethnic instruments, including celtic harp, uilleann bagpipes, tin whistle, bodhrán, and Highland bagpipes; the latter of which were performed by pipers from the Scottish group The Red Hot Chilli Pipers.[20] The ensemble was conducted by the composer's usual collaborator Gavin Greenaway.[91]

text: Sigur Rós lead vocalist, Jónsi, who wrote and performed the song "Sticks & Stones" for the original movie, provided two new original songs for the sequel in collaboration with Powell.[20] Belarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak, who voices Hiccup in Norwegian, also wrote and performed the song "Into a Fantasy". The latter song is featured only in the European versions of the film.[92]

text: A soundtrack album for the film was released on June 17, 2014, by Relativity Music Group.[93][94] The album features over an hour of score by Powell, as well as the two original songs written by Powell and Jónsi. Rybak's song, "Into a Fantasy", was released separately as a single.

text:
Track listing

No.
Title
Length

1.
"Dragon Racing"
4:34

2.
"Together We Map the World"
2:19

3.
"Hiccup the Chief/Drago's Coming"
4:44

4.
"Toothless Lost"
3:28

5.
"Should I Know You?"
1:56

6.
"Valka's Dragon Sanctuary"
3:19

7.
"Losing Mom/Meet the Good Alpha"
3:24

8.
"Meet Drago"
4:26

9.
"Stoick Finds Beauty"
2:33

10.
"Flying with Mother"
2:49

11.
"For the Dancing and the Dreaming" (performed by Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson & Mary Jane Wells)
3:06

12.
"Battle of the Bewilderbeast"
6:26

13.
"Hiccup Confronts Drago"
4:06

14.
"Stoick Saves Hiccup"
2:23

15.
"Stoick's Ship"
3:48

16.
"Alpha Comes to Berk"
2:20

17.
"Toothless Found"
3:46

18.
"Two New Alphas"
6:06

19.
"Where No One Goes" (performed by Jónsi)
2:44

text:
European/Slavic bonus track

No.
Title
Length

20.
"Into A Fantasy" (performed by Alexander Rybak)
3:32

text: Video game[edit]

text: A video game based on the film, titled How to Train Your Dragon 2, was released in June 2014 by Little Orbit.[95] Developed by Torus Games, the game is available for Xbox 360, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, Wii U and PlayStation 3.[95] It allows players to choose various riders and dragons, and enter a dragon flight school, participating in trainings, challenges and tournaments.[95]

text: Sequel[edit]

text: The third and final film, titled How to Train Your Dragon 3,[96] was originally scheduled for release on June 17, 2016,[97] but in September 2014, DreamWorks Animation moved the release date to June 9, 2017.[98][99] In January 2015, in the wake of the closure of Pacific Data Images and massive lay-offs, the release date was initially pushed back to June 29, 2018, but subsequently was brought forward to May 18, 2018.[100][101] On December 5, 2016, the release date was pushed back again to March 1, 2019.[102] Dean DeBlois, the co-screenwriter/co-director of the first and writer-director of the second film, will return, along with producer Bonnie Arnold and all the main cast,[103] while composer John Powell, who scored the first two films, will also be returning.[104] Cate Blanchett and Djimon Hounsou will also reprise their roles as Valka and Drago, respectively, from the second film.[105][106]


document_title: Kind Hearts and Coronets

question_text: who played sibella in kind hearts and coronets

text: Kind Hearts and Coronets

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Edwardian England, Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini, 10th Duke of Chalfont, is in prison, awaiting his hanging for murder the following morning. As he writes his memoirs, the events of his life are shown in flashback.

text: His mother, the youngest daughter of the 7th Duke of Chalfont, eloped with an Italian opera singer named Mazzini and was disowned by her family for marrying beneath her station. The Mazzinis were poor but happy until Mazzini died shortly after Louis, his son, had been born. In the aftermath, Louis's widowed mother raises him on the history of her family and tells him how, unlike other aristocratic titles, the dukedom of Chalfont can descend through female heirs. Louis's only childhood friends are Sibella and her brother, the children of a local doctor.

text: When Louis leaves school, his mother writes to her kinsman Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne, a private banker, for assistance in launching her son's career, but is rebuffed. Louis is forced to work as an assistant in a draper's shop. When his mother dies, her last request, to be interred in the family vault at Chalfont Castle, is denied. Then Sibella ridicules Louis's marriage proposal. Instead, she marries Lionel Holland, a former schoolmate with a rich father. Soon after, Louis quarrels with customer Ascoyne D'Ascoyne, the banker's only child, who has him dismissed from his job.

text: Louis resolves to kill Ascoyne D'Ascoyne and the other seven people ahead of him in succession to the dukedom. After arranging a fatal boating accident for Ascoyne D'Ascoyne and his mistress, Louis writes a letter of condolence to his victim's father, Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne, who employs him as a clerk. Upon his later promotion, Louis takes a bachelor flat in St James's, London, for assignations with Sibella.

text: Louis then targets Henry D'Ascoyne, a keen amateur photographer. He meets Henry and is charmed by his wife, Edith. He substitutes petrol for paraffin in the lamp of Henry's darkroom, with fatal results. Louis decides the widow is fit to be his duchess. The Reverend Lord Henry D'Ascoyne is the next victim. Posing as the Anglican Bishop of Matabeleland, Louis poisons his port. From the window of his flat, Louis then uses a bow to shoot down the balloon from which the suffragette Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne is dropping leaflets over London. Louis next sends General Lord Rufus D'Ascoyne a jar of caviar which contains a bomb. Admiral Lord Horatio D'Ascoyne presents a challenge, as he rarely sets foot on land. However, he insists on going down with his ship after causing a collision at sea.

text: When Edith agrees to marry Louis, they notify Ethelred, the childless, widowed 8th Duke. He invites them to spend a few days at Chalfont Castle. When Ethelred casually informs Louis that he intends to remarry in order to produce an heir, Louis arranges a hunting "accident". Before murdering the Duke, he reveals his motive. Lord Ascoyne D'Ascoyne dies from the shock of learning that he has become the ninth duke, sparing Louis from murdering his kindly employer. Louis inherits the title, but his triumph proves short-lived. A Scotland Yard detective arrests him on suspicion of having murdered Lionel, who was found dead following Louis's rejection of his drunken plea for help to avoid bankruptcy.

text: Louis elects to be tried by his peers in the House of Lords. During the trial, Louis and Edith are married. Sibella falsely testifies that Lionel was about to seek a divorce and name Louis as co-respondent. Ironically, Louis is convicted for a murder he had never even contemplated.

text: Louis is visited by Sibella, who observes that the discovery of Lionel's suicide note and Edith's death would free Louis and enable them to marry, a proposal to which he agrees. Moments before his hanging, the discovery of the suicide note saves him. Louis finds both Edith and Sibella waiting for him outside the prison. When a reporter tells him that Tit-Bits magazine wishes to publish his memoirs, Louis suddenly remembers that he left his detailed confession in his cell.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Dennis Price as Louis Mazzini and his father
Alec Guinness as nine members of the D'Ascoyne family: Ethelred, Lord Ascoyne, Reverend Lord Henry, General Lord Rufus, Admiral Lord Horatio, Young Ascoyne, Young Henry and Lady Agatha D'Ascoyne. He also plays the seventh duke in brief flashback sequences to his mother's youth.
Valerie Hobson as Edith
Joan Greenwood as Sibella
Audrey Fildes as Mama
Miles Malleson as the hangman
Clive Morton as the prison governor
John Penrose as Lionel
Cecil Ramage as the crown counsel
Hugh Griffith as the Lord High Steward, who presides over Louis's trial
John Salew as Mr Perkins
Eric Messiter as Inspector Burgoyne of Scotland Yard
Lyn Evans as the farmer
Barbara Leake as the schoolmistress
Peggy Ann Clifford as Maud Redpole
Anne Valery as the Girl in the punt, Ascoyne D'Ascoyne's mistress
Arthur Lowe as the Tit-Bits reporter

