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Liar's Moon
Liar's Moon
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	David Fisher
Screenplay by	David Fisher
Story by	Billy Hanna; Janice Hanna
Produced by	Don P. Behrns
Starring	Matt Dillon; Cindy Fisher; Christopher Connelly
Cinematography	John Hora
Edited by	Christopher Greenbury
Music by	Ray Benson
Production; company	Hanna Productions
Distributed by	Crown International Pictures
Release date	September 10, 1982;
Running time	106 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$3.2 million

Liar's Moon is a 1982 film directed by David Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne De Carlo, and Hoyt Axton. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1940s Texas—a working-class teen and the banker's daughter who elope to much strife. Texas band Asleep At The Wheel provided multiple songs for the film.^[3]

Synopsis

In 1940s east Texas, Jack Duncan, a high school graduate from a blue-collar family, falls in love with Ginny Peterson, who has just returned to town from four years of boarding school. Ginny's father Alex is the town's wealthy banker and was formerly high school sweethearts with Jack's mother, Babs. However, Alex strenuously objects to Ginny's relationship with Jack. At the end of the summer, Jack and Ginny elope in Louisiana—where 17-year-olds can marry without their parents' permission. Jack gets a job in the oil fields while Ginny earns money for household work in the boarding house they now live in.

Alex hires private eye Ray Logan to find the couple. Meanwhile, Ginny learns she is pregnant. Before she can tell Jack, her doctor contacts her previous physician in Texas and reveals that she and Jack share the same father. Upon hearing this upsetting news, Ginny asks Lora Mae Bouvier, a resident in the boarding house who works as a prostitute, to direct her to a midwife who provides illegal abortions.

While Ginny goes to find the provider, the doctor gets an update from Texas that the couple aren’t actually related as Jack’s mother had his birth records changed out of spite when Ginny’s dad dumped her. Ginny goes ahead with the back-alley procedure, which goes badly and results in complications. Jack manages to find Ginny and she is taken to a hospital. Jack enters the hospital room, where Ginny tells him, "I bet there's a lover's moon out tonight", and the film ends with her survival implied.

Alternate ending

Two different endings were filmed and distributed. In the original ending, Ginny dies from complications after the unsafe abortion.^[4] This ending was deemed too dark for test audiences, and the happier ending where Ginny lives was screened in some theaters.^[5] Cable TV airings have shown both the more positive ending or the original ending, depending on the television channel. VHS copies of the film also included both endings.^[6]

Cast

Matt Dillon as Jack Duncan
Cindy Fisher as Ginny Peterson
Hoyt Axton as Cecil Duncan
Margaret Blye as Ellen 'Babs' Duncan (as Maggie Blye)
Broderick Crawford as Colonel Tubman
Christopher Connelly as Alex Peterson
Molly McCarthy as Connie Peterson
Tiffany Stettner as Lisa Peterson
Yvonne De Carlo as Jeanene Dubois
Susan Tyrrell as Lora Mae Bouvier
Jim Greenleaf as Mike Miller
Mark Atkins as Bobby Adams
Tonja Walker as Karen Covucci
Richard Moll as Det. Roy Logan
David Underwood as Richard Thompson
Clint Hughes as Clifford DeHaven
Pat Perkins as Pearl
Dawn Dunlap as Teaser

Production

According to the making-of featurette on the film's Blu-ray release, Billy Hanna wrote the screenplay with his daughter Janice, "drawing on his own experiences growing up on the wrong side of the tracks in Illinois."^[7]

The film was shot in and around Houston, Texas.^[1] It was Broderick Crawford's last film after 45 years and one of Matt Dillon's earliest films.^[8] Liar's Moon was choreographed by Patsy Swayze.^[9]

Critical response

In retrospective reviews, critics said Liar's Moon is "highlighted by some fresh young performances",^[10] but "veers into an abyss of melodrama in the final reel."^[11]

Home media

On February 8, 2022, the MVD Rewind Collection released the film in a high definition Blu-ray edition, which includes making-of featurettes and the alternate ending.^[12]

References

^ ^a ^b "Liar's Moon". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ "The Unstoppables". Spy. November 1988. p. 90.
^ "Liar's Moon (1982) Soundtrack and Movie Music - The 80s Movies Rewind". www.fast-rewind.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ "Liar's Moon". ANSIRH.org. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ "Liar's Moon (1980)". Scopophilia. June 16, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ Zabel, Christopher (April 8, 2022). "Liar's Moon Blu-ray Review". www.doblu.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ Morgan, Sarah (March 22, 2022). "Liar's Moon (1981) – Film Review". On: Yorkshire Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ Danna, Corey (April 6, 2022). "Blu-ray Review: 'Liar's Moon' is a Surprisingly Dark Romance (MVD Rewind Release)". HorrorGeekLife. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ Kelly, Devin (September 18, 2013). "Patsy Swayze, mother of Patrick Swayze, dies at 86". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
^ Brady, Leo (April 29, 2022). "Liar's Moon- Blu-ray Review". A Movie Guy. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ Avella, Frank J. (February 14, 2022). "Liar's Moon". EDGE Media Network. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
^ "MVD Rewind Collection: Liar's Moon, Digging to China, Baja, and Amnesia Detailed for Blu-ray". October 18, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2022.