Radio in the Movies

A richly detailed examination of two branches of American entertainment that focuses on the various ways that radio stations and air personalities have been depicted in motion pictures, from 1926’s The Radio Detective to more recent films like 2022’s Halloween Ends.

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This richly detailed examination of two branches of American entertainment focuses on the various ways that radio stations and air personalities have been depicted in motion pictures, from 1926's The Radio Detective to more recent films like 2022's Halloween Ends. Newly updated and revised chapters cover the cinematic portrayals of various aspects of radio, including disc jockeys, sports broadcasts, religious programs and abnormal personalities on the air. Such films as The Big Broadcast (1932), Reveille with Beverly (1943), Mister Rock and Roll (1957), WUSA (1970), Radio Days (1987), Private Parts (1997), We Are Marshall (2006) and Straight Outta Compton (2015) provide fascinating insights not only into their own times, but also into the historical eras that some of these films have attempted to recreate.