
            Duke brothers Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche) own Duke & Duke, a successful commodities brokerage in Philadelphia. Holding opposing views on the nature versus nurture issue, they make a wager and agree to conduct an experiment switching the lives of two people at opposite sides of the social hierarchy and observing the results. They witness an encounter between their managing director, the well-mannered, cultured and educated Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd), engaged to the Dukes' niece Penelope (Kristin Holby) and a poor African-American street hustler named Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy). Valentine is first seen as a dirt-poor con artist who pretends to be blind and paralyzed from the waist down, rolling around the streets of Philly begging for money, when he has a run-in with Winthorpe outside his office building after being chased out of Fairmont Park by two policemen, who order him to stop panhandling. Valentine gets arrested at the racist Winthorpe's insistence because of a suspected robbery attempt. The Dukes decide to use the two men for their experiment, settling on the "usual amount" for their bet. Their plan involves two specific objectives: Valentine must become successful as an employee for the Dukes and Louis must become destitute and be branded a criminal.The next day, Winthorpe attends a meeting at his gentlemen's club. Moments before the meeting, an operative working for the Dukes, Clarence Beeks (Paul Gleeson), slips some money into Winthorpe's coat pocket. At the meeting, he is exposed as a thief when the cash is found on his person. He is fired from his job, his bank accounts are frozen, he is treated roughly during processing at the police precinct. When Penelope shows up to collect him, he is accosted by a prostitute, Ophelia (Jamie Lee Curtis) who was paid to do so by Beeks. He is later denied entry to the Duke-owned townhome where he resides by his long-serving butler, Coleman (Denholm Elliott), who pretends not to recognize Louis and is informed his bank account is frozen and his credit cards will have to be repossessed. He is thrown out of the bank and on to the street. Pleading with Ophelia to help him -- he reminds her that she helped whomever is trying to ruin his life -- she agrees to let him stay with her at her slum apartment until he can pay her back and figure out how to turn his misfortune around. He discovers that Ophelia is a very smart, business-minded woman who has a lot of money invested in several securities, hoping to one day retire comfortably.Ostracized and abandoned by Penelope and his former friends who believe the trumped-up charges against him, Winthorpe turns his attention to Valentine, whom he believes set him up. Meanwhile, claiming to operate an assistance program for the underprivileged, the Dukes bail Valentine out of jail, install him in Winthorpe's position at the company and give him use of Winthorpe's home. Valentine quickly becomes a prized employee of the Dukes; Valentine has the street-savvy attitude that could make them millions while trading stocks on the market. Billy Ray demonstrates his talent by earning the Dukes a hefty amount on his first day at work, giving them advice on how to set the price for pork belly commodities.During the firm's annual Christmas party, Winthorpe, disguised as Santa Claus, is caught planting drugs in Valentine's desk. Winthorpe is caught in the act and flees, fulfilling the criminal act the Dukes had as an objective in their scheme. Meanwhile, Valentine hides in a men's room stall to smoke a joint that he took from the drugs that he was tossing into the garbage can. The Dukes enter the washroom and, unaware of his presence, discuss in detail the outcome of their experiment and settle their wager for their agreed-upon amount: $1. Valentine overhears this exchange and seeks out Winthorpe when he hears that the Dukes plan to let Winthorpe become destitute and that they plan to eject Valentine following a plan they have to use his talents to corner the stock market on a specific trade commodity. He runs out of the building, tracking Winthorpe down to Ophelia's apartment.Winthorpe attempts suicide by overdosing on some of the pills he'd planned to frame Billy Ray with. Valentine, Ophelia and Winthorpe's former butler Coleman nurse him back to health and inform him of the Dukes' experiment. On television, they learn that Clarence Beeks is transporting a secret report on orange crop forecasts. Winthorpe and Valentine recall large payments made to Beeks by Duke & Duke and they realize that the Dukes are planning to obtain this report to corner the market on frozen orange juice. The group agrees to disrupt their plan as revenge.Learning of Beeks' New Year's Eve travel plans, the four get aboard his train to switch the report in Beeks' possession with a forgery. Winthrope, Valentine, Ophelia and Coleman all wear bizarre and disguises to try to swipe his briefcase at a costume party being thrown on the train. Beeks wises up and uncovers their scheme. In chasing them, he attempts to eliminate them. He fails, is subdued, and the group dress him in a gorilla costume and lock him in a cage with a real gorilla. The forgery is then successfully delivered to the Dukes.Winthrope and Valentine travel to New York's Wall Street and to the commodities trading floor to execute their plan. Winthorpe and Valentine are able to turn an enormous profit while the Dukes, misled by the false report, commit all their holdings to the venture and incur a loss of $394 million in profits. The Dukes confront Valentine and Winthorpe on the exchange floor who mockingly explain that they made a $1 wager on whether they could get rich while also making the Dukes poor. Valentine collects his prize from Winthorpe while Randolph collapses from a heart attack. Mortimer protests as their seats on the exchange are put up for sale, their assets are seized and their holdings frozen.Meanwhile, Beeks and the gorilla are loaded onto a ship headed to Africa while Valentine, Winthorpe, Ophelia, and Coleman enjoy a luxurious tropical vacation.
    

