Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

one of my absolute favorites!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

This film is a niche film, in that it IS a who-dunnit, but deeper than that, there seems to be a gap between modern audiences and the pre-television world of pop-culture radio. This, in part, accounts for some of the lack of popularity this film experienced.However...This film is intriguing in that it features some great performances, manic and frantic dialog indicative of the behind-the-scenes and on-the-air intonations of the age, and a slick style which elevates this work far above the rating it currently enjoys here at IMDb.The filming style is mesmerizing. The long shots of the outside of the radio building contributes to the feeling of isolation from the rest of the world, as the body count begins to accumulate. The sponsors just won't be sold on the station, everything which can go wrong is, and the station is dying to go into national syndication. All while the intrigue builds into suspense without generating the atmosphere of a thriller, which this is not. It was a difficult balance to maintain, but it never slips, never fails.I have no idea why this was universally thrashed. This was delightful! It rates an 8.9/10 from...the Fiend :.

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).

If you're looking for a serious mystery--or for that matter, a serious anything--don't watch this movie.If you just want a fun movie that you can watch again and again, this one is for you! It takes place in the studios of radio station WBN on the night of its national debut. The station managers, directors, writers, and actors, already stressed with the debut and pleasing the affiliates, are shocked when a trumpet player in the orchestra is poisoned and killed. The station crew then has to keep the programs going while the police investigate and the writers go on strike. After more murders are committed, writer Roger Henderson, the innocent prime suspect, has to simultaneously evade the police, rewrite scripts for shows about to air, and solve the crime to prove his innocence.There are some discrepancies and parts I'm sure critical people split hairs over. Don't expect a masterpiece, just some good fun.

A few years before "The Phantom Menace", George Lucas was involved in the goofy "Radioland Murders", about a series of killings at a radio station in 1939 Chicago. In a way, the whole movie seems like an excuse for a bunch of gags (namely the scene where the bellboy accidentally walks into the dressing room), but I couldn't help but admire it. Even people who never lived through the '30s are likely to feel nostalgia for that era (uh, can one be nostalgic for the Depression?). Overall, this movie may have no cinematic and/or artistic value whatsoever, but it's just fun to watch. Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson play the lead roles (and George Lucas said that they're the parents of Richard Dreyfuss's character in "American Graffiti"). George Burns, in his final film role, appears as a radio personality. Also starring Ned Beatty, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffrey Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christopher Lloyd, Larry Miller, Anita Morris, and Rosemary Clooney. A fairly neat movie.Oh, and as the movie makes clear: nothing's ever going to overtake radio as the dominant medium.