FM (film)

Infobox_Film
name = FM


imdb_id = 0077532
director = John A. Alonzo
writer = Erza Sacks
starring = Michael Brandon
Eileen Brennan
Alex Karras
Cleavon Little
Martin Mull
producer = Rand Holston
distributor = Universal Studios
released = April 1978
runtime = 104 min.
language = English
budget = N/A

"FM" is a 1978 film directed by John A. Alonzo, and starring Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras and Cleavon Little. The screenplay was written by Ezra Sacks.

This film was produced by Universal Pictures, and originally released to movie theatres in 1978.

Plot summary

When a top rated radio station is getting pressured to put more emphasis on advertising than actual music, the disc jockeys form a united front against the "suits". With station manager Jeff Dugan's unofficial approval, the other employees hijack the station, playing the kind of music they like before the authorities can arrive.

Martin Mull appears in his feature film debut as a zoned-out record spinner. He plays Eric Swan, a libidinous disc jockey with eyes for everyone female. The character is self centered, smarmy, quick tempered, and overbearingly insincere. During the course of the film, Swan beds a supposed girlfriend, encounters a female fan with a peculiar physical "gift", and barricades himself in due to a severe emotional breakdown, all within the confines of QSKY's studio.

Also rounding out the cast are Cleavon Little, who plays the Prince of Darkness, QSKY's overnight host; Eileen Brennan as "The Mother", the 40-something nighttime DJ, Michael Brandon as Jeff Dugan, the station's morning DJ and program director, and Tom Tarpey as new sales manager Regis Lamar, the bane of the disk jockeys' existence.

In addition, the film includes live appearances by Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty, and REO Speedwagon. Steely Dan perform the title theme, and Dan Fogelberg, Joe Walsh, Boz Scaggs and Queen also contributed soundtrack music. The film utilized such future hits as We Will Rock You (in a protest rally sequence) and Life's Been Good integrated into the plot.

Critics

Rolling Stone magazine considered the music heavily biased towards musicians who had been managed by Irving Azoff, who was head of MCA Records at the time. [cite book|title=The New Rolling Stone Record Guide|year=1982|publisher=Random House|location=New York|pages=p. 590|last=Marsh|first=Dave] and Keith Phipps of the Onion AV Club took issue with the premise. [cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/content/node/1398|title=Review of FM|last=Phipps|first=Keith|publisher=The Onion AV Club|date=2002-03-29|accessdate=2007-06-07]

Main cast

* Michael Brandon - Jeff Dugan
* Eileen Brennan - The Mother
* Alex Karras - Doc Holliday
* Cleavon Little - Prince of Darkness
* Martin Mull - Eric Swan
* Cassie Yates - Laura Coe
* Norman Lloyd - Carl Billings
* Jay Fenichel - Bobby Douglas
* James Keach - Lt. Reach

oundtrack

The original soundtrack to the film won the 1979 Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.

References

External links

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