American Hot Wax (1978)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Floyd Mutrux

Writers:

John Kaye (screenplay)
John Kaye (story)

Release Date:

17 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Music

Tagline:

1959. New York City. The battleground was Rock and Roll. It was the beginning of an era. You shoulda been there.

Plot:

This is the story loosely based on Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950's...

Plot Keywords:

Disc Jockey | 1950s | Payola | Radio | Music Industry

Cast

Tim McIntire	...	Alan Freed
Fran Drescher	...	Sheryl
Jay Leno	...	Mookie (Michael)
Laraine Newman	...	Teenage Louise
Carl Weaver	...	Chesterfields
Al Chalk	...	Chesterfields
Sam Harkness	...	Chesterfields
Arnold McCuller	...	Chesterfields
Jeff Altman	...	Lennie Richfield
Moosie Drier	...	Artie Moress, Buddy Holly Fanclub President
John Lehne	...	D.A. Coleman
Stewart Steinberg	...	Stone
Jack Edward Ellis	...	Phillips
Richard Forbes	...	Donahue
Stephen Pearlman	...	Peter Overmyer

Runtime:

91 min | Canada:95 min (Ontario)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:AL | Finland:S | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

The Wiltern - 3790 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

In order to help promote the film, a syndicated, half hour musical variety special was shot called "Thank You Rock and Roll".

Goofs:

Anachronisms: TV newscasts were not regularly televised in color in 1959.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Alan Freed: You can stop me, but you're never gonna stop rock & roll!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cotton Candy (1978) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Mr. Lee

WHY is this not on DVD???!!

Floyd Mutrux is a golden god of American film making. "Hollywood Knights" is the greatest movie ever made, and this (American Hot Wax) may be the second. If "American Graffiti" can make it to DVD, this can.

I would imagine the reason it hasn't yet been released is licensing of all the songs, the reason the Hollywood Knights disc was delayed for so long. Everyone is greedy these days, but isn't a little something better than nothing at all? Let it go, people!

It is a great movie about a great time not only in America, but music. This is the 'big bang' of rock n'roll. Chuck Berry wears the exact same clothes from his very own closet as he did in '56, in this movie. The reason the RnR Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, is because that's where Alan Freed started - and he coined the phrase "rock n'roll".

In this movie, like the aforementioned HK movie, Mutrux's eye for talent brings to the screen for the first time actors/actresses that would become luminaries in the future. Leno, Drescher, who knew?

GET THIS MOVIE TO DVD NOW, thank you. :)