Trading Places


            Two Chicago gangsters go to Gino's shoe store and request that he meet them later by giving him a $100 bill.At that meeting, one of the gangsters tells Gino that an important man has been "mistakenly identified" as a killer, and shows him a picture of the man, who bears a striking resemblance to Gino. His chief, Mr. Green, explains that if Gino would serve 3-5 years in prison for confessing to the crime, they will pay him enormously, providing a boat for him to live in Sicily. Gino reluctantly agrees, and Mr. Green gives him an old Sicilian coin in gratitude.Jerry is another gangster assigned to take Gino away for a few days to train him on the story for his confession; if he does the job well, Jerry hopes to get off "probation" with his mafia bosses. After some time training in a hotel room, Jerry decides to take Gino to Lake Tahoe for two days of pleasure before he has to go to prison.Jerry bumps into an old associate and tries to impress him that Gino is critically important in the mafia, a ruse he carries on when they arrive at a resort, where they are given an elaborate suite and showered with fantastic service, all for not cost.The two men go to the casino with unlimited credit, where Jerry arranges for Gino to win a little on a rigged roulette table, but Gino accidentally wins $35 grand and Jerry is relieved when he loses it all on another game. He handles the loss graciously, saying, "Things change."The gamble gets Gino a lot of attention, including the services of two showgirls.Jerry is upset the next morning when he temporary thinks that Gino has left with the girls, then becomes more concerned when two unknown gangsters show up to invite them to lunch with a local boss, Don Giuseppe. Jerry tells him to not talk business during the meeting.At first Don Giuseppe suspects a problem, but when Gino shows him the Sicilian coin, they bond. The two men walk along the lake, bonding further, and Don Giuseppe invites him to spend the night.Jerry goes back to the resort, and is shocked to learn that Mr. Green is part of a huge mafia meeting at the home of Don Giuseppe that night. Jerry labors to get Gino out before they all cross paths, and steals a car to do so.The car runs out of gas and they don't have the money to fill it up, until Gino happens to see the two showgirls at a gas station and they give him some cash. With that, Jerry drives Gino back to their hotel in Chicago, and they talk about how they will fish together in a few years in Sicily.Jerry suddenly gets a pang of conscience and begs Gino to not go through with the deal. Gino insists that he's given his word, and must honor it.A gangster shows up to take them to court, but tells Jerry that their boss plans to have Gino killed, by Jerry. Meanwhile, Gino walks out to the shore of Lake Michigan, and Jerry beats down the gangster in distress. Gino suddenly gets the idea to call Don Giuseppe to ask for his help.At a court hearing, the judge sentences that other gangster-- disguised as his boss-- to life in prison.Gino and Jerry repair shoes back in his shop. They look at each other and shrug.
    

Things Change


            
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Don Ameche

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