BrianRxm Coins in Movies 338/388
Throw Momma from the Train (1987)
Modern coins and a good reason for collecting coins
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The 1987 comedy film "Throw Momma from the Train" is about two Los Angeles men, one who wants to get rid of his monster mother and the other his greedy ex-wife.
 
Billy Crystal stars as Larry Donner, a writer who teaches a creative writing class. His ex-wife stole a book which he had written and published it under her name. Larry is also paying alimony to his now wealthy ex-wife.
 
Danny DeVito stars as Owen Lift, one of Larry's students, who lives with his domineering mother.
 
The two men decide to exchange victims, an idea they get from an old movie. Various complications ensue with neither of the victims actually dying.
 
At one point Owen shows Larry his "coin collection" which consists of a few ordinary US coins, two quarters, two nickels, and a penny. One of the quarters is a pre-1964 silver quarter. The coins are ordinary but his reason for keeping and showing them is not.
 
Owen tells Larry that his collection of small change reminds him of happy events he shared with his father.
 
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Throw Momma From the Train
1. Title
Larry Donner appears with a typewriter.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
2. Larry Donner at work
Larry has been struggling for years to write material for motion pictures but has failed. He blames his ex-wife Margaret who "stole" a novel he wrote, published it under her name.
 
The book became a best-seller, leading to Margaret becoming wealthy and appearing on television programs, including Oprah Winfrey's daytime program "Oprah."
 
Throw Momma From the Train
3. Margaret Donner on Oprah
Margaret tells the audience that she has "freed herself."
 
Larry teaches a creative writing class at a local college.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
4. Larry teaching class
One of his students is Owen Lift, a man who has not had much success in life.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
5. Owen Lift listening
Owen is also a writer but an amateur.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
6. Owen working
Owen tries to work at home but his mother keeps calling him to do things for her.
 
Larry begin seeing Beth Ryan, a pretty blonde woman.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
7. Owen's mother
Owen asks for Larry's advice on writing and Larry suggests that Owen watch a classic film from 1951, "Strangers on a Train" to study the writing of the film.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
8. Owen watching the film
A scene from "Strangers on a Train" is shown.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
9. A scene from the film
Bruno (left) proposes to Guy (right) that he kill Guy's nasty wife and that Guy will then kill Bruno's father.
 
Owen begins getting ideas from the film.
 
Owen finds out that Larry's wife Margaret has gone to Hawaii and Owen flies there and follows her onto a ship.
 
Owen then sees Margaret fall off the ship while trying to retrieve a piece of jewelry.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
10. Margaret falls
Owen calls Larry from Hawaii.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
11. Owen calls Larry
Owen tells him that he has killed Margaret and expects Larry to kill his mother.
 
Back in Los Angeles, Larry visits Owen. Owen tells Larry that he has had a coin collection for a long time and offers to show it to him.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
12. Owen shows his collection to Larry
Larry asks "Are any of these coins worth anything? Well, the purpose of a coin collection is that the coins are worth something."
 
Owen replies "Oh but they are."
 
Throw Momma From the Train
13. Owen puts coins on the floor
"This one here I got in change when my dad took me to see Peter, Paul, and Mary. This one I got in change when I bought a hot dog at the circus. My daddy let me keep the change. He always let me keep it."
 
Throw Momma From the Train
14. The coin collection
Two nickels, two quarters, and a penny. The rightmost quarter appears to be a silver quarter. These were last minted in 1964.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
15. This one is my favorite
Owen says "This one is my favorite. This is Martin and Lewis at the Hollywood Palladium. Look at that." (The comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis appeared at the Hollywood Palladium theatre in 1953)
 
Throw Momma From the Train
16. Reverse
"See the way it shines on the little eagle? I loved my dad a lot."
 
Throw Momma From the Train
17. Putting the collection away
Larry asks "So this whole collection is, uh..." and Owen replies "Change my daddy let me keep." Larry concludes with "That's a real nice collection, Owen." and Owen replies "Thank you, Larry."
 
Larry gets into an argument with Momma and later falls down some stairs. He recovers and the three of them end up on a train headed to Mexico.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
18. Owen, Momma, Larry on a train
Momma goes to the back of the train and almost falls off. She is rescued by Larry and Owen, but then Larry falls off the train.
 
Larry is in a hospital bed and sees a television news report.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
19. Margaret rescued
Margaret was rescued from the ocean by a Japanese fishing boat and she announces plans to marry the boat's captain.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
20. Larry receives an inspiration
Larry begins writing again and produces a manuscript.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
21. Larry's manuscript
The title is, of course, "Throw Momma from the Train."
 
Later Owen visits him and tells him that he has also written a book about the events. Larry becomes upset at Owen until Owen shows him his book.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
22. Owen shows Larry his book
Owen's book is a "pop-up" book with a story meant for children. The title is "Owen, Momma, and Owen's Friend Larry."
 
Throw Momma From the Train
23. Larry's book
A woman in beach attire is reading Larry's book.
 
Both books become successful and Larry, Beth, and Owen head for Hawaii again.
 
Throw Momma From the Train
24. Larry, Beth, and Owen on the beach
Cast, Directors, Writers:
 
Billy Crystal as Larry Donner
Danny DeVito as Owen Lift
Anne Ramsey as Mrs. "Momma" Lift
Kate Mulgrew as Margaret Donner
Kim Greist as Beth Ryan
 
Director: Danny DeVito
Writers: Stu Silver
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