Radio Days

Plot synopsis:
Joe (Woody Allen), the narrator, relates how two burglars got involved in a radio game after picking up the phone. He goes on to explain that he associates old radio songs with childhood memories.
During the late 1930s and early 1940s young Joe (Seth Green) lived in a modest Jewish-American family in Rockaway Beach. His mother (Julie Kavner) always listened to Breakfast with Irene and Roger. His father (Michael Tucker), who regularly gave him a beating, kept his occupation secret. Joe later found out that he was ashamed of being a taxi driver. Other family members were Uncle Abe and Aunt Ceil, grandpa and grandma, and Aunt Bea (Dianne Wiest). The latter was a serial dater, always on the lookout for a potential husband.
Joe's own favourite radio show was The Masked Avenger. It made him dream of buying a secret decoder ring. In Joe's fantasy the Masked Avenger looked like a hero, but in reality the voice actor (Wallace Shawn) was short and bald. Other radio memories are stories about sporting heroes, news bulletins about World War II, a report of an extraterrestrial invasion, and a live report of the search for a little girl who fell into a well.
With his friends from school Joe was searching for German aircraft, but instead they saw a woman undressing in her bedroom. She later turned out to be their substitute teacher. Alone on the coast Joe saw a German U-boat, but he decided not to tell anyone because they wouldn't believe him.
Joe was fascinated by the glitz and glamour of Manhattan, where the radio broadcasts were made. He visited the Radio City Music Hall, and described it as the most beautiful thing he ever saw.
Joe collected stories of radio stars, including that of Sally White (Mia Farrow), whose dreams of becoming famous were hampered by her bad voice and accent. Starting as a cigar salesgirl she got stuck on the roof of the radio building with Roger, who was cheating on Irene. After she witnessed a crime the gangster Rocco (Danny Aiello) wanted to kill her, but following his mother's advice he ended up using his connections to further her career. She finally became a reporter of celebrity gossip.
On New Year's Eve Joe was brought down from his room to celebrate the transition to 1944. Simultaneously the radio stars gathered on the roof of their building. The narrator concludes that he will never forget those radio voices, although with each passing of a New Year's Eve they seem to grow dimmer and dimmer.

Tags: boring, depressing, murder

Review:
Radio Days (1987)- written, directed, and narrated by Allen:What a beautiful, kind, gentle, ironic, warm, sentimental (in a very good way and yes, I am talking about Woody Allen's movie, that's right) yet perfectly balanced delight.
The film is a tribute to the magical radio days and the myths and legends about radio personalities, the memory of a grown man who never forgot where he came from, the love letter to his always fighting and arguing ("I mean, how many people argue over oceans?") but loving relatives and a very funny comedy (the way only Allen's comedy can be).
Also profiled in here are some of those radio performers.It does have laughs but not as many as the normal Allen movie because the idea of this is simply to be a nostalgic piece, mainly Allen's tribute to his own family days of growing up, what it was like around his house.It was interesting to see Seth Green playing Woody as a youngster with flaming red hair.
However, any time a genius like Woody Allen can create a film that not only makes me and my rowdy friends laugh, but gets guffaws from my dear old Mom as well, it deserves a little fanfare.I didn't even mention the solid gold music.See this film at once!.
RADIO DAYS is one of Woody Allen's most underrated comedies, a fond look back to the days of radio and its effects on his family.Set against long-forgotten radio programs, hit songs, and the coming of World War II, we get two narrative threads.
The interiors are beautifully done (Santo Loquasto), and very memorable is the awe-inspiring visit to Radio City Music Hall with its dimmed lights, lush carpets, and warm red-and-gold tones.There is also a parade oh hit songs of the day that include "September Song," "Tico Tico," "Mairzy Doats," "South American Way," "Pistol Packin' Mama," "If I Didn't Care," and so many others.A final word for the many actors and actresses in small parts who make this movie feel so right.
Woody Allen's turn in the films he's made lately (as of 2003) are, to me, pretty depressing and perverse, with none of the charm, life and humor that works like Radio Days symbolize, Sweet and Lowdown notwithstanding.
