Radioland Murders

I am glad to say that I have this picture on video now, and it is still one of my favourite movies. I think the film brilliantly captures how a radio station (or a stage production even) can be controlled chaos at times.

This film was unfairly maligned in my opinion. I like the murder mystery/comedy genre. At times, it can be badly done, but here it is very well-handled. Brian Benben, Mary Stuart Masterson and the squad of celebrities who cameo, handle their scenes very well. My only real complaint would be that Christopher Lloyd and Michael McKean have very little to do.

But the plot twists and the resolution both pay off excellently and Mel Smith directs the piece with panache. There are also several great musical numbers thrown in as well. I give this film 8/10.

This is the all-time great overlooked flick! Filled to the brim with intricate timing, sight gags, 40's-style dialogue, radio in-jokes, ensemble acting, and great music, this movie had everything to love and nothing to hate! Most baffling to me, on finally seeing it on video was how people could not like it! I have yet to show it to a friend or relative who did not agree that this is an excellent movie! See it now! See it later! See it both! If you CAN laugh, if you like movies, if you liked the radio, if you breathe, you should like "Radioland Murders!"

This film is a niche film, in that it IS a who-dunnit, but deeper than that, there seems to be a gap between modern audiences and the pre-television world of pop-culture radio. This, in part, accounts for some of the lack of popularity this film experienced.

However...

This film is intriguing in that it features some great performances, manic and frantic dialog indicative of the behind-the-scenes and on-the-air intonations of the age, and a slick style which elevates this work far above the rating it currently enjoys here at IMDb.

The filming style is mesmerizing. The long shots of the outside of the radio building contributes to the feeling of isolation from the rest of the world, as the body count begins to accumulate. The sponsors just won't be sold on the station, everything which can go wrong is, and the station is dying to go into national syndication. All while the intrigue builds into suspense without generating the atmosphere of a thriller, which this is not. It was a difficult balance to maintain, but it never slips, never fails.

I have no idea why this was universally thrashed. This was delightful! It rates an 8.9/10 from...

the Fiend :.

The (normally) Jazz number "And The Angels Sing" behind the ending credits works its way through half a dozen musical styles, including a wildly improbable Western Swing.

Be sure to listen to the end.

Radioland Murders is a movie that should be seen more than once because it is so fast-paced and contains lots of inside jokes....it helps to have worked in radio (i've been a control board operator for 6 yrs) to catch some of the adsurdity. In my opinion, it's mostly about "timing" because in radio "dead air" is a no-no....one program must flow into another (with commercials in between, of course)....the audience has no idea of the confusion going on behind the scenes! Watch the contrast of the writers' hectic schedule and the actors performing whatever they are given so smoothly...this script is well-written, I think. Dissect the lines and they work, like when Billy tells Mr. Henderson, "that's quite a reach, Mr. H". Just say it out loud and it has a rhyme to it. I love the part where the cops are staring at the TV test pattern!! Some of the silly parts were a bit too long for my taste, but the movie works on many humorous levels. I also enjoyed the 1930 popular lingo as dialog in places. And the last script Mr. Henderson delivers IS a pip and pulls it all together!