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Radioland Murders (1994)

Radioland Murders (1994)
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A blend of screwball farce and whodunit murder mystery, this madcap period piece was the brainchild of executive producer George Lucas. In 1939, Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) is the harried general secretary and de facto manager of a new fourth radio network, WBN. On the night that the Chicago station goes live on the air, a mysterious voice interrupts, and a series of murders soon follows, each one described by the same sonorous phantom. While Penny and her staff desperately try to keep WBN's roster of shows afloat during the unfolding crisis, her estranged husband Roger (Brian Benben), a staff writer, becomes the chief suspect. Roger is forced to dodge a detective, Lieutenant Cross (Michael Lerner), find the real killer, win Penny back, and perform last-minute script rewrites for an unhappy sponsor. As the backstage hysteria reaches a fever pitch, the show goes on with real-life radio-era pros such as George Burns and Rosemary Clooney. Although never explicitly pointed out in the film, Radioland Murders (1994) was a pseudo-prequel to an earlier Lucas feature -- Roger and Penny are the future parents of Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) from American Graffiti (1973). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

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Starring:
Brian Benben, Mary Stuart Masterson, (more)
Director(s):
Mel Smith
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Format(s):
DVD
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Synopsis of Radioland Murders

A blend of screwball farce and whodunit murder mystery, this madcap period piece was the brainchild of executive producer George Lucas. In 1939, Penny Henderson (Mary Stuart Masterson) is the harried general secretary and de facto manager of a new fourth radio network, WBN. On the night that the Chicago station goes live on the air, a mysterious voice interrupts, and a series of murders soon follows, each one described by the same sonorous phantom. While Penny and her staff desperately try to keep WBN's roster of shows afloat during the unfolding crisis, her estranged husband Roger (Brian Benben), a staff writer, becomes the chief suspect. Roger is forced to dodge a detective, Lieutenant Cross (Michael Lerner), find the real killer, win Penny back, and perform last-minute script rewrites for an unhappy sponsor. As the backstage hysteria reaches a fever pitch, the show goes on with real-life radio-era pros such as George Burns and Rosemary Clooney. Although never explicitly pointed out in the film, Radioland Murders (1994) was a pseudo-prequel to an earlier Lucas feature -- Roger and Penny are the future parents of Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) from American Graffiti (1973). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
108 mins

Complete Cast of Radioland Murders


Director(s):
Mel Smith
Writer(s):
Willard Huyck, Gloria Katz, Ron Osborn
Producer(s):
Rick McCallum, Fred Roos
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
PG
Categories:
Comedy, Mystery & Suspense
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    Ethan J.

    I truly didn't think that George Lucas had this in him. He tried to get this off the ground in the 70's with Steve Martin, but with no luck. This is a witty and extremely fast-paced comedy that really hits all the right notes. With unique set pieces and the rapid fire dialogue of a theater farce, this movie is a good time. Completely rewatchable and quotable.

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    Jason G.

    I've never been able to figure out why people reacted so strongly against this film. My wife and I are avid lovers of intelligent films and we have seen this one three times and loved it more with each viewing. There are some shortcomings as with most movies - some potentially funny moments/characters aren't capitalized on, it's maybe a bit too long - but the performances are strong, the principal characters wnsome, and the comedy works. I recommend it. And although the brief nudity is unfortunate, it is that: VERY brief... about a 1 second. it's easily remedied by fast forwarding (it's about the 6 minute mark into the film) and after that it's a great family film.

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    Clint E.

    Radioland Murders came as a surprize to me. I wasn't expceting much, I only watched it because George Lucas was attached to the project. My first impression was , "wow what an all-star cast." Beyond that the movie is a fun, frantic, hilarious romp through 30's radio. Of Course, there is also a murder mystery thrown in the mix, but that just ads to the fun. While this radio show is being put on, the interaction between the cast members is sharp and engaging, as they rewrite the script, deal with the police, and try to solve "who's next" and "whodunnit". The look of the movie is authentic and vibrant. I'm really impressed with the movie completely and fell in love with the picture immediately. Give it a try, it's really better than the fickle critics would have you believe.

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