Μωρά για ντάντεμα (1988) Online

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Molly Ringwald	-	Darcy Elliot Bobrucz
	Randall Batinkoff	-	Stan Bobrucz
	Kenneth Mars	-	Mr. Bobrucz
	Miriam Flynn	-	Donna Elliot
	Conchata Ferrell	-	Mrs. Bobrucz
	Sharon Brown	-	Lila
	John Zarchen	-	Chris
	Pauly Shore	-	Retro
	Michelle Downey	-	Michaela
	Patricia Barry	-	Adoption Official
	Janet MacLachlan	-	Miss Giles
	Jaclyn Bernstein	-	Mary Bobrucz
	Matthew Licht	-	Lou Bobrucz
	Renée Estevez	-	Marnie
	Darcy DeMoss	-	Elaine

Screenwriters Tim Kazurinsky and Denise DeClue began work by immersing themselves in the subject of teenage pregnancy, reading articles and speaking directly to teenage mothers. Kazurinsky said: "According to our research about 10,000 U.S. teenagers a week who are pregnant keep their babies. And in every interview we had with young pregnant girls, they all said, 'I never thought it would happen to me.' So we created Darcy Elliot as the kind of smart, with-it girl who would never think it could happen to her".

Producer Jerry Belson originated as the idea of a story of two teenagers who wager that love and good humor can beat the odds that say teenage marriages can't work and teenage parents are bound to fail. Belson said: "There have been many theatrical films about people being married and having babies, but they've never really done one about teenagers. Even though I realized it was sensitive politically, I still thought it was worth it to do a human story about kids like this".

For actor Randall Batinkoff, one of the nicest parts about making his debut starring role in the movie, was the opportunity to work with actress Molly Ringwald. Batinkoff said: "Molly is a wonderful actress. She possesses the qualities that make Stan's admiration for Darcy very believable. She was so real playing Darcy that it helped me play Stan".

According to the Wikipedia website, "the promising career of John Zarchen, thought to be on the verge of breakout in the supporting role of Stan's best friend, Chris, literally hit a wall during the shooting, as Zarchen suffered a life-threatening head injury while driving in Hollywood, allegedly under the influence of alcohol. He survived a brief period of being comatose, and actually returned to the film, although director John G. Avildsen, due to his medical absence and [allegedly] disgusted with the actor's disregard for the opportunity and the production, greatly cut down his role".

When the script was finished, producer Jerry Belson sent it to Molly Ringwald. Belson said: "Who else would you want to play a teenager in your film?". Indeed, Ringwald had become the pre-eminent actress of her generation, displaying an almost uncanny sensitivity to American teenagers. Still a teenager herself, Ringwald had something like perfect pitch, an instinct for how her peers think, and what they feel, and the talent to express it. Perhaps not surprisingly, Ringwald was enthusiastic about the script Belson sent her. The movie was a natural project for the actress at that stage in her career, presenting her with a unique opportunity to bridge adulthood and adolescence, to grow and mature on screen.

With star Molly Ringwald committed to the lead, the filmmakers were virtually guaranteed a funny and compelling performance at the center of their movie. The next step for producer Jerry Belson was to find a director. Belson approached John G. Avildsen who said: "I liked the script. I thought it was sweet and funny and I thought it was about something". But what most appealed to Avildsen was the love story. Avildsen noted: "I was drawn by the romantic aspect of it rather than the chance to make a moral tract. The background to the story is the problem that Stan and Darcy have, but the essence of it is how their relationship matures and how their problem almost breaks them apart. The script works like any great love story. Stan and Darcy are such great characters and they're so good together that you're rooting for them all the way. You want them to work out their problems and stay together. It's really very suspenseful".

It was important to director John G. Avildsen to dramatize the changes experienced by both parents. Avidlsen said: "Darcy's mother learns that she can't be her daughter's best friend. What Darcy needs is a mother. And Stan's father learns that he can trust his son, and maybe Stan's got more on the ball than he may have realized".

With cast and crew set, production on the film was set for early April 1987. The spring date ruled out the possibility of shooting on location in Wisconsin, since the script called for wintry scenes. Production Designer William J. Cassidy was forced to scout cities further to the north, looking for a town with the best likelihood of snow that could double for small-town Wisconsin. The decision was made to film in Winnipeg in Canada.

Scriptwriters Denise DeClue and Tim Kazurinsky resolved to avoid preachiness and melodrama. Although they were mindful that teenage pregnancy is a "social problem", and that by tackling it they were assuming a responsibility, the writers saw their first job was to create funny characters and a romance that worked on its own terms. DeClue said: "We felt that involving kids in the story would be the best way to make them think. If we could make them laugh, cry and participate in the story of Stan and Darcy, perhaps they would see little bits of themselves in it".

One film in a late 1980s Hollywood cycle of "baby pictures". The movies include Baby Boom (1987), For Keeps? (1988), Immediate Family (1989), 3 Men and a Baby (1987) (which was based on the then recent French film 3 hommes et un couffin (1985)), She's Having a Baby (1988), and Look Who's Talking (1989), with the latter followed early in the 1990s with Look Who's Talking Too (1990).

