Great Balls of Fire!

film by McBride [1989]

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July 22, 2026

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The 1989 film "Great Balls of Fire!" is a biographical drama about the life of rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. Starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as his young cousin and wife, Myra Brown, the movie chronicles his rise to fame in the late 1950s with hits like "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and the title track "Great Balls of Fire." The film also touches upon the scandals that marked his career, including his controversial marriage, and his unique, high-energy piano playing style that earned him the nickname "The Killer."12

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Jerry Lee Lewis
Legacy
…of biographies, documentaries, and a major Hollywood film in 1989 starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Myra Brown, Lewis’s life was punctuated by erratic behavior, alcohol and drug problems, bouts of ill health, tax debts, wild escapades, and seven marriages, more than one of which involved allegations…
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…of biographies, documentaries, and a major Hollywood film in 1989 starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Myra Brown, Lewis’s life was punctuated by erratic behavior, alcohol and drug problems, bouts of ill health, tax debts, wild escapades, and seven marriages, more than one of which involved allegations…
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Dennis Quaid
Stardom: Breaking Away, The Right Stuff, and Great Balls of Fire!
…All-American (1988) and starred in Great Balls of Fire! (1989), a biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis.
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…All-American (1988) and starred in Great Balls of Fire! (1989), a biopic about Jerry Lee Lewis.
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