text: Production[edit]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: In 1947 Michael Pertwee, a scriptwriter at Ealing Studios, suggested an adaptation of a 1907 Roy Horniman novel, Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal.[2] The reviewer Simon Heffer observes that the plot of the source novel was dark in places—it includes the murder of a child—and differed in several respects from the resulting film. A major difference was that the main character was the half-Jewish (as opposed to half-Italian) Israel Rank, and Heffer writes that Mazzini's "ruthless using of people (notably women) and his greedy pursuit of position all seem to conform to the stereotype that the anti-semite has of the Jew".[3] The change from Israel Rank to Louis Mazzini was brought about by the "post-war sensitivity about anti-Semitism", and the moral stance of the films produced by Ealing.[4] According to the British Film Institute (BFI), the novel is "self-consciously in the tradition" of Oscar Wilde, which is reflected in the snobbery and dandyism portrayed in the film.[5]

text: The head of Ealing Studios, Michael Balcon, was initially unconvinced by the thought of the film, and stated that "I'm not going to make a comedy about eight murders"; the studio's creative staff persuaded him to rethink.[6] Balcon, who produced the film, chose Robert Hamer as director and warned him that "You are trying to sell that most unsaleable commodity to the British – irony. Good luck to you."[7] Hamer disliked Pertwee, who withdrew from the project, leaving the scriptwriting to Hamer and John Dighton.[8] Hamer saw the potential of the story and later wrote

text: What were the possibilities which thus presented themselves? Firstly, in that of making a film not noticeably similar to any previously made in the English language. Secondly, that of using this English language ... in a more varied and, to me, more interesting way than I had previously had the chance of doing in a film. Thirdly, that of making a picture which paid no regard whatever to established, although not practised, moral convention.[9]

text: The film was produced at the same time as two other Ealing comedies, Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore!; all three were released into UK cinemas over two months.[10][n 1] The film's title was taken from the 1842 poem "Lady Clara Vere de Vere" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. The full couplet reads

text:
Kind hearts are more than coronets,
And simple faith than Norman blood.[12]

text: Alec Guinness was originally offered only four D'Ascoyne parts, recollecting "I read [the screenplay] on a beach in France, collapsed with laughter on the first page, and didn't even bother to get to the end of the script. I went straight back to the hotel and sent a telegram saying, 'Why four parts? Why not eight!?' ";[13] he eventually played nine parts.[1]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Production began on 1 September 1948.[14] Exterior filming was undertaken in the Kent villages of Harrietsham and Boughton Monchelsea. Leeds Castle also in Kent, was used for Chalfont, the family home of the D'Ascoynes.[15][16] Additional filming was undertaken at Ealing Studios.[14][n 2]

text: The costumes were designed by Anthony Mendleson, who matched Louis's rise through the social ranks with his changing costumes. When employed as a shop assistant, Louis's suit was ill-fitting and drab; he is later seen in tailored suits with satin lapels, wearing a brocade dressing gown and waiting for his execution in a quilted-collar velvet jacket. Mendleson later recounted that to dress Guinness in his many roles, the costumes were of less importance than make-up and the actor's nuances.[17]

text: In one shot Guinness appears as seven of his characters at once in a single frame. This was accomplished by masking the lens. The film was re-exposed several times with Guinness in different positions over several days. Douglas Slocombe, the cinematographer in charge of the effect, recalled sleeping in the studio to make sure nobody touched the camera.[18]

text: The death of Admiral Horatio D'Ascoyne was inspired by the collision between HMS Victoria and HMS Camperdown off Tripoli in 1893 because of an order given by Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon. He chose to go down with his ship, saying "It was all my fault"; Victoria was sunk, losing over 350 men.[19] While filming the scene Hamer asked Guinness if he could hold his pose—a salute, facing the camera while the water rose around him—so that the water went over his head; Hamer wanted to show the admiral's cap floating on the surface. Guinness agreed, telling Hamer that as he practiced yoga, he could hold his breath for four minutes. Guinness was attached to the deck by wires to keep him steady and the shot was taken; when Hamer called "cut", the crew began packing up and forgot to release Guinness until four minutes after the scene ended.[20]

text: Themes[edit]

text: The British Film Institute see Kind Hearts and Coronets as "less sentimental" than many of the other Ealing films. Along with The Man in the White Suit (1951) and The Ladykillers (1955), Kind Hearts and Coronets "unleash[es] transgressive nightmares, fables of subversive, maverick masculine obsession and action, where the repressed and vengeful bubble up to the surface and lead to a resolutions which were only just contained in the moral strictures permissable in (Balcon's) Ealing cinema at the time".[21]

text: The film historian Sarah Street identifies the theme of sexual repression running through the film, shown with Louis' relationship with the manipulative Sibella.[22] The historian Ross McKibbin sees the film as a "sustained satire" in its portrayal of the upper classes, partly because of the intended absurdity of the D'Ascoyne family being portrayed by Guinness.[23] "Lady Clara Vere de Vere", the poem from which the film's title derived, concerns class tensions surrounding love between classes.[24]

text: Release and reception[edit]

text: Kind Hearts and Coronets premiered in London on 13 June 1949.[25] When the film was released in the US the following year, it was edited to satisfy the Hays Office Production Code. A new ending was added, showing Louis's memoirs being discovered before he can retrieve them; the dialogue between Louis and Sibella was altered to play down their adultery; derogatory lines aimed at the Reverend Henry D'Ascoyne were deleted; and in the nursery rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe", "sailor" replaced the word "nigger". The American version is six minutes shorter than the British original.[26]

text: Kind Hearts and Coronets received a warm reception from the critics.[27] Although they thought the film slightly too long, the critic for The Manchester Guardian thought that overall it was very enjoyable "because of the light satirical touch with which mass-murder is handled, ... words are so seldom treated with any respect in the cinema".[28] Bosley Crowther, the critic for The New York Times, calls the film a "delicious little satire on Edwardian manners and morals",[29] while the unnamed reviewer for Time called it "one of the best films of the year".[27]

text: Guinness's multiple roles were praised by several reviewers, including C. A. Lejeune of The Observer.[30] The unknown reviewer from The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that Guinness played his roles "with intelligence and restraint and show[ed] his power as a character actor",[31] while Crowther considered that Guinness acted with "such devastating wit and variety that he naturally dominates the film".[29] Price's performance was appreciated by a number of critics, including The Monthly Film Bulletin, who considered he gave a "brilliant performance",[31] and Richard L. Coe, the critic for The Washington Post thought Price was "splendid";[32] Crowther wrote that Price was "as able as Mr. Guinness in his single but most demanding role".[29] The Observer dissented, and thought he "seems pitifully outclassed every time he comes up against a Guinness" character.[30]

text: Kind Hearts and Coronets was nominated for the British Academy Film Award for Best British Film, alongside Passport to Pimlico and Whisky Galore!, although they lost to The Third Man (1949).[33] The film was screened as one of Britain's entries to the 10th Venice International Film Festival; William Kellner won an award for Best Production Design.[34]

text: According to Michael Newton, writing for the BFI, Kind Hearts and Coronets has retained the high regard of film historians. In 1964 The Spectator called it "the most confident comedy ever to come out of a British studio",[35] and the actor Peter Ustinov considered it the "most perfect achievement" of Ealing Studios, "a film of exquisite construction and literary quality".[36] Kind Hearts and Coronets is listed in Time's top 100 and also at number six in the BFI Top 100 British films.[37][38]

text: Adaptations[edit]

text: The film has been adapted for radio. In March 1965 the BBC Home Service broadcast an adaptation by Gilbert Travers-Thomas, with Dennis Price reprising his role as Louis D'Ascoyne Mazzini.[39] In 1980 BBC Radio 4 produced a new adaptation featuring Robert Powell as the entire D'Ascoyne clan, including Louis, and Timothy Bateson as the hangman,[40] and another for BBC7 featuring Michael Kitchen as Mazzini and Harry Enfield as the D'Ascoyne family.[41]

text: In May 2012 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a sequel to the film called Kind Hearts and Coronets – Like Father, Like Daughter. In it, Unity Holland, the daughter of Louis and Sibella, is written out of the title by Lady Edith D'Ascoyne. Unity then murders the entire D'Ascoyne family, with all seven members played by Alistair McGowan.[42]