Since the man narrating the memories was only a boy then, it is altogether fitting and proper that he see things as a child; for as he states in one scene, "our conversation turned from Nazis to more important things,like girls." No movies, except this one, that I recall, are able to deal with this critical age in American history without conveying the tragic time that it was.I would like to think this family was really Woody Allen's, but it is probably a work of fiction, like his other pieces.
Radio Days reminds us that having someone to experience life with is a treasure and a blessing, despite whacks on the head, martians, and fish, "That man always brings home fish!" And oh, the music!This is Woody Allen's masterpiece..
This film shows it.Autobiographical -- or perhaps semi-autobiographical -- in nature, "Radio Days" evokes the time when people returned "to those thrilling days of yesteryear," and for whom, quite probably, it was equally thrilling to contemplate the magic of a box in their living room that could cause them to "watch" the stories unfold in their minds.
"Remotes," or on-the-spot broadcasts transported them to the scene of unfolding tragedies or triumphs in a way that newspapers never could (and which TV, for all its advantages, rarely matches).And yet the film, for all its authenticity in recreating studio practices (watch, for example, how the actors drop completed script pages onto the floorrather than turning them and risking a tell-tale rustle of paper), isn't really so much about radio itself as it is about the people who listened, as personified by one raucous, cantankerous and loving Brooklyn family.
Beautifully evoked, particularly by Julie Kavner (Mother), Michael Tucker (Father), and the incomparable Dianne Wiest (as the perenially lovelorn Aunt Bea), it is their reactions to what they hear on the radio -- whether listening breathlessly to the war news (at a time when the end result was anything but certain) or Bea's abandonment in the middle of nowhere by a panicked suitor as Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast takes hold -- that bring to life the era and the power of that medium.Standouts?
Woody's best " memory" piece has great set designs, a sad and funny script and the usual great, well chosen cast, including a very young Seth Green playing Allen as a boy.
This is the only Allen movie that both Farrow and Diane Keaton appear in (she has a very brief cameo singing a song in a night club.) The final scene on top of the roof is almost bittersweet, altho it is nice to see a landscape filled with wide eyed people, before the world was dominated by television.
It also cements my conclusion that Woody Allen is the only director who "spoofs" great art films and artistic styles, confirmed by his tributes to Ingmar Bergman and German Expressionists.All that aside, "Radio Days" is, second of all, a look at Allen's childhood memories weaved together by radio.
In fact, that tender quibbling, love and loss and understanding is what makes Allen's characters come to life so successfully - no wonder he speaks of them with warmth.What "Radio Days" is about first of all and foremost, is nostalgia.
And it is he, not the characters in the film as much, who experiences the nostalgia, the central theme of "Radio Days."In narrating his memories, Allen is able to distance himself from them temporally.
It's an affectionate (and, for Allen, atypically nostalgic) period piece, sketching with disarming humor the memories, anecdotes, and fantasies of an East Coast childhood in the 1930s and 1940s, narrated by the director himself and set against a collection of once-popular radio songs and programs.
The film is a nostalgic look at the golden age of radio during Allen's childhood as he reflects on the impact it had on his young life.
The movie is short but is still a very good watch that provides a very unique and entertaining experience.As with most Woody Allen films, Radio Days is a one of a kind experience because of the way the story is told.
The film uniquely combines stories of fictional radio stars and fictional characters (which are obviously based heavily on Woody Allen's actual family) with actual stories of the time period.
It is a fascinating watch.Staying true to the Woody Allen experience, the dialouge in Radio Days is great.
He blends these moments seamlessly into the over-all fabric of the film and the viewer never feels emotionally manipulated, the emotions well up naturally, adding depth to what might otherwise have been more akin to the 'Big Broadcast' movies of the 30s.Woody Allen stretches his leading ladies, especially, to the limits, and they are great.
Together with Allen's witty, tender script, and a host of excellent performances, the film does a terrific job of creating an intentionally larger than life, and slightly surreal memory piece of short stories about growing up in an age when radio was still the king of entertainment.It's a small, sweet.
Woody Allen takes two stories, his childhood with his extended family and the heyday of radio, and wraps them together, showing how radio captured the attention of and helped shape America.The story is occasionally a bit disjointed, and while some critics harped on that, I found that it more fit the way nostalgia feel like...
I've spoken to people who grew up in New York City during the "Radio Days" and they say that Allen captures the era perfectly.I love this movie because Allen doesn't pretend that the past is perfect, but he loves it even with its flaws, and he presents it to us with the love that feels for this time gone by..
