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%

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

75%

2001: A Space Odyssey

81%

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

84%

GoodFellas

85%

Pulp Fiction

85%

Jumanji

72%

Interstellar

85%

Iron Man

77%

Dead Poets Society

83%

Shutter Island

82%

Titanic

79%

Forrest Gump

85%

Snowpiercer

69%

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

74%

La La Land

79%

The Shawshank Redemption

87%

Kingsman: The Secret Service

76%

Status

Released

Original Language

English

Budget

-

Revenue

$11,000,000.00

Keywords

music business

payola

© All Rights Reserved 2025