text: In 2013 a musical version entitled A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim. The show has all the victims played by the same actor, in the original company Jefferson Mays. Though the plot remains essentially the same, most of the names are changed: half-Italian Louis Mazzini becomes half-Castilian Montague Navarro, the D'Ascoynes become the D'Ysquiths and Henry's wife Edith becomes Henry's sister Phoebe.[43][44] The musical won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.[45]

text: Digital restoration[edit]

text: The Criterion Collection released a two DVD disc set; disc one featured the standard version of the film released in the UK. As a bonus feature disc one also included the final scene with the American ending. Disc two includes a 75-minutes BBC Omnibus documentary "Made in Ealing", plus a 68-minute talk-show appearance with Guinness on the BBC's Parkinson television programme.[46] The British distributor Optimum Releasing released a digitally restored version for both DVD and Blu-ray in September 2011.[47]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ Brian McFarlane, writing for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, states that although it was not an aim of releasing the three films together, together they "established the brand name of 'Ealing comedy'".[11]
Jump up ^ Although there were reports that part of the film was shot at Pinewood Studios, Balcon wrote to Sight and Sound magazine to state that, with the exception of the location filming, it was shot at Ealing.[14]

tag: ol


document_title: List of New Girl characters

question_text: who plays schmidt's mom on new girl

question_tokens: who plays schmidt 's mom on new girl

text: List of New Girl characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Summary of character appearances

Character
Portrayed by
Seasons

1
2
3
4
5
6

Jessica "Jess" Day
Zooey Deschanel
Main

Nicholas "Nick" Miller
Jake M. Johnson
Main

Schmidt
Max Greenfield
Main

Coach
Damon Wayans, Jr.
Main

Recurring
Main
Special guest

Winston Bishop
Lamorne Morris
Main

Cece Parekh Schmidt
Hannah Simone
Main

tag: table

text:
Zooey Deschanel as Jessica "Jess" Christopher Day, a bubbly, offbeat teacher in her early thirties who is originally from Portland, Oregon. After discovering in the pilot episode that her live-in boyfriend, Spencer, is cheating on her, she moves into the guys' apartment where Nick, Schmidt, and Winston help her move on from her break-up. Following failed relationships with a fellow teacher (Paul) and a successful middle-aged man (Russell) and getting fired from her teaching job, she starts a casual relationship with a doctor (Sam).
Jake Johnson as Nicholas "Nick" Miller, a perennial slacker and grumpy young man who is originally from Chicago. He is introduced as a law school drop-out who supports himself by working as a bartender and still struggles from a break-up with his long-term girlfriend, Caroline. After a failed relationship with a tough lawyer in the middle of season 1, Nick tries to rekindle his romance with Caroline and almost moves in with her at the end of season 1.
Max Greenfield as Winston Schmidt, who goes by Schmidt, an overly confident Jewish ladies' man who is originally from Long Island, New York. Schmidt met Nick and Winston in college while attending Syracuse University, when he was overweight. Since then, he has worked hard to be seen as physically attractive and cool. Because of this, he often says offensive or cocky things, as a consequence of which he must put money in the "douche-bag jar" of the apartment. Schmidt is a successful marketing associate in a female-dominated office and is known for his numerous flings with women. In the second half of season 1, he starts a casual relationship with fashion model and best friend of Jess, Cece, which later on becomes a serious relationship. However, in the season 1 finale, he ends his relationship with Cece because he feels she may no longer want to be with him. At the end of season 2, he rekindles a relationship with his college girlfriend Elizabeth, but after Cece confesses her feelings for him, he is forced to choose between them in the season 2 finale. In the second-to-last episode of season 6 his first name and the reason he did not use it (possible confusion with Winston Bishop) are revealed.
Damon Wayans, Jr. as Ernie "Coach" Tagliaboo (seasons 1 & 4; recurring season 3; special guest seasons 5 & 6), a cocky and driven, yet sometime awkward former athlete who now works as a personal trainer. He is one of the roommates when Jess first moves into the loft in the pilot, but he moves out before the second episode for then-undisclosed reasons, allowing for Winston to take his place. Because the three need a new tenant, Coach returns to the loft in season 3's "Coach" and stays for the entire season, and in season 4 is promoted to series regular.[1] At the end of season 4, Coach moves to New York with his girlfriend May and is once again not present in season 5.
Lamorne Morris as Winston L' Andre[2] Bishop, a tenacious and somewhat eccentric former basketball player from Chicago and Nick's childhood friend. Losing his post as point guard for a team in the Latvian Basketball League, he returns to America and moves back into the guys' apartment in the second episode. During season 1, he struggles adjusting to his new life. After dabbling in a few odd jobs, he finally gets his break as a research assistant to a sports radio show host. He also gets back with Shelby, an ex he had treated neglectfully in the past. He later trained as police officer and is dating his tough, but kind-hearted colleague, Aly.
Hannah Simone as Cecilia "Cece" Parekh, a street-smart and snarky fashion model of Indian heritage. She has been Jess's best friend since childhood. Initially skeptical of Jess's new roommates, Cece becomes interested in Schmidt and tries to keep her fling with him a secret. With their secret relationship revealed at the end of season 1, she decides to move on, yet still had feelings towards him. In season 2, she discovers that she has limited time to conceive a baby and decides to enter an arranged marriage with a man called Shivrang. However, she calls off the wedding in the season 2 finale after realizing that she is still in love with Schmidt and has no feelings for Shivrang (who also turned out to be in love with someone else). At the start of season 3, a confused Schmidt misleads her as he attempts to carry on two distinct relationships. However, she soon discovers the truth and is left to recuperate after the break-up.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text: The series also features a number of recurring and guest characters:

text:
Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Caroline (season 1; guest season 3), Nick's ex-girlfriend.
Gillian Vigman as Kim (season 1; guest seasons 3 & 5–6), Schmidt's boss.
Justin Long as Paul (season 1; guest season 4), Jess' ex-boyfriend and a music teacher at Jess's former job. Quirky and emotional, the group criticizes him for being a male version of Jess.
Michaela Watkins as Gina (season 1; guest season 4), Schmidt's no-nonsense boss.
Rachael Harris as Tanya Lamontagne (season 1; guest season 2), the vice principal at Jess's first job.
Lizzy Caplan as Julia (season 1), Nick's ex-girlfriend. She has a strained relationship with Jess as their personality clashes.
Kali Hawk as Shelby (seasons 1; guest season 2), Winston's ex-girlfriend, they dated before he went to Latvia and started dating again after he returned.
Dermot Mulroney as Russell (season 1; guest season 2), Jess' ex-boyfriend, who is the father of one of her former students. He is a businessman whose maturity clashes with the group's arrested development.
Rebecca Reid as Nadia (season 5–present; co-star seasons 1–2; guest season 4), one of Cece's roommates, who is also a model. She also briefly had an awkward sexual encounter with Schmidt.
Nelson Franklin as Robby (seasons 2 & 5–6), Cece's ex-boyfriend. Laid-back and nice, he represents a contrast to Schmidt, who hates him but later tries to ally with him against Shivrang. Later, he confesses to having feelings for Jess. In season 6, it is revealed that Robby and Jess are related as third cousins.
David Walton as Sam (seasons 2 & 5), Jess's doctor ex-boyfriend.
Carla Gugino as Emma (season 2), the Vice President of Schmidt's company, whom Schmidt had a brief sexual relationship with.
Jamie Lee Curtis as Joan (seasons 3–4; guest season 2), Jess' mom. She and Bob are divorced and she shares some personality quirks with Jess.
Rob Reiner as Bob Day (season 2–4; guest season 6), Jess' father. Though he admits to having many similarities to Nick, he is very protective of Jess and disapproves of their relationship. In season four, he becomes engaged to one of Jess' former schoolmates.
Olivia Munn as Angie (season 2), Nick's stripper ex-girlfriend.
Satya Bhabha as Shivrang (season 2), Cece's strait-laced ex-fiancé.
Brenda Song as Daisy (seasons 2–3), Winston's ex-girlfriend.
Steve Agee as Outside Dave (season 3–6; guest season 2), a homeless man who lives outside of the apartment building and often interacts with Jess and the roommates.
Merritt Wever as Elizabeth (seasons 2–3), Schmidt's ex-girlfriend.
Curtis Armstrong as Principal Foster (formerly Dr. Foster) (season 3–present; guest season 2), first appeared as a doctor before he resurfaced as the eccentric principal of Jess' new job. Despite his apparent incompetence and frequent oddness, he and Jess have a congenial relationship.
Angela Kinsey as Rose (season 3; guest season 4), a friend and colleague of Jess.
Jessica Chaffin as Bertie (season 3), Winston's odd bus driver ex-girlfriend.
Brian Posehn as Biology Teacher (seasons 3–4), otherwise known as Lorenzo, he works at Jess' new job. He's very odd and incompetent.
Linda Cardellini as Abby Day (season 3), Jess' older sister. She is much harder-edged than Jess.
Julian Morris as Ryan (season 4), the British new science teacher of Jess' new school and her new love interest.
Greta Lee as Kai (season 4), Tran's granddaughter who eventually becomes Nick's girlfriend.
Zoe Lister-Jones as Fawn Moscato (season 4), Schmidt's love interest.
Meaghan Rath as May (seasons 4–5), Coach's girlfriend.
Nasim Pedrad as Aly Nelson (seasons 5–6; guest season 4), Winston's officer partner and eventually fiancée.
Peter Gallagher as Gavin (seasons 5–6), Schmidt's father.