"Radio Days" is a series of vignettes centering around the popular radio shows and personalities of the early 1940s (just prior to the start of WWII and just after), and though writer-director-narrator Allen exposes a loving heart (and melancholy yearning) for this era, the film feels rather slight because Woody tends to cringe at the face of pure sentiment.
The Manhattanites and radio stars are far less amusing (or interesting) than Woody's family, but at least there we have frizzy-haired Mia Farrow as a nasal-voiced coat-check girl (she gets to sing a lovely solo for the USO, and has a funny scene pleading for her life after mobster Danny Aiello kidnaps her).
The common denominator in all the stories and in the overarching plot is the presence of the radio - it brought music, news, stories, escape and comfort, made stars of everyday people and was often the glue in families and relationships.A wonderfully sentimental, nostalgic and funny homage to radio from Woody Allen.
The supporting cast is huge, due to the many mini-stories within the movie, and includes many Woody Allen favorites: Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, Dianne Wiest, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Tony Roberts.
However, this is a story about family and kinship and how radio particularly affected this family.Woody Allen directed a rather charming film that is narrated by Joe and he talks about how radio influenced his childhood and he talks about his memories of his family and how radio associated with them.
The movie is set during the "golden years of radio," when radio programs, listened to at home, were an important aspect of American entertainment.The film is narrated by Woody Allen, and is a nostalgic--and possibly autobiographical--look at the childhood of a young boy growing up in Rockaway, Queens.
There is no plot to speak of, more a series of anecdotes and episodes revolving around 10 year old Joe (played by Seth Green) and his large working-class Jewish-American family in 1940s New York City all linked by the ever-present voice of the radio.
Compared to the great Woody Allen films like "Manhattan" or "Hannah and Her Sisters", made the previous year, "Radio Days" is a slight work.
Woody cast a number of actors who had appeared in his earlier films, such as Mia Farrow as Sally, Dianne Wiest as Joe's Aunt Bea whose search for love is a running theme, Danny Aiello, Jeff Daniels, Diane Keaton and Wallace Shawn, and gets good performances out of all of them.
Pretty much everyone's childhood no doubt is bathed in a golden hue, including, almost literally, Woody Allen's in this cavalcade of pre-teen reminiscences to the backdrop of the music of popular radio.That nostalgic glow is everywhere, to the extent that there are no bad characters to cloud the atmosphere and the insertion of a blatantly sad story (a little girl dies off-screen down a well) seems unwelcome and indeed out of place.
Allen paints an attractively quirky set of characters, no doubt drawn from memory, of a hard-working extended Jewish family and contrasts this with the glamour and glitz of radio show performers with whose lives they occasionally interact and certainly aspire to.
That said, I much prefer Allen's films when he's not employing "flavour of the month" big names (who of course would all "just die" to be in a Woody film) and instead gets more out of lesser known but no less capable baggage-less actors like here - Tony Roberts even gets a look-in.The comedy is smile rather than laugh inducing and some of the scenes have been done before (Bill Forsyth for one, beat him to the punch in "Gregory's Girl" with the school-kids accidental viewing of their future teacher's nude dancing in her apartment), but the film's evocation of New York in the war years is beautifully managed and certainly draws comparison to Scorcese's earlier "New York New York".And that sure is a pretty shot at the end as the neon hat is doffed to us to send us on our way, no doubt with thoughts of our own hopefully happy childhoods, wherever they were..
Also, the very commotive Jewish family, characterizing Allen's own and including an impressive young Seth Green as the figure for young Woody, is portrayed with a loving naiveté, as is displayed so pricelessly in their shock that on Yom Kippur, the neighbors actually have the nerve to work on their house, and because they believe that they are communists and because they're making so much noise, the uncle works up the nerve to go next door and confront them, thus ushering in a shouting match with one of them, played by fellow Woody Allen's fellow Jewish comedian Larry David, who provides great enjoyment a la his perpetually conflicting character on Curb Your Enthusiasm.Allen's Radio Days is also a much more emotional experience than any Fellini film.
