Love at Stake

Love at Stake
Love at Stake
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John C. Moffitt
Written by	Lanier Laney; Terry Sweeney
Produced by	John Daly; Derek Gibson; Michael Gruskoff; Donald C. Klune; Michael I. Levy
Starring	Patrick Cassidy; Kelly Preston; Bud Cort; David Graf; Stuart Pankin; Dave Thomas; Anne Ramsey; Barbara Carrera
Cinematography	Mark Irwin
Edited by	Danford B. Greene
Music by	Charles Fox
Production; company	Hemdale Film Corporation
Distributed by	Tri-Star Pictures
Release date	August 1, 1987;
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$61,789

Love at Stake is a 1987 American comedy film, directed by John C. Moffitt, based on a screenplay by Lanier Laney and Terry Sweeney. It stars Patrick Cassidy and Kelly Preston, with Barbara Carrera, Bud Cort, Dave Thomas, and Stuart Pankin. Joyce Brothers makes a cameo appearance as herself.

The film is an obvious spoof of the infamous Salem witch trials, moving in the vein of anarchic comedy films like Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles and others by Monty Python and Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker.

The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and was distributed by Tri-Star Pictures. Filming took place in Kleinburg, Ontario.

Plot[edit]

In 1692, Miles Campbell, recent graduate of Harvard Divinity School, arrives in Salem, Massachusetts to become the local parson's assistant. He meets with his childhood sweetheart, baker Sara Lee, and plans to marry her. Meanwhile, greedy Judge Samuel John arrives to meet with idiotic Mayor Upton to discuss plans for a (anachronistic) Mall for Salem. To acquire the necessary real estate they hatch a scheme to accuse certain villagers of witchcraft. When the accused are tried, convicted and burned, their land can be confiscated. The plan is succeeding, as the villagers, egged on by the parson's shrewish mother, enthusiastically accept the Judge's message. Then saucy Faith Stewart (secretly a real witch) arrives from London for Thanksgiving with her cousins. Faith falls for Miles and accuses Sara of witchcraft. Miles must prove Sara's innocence before she is burned at the stake.

Cast[edit]

Patrick Cassidy as Miles Campbell
Kelly Preston as Sara Lee
Georgia Brown as Widow Chastity
Barbara Carrera as Faith Stewart
Bud Cort as Parson Babcock
Annie Golden as Abigail Baxter, Faith's cousin
David Graf as Nathaniel Baxter, her husband
Audrie J. Neenan as Mrs. Babcock, the parson's mother
Stuart Pankin as Judge Samuel John
Dave Thomas as Mayor Upton
Anne Ramsey as Old Witch
Mary Hawkins as Mrs. Priscilla Upton
Jackie Mahon as Belinda Upton, the mayor's daughter
Norma MacMillan as Aunt Deliverance Jones, Sara's aunt
Joyce Brothers as herself
Colleen Karney as Adulteress
Juul Haalmeyer as Executioner
Julian Richings as Town Crier
Danny Higham as Newsboy
Marshall Perlmuter as Mr. Newberry
Anna Ferguson as Mrs. Newberry
Catharine Gallant as Constance Van Buren
Jayne Eastwood as Annabelle Porter
Nick Ramus as Chief Wannatoka

References[edit]

^ "Love at Stake".

External links[edit]

[1] "Love at Stake".

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