text: Special guest characters[edit]

text:
Megan Fox as Reagan (season 5–6), a gorgeous, straight-shooting pharmaceutical sales rep who comes to town on business and shakes things up in the loft when she rents out Jess' room while she is sequestered on jury duty (during Zooey Deschanel's parental leave). Reagan and Nick break up at the end of season six.
Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta (season 6), A detective in the NYPD whom Jess encounters when he commandeers her vehicle in pursuit of a suspect. His appearance is part of a crossover event with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt (season 6), the captain of the 99th precinct in Brooklyn who Jess gets advice (and soup) from when venting about her dislike of the city. His appearance is part of a crossover event with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Chelsea Peretti as Gina Linetti (season 6), a receptionist within the NYPD whom Jess encounters to sort out paying for damages to Schmidt's mom's car. Her appearance is part of a crossover event with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle (season 6), a detective with the NYPD who runs into Nick and Winston in the subway when they're busking for train fare. His appearance is part of a crossover event with Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

text: Guest characters[edit]

text:
June Diane Raphael as Sadie (seasons 1–3 & 6), a gynecologist and a friend of Jess and Cece. She is a lesbian, and has been married for over five years to Melissa (Kay Cannon). Sadie was nine months pregnant with their first child at the end of season two.
Jeff Kober as Remy (seasons 1–2), the creepy landlord of the apartment building.
Eva Amurri Martino as Beth (seasons 1 & 3), Schmidt's colleague and rival.
Stephen Amell as Kyle (season 1), Cece's ex-boyfriend.
Jeanne Tripplehorn as Ouli (season 1), Russell's ex-wife.
Phil Hendrie as Joe Napoli (season 1), sports radio host and Winston's boss.
Dennis Farina as Walt Miller (season 2), Nick's deceased father. He was a conman and had a complicated relationship with Nick.
Dylan O'Brien as The Guy (season 2), a guy who Jess met at her prom. He almost took his virginity in a playground castle but they got stuck. When the firemen were trying to rescue them, he told Jess that he might be gay.
Taylor Swift as Elaine (season 2), Shivrang ran away with her at Cece's wedding.
Ben Falcone as Mike (seasons 3–4), another bartender at the bar.
Jon Lovitz as Rabbi (season 3), Schmidt's Rabbi. He dislikes Schmidt intensely.
Nora Dunn as Louise (season 4-present), Schmidt's mother.
Anna George as Priyanka (season 5), Cece's mother.
Sam Richardson as Dunston (season 5), a not-particularly-bright, very clumsy police officer who gets paired up with Winston.
Sonequa Martin-Green as Rhonda (seasons 5–6), Winston's prankster ex-wife.

text: Other characters[edit]

text: Ralph Ahn as Tran, a silent elderly Asian man. Nick meets him in a park and sometimes goes to him to vent and ask for advice, despite his apparent silence.


document_title: The Wonder Years

question_text: where did they live in the wonder years

question_tokens: where did they live in the wonder years

text: The Wonder Years

text: Production[edit]

text: Conception[edit]

text: The series was conceived by writers Neal Marlens and Carol Black. They set out to create a family show that would appeal to the baby-boomer generation by setting the series in the late '60s, a time of radical change in America's history. They also wanted the series to tie this setting in to the life of a normal boy growing up during the period. After writing the script for the pilot episode, Marlens and Black began shopping the series to television networks. None of them were interested, except for ABC, with whom Marlens and Black reached an agreement.[12]

text: Marlens had originally wanted the setting to be his native Huntington, Long Island, where he grew up. Elements were also taken from Black's childhood from the White Oak section of Silver Spring, Maryland.[13] ABC, however, insisted that the location remain nonspecific (the colloquial "Anytown, USA").[14][15][16][17]

text: Writing[edit]

text: When they started writing the series, Marlens and Black took a script for a future film that they had been toying with, which featured an off-screen narrator. Black explained, "We liked the concept that you could play with what people think and what they're saying, or how they would like to see themselves as opposed to how the audience is seeing them."[18] They based the show, in part, on their own childhood growing up in the suburbs. Black recalled that "we naturally [took] elements of our experience and [threw] them into the pot. The basic setup, the neighborhood, the era – that's the time and place where we grew up."[18]

text: Casting[edit]

text: The search for the main lead of the show did not take long. Marlens and Black went to five casting directors and interviewed them for recommendations. All five of them recommended Fred Savage, who at the time was famous for his roles as the grandson in The Princess Bride and as Charlie/Marshall in Vice Versa. Marlens and Black, having never heard of Savage, decided to see the rough cut of Vice Versa. Said Marlens, "[We saw] a marvelous actor with a natural quality – which essentially means he has no quality at all except being a kid. It sounds funny, but it's a rare thing to find in a child actor." Marlens and Black took this approach when casting the other kids for the show, looking for natural ability rather than professionalism. According to Marlens, they saw 300 to 400 kids before narrowing it down to 70, "My wife and I made the final choice ... each of whom had to be approved by the network."[19] For the choice of Savage's character's main love interest, the choice came down to actress Danica McKellar and her sister, Crystal McKellar. With just days to go before shooting, the producers eventually selected Danica to play Winnie Cooper. However, Mary Buck, the head of casting, noted that, "it was practically a tossup". Crystal McKellar was liked so much by the producers that they eventually created the character of Becky Slater so that they could have her on the show.[20] Danica later reflected on the experience, "I auditioned, like everyone else. They had read lots of girls but hadn't found their 'Winnie' yet, and I was thrilled to be chosen."[21]

text: Filming[edit]

text: At the end of the first season, Marlens and Black departed from the show. Although they never gave a reason for their sudden departure, it may have been due to Black's pregnancy. She hinted at it in an interview in April 1988, saying "We have secret plans to leave Los Angeles before our kids reach the age of cognizance."[18] One challenge for the cast and crew was filming around a child actor, meaning that the show had to obey child labor laws. Savage at the time explained, "You have to get at least three hours of school in every day. So whenever I'm on a break, I go to school. It's really intense because I have to get a lot done in short periods. And it's hard because if they need you back on the set, they pull you away every twenty minutes. If you're writing an essay and suddenly get inspired, you've got to stop and go back to work."[22]

text: Lawsuit[edit]

text: As the show was in the process of wrapping its sixth and final season, a costume designer on the show named Monique Long filed a sexual harassment charge against stars Fred Savage and Jason Hervey.[23] The suit brought a lot of unwanted publicity to the show. In the end, the case was settled out of court, with Savage stating that he was "completely exonerated", adding that it was a "terrible experience".[24]

text: Cancellation[edit]

