American Hot Wax (1978)

03/17/1978 (US) • 1h 31m

Drama, History, Music

1959. New York City. The battleground was Rock and Roll. It was the beginning of an era. You shoulda been there.

Overview

This is the story loosely based on Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950s. Freed was a source of great controversy: criticized by conservatives for corrupting youth with the "devil's music"; hated by racists for promoting African American music for white consumption; persecuted by law enforcement officials and finally brought down by the "payola" scandals.

Top Billed Cast

Tim McIntire

Alan Freed

Jay Leno

Mookie

Laraine Newman

Teenage Louise

Carl Weaver

Member of The Chesterfields

Al Chalk

Member of The Chesterfields

Sam Harkness

Member of The Chesterfields

Arnold McCuller

Member of The Chesterfields

Jeff Altman

Lennie Richfield


Recommendations

Remember the Titans

76%

Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast

74%

Nowhere

68%

La La Land

79%

Parasite

85%

Star Wars

82%

Zombieland

73%

Suicide Squad

59%

Princess Mononoke

83%

Grease

74%

Rear Window

83%

Big Fish

78%

Deadpool

76%

The Fantastic 4: First Steps

72%

Gladiator

82%

Minority Report

74%

The Silence of the Lambs

83%

Fight Club

84%

Source Code

73%

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

84%

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

-

Revenue

$11,000,000.00

Keywords

music business

payola

© All Rights Reserved 2025