The Hudsucker Proxy

The Hudsucker Proxy is a 1994 screwball comedy/fantasy film written, produced and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The script was co-written by Sam Raimi, who also served as the second unit director. The Hudsucker Proxy stars Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman and Jim True-Frost, and depicts the story of Norville Barnes, a naive business graduate who is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam. The Coen brothers and Raimi had initially finished the script in 1985, but production did not start until 1991, when Joel Silver acquired the script for Silver Pictures. Warner Bros. subsequently agreed to cover distribution duties, with further financing coming from PolyGram Filmed Entertainment and Working Title Films. Filming at Carolco Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina lasted from November 1992 to March 1993. The New York City scale model set was designed by Micheal J. McAlister and Mark Stetson, with further effects provided by The Computer Film Company. The Hudsucker Proxy was released in March 1994 with a box office bomb performance and received mixed reviews from critics.