text: The Wonder Years wrapped its sixth and final season in May 1993. Its cancellation was partially blamed on conflict between producers and executives at ABC. As Kevin matured, the producers wanted the storylines to mature as well. However, the executives at ABC felt uncomfortable with more explicit content given the time slot, saying, "We felt it was inappropriate to present Kevin's awakening because of the setting in the 1960s, the gentle tone of the series and, most importantly, the 8 p.m. time period." Bob Brush noted that, "When Kevin became 16 and 17, there were really things he needed to get to that we couldn't do at 8 p.m., especially with the kind of venerable cachet that the show had obtained with its audience. We would get notes from the network saying, "You could do this on any show besides The Wonder Years." Other reasons for the show's cancellation were escalating costs and declining ratings. The cast's salary increases, coupled with location shooting (which was due to the producers wanting to reflect Kevin obtaining his driver's license), led to Brush claiming that they were spending $1.2 million an episode. The final episode aired on May 12, 1993. Bob Brush noted that the finale was not what he would have wanted it to be, but because the cast and crew were unsure at the time of filming if the sixth season was going to be the last, he was forced to have the ending be open-ended, until the recording of Daniel Stern's narration.[25] Fans were somewhat disappointed with the ending, in particular the revelation that Kevin and Winnie don't end up as a couple. Brush acknowledged this disappointment, saying, "Some viewers [were] surprised that nothing works out the way your fondest wish would be," and explained, "The message I wanted in there is that that's part of the beauty of life. It's fine to say, 'I'd like everything to be just the way it was when I was 15 and I was happy,' but it seemed more nurturing to me to say that we leave these things behind and we go on to forge new lives for ourselves."[26]

text: Plot synopsis[edit]

text: The series depicts the social and family life of a boy in a typical American suburban middle-class family from 1968 to 1973, covering the ages of 12 through 17. Each year in the series takes place exactly 20 years before airing (1988 to 1993).

text: The show's plot centers on Kevin Arnold, son of Jack and Norma Arnold. Kevin's father holds a management job at NORCOM, a defense contractor, while his mother is a housewife. Kevin also has an older brother, Wayne, and an older sister, Karen. Two of Kevin's friends and neighbors are prominently featured throughout the series: his best friend, Paul Pfeiffer, and his crush-turned-girlfriend Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper. Storylines are told through Kevin's reflections as an adult in his mid-30s, voiced by narrator Daniel Stern.

text: In the pilot episode, Winnie's older brother Brian, whom Kevin admires, is killed in action in Vietnam in 1968. Kevin meets Winnie in a nearby wooded area called Harpers Woods. This unsaid relationship between Winnie and Kevin remains dormant for a long while, with Winnie starting to date a popular 8th grader named Kirk McCray, and Kevin briefly going steady with Becky Slater. After Kevin breaks up with Becky due to his feelings for Winnie, Becky becomes a recurring nuisance for Kevin. Winnie eventually dumps Kirk as well, and Kevin and Winnie share a second kiss at the start of the 1969 summer vacation. Around St. Valentine's Day 1970, Winnie temporarily dates Paul, who has broken up with his girlfriend Carla. Winnie and Kevin start dating each other soon after.

text: Just before the summer break, Winnie and her family move to a house four miles away. Although Winnie attends a new school, Lincoln Junior High, she and Kevin decide to remain together and maintain a successful long distance relationship. A beautiful new student named Madeline Adams joins Kevin's school and quickly catches Kevin's eye, but it is Winnie who breaks up with Kevin after meeting Roger, a jock at her new school. Neither relationship lasts long, but Winnie and Kevin don't reunite until she is injured in a car crash. After graduating from junior high, Kevin and Winnie both go to McKinley High and Paul attends a prep school. Paul will later transfer to McKinley High and join Kevin and Winnie.

text: Earlier seasons of the show tended to focus on plots involving events within the Arnold household and Kevin's academic struggles, whereas later seasons focused much more on plots involving dating and Kevin's friends.

text: Kevin has several brief flings during the summer of 1971 and the 1971–1972 academic year. After Kevin's grandfather gets his driver's license revoked, he sells his car to Kevin for a dollar. Paul transfers to McKinley High after his first semester at prep school when his father runs into financial troubles. Wayne decides to join the army as a result of his inability to do well in school. This gets turned around when Wayne isn't able to get his physical. Winnie and Kevin are reunited when they go on a double date to a school dance and find themselves more attracted to each other than their respective partners. In late 1972, Kevin's older brother Wayne starts working at NORCOM, and dates his co-worker Bonnie, a divorcée with a son, but the relationship does not last. Kevin's father quits NORCOM, and buys a furniture manufacturing business.

text: Final episode and epilogue[edit]

text: In the series finale double episode, Winnie decides to take a job for the summer of 1973 as a lifeguard at a resort. Kevin, meanwhile, is at his job at his father's furniture factory and calls Winnie, who by all accounts is distant and seems to be enjoying her time away from Kevin. Eventually, Kevin and his father fight and Kevin announces that he is leaving, reasoning that he needs to "find himself." Kevin hops in his car and heads to the resort where Winnie is working, hopeful that she can secure him a job and they can spend the rest of the summer together.[27][28]

text: Kevin eventually secures a job at the resort, and plays a round of poker with the in-house band. He wins big, and goes out to search for Winnie to tell her of his good fortune. To his surprise, he sees Winnie engaged in a passionate kiss with another lifeguard.

text: The next day, Kevin confronts her actions, and they fight. Kevin then plays another round of poker, losing his car in a bet in the process. Desperate, Kevin confronts Winnie and her new beau at the restaurant and ends up punching him in the face. Kevin then leaves the resort on foot.

text: On a desolate stretch of highway, Kevin decides to begin hitchhiking. He finally gets picked up by an elderly couple and much to his surprise he finds Winnie in the backseat. Winnie was fired over the fight Kevin instigated at the resort. Kevin and Winnie begin to argue and the elderly couple gets fed up and kicks them out of the car. A flash rain storm begins and Kevin and Winnie search for shelter. They find a barn and discuss how much things are changing and the prospects for the future. They make up and kiss passionately. (It is loosely implied that the two lose their virginity with each other.)

text: The narrator's monologue states

text: Once upon a time, there was a girl I knew who lived across the street, brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled, when she cried, I cried. Every single thing that ever happened to me that mattered, in some way, had to do with her. That day, Winnie and I promised each other that no matter what, that we will always be together. It was a promise full of passion, truth and wisdom. It was the kind of promise that can only come from the hearts of the very young.

text: They soon find their way back to their home town and arrive hand-in-hand to a Fourth of July parade. During this parade, the adult Kevin (Daniel Stern) describes the fate of the show's main characters: Kevin makes up with his father, graduates from high school in 1974, and leaves for college, later becoming a writer. Paul studies law at Harvard. Karen, Kevin's sister, gives birth to a son in September 1973. Kevin's mother becomes a businesswoman and corporate board chairwoman. Kevin's father dies in 1975, and Wayne takes over his father's furniture business. Winnie studies art history in Paris while Kevin stays in the United States. Winnie and Kevin end up writing to each other once a week for the next eight years. When Winnie returns to the United States in 1982, Kevin meets her at the airport with his wife and eight-month-old son.

text: The final sounds, voice-over narration, and dialogue of the episode and series is that of Kevin (voice of Daniel Stern), with children heard in the background:

text: Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you're in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a place, a town, a house, like a lot of houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. On a street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back ... with wonder.

text: A little boy (Stern's real life son) can be heard asking his dad to come out and play catch during a break in the final narration. Kevin's narrative responds, "I'll be right there" as the episode – and series – closes.

text: In 2011, the finale was ranked #11 on the TV Guide Network special, TV's Most Unforgettable Finales.[29]

