Being There
A naive gardener thrust into society must rely on his TV‑schooled worldview while strangers mistake his simple remarks for profound insight, forcing him to survive the high‑stakes game of political and social deception.
“Getting there is half the fun; being there is all of it!”
Synopsis
Chance, a simple-minded gardener, has lived his entire life in the Washington D.C. home of an elderly man. After the man's death, Chance is forced to leave and find his way in the world, possessing only the knowledge he has gained from watching television.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 148+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Don ZimmermanShot by Caleb DeschanelScored by Johnny MandelDesigned by Michael D HallerSound by Donald O MitchellCostumes by May Routh
Box Office
1979 · Box office
Grossed $30.2M worldwide
Worldwide gross
$30.2M
Also known as
- Willkommen, Mr. Chancede
- Bienvenue, mister Chancefr
- Oltre il giardinoit
- (Flemish, poster title)Welkom Mister Chance
Release dates around the world3 countries · showhide
- United StatesDec 20, 1979
- CanadaFeb 8, 1980
- FranceMay 18, 1980
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Cast & Crew
148 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Peter Sellers
as Chance
Shirley Maclaine
as Eve Rand
Melvyn Douglas
as Benjamin Rand
Jack Warden
as President 'Bobby'
Richard Dysart
as Dr. Robert Allenby
Richard Basehart
as Vladimir Skrapinov
Ruth Attaway
as Louise
David Clennon
as Thomas Franklin
Fran Brill
as Sally Hayes
Denise Dubarry
as Johanna Franklin
Oteil Burbridge
as Lolo
Ravenell Keller Iii
as Abbaz
Supporting cast
54Brian Corrigan
as Policeman by White House
Alfie Brown
as Old Woman asked for lunch
Don Jacob
as David
Ernest Mcclure
as Jeffrey
Kenneth Patterson
as Perkins
Richard Venture
as Wilson
Arthur Grundy
as Arthur
W C Mutt Burton
as Lewis
Henry B Dawkins
as Billings
Georgine Hall
as Mrs. Aubrey
Nell P Leaman
as Constance
Villa Mae P Barkley
as Teresa
Alice Hirson
as First Lady
James Noble
as Kaufman
Timothy Shaner
as Presidential Aide
William F Williams
as Presidential Aide
Bill Dance
as Presidential Aide
Jim Aar
as Presidential Aide
William Lubin
as Presidential Aide
Gerald C Mcnabb Jr
as Woltz
Hoyt Clark Harris Jr
as Riff
Ned Wilson
as Honeycutt
Stanley Grover
as Baldwin
John Harkins
as Courtney
Katherine De Hetre
as Kinney
William Larsen
as Lyman Stuart
Jerome Hellman
as Gary Burns
Arthur Rosenberg
as Morton Hull
Sam Weisman
as Colson
Fredric Lehne
as TV Page
Gwen Humble
as TV Guest
Laurie Jefferson
as TV Reporter
Allen Williams
as Other Reporter
Janet Wells
as Other Reporter
Paul Marin
as Other Reporter
Melendy Britt
as Sophie
Hanna Landy
as Natasha Skrapinov
Elya Baskin
as Karpatov
Than Wyenn
as Ambassador Gaufridi
Richard Mckenzie
as Ron Stiegler
Sandy Ward
as Senator Slipshod
Danna Hansen
as Mrs. Slipshod
Mitch Kreindel
as Dennis Watson
Richard Seff
as Pallbearer
Terrence Currier
as Pallbearer
Leon Greenberg
as Pallbearer
Austin Hay
as Pallbearer
Mark Hammer
as Pallbearer
Maurice Copeland
as Pallbearer
Hal Ashby
as Man at File Cabinet at the Washington Post
Herbert Benkman
as Dignitary
Basil Hoffman
as Man in Commercial
Jerry Jensen
as General
Alexandria Walsh
as Court Reporter
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
4Other crew
79Ken Ryan
accountant (as Kenneth Ryan)
Rebecca Einfeld
apprentice film editor
James L Schoppe
as James Schoppe
Robert R Benton
as Robert Benton
Mark Warner
assistant editor
Steven Ramirez
assistant editor (uncredited)
Arthur Shippee
assistant property master (as Arthur Shippee Jr.)
Michael Mcduffee
assistant transportation coordinator
Michael Jeffery
assistant: Peter Sellers
Don Coufal
boom operator
Nick Mclean
camera operator
John Villarino
carpenter (uncredited)
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