The Toy

"When Jackie Gleason told his son he could have any present he wanted, he picked the most outrageous gift of all...Richard Pryor."

1982 1h 42m EN

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 237

ComedyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On one of his bratty son Eric's annual visits, the plutocrat U.S. Bates takes him to his department store and offers him anything in it as a gift. Eric chooses a black janitor who has made him laugh with his antics. At first the man suffers many indignities as Eric's "toy", but gradually teaches the lonely boy what it is like to have and to be a friend.

“When Jackie Gleason told his son he could have any present he wanted, he picked the most outrageous gift of all...Richard Pryor.”

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Cast

Richard Pryor
Jack Brown
Jackie Gleason
Ulysses Simpson 'U.S.' Bates
Ned Beatty
Sydney Morehouse
Scott Schwartz
Eric Bates
Teresa Ganzel
Fancy Bates
Wilfrid Hyde-White
Barkley
Tony King
Clifford
Annazette Chase
Angela

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Donner
Writers: Carol Sobieski, Francis Veber
Languages: German, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Donner, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Patrick Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard A. Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason and Ned Beatty carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When Jackie Gleason told his son he could have any present he wanted, he picked the most outrageous gift of all...Richard Pryor.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0084809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Donner directs. László Kovács behind the camera. Patrick Williams scores. Richard A. Harris cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in German, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, English.
3Directed by Richard Donner, shot by László Kovács. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Patrick Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Richard A. Harris shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason and Ned Beatty carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When Jackie Gleason told his son he could have any present he wanted, he picked the most outrageous gift of all...Richard Pryor.".
8IMDB entry: tt0084809 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: László Kovács
Original score: Patrick Williams
Editing: Richard A. Harris
Production design: Charles Rosen
Costume design: Moss Mabry
Makeup / hair: Ken Chase
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $28,000,000
Box office: $47,118,057
Return: 168% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Toy (1982)

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Richard Donner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
In "I Am Richard Pryor" they kind of blasted this movie as being horrible....And here I am thinking it was a beloved childhood classic. They won't remake it now, the PC police would be all over them...despite the fact that it was Richard Pryor and he was BLM long before there was a BLM. And, honestly, I can see how the people that made "I Am Richard Pryor" would look down on this, I mean...it's childish. But it's also childish fun, and just because Pryor is cleaning things up a bit for the film, just because he's not vulgar and not dropping the N-bomb every few seconds doesn't mean he's not hysterical. And let's be hones, he had more family friendly and less adult movies in the past as well. His movies don't have to be as gritty as his stand up is. You can enjoy both, liking one doesn't mean you like the other any less. So, OK, it's not a review, just felt the need to defend it. If you walk in expecting the Mack, you clearly didn't read the back of the box.
MidnightHustlePodcast2023-10-23
New Video Drop: Full review, reaction, and roast of THE TOY (1982) starring Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. If you want to relive the film with a hilarious commentary - check out the video on the Midnight Hustle Podcast YouTube channel: <a href=“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp4epx4Po_c”>Retro Movie Rewind: THE TOY (1982)</a> ---- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp4epx4Po_c

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