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage): Character born March 18, 1956, Kevin grew up in the turbulent late 1960s and early 1970s.[30] The voice of Kevin as an adult (and the show's narrator) is supplied by Daniel Stern (Arye Gross in the original broadcast of the pilot).
John "Jack" Arnold (Dan Lauria): Character born on November 5, 1927, died in 1975. Kevin's father was a gruff, laconic man and a Korean War veteran; he grew up during the Great Depression, served in the US Marine Corps, and is seen in photographs wearing the uniform of a First Lieutenant. He works at NORCOM, a large military defense corporation, in a middle management position he loathes. Later, he starts his own business, building and selling handcrafted furniture. The series's last episode reveals that he dies in 1975 near the end of Kevin's freshman year of college – that is, two years after the time of the show's finale – although in a previous episode, an adult Kevin says his father would later be the grandfather of Kevin's sons. Jack represents the viewpoint of the "Silent Generation" that grew up during the Depression and came of age during the Second World War; it was confused and angered by the rapid changes taking place in the 1960s.
Norma Arnold (née Gustavson) (Alley Mills): Kevin's housewife mother. Unlike her husband, Norma is friendly and upbeat. She met Jack as a college freshman. When he graduated, she moved across the country with him and did not finish college. She eventually gets her degree late in the series and begins work at a software startup called Micro Electronics. Although she came of age at the same time as her husband, she is less conservative than her husband and increasingly yearns to break out of her homemaker role, reflecting the rise of feminism in the 1960s.
Karen Arnold (Olivia d'Abo): Kevin's older, hippie sister. Her free-spirited ways clash with her overbearing father's conservatism, and she depends upon her mother as a mediator. When Karen moves in with her boyfriend Michael (David Schwimmer) during her freshman year of college, she has a falling out with her father. The pair marry one year later and move to Alaska, where Michael has secured a good job. Karen ultimately accepts some of her parents' viewpoints and has a baby, while her husband learns to support his wife and child.
Wayne Arnold (Jason Hervey): Character born circa 1954, Wayne is Kevin's older brother. Wayne enjoys physically tormenting Kevin and Paul, calling Kevin "butthead" or "scrote". He takes over the family furniture business when his father dies. Wayne is usually portrayed as a loser in romantic relationships. For a time, he dated a girl named Dolores, but that was more casual than serious. In later seasons, Wayne matures. In the final season, he begins a serious relationship with a divorcée named Bonnie, but is left heartbroken when she reconciles with her husband.
Paul Joshua Pfeiffer (Josh Saviano): Character born March 14, 1956, Paul is Kevin's long time best friend, a bright and excellent student, and an allergy sufferer. He is also Jewish and in one episode celebrates his Bar Mitzvah. Although Kevin and Paul are best friends in the series's early seasons, their relationship becomes somewhat strained later. Kevin begins to spend more time with Chuck and Jeff, causing tension with Paul. Paul also attends a private prep school for one season, leaving Kevin alone to start public high school. In another episode, Kevin tattles on Paul after Paul loses his virginity. In the final episode, it is revealed that Paul eventually attends Harvard.
Gwendolyn "Winnie" Cooper (Danica McKellar): Winnie is Kevin's main love interest and neighbor. Her older brother's death in Vietnam plays a big part in the plot. In another episode, Winnie's parents separate in grief over the death of their son. In the epilogue of the final episode, it is revealed that Winnie travels overseas to study art history in Paris. Kevin and Winnie write to each other every week for eight years until she returns; in the concluding moments of the finale, Kevin says that when Winnie returned to the States, Kevin met her accompanied by his wife and first child, despite the hope among Wonder Years fans that Kevin and Winnie would themselves marry. "Like I said," says Kevin at the end, "things never turn out exactly the way you plan them." As suggested in an episode entitled "The Accident" and in the final episode of the series, every important event in Kevin's life has somehow involved Winnie.

text: U.S. television ratings[edit]

text:
Season
Timeslot (ET/PT)
Season Premiere
Season Finale
Nielsen Ranking

1
Sunday 9:00 p.m. (January 31, 1988)
Tuesday 8:30 p.m. (March 22, 1988 – April 19, 1988)
January 31, 1988
April 19, 1988
#16

2
Wednesday 9:00 p.m. (November 30, 1988 – February 15, 1989)
Tuesday 8:30 p.m. (February 28, 1989 – May 16, 1989)
November 30, 1988
May 16, 1989
#14

3
Tuesday 8:30 p.m. (October 3, 1989 – May 8, 1990)
Wednesday 8:30 p.m. (May 16, 1990)
October 3, 1989
May 16, 1990
#9

4
Wednesday 8:00 p.m.
September 19, 1990
May 15, 1991
#27

5
Wednesday 8:30 p.m. (October 2, 1991 – February 26, 1992)
Wednesday 8:00 p.m. (March 11, 1992 – May 13, 1992)
October 2, 1991
May 13, 1992
#37

6
Wednesday 8:00 p.m.
September 23, 1992
May 12, 1993
#44

text: Syndication[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Reruns of the show aired in syndication between September 1992 and September 1997. Nick at Nite then reran the show from October 13, 1997 to February 3, 2001.[31] It also reran on The New TNN (January 22, 2001 to September 28, 2001), ABC Family (November 12, 2001 to October 2, 2004), Ion Television (April 2, 2007 to October 4, 2007), and The Hub (October 11, 2010 to August 31, 2012).

text: In Canada, the show aired on CTS Ontario from September 2010 until September 2, 2011.

text: In Australia, the show aired on Network Ten between 1989 and 1995, then from March 31, 2012 on ABC1.

text: In Spain the series initially aired Mondays 9:30pm on TVE2 (now La2) as part of the Monday night Comedy block which also featured Murphy Brown. The series was later promoted to main channel TVE1 where it aired Fridays 9pm. Years later, in the late 90s, commercial station Antena 3TV recovered the series and aired it first in its 2pm comedy hour, later relocating it to a 530pm slot as part of the youth macro-show La Merienda.[citation needed]

text: Opening Sequence[edit]

text: Three different versions of the opening were made, each set to the Joe Cocker rendition of With a Little Help from My Friends.

text: First version (Pilot)[edit]

text: This first version of the opening was very basic: Nothing but a black screen was shown, after the title logo, with each cast member's name appearing in the center one by one. Much like the Arye Gross narration, this version of the opening was only used once when the pilot first aired after Super Bowl XXII.

text: Second version (Seasons one through five)[edit]

text: This opening now consists of home movie footage from the pilot, after the title logo is shown, ending with the "Created by" credit. In season five, more footage is added to show how much the cast has aged.

text: Third version (Season six)[edit]

text: The opening was overhauled completely in this version. Now, it consisted of stock footage and images of various moments throughout 60's and early 70s culture (i.e. John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Bed-in, The Kent State Shootings, The Moon Landing, an anti-war protest.), and was set to a new edit of Cocker's rendition of the song (starting with the chorus, versus the opening of the song, as was the case in seasons one through five). The final image in this version is of Kevin, Paul, Winnie, and presumably some of their classmates in a group photograph edited to look like it belonged in the time period.

text: Home video releases[edit]

text: Initially, the first four episodes were released on 2 VHS Tapes by Anchor Bay in 1997, with most of the music intact (a select few songs, however, were re-recordings).[32] In the coming years, fees for licensing music prevented further episodes from being released at that point on VHS. The two volumes that were released on VHS were later released on DVD in 2000. Four episodes of the series were also included in two official "best-of" DVD sets (The Best of The Wonder Years and The Christmas Wonder Years), without much of the original music.[33][34]

text: For many years, The Wonder Years remained unreleased on DVD as official season box sets, due to music licensing issues.[35] Because of this issue, The Wonder Years routinely appeared high on the list of TV shows in-demand for a DVD release.[33][36][37]

text: In a blog update on the Netflix website on March 30, 2011,[38] and a press release issued the next day,[39] Netflix stated that they would be adding The Wonder Years to their instant streaming service. The other three 20th Century Fox series noted as part of the deal were added to the Watch Instantly service by April 2,[40][41][42] while The Wonder Years remained unavailable. On October 1, 2011,[43] 114 full-length episodes of the series were added to Netflix streaming. The clip show from the end of Season 4, which was released on DVD, has not been included.[44]

text: On September 26, 2011, it was announced that Amazon Prime's streaming video service would be adding The Wonder Years, describing the series as "available on digital video for the first time",[45] although Netflix added the series ahead of Amazon's release. All 115 episodes (including the clip show) became available to Prime members starting October 6, 2011.[46]

text: On both digital streaming services, portions of the soundtrack have been replaced. The show's opening theme, Joe Cocker's rendition of The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," has been replaced on Netflix[47] and Amazon with the version of the song that played in the UK and other overseas airings. The majority of the show's soundtrack remains unchanged. Songs such as "Light My Fire" by The Doors and "Foxy Lady" by Jimi Hendrix have been replaced by generic sound-alikes with different lyrics.