Also starring Tony Roberts, Danny Aiello (a riot as a soft-hearted hitman), Jeff Daniels, Josh Mostel and Diane Keaton (in a cameo as a nightclub chanteuse in her first Allen film since 1979's "Manhattan" ), "Radio Days" is a slice-of-life masterpiece not to be overlooked..
Some of them, told through the point of view of lower class people in the eyes of younger Woody Allen, Joe, played by a tiny little Seth Green.He goes on about how the songs played on the radio remind him of a particular event.
I truly don't think he has one particular story that he can remember in full, but these scattered memories pulled together to create the whole works well.Allen has a great eye for period detail, and I felt like I was taken into that time and place.
Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) is a nostalgic look at those times.Mr Allen isn't seen in this movie, only heard.Seth Green plays in a way the young Woody Allen.Only that his name isn't Woody but Joe.This Jewish boy lives his life in New York under World War II.And listens to radio.The acting work is superb in this movie.Young Seth Green is excellent.Then there are names like Mike Starr (Burglar), Julie Kavner (Mother), Wallace Shawn (Masked Avenger), Dianne Wiest (Bea), Mia Farrow (Sally White), Larry David (Communist Neighbor), Danny Aiello (Rocco), Jeff Daniels (Biff Baxter), Mercedes Ruehl (Ad men), Diane Keaton (New Year's Singer) and William H.
Radio Days looks wonderful, with the smoky cinematography being some of the most beautiful of any Woody Allen film and the minute period detail is very evocative.
We see his family as they go on about their daily lives, but majority of the film is about the radio shows of the day and the people who made them.The movie is full of anecdotes of supposed radio stars and what they were doing behind the scenes.
There are stories to tell through the characters- the parents (Michael Tucker and Julie Kavner, both in some of their best work yet), the wanting-engagement aunt (Dianne Wiest, a narrow role to play but one done very sweetly and genuinely), the possibly fictional character of Sally White (Mia Farrow, often charming) who goes from chirpy cigarette girl to radio star, and the young protagonist himself (Seth Green, a surprise I'm sure) who lives in total fantasy- as kids should do- and gets into misadventures amid the stories around him.It's appropriate to hear other compare this to Fellini's Amarcord, but I think even if I hadn't seen Amarcord before I would've sensed right away the Fellini influence here.
The film tells little stories about the family(young Woody, his parents, cousin, aunts and uncles)and the radio stars("Roger and Irene", "The Masked Avenger").
However, through his character's simple narration, we come to understand Joe's fondness for the radio programmes, the stars and the stories surrounding them, with each recollection triggered by something as simple as hearing a classic song one more time.Though Woody Allen restricts himself to a role as narrator, his character's younger self is played by Seth Green, a wide-eyed young kid with flaming red hair and a huge grin.
It's narrated by Woody Allen, whose telling his story about growing up in a packed house in New York in the days of no TV and just a radio and it also follows the rise of Mia Farrow's character who starts out as a waitress and ends up a star.
The rest of the stories and characters feel like they're only in place for cynical one-liners or little gags.As in most Woody Allen movies, there's a large cast, so be on the lookout for Dianne Wiest, Jeff Daniels, William H.
Woody Allen's nostalgic look at the golden age of radio through concentration on one ordinary family and the variety of favorite shows among that household is both interesting and entertaining.
Each song Joe heard tied back to a memory from his childhood creating a perfect soundtrack to his life.Radio Days is clearly a personal film for Woody Allen.
Radio Days seems like it should be one of Woody Allen's best movies.
Radio Days (1987) *** (out of 4) Extremely well made film has Woody Allen narrating the story as he takes a look back to growing up in the late 30s and early 40s as the radio programs would have a major impact on his life.
Allen tells the story of his early days growing up in New York with his rather eccentric family and how certain radio programs stuck with him through life.
The young Allen is played by Seth Green and he does a very good job in his part as does Michael Tucker and Julie Kavner as his parents, Dianne Wiest as his aunt constantly looking for love and we get Mia Farrow playing a "radio voice" who's actually based on the career of Hedda Hopper.
The film intersperses sequences of Woody's, sorry, Joe's family life with scenes of the radio celebrities that they loved so much.
Radio Days 1987 Directed by Woody Allen Starring: Mia Farrow, Diane Wiest and Seth Green.10/10..
You can feel that Woody really liked the radio days and longs for the times.