Radioland Murders (1994)

Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely the worst movie.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I think the key to appreciating this movie is in your expectations. The first time I saw it I didn't like it that much but repeat viewings have made it one of my favorite comedies. It helps that I really like old timey radio shows, but that is not a prerequisite to enjoying the film.This movie moves fast, and I think that's one thing that throws a lot of people. Modern comedies tend to have a relaxed pace and an improvisational feel, but Radioland Murders keeps a break-neck, gag-a-minute pace. The jokes fly so fast you're liable to miss them. It almost moves too fast. For example, all the character relationships are laid out in the first five minutes before the main title even appears. If you blink you might fall behind. But if you can keep up the movie pays off in spades.The one complaint I do have is that the movie has so many talented actors it gives many of them very little to do. Some of the funniest (and most famous) actors die off before they get more than a few lines. But overall if you like machine-gun dialogue, screwball comedy, and lots of pratfalls, this is a hilarious movie.

The only thing that this inane film has going for it is its pacing. It is done lively and quiet fast and given the nature and how bad the film is, it's appropriate to do it that quickly.This is a definite take-off on the radio period in America.While a radio show goes on, the best part of the action seems to be on the backstage, where a series of murders are taking place, one after the other.Suspicion immediately falls on one of the writers who is on the verge of breaking up with his wife, the show's producer.The beginning showed progress with the problems of script writing presented. With the murders, the film falters quickly and becomes one of amateurish slapstick and all other mayhem and nonsense.The comedy lines are silly. One example is: Woman to man: "Don't you see the star on my dressing room?" His response was: "Does that mean you're Jewish?" Case closed.

The movie is more than it seems. Behind the seemingly superficial plot are so many jokes and references that it's unlikely anyone would catch them all, and certainly not on one viewing. For example, the storyline seems to be based upon the breakdown in the relationship between General David Sarnoff, president of NBC who insisted on using the "General" title after his service in WWII and Edwin Howard Armstrong, an engineer with several of the most important patents in radio including the one for Frequency Modulation (FM). Sarnoff used the power of NBC to essentially cheat Armstrong out of credit for his patents. Armstrong was so distraught over the loss of a patent suit with Sarnoff (the decision was reversed after Armstrong's death) that he killed himself by jumping from an upper floor window. The engineer in the movie even bears a physical resemblance to Armstrong. (see Empire of the Air by Tom Lewis for more on this topic)I also enjoyed the performers including the dancing cigarette girls, the Spike Jones bit, Fred and Ginger, the Carmen Miranda suit, George Burns as himself, and Rosemary Cloony who I think was imitating Kate Smith.

Although I usually keep up pretty well with new movie releases, I some how missed this one. I discovered it only after I had gotten my first DVD player and was looking for something I didn't already have on VHS to play on it. What a pleasant surprise. It has a great cast and an interesting story. It reminds me of some of the really good comedy mysteries of the 30's and 40's. Especially Abbott and Costello's "Who Done It" (Which also took place at a radio station) It is a great family film and mine has watched a numerous times. I have also bought copies for relatives that I thought would enjoy it. It may not be an award winner but it is good fun. On the eave of it's nationwide debut a new network is beset by a murderer who sends warnings over that station's airwaves, each of which is followed by a murder. One of the stations writers Roger Henderson (Brian Benben) is a suspect and tries to clear his name and find the real killer with the help of his wife Penny (Mary Stuart Masterson) and the stations pageboy, Billy (Scott Campbell).