Working with casting director Caro Jones, director John G. Avildsen auditioned over 250 young men, ranging from the widely known to the barely known, in the search for the ideal actor to play Stan opposite Molly Ringwald's Darcy. The process continued until the weekend before the start of production, when the final candidates were screen-tested with Ringwald. In the end, a relatively new face, Randall Batinkoff, was cast in the pivotal role. Avildsen explained: "Having someone new can help a lot in a story. "I saw it happen for the first time in Joe (1970) with Peter Boyle, whom nobody had seen before. It worked in much the same way with Rocky (1976) and Sylvester Stallone, and once again in "The Karate Kid" movies, with Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. But the biggest thing in Randall's favor was his talent. He had a freshness, a sense of humor, and a spontaneity that I found very engaging".

Producer Walter Coblenz said of this film and actor Randall Batinkoff: "I'm very enthusiastic. I think this will be an entertaining movie that also illustrates how fast kids can grow up today when faced with a problem" and "Randall has charisma and charm. He is a terrific actor who gave us some very touching moments, even under screen-test conditions. Since this movie is essentially a love story, that made the difference".

With the two leading roles filled, the filmmakers turned their attention to casting the key supporting parts of Stan's and Darcy's parents. Just as Darcy's pregnancy imposes new realities on her and Stan, forcing them to grow, it is a jolt to their parents - who find themselves becoming grandparents long before they expected to. A number of the script's privileged moments belong to Mrs. Elliot and Mr. Bobrucz. The two choice roles went to Miriam Flynn, a former member of Chicago's "Second City" comedy troupe, and an actress with numerous film, television and theater credits, and Kenneth Mars, best remembered, perhaps, for his role as the unrepentant Nazi composer of "Springtime for Hitler" in Mel Brooks's zany _The Producers_. "I see Darcy's mother", said Flynn, "as someone who's trying to live through her daughter although from her point of view she's only doing what she thinks is best for her. While there's no question she loves Darcy, her love is misguided". Mars said: "Stan's father is a hard-working middle-class guy, something of a disciplinarian. But when he sees how difficult things are for the kids, he becomes supportive".

Working with the baby actors who played Stan and Darcy's daughter, Thea, posed numerous challenges for the production. Different children were needed to represent different stages in Thea's development, from newborn to infant to several months old. Each, accompanied by its entourage of mother, nurse, and welfare worker, could be brought to a location for a period of only two hours, during which time the baby could work for a total of no more than twenty minutes. Unlike the other professionals in the cast, the thespian tykes often proved unwilling to emote on cue. Director John G. Avildsen said: "Babies take direction very badly. They also exhibited a tendency to grow out of their roles. You could see subtle changes in them from week to week but we were lucky that we had some cute ones and their mothers were very patient".

The original name for this movie was the rhyming title of "Maybe Baby".

How did director John G. Avildsen hope audiences will respond to this movie? Avildsen said: "I hope that they feel that they've been entertained and moved. Maybe they'll have a few laughs or shed a tear. I think it will remind them of things in their own life. But if you can really involve the audience in a story, then it's satisfying".

Actors Adam Silbar and Paul Bens were considered for the lead male role of Stan Bobrucz which in the end was cast with actor Randall Batinkoff. Reportedly, Batinkoff allegedly replaced Silbar in the role of Stan. The Wikipedia website states: "Actor Adam Silbar was originally cast in the lead role of Stan but, for unknown reasons, the role was later re-cast with Randall Batinkoff just weeks before the first day of production. Author and casting director Paul G. Bens [Paul Bens aka Paul G. Bens Jr.], then an actor, was one of the two finalists to replace Silbar. The role ultimately went to Batinkoff".

When the production team arrived in Winnipeg in Canada, they were happy to see the city covered by a blanket of fresh snow. Unfortunately, as filming began, the city suddenly experienced a freak heat spell, with temperatures rising to levels unseen in a hundred years. As the snow melted, trucks were dispatched to fields on the outskirts of town, transporting over a hundred tons of fresh snow to replenish the set. Winnipeg locals in their shorts and summer dresses were fascinated by the heavy labor that goes into creating Hollywood magic, as Christmas scenes were photographed in the midst of the heat wave. Producer Walter Coblenz noted: "Just another day's work, bringing snow to Canada".

According to The '80s Movie Rewind website, "a baby shower scene was shot but didn't make it into the film. Strangely enough, still photos from that scene are on the box and were used in promotional materials".

Debut theatrical feature film of actor-comedian Pauly Shore.

After three days on location in Canada, the company returned to Los Angeles in California to complete principal photography. Many of the film's interiors, including the Bobrucz and Elliot houses, were shot in actual residences in Monrovia and Pasadena, places that production designer William J. Cassidy found to be close architecturally to the American mid-west. The last day of shooting brought cast and crew to the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, where one of the earliest scenes in the movie is set, as Darcy and Stan make an advance visit to college.

When producer Jerry Belson brought his concept to Jeff Sagansky at Tri-Star Pictures, Sagansky was immediately intrigued. Producer Jerry Belson was tied up writing and directing another feature film, however, and was unable to commit himself personally to writing the screenplay for the movie. He and Sagansky agreed that screenwriters Tim Kazurinsky and Denise DeClue, whose then recent hit, About Last Night... (1986), displayed a real sympathy for young lovers facing up to adult responsibilities, would be perfect for the project.