Take This Job and Shove It (released in theaters on May 15, 1981) punches the clock as an energetic, blue-collar comedy that transforms country music outlaw rebellion into a fun, small-town corporate battle. The story centers on Frank McNulty (Robert Hays), a rising young corporate executive working for a massive conglomerate in Chicago.
Frank is assigned a daunting task: return to his hometown of Dubuque, Iowa, to streamline and modernize the local Pickett Brewery, an aging facility recently acquired by his employer.
Armed with corporate charts and efficiency metrics, Frank expects a simple assignment, but returning home reopens deep personal ties and long-forgotten loyalties.
Upon arrival, Frank reunites with his childhood sweetheart, J.M. Halstead (Barbara Hershey), and reconnects with his old working-class pals, including hot-tempered Harry (David Keith), wild Ray (Tim Thomerson), and cynical corporate sycophant corporate stooge Ron (Martin Mull).
Guided by the wisdom of veteran brewmaster Charlie Pickett (Art Carney), Frank realizes the brewery is the heart and soul of the community.
As he bonds with the workers, Frank attempts to protect their jobs from his ruthless big-boss CEO, Samuel Ellison (Eddie Albert).
However, when corporate greed forces extreme speedups, pay cuts, and eventual closure plans, Frank faces an ultimatum: side with his wealthy corporate bosses or stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his friends.
Choosing solidarity, Frank helps organize an explosive, hilarious worker revolt that gives the movie its iconic, cathartic title moment.
Penelope Milford, David Allan Coe, Lacy J. Dalton, Royal Dano, Virgil Frye, and James Karen round out the supporting cast.
Tim Thomerson, Robert Hays and David Keith in Take This Job and Shove It (Photo/Avco Embassy Pictures)
Reception for Take This Job and Shove It
Take This Job and Shove It grossed $17.6 million in its theatrical run.
Legacy
Take This Job and Shove It‘s legacy endures as a quintessentially fun early-1980s cult comedy, famous for successfully adapting Johnny Paycheck’s smash-hit outlaw country song of the same name into a full-length feature film.
Coming off his massive breakout in Airplane!, Hays delivered a charismatic, relatable lead performance alongside a star-studded supporting cast highlighted by Oscar-winner Carney and comedic standouts Mull and Thomerson.
The feature captured the blue-collar anxieties and anti-corporate sentiment of its era while delivering plenty of barroom brawls, monster truck destruction, and irreverent workplace humor.
Take This Job and Shove It is remembered as a charming, delightfully nostalgic time capsule of 80s working-class rebellion.
