Arthur (1981 film)

Arthur
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySteve Gordon
Written bySteve Gordon
Produced byRobert Greenhut
Starring
CinematographyFred Schuler
Edited bySusan E. Morse
Music byBurt Bacharach
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • July 17, 1981 (1981-07-17)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million
Box office$95.5 million[1]

Arthur is a 1981 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Steve Gordon. It stars Dudley Moore as Arthur Bach, a drunken New York City millionaire who is on the brink of an arranged marriage to a wealthy heiress but ends up falling for a common working-class young woman from Queens. It was the sole film directed by Gordon, who died in 1982 of a heart attack at age 44.

The film earned over $95 million domestically, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 1981. Its title song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Co-written by Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen, it was performed by Cross. Sir John Gielgud also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. It was nominated for two other Academy Awards for Best Actor for Moore and Best Original Screenplay for Gordon.

  1. ^ "Arthur (1981)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 26, 2024.