Paper Moon
A grifter forced to care for a clever orphan girl teams up with her to pull off a series of swindles across Depression‑era America, all while evading relentless lawmen and the harsh realities of a starving nation.
“As P.T. Barnum put it, "There's a sucker born every minute."”
Synopsis
During the Great Depression, a con man is forced to take in a young girl who may or may not be his daughter, and the two form an unlikely partnership.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 105+ 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 Verna FieldsShot by Laszlo KovacsDesigned by Polly Platt
Box Office
1973 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 12× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$30.9M
Also known as
- Luna de papeles
- La Barbe à papafr
- (Bulgarian)Хартиена луна
Release dates around the world3 countries · showhide
- United StatesApr 9, 1973
- BrazilJul 1, 1973
- SpainSep 1, 1973
Companies
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Cast & Crew
105 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Ryan O Neal
as Moses Pray
Tatum O Neal
as Addie Loggins
Madeline Kahn
as Trixie Delight
John Hillerman
as Deputy Hardin, Jess Hardin
P J Johnson
as Imogene
Jessie Lee Fulton
as Miss Ollie
James N Harrell
as The Minister
Lila Waters
as The Minister's Wife
Noble Willingham
as Mr. Robertson
Bob Young
as Gas Station Attendant
Jack Saunders
as Station Master
Jody Wilbur
as Cafe Waitress
Supporting cast
29Liz Ross
as The Widow Morgan - Pearl
Yvonne Harrison
as The Widow Bates - Marie
Ed Reed
as The Lawman - Bates' Home
Dorothy Price
as Ribbon Saleslady
Eleanor Bogart
as The Widow Stanley - Elvira
Dorothy Forster
as The Widow Huff - Edna
Lana Daniel
as Moze's Girlfriend
Herschel Morris
as The Barber
Dejah Moore
as Salesgirl - $20 Bill
Ralph Coder
as Store Manager
Harriet Ketchum
as Store Customer
Desmond Dhooge
as Cotton Candy Man
Kenneth Hughes
as Harem Tent Barker
George Lillie
as The Photographer
Burton Gilliam
as Floyd - Desk Clerk
Floyd Mahaney
as Beau - Hardin's Deputy
Gilbert Milton
as Leroy's Father
Randy Quaid
as Leroy
Tandy Arnold
as Leroy's Brother
Dennis Beden
as Leroy's Brother
Vernon Schwanke
as Leroy's Brother
Hugh Gillin
as 2nd Deputy
Art Ellison
as Silver Mine Gentleman
Rose Mary Rumbley
as Aunt Billie
Jack Benny
as Himself on Radio Show
Jeff Colyer
as Extra
Jim Jordan
as Fibber McGee
Marian Jordan
as Molly McGee
Don Wilson
as Himself on Jack Benny Radio Show
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
5Other crew
60John Austin Nm0042431
as John Austin
Dick Colean
assistant cameraman
Lou Noto
assistant cameraman (as Louis Noto)
Ray Gosnell Jr
assistant director (as Ray Gosnell)
Gary Daigler
assistant director trainee
William Neel
assistant editor
Mark Wade
assistant prop man
William C Carruth
assistant sound editor (as Bill Carruth)
Lawrence E Peets
best boy (as Larry Peets)
Norman Webster
boom man
Bobby Byrne
camera operator (as Robert Byrne)
Gary Chason
Casting Director
Parents Guide
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Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
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