Talk Radio (film)
| Talk Radio | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Oliver Stone |
| Produced by |
A. Kitman Ho Edward R. Pressman |
| Written by |
Oliver Stone Eric Bogosian Tad Savinar Stephen Singular (book) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Stewart Copeland |
| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Edited by |
David Brenner Joe Hutshing |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios |
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Release date
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Running time
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110 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $3,468,572 |
Talk Radio is a 1988 American drama film, starring Eric Bogosian, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Greene, and Leslie Hope. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film was based on the play by Bogosian and Tad Savinar. Portions of the film and play were based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in 1984 and the book Talked to Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg by Stephen Singular. The film was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear.
Barry Champlain, a Jewish radio personality in Dallas, Texas, is a host with a caustic sense of humor and a knack for cutting people down with his controversial politically liberal views.
Champlain's radio show is about to go nationwide. A former suit salesman, he achieves his rise to fame through guest shots on the Jeff Fisher radio show. Barry begins to steal the show with his sense of humor and sharp wit, which aggravates Fisher. Barry is subsequently given his own show which rises to the top of the Arbitron radio ratings. Barry has a substantial number of hostile callers trying to intimidate him and sometimes receives threatening fan mail, such as when one caller makes a bomb threat. His rise to fame is accompanied not only with attention from radical elements, but also with the alienation of his wife.
As his show is going through a final audition to go into national syndication, Barry asks his ex-wife, Ellen to come and visit him as he needs her input as the only person he can trust. They attempt a return to their relationship. Barry receives calls from people who appreciate him for what he does and how he does it as well as people who seem to hate him. He confesses his sins over the radio, and that he also confesses that the American people scare him because of what has happened to his friends, family, and co-workers. Using a fake name and calling from the radio studio, Ellen calls Barry on the air—the only place he seems to relate to people openly—to attempt to reach him, to bring him back from the depression he seems to be suffering and begs for him to come back, but Barry refuses and tells her that he will be all right from now on, he belittles her on the call as the radio production staff, all friends of Ellen, watch in horror; Ellen walks away. His co-workers tell him it's now the highest rated segment. Barry's boss congratulates him on a job well done and says that the show is definitely going to go national.
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