text: On February 11, 2014, StarVista/Time Life announced the upcoming DVD release of the complete series in the second half of the year, noting that they were "painstakingly securing the rights for virtually every song."[48] On June 11, packaging details for complete set were revealed. The packaging consists of a miniature school locker featuring a replica yearbook with signatures from cast members, behind-the-scenes photos and classic show memorabilia. Also included are two notebooks similar to those carried by the two lead characters, each featuring detailed episode information, production photos, all 115 episodes plus over 15 hours of bonus features on 26 DVDs. Customized Wonder Years magnets are also included. On September 30, 2014, the complete series was released to those that pre-ordered the set through mail order from Time Life/Star Vista. Also a box set for the first four seasons was released as well. October 10, 2014, though was considered the official release date.[49]

text: On October 7, 2014, Star Vista released Season One on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[50] Season Two was released on February 3, 2015. Season Three was released on May 26, 2015. Season Four was released on January 12, 2016. Season Five was released on May 24, 2016. Season Six was released on September 27, 2016.

text: On October 6, 2015, Star Vista released The Wonder Years- The Complete Series: Collectors Box set and The Wonder Years- The Complete Series DVD collections in a wide general retail release.[51]

text: On May 9, 2016, Fabulous Films released The Wonder Years - The Deluxe Edition on 26 DVDs in the UK. It was intended to be the first release to contain every episode in its original transmission presentation, although in the end this did not happen.[52] The set includes over 23 hours of bonus material.

text: On October 1, 2017, The Wonder Years was removed from Netflix after being on there for 7 years.

text:
DVD Name
Ep #
Release dates
DVD Special Features

Region 1
Region 2
Region 4

Season One
6
October 7, 2014[53]
N/A
June 8, 2016

Highlights from The Wonder Years cast reunion, May 28, 2014
Featurette: With a Little Help from My Friends: The Early Days of The Wonder Years
Interviews with:

Creators Neal Marlens and Carol Black
Fred Savage
Danica McKellar
Josh Saviano

Season Two
17
February 3, 2015[54]
N/A
June 8, 2016

Interview with Fred Savage (Part 1)
Interview with Danica McKellar (Part 1)
Highlights from The Wonder Years cast reunion
Interview with The Wonder Years creators Neal Marlins and Carol Black

Season Three
23
May 26, 2015
N/A
June 8, 2016

Cast Interviews
Hall Pass: Roundtable with Danica McKellar, Fred Savage, and Josh Saviano
A Family Affair: At Home With The Arnolds

Season Four
23
January 12, 2016
N/A
June 8, 2016

Teachers That Made A Difference
Cast Interviews

Season Five
24
May 24, 2016
N/A
June 8, 2016

That's A Wrap!: Mark B. Perry's Farewell Set Tour Season 5
Will You Love Me Tomorrow: The Wonder Years Love Stories
Cast Interviews

Season Six
22
September 27, 2016
N/A
June 8, 2016

One-Hour ABC Broadcast Of The Series Finale
At Last: The Final Episode
Interview Bob Brush, Executive Produce
From The Vault: Alley Mills And Bob Brush Letters

The Complete Series
115
September 30, 2014
N/A
April 20, 2016
Two notebooks, each featuring detailed episode information and production photos
Replica yearbook embellished with signatures from cast members, behind-the-scenes photos and classic show memorabilia, and liner notes penned by Fred Savage, series creators Neal Marlens and Carol Black, and executive producer Bob Brush
2014 Los Angeles cast reunion, featuring all key cast together for the first time in 16 years
Extensive individual interviews with all seven key cast members (Fred Savage, Danica McKellar, Josh Saviano, Dan Lauria, Alley Mills, Olivia d'Abo and Jason Hervey), as well as with notable actors featured as guest stars or in recurring roles, such as David Schwimmer, Ben Stein, Bob Picardo and Seth Green
In-depth interviews with narrator Daniel Stern, Neal Marlens, Carol Black, Bob Brush and other production personnel
10 brand-new featurettes: •"With A Little Help From My Friends": The Early Days of The Wonder Years "The Times They Are A-Changin'": The Era "My Generation": The Kids Grow Up "When A Man Loves A Woman": Kevin & Winnie Forever "Bookends": Kevin & Paul "A Family Affair": At Home With The Arnolds "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons": Fan-Favorite Episodes "Will You Love Me Tomorrow": The Wonder Years' Love Stories "ABC": Teachers That Made A Difference "Both Sides Now": The Music That Made The Moments
"That's a Wrap! Mark B. Perry's Farewell Set Tour Season 5" - Writer/Producer Mark B. Perry's home video set tour from the end of his final season on the show, which includes new commentary from him.
"From the Vault: Alley Mills and Bob Brush Letters" - Alley Mills reads her emotional, written conversation with Executive Producer Bob Brush about the show's finale.
The one-hour finale as it was originally aired on ABC on May 12, 1993, including a deleted scene not included in the half-hour broadcasts of the final two episodes (both the one-hour finale and half-hour versions of the final two episodes will be included in the extras).[55]

text: DVD music replacements[edit]

text: The Time Life DVD releases include approximately 96% of the original music soundtrack (including the opening theme song, "With a Little Help From My Friends", as originally sung by Joe Cocker). There were altogether some 15 exceptions, in most instances featuring generic studio replacement music in place of the original song, while on a couple of occasions the original soundtrack song was replaced with another version of the same tune. None of the necessary music replacements resulted in footage from the episodes being removed.

text: In the episode "The Phone Call", the "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" was replaced with a song called "Star Crossed Lovers", which has been used in many other TV shows and movies, including The Brady Bunch. In "Dance With Me", Joe Cocker's cover of "The Letter" was replaced with the original version by The Box Tops, while the Herman's Hermits version of "There's a Kind of Hush" was replaced with a rerecording by the Craggy Blue Project. The episode "Heart of Darkness" had two replacements: "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors was replaced with "Children of the Night", while Richie Havens' cover of The Beatles' song "Here Comes the Sun" was replaced by "Train to Nowhere". In the episode "Whose Woods Are These?", the Blood, Sweat & Tears recording entitled "Variations on a Theme By Erik Satie (1st and 2nd Movements)" (adapted from Satie's "Third Gymnopédies") was replaced with "Le Suenne Fite".

text: The episode "How I Am Spending My Summer Vacation" replaced the Doors' "Light My Fire" with "Love's on Fire", while the episode "Summer Song" replaced Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel" with a rerecording by former BS&T frontman David Clayton Thomas. In "Family Car", Neil Young's "Long May You Run" was replaced with "Keep Your Motor Running". In "Wayne on Wheels", "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" was again replaced by "Star Crossed Lovers". In the episode "The Treehouse", Doris Day's "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" was replaced with "Call the Whole Thing Off". In the episode "Little Debbie", "Tammy" by Liberace was replaced with a song called "Sammy". "Clip Show" contains the scene from "Heart of Darkness" in which "Here Comes the Sun" is replaced with "Train to Nowhere". The episode "Kevin Delivers" dropped Blood, Sweat & Tears' "You've Made Me So Very Happy" with a rerecording by David Clayton Thomas. In the episode "Alice in Autoland", Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" was replaced with a rerecording by him. In the final episode "Independence Day", the Ennio Morricone song "Brothers" from the 1986 motion picture The Mission, which was played over the pivotal barn scene featuring Kevin and Winnie's last kiss, was replaced with the generic tune "Pastorale" (for this instance alone, the same replacement was used in the 1998 The Best of The Wonder Years DVD release).

text: Also, not a music change per se, but the Daniel Stern redub of the pilot is used, with the standard opening sequence.

