American Hot Wax
| American Hot Wax | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Floyd Mutrux |
| Produced by | Art Linson |
| Written by | John Kaye |
| Starring |
Tim McIntire Fran Drescher Jay Leno Laraine Newman Moosie Drier Jeff Altman John Lehne Richard Perry Chuck Berry Jerry Lee Lewis Screamin' Jay Hawkins Frankie Ford Charles Greene |
| Music by | Kenny Vance |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
| Edited by |
Ronald J. Fagan Melvin Shapiro Danford B. Greene (sup) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,000,000[1] |
American Hot Wax is a 1978 biopic film directed by Floyd Mutrux and written by John Kaye, telling the story of pioneering disc jockey Alan Freed, who was instrumental in introducing and popularizing rock and roll in the 1950s. Freed is often credited with coining the term "Rock 'n' Roll." The film starred Tim McIntire as Freed, as well as Fran Drescher as Freed's feisty secretary, Laraine Newman as a young aspiring songwriter, Melanie Chartoff as a young singer, Jeff Altman as a sleazy record promoter who is told off by everybody he approaches, Jay Leno as Freed's mischievous limousine driver, Moosie Drier in a warmly reviewed performance as the head of a Buddy Holly fan club with at least 5,000 members, and a walk-on part by a teen-aged Cameron Crowe. It also featured performances by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Ford, Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Brooklyn Dreams performed as "Professor La Plano and The Planotones". On theater release, the film did not do well at the box office with critics, which resulted in one of the reasons it didn't gain a wide audience gross worldwide.
A&M Records released a 2-record soundtrack album featuring the Brooklyn Paramount performances from the movie on Record 1 (in stereo) and original recordings used throughout the film on Record 2 (all in mono). The soundtrack reached #31 on the Billboard charts, leaving some to wonder just how that was possible with such meagre public exposure.
Producer Art Linson discusses the movie's production and failure at the box office in his book What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line.
Cast
- Tim McIntire -- Alan Freed
- Fran Drescher -- Sheryl
- Jay Leno -- Mookie (Michael)
- Laraine Newman -- Teenage Louise
- Moosie Drier -- Artie Moress
- Jeff Altman -- Lennie Richfield
- John Lehne -- D.A. Coleman
- Richard Perry -- Record producer
Performers
- Chuck Berry -- Himself
- Jerry Lee Lewis -- Himself
- Screamin' Jay Hawkins -- Himself
- Frankie Ford -- Himself
- Charles Greene -- Chuck Otis
The Chesterfields
- Carl Earl Weaver
- Al Chalk
- Sam Harkness
- Arnold McCuller
The Delights
- Stephanie Spruill
- Joyce King
- Yolanda Howard
- Brenda Russell
Timmy & The Tulips (erroneously shown as "Timmy and The Tangerines" in the end credits)
- Charles Irwin -- Timmy
- Jeanne Sheffield
- Jo Ann Harris
The Planotones
- Kenny Vance -- Professor La Plano
- Joe Esposito
- Bruce Sudano
- Ed Hokenson
Reception
The film was a box office bomb. However head of Paramount Michael Eisner loved the movie and saw it nearly a dozen times.[2] Critic Pauline Kael praised the performances and approvingly called the film "a super B-movie" and "trashily enjoyable".[3]
References
- ↑ Box Office Information for American Hot Wax. The Numbers. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
- ↑ What to Do for an Encore: CRITIC AT LARGE Champlin, Charles. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 07 July 1978: h1.
- ↑ Kael, Pauline (2011) [1991]. 5001 Nights at the Movies. New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-250-03357-4.