Newcomer Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) forms an uneasy alliance with corporate raider Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) in Oliver Stone's 1987 business expose, Wall Street.

Michael Douglas's famous speech on greed, delivered at a stockholders meeting for fictional Teldar Paper in the movie Wall Street, is one of the most famous in motion picture history.

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit..."

"Greed" definitely worked for Twentieth Century Fox's Wall Street in 1987, earning a slew of greenbacks at the box office and Douglas a Best Actor Oscar.

Oliver Stone Does His Research

The subject of Wall Street was a natural for writer/director Oliver Stone, whose father, Louis Stone, had worked as a stockbroker in the famed financial district for 50 years. Prior to filming, Stone had immersed himself in the strange machinations of the financial markets.

As part of his research, Stone had met with a number of Wall Street movers and shakers. Among the "A" list were corporate raiders Carl Icahn and Asher Edelman, John Gutfreund of Salomon Brothers, Alan Greenberg of Bear, Stearns, confessed insider trader David Brown of Goldman, Sachs, and a host of government prosecutors and regulators.

Kenneth Lipper, a former partner at Salomon Brothers, served as Stone's chief technical advisor. Also on hand -- as both an advisor and bit actor -- was real-life Wall Street wheeler-dealer Jeff "Mad Dog" Beck of Drexel Burnham Lambert.

Filming Locations

Budgeted at $15 million, Wall Street was filmed on location in New York City. Familiar landmarks used included Central Park, the New York State Supreme Court Building, the boardroom of AT&T, the 21 Club, Tavern on the Green, and PJ Moran's Pub and Restaurant.

Money Never Sleeps, Pal

Wall Street opens in grand fashion, with a panoramic view of New York City accompanied by Frank Sinatra singing "Fly Me to the Moon." It's the beginning of another day on Wall Street, where Bud Fox (Sheen), an account representative at Jackson Steinem & Company, prepares for the opening of the New York Stock Exchange.

It's young Bud's dream "to bag the elephant" -- win an account with financial titan Gordon Gekko (Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider who moves tens of millions of dollars on paper by the hour.

Brandishing a box of fine Davidoff Cuban cigars for Gekko's birthday, Bud finally manages a meeting with the Wall Street legend. Relating information picked up from his father, Carl (Martin Sheen), a union representative at Bluestar Airlines, Bud informs Gekko of Bluestar's upcoming exoneration in a recent plane crash.

Acting on Bud's tip, Gekko purchases a large block of Bluestar stock, making a small killing. Bud then forms an alliance with the corporate raider, passing on inside information and serving as his spy. One of his tasks involves tailing Gekko's hated rival Sir Larry Wildman (Terence Stamp), who is making possible plans to buy Erie, Pennsylvania-based Anacott Steel.

Flush with money from his insider dealings, Bud hooks up with Gekko's former mistress, Darien Taylor (Daryl Hannah). But young Bud's heady financial days are coming to an end, as the long arm of the law -- the Securities and Exchange Commission -- is hot on his paper trail.

Release

Wall Street had its release, or IPO -- initial public offering -- on December 11, 1987, two months after the stock market crash in October. A financial success, Wall Street grossed $43,848,069 at the box office, earning the #26 slot for the top moneymaking films of 1987.

The Oscar

Wall Street's lone Academy Award nomination came for Best Actor, with Michael Douglas taking home the Oscar. It was a masterful performance, with Douglas as the immoral Gekko spouting a series of memorable lines: "Jesus, if this guy owned a funeral parlor nobody would die"; "Delete the son of a bitch. I want every orifice in his body flowing red"; "The Terminator! Blow 'em away, Ollie. Rip their (blanking) throats out. Stuff them in your garbage compactor."

Gordon Gekko, Classic Villain

In 2003, the American Film Institute named the Gordon Gekko character as one of the top 50 screen villains of the past 100 years. Holding down the #24 slot, Gekko was sandwiched in between Eve Harrington (Bette Davis) from All About Eve (1950) at #23 and Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) from The Shining (1980) at #25.

That's right, pal, Gekko nosed out an axe murderer.