text: Other than the above music changes, all other music is intact and over 100 episodes are completely unaffected.

text: The UK DVD release from Fabulous Films was intended to have no replaced music, but reviews on online retailers and fan websites show that this is not the case.[56]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The official soundtrack was released in 1988 by Atlantic/WEA and contains a total of 13 tracks, featuring Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which is the show's theme song.[57]

text: After the series' original run was over, Laserlight Digital released a 5-disc compilation box set under the title Music from 'The Wonder Years in 1994. This is the same company that later released the only two DVDs for the series, The Best of The Wonder Years and The Christmas Wonder Years. The disc included 40 oldies favorites and 5 original songs (each is repeated twice in the set) written exclusively for the series by W. G. Snuffy Walden.

text: In 2014, Time Life released a new soundtrack for the show which accompanies deluxe versions of their complete series DVD set. The CD is not available for purchase separately from the DVD box set, however.

text: Book[edit]

text: In 1990 the book The Wonder Years - Growing up in the Sixties by Edward Gross was published by Pioneer Books (ISBN 1-55698-258-5). It contains information about the creation and production of the show, interviews with cast and crew, and an extensive episode guide (up to the middle of the 4th season when the book was published). While long out of print and hard to find, the author gave permission to a fan website to publish the book online for free in its entirety.[58]

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text:
Year
Award
Category
Recipient
Result

1991
American Cinema Editors' Eddie Award
Best Edited Episode from a Television Series
Dennis C. Vejar (For episode "Goodbye")
Nominated

1993
Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television
Dennis C. Vejar (For episode "The Wedding")
Nominated

1989
ASCAP Film and Television Music Award
Top TV Series
Stewart Levin
Won

1988
BMI Film & TV Awards
BMI TV Music Award
W.G. Snuffy Walden, John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Won

1989
Won

1990
Won

1988
Casting Society of America's Artios Award
Best Casting for TV, Comedy Episodic
Mary V. Buck and Susan Edelman
Won

1989
Nominated

1990
Meg Liberman and Marc Hirschfeld
Nominated

1989
Directors Guild of America Award
Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series
Steve Miner (For the pilot episode)
Won

1991
Peter Baldwin (For episode "The Ties That Bind")
Nominated

1989
Golden Globe Award
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

Won

1990
Nominated

Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Fred Savage
Nominated

1991
Nominated

1988
Humanitas Prize
30 Minute Category
Carol Black and Neal Marlens (For the pilot episode)
Nominated

1989
Matthew Carlson
Won

1990
Todd W. Langen
Won

David M. Stern (For episode "The Powers That Be")
Nominated

1991
Bob Brush
Won

Mark B. Perry (For episode "The Ties That Bind")
Nominated

1992
Craig Hoffman (For episode "Hardware Store")
Nominated

1993
Sy Rosen (For episode "The Nose")
Nominated

1990
Peabody Award

ABC Television and Black/Marlens Company in association with New World Television
Won

1988
Primetime Emmy Award
Outstanding Comedy Series
Carol Black, Neal Marlens and Jeffrey Silver
Won

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Carol Black and Neal Marlens (For the pilot episode)
Nominated

1989
Outstanding Comedy Series
Carol Black, Neal Marlens, Bob Brush, Steve Miner and Jeffrey Silver
Nominated

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Nominated

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Matthew Carlson (For episode "Pottery Will Get You Nowhere")
Nominated

Todd W. Langen (For episode "Coda")
Nominated

David M. Stern (For episode "Loosiers")
Nominated

Michael J. Weithorn (For episode "Our Miss White")
Nominated

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Peter Baldwin (For episode "Our Miss White")
Won

Michael Dinner (For episode "How I'm Spending My Summer Vacation")
Nominated

Steve Miner (For episode "Birthday Boy")
Nominated

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Robert Picardo
Nominated

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Maxine Stuart
Nominated

Outstanding Editing for a Series - Single Camera Production
Stuart Bass (For episode "Loosiers")
Nominated

Outstanding Costume Design for a Series
Scilla Andreen (For episode "Birthday Boy")
Nominated

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special
Agamemnon Andrianos, David John West, Ray West and John L. Mack (For episode "Birthday Boy")
Nominated

1990
Outstanding Comedy Series
Bob Brush, Bob Stevens, Jill Gordon, Matthew Carlson, Michael Dinner, Ken Topolsky and Kerry Ehrin
Nominated

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Nominated

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Bob Brush (For episode "Goodbye")
Won

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Michael Dinner (For episode "Goodbye")
Won

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
David Huddleston
Nominated

Outstanding Editing for a Series - Single Camera Production
Dennis C. Vejar (For episode "Goodbye")
Nominated

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special
Agamemnon Andrianos, David John West, Ray West and John L. Mack (For episode "St. Valentine's Day Massacre")
Nominated

1991
Outstanding Comedy Series
Bob Brush, Jill Gordon, Ken Topolsky, David Chambers and Michael Dinner
Nominated

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Peter Baldwin (For episode "The Ties That Bind")
Nominated

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special
Agamemnon Andrianos, David John West, Nello Torri and John L. Mack (For episode "Little Debbie")
Nominated

1992
Agamemnon Andrianos, David John West, Nello Torri and Craig Hunter (For episode "Grandpa's Car")
Nominated

1993
Agamemnon Andrianos, David John West, Nello Torri and Craig Hunter (For episodes "Summer" and "Independence Day")
Nominated

1988
Television Critics Association Award
Program of the Year

Nominated

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Won

1989
Nominated

1990
Nominated

2006
TV Land Award
Favorite Series Finale

Nominated

2007
Favorite Heard-But-Not-Seen Character
Daniel Stern
Nominated

2008
Character You'd Pay to Do Your Homework for You
Danica McKellar
Nominated

1989
Viewers for Quality Television Award
Best Quality Comedy Series

Nominated

Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Won

1990
Best Quality Comedy Series

Nominated

Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Won

1991
Best Quality Comedy Series

Nominated

Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Nominated

Best Writing in a Quality Comedy Series

Nominated

Best Specialty Player
Robert Picardo
Nominated

1992
Best Quality Comedy Series

Nominated

Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Nominated

1989
Writers Guild of America Award
Episodic Comedy
Carol Black and Neal Marlens (For episode "My Father's Office")
Won

Carol Black and Neal Marlens (For the pilot episode)
Nominated

1990
Matthew Carlson (For episode "Pottery Will Get You Nowhere")
Nominated

Todd W. Langen (For episode "Coda")
Won

1991
Bob Brush (For episode "Goodbye")
Nominated

David M. Stern (For episode "The Powers That Be")
Nominated

Bob Stevens (For episode "Rock 'N' Roll")
Nominated

1989
Young Artist Award
Best Family Television Series

Won

Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Comedy Series
Fred Savage
Won

Best Young Actor Guest-Starring in a Drama or Comedy Series
Robin Thicke
Nominated

Best Young Actor in a Featured, Co-Starring, Supporting, Recurring Role in a Comedy, Drama Series, or Special
Josh Saviano
Nominated

Best Young Actress in a Featured, Co-Starring, Supporting, Recurring Role in a Comedy, Drama Series, or Special
Danica McKellar
Won

1990
Best Young Actor Starring in a Television Series
Fred Savage
Nominated

Jason Hervey
Nominated

Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series
Danica McKellar
Nominated

Best Young Actor Guest Starring in a Television Series
Robert Jayne
Nominated

Joshua John Miller
Nominated

1992
Best Young Actress Co-Starring in a Television Series
Danica McKellar
Nominated

Best Young Actor Guest-Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series
Brandon Crane
Won

Best Young Actress Guest-Starring or Recurring Role in a TV Series
Crystal McKellar
Nominated

Lisa Paige Robinson
Nominated

1993
Best Young Actor Co-Starring in a Television Series
Josh Saviano
Nominated

Best Young Actress Co-Starring in a Television Series
Danica McKellar
Nominated

Best Young Actor Recurring in a Television Series
Giovanni Ribisi
Nominated

Best Young Actress Guest-Starring in a Television Series
Wendy J. Cooke
Nominated