Talk Radio (1988)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Singular (book)
Eric Bogosian (play) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 December 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The last neighborhood in America.

Plot:

A rude, contemptuous talk show host becomes overwhelmed by the hatred that surrounds his program just before it goes national.

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Neo Nazi | Radio Talk Show | Radio DJ | Dialogue Driven

Awards:

3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Eric Bogosian	...	Barry
Ellen Greene	...	Ellen
Leslie Hope	...	Laura
John C. McGinley	...	Stu
Alec Baldwin	...	Dan
John Pankow	...	Dietz
Michael Wincott	...	Kent / Michael / Joe
Linda Atkinson	...	Sheila Fleming
Robert Trebor	...	Jeffrey Fisher / Francine
Zach Grenier	...	Sid Greenberg
Tony Frank	...	Dino
Harlan Jordan	...	Coach Armstrong
Bill Johnson	...	Fan #1
Kevin Howard	...	Fan #2
Anna Levine	...	Woman at Basketball Game / Denise
Bruno Rubeo	...	Tony
Pirie MacDonald	...	Judge Willard
Allan Corduner	...	Vince / Morris
Mimi Cochran	...	Girl #1
Rockets Redglare	...	Killer / Redneck Caller
Angus G. Wynne III	...	Engineer
Chip Moody	...	Announcer
David Poynter	...	Engineer
Peter Zapp	...	Josh / Vincent (voice)
Carl Kissin	...	Glen (voice)
Park Overall	...	Debbie / Agnes / Theresa (voice)
Michele Mariana	...	Rhonda / Elderly Woman / Julia (voice)
Earl Hindman	...	Chet / Black John / Jerry (voice)
John Seitz	...	Bob (voice)
Kyle McClaran	...	Arnold (voice)
Dee Pyland	...	Nancy (voice)
Daniel Escobar	...	Frank (voice)
William De Acutis	...	John the Rapist / Ralph (voice) (as Bill DeAcutis)
Frederica Meister	...	Sexy Woman (voice)
Luis Barajas	...	Fred (voice)
Vernie Bailey	...	Jackie (voice)
Martin Rayner	...	Arnold (voice)
Alan Clark	...	Larry (voice)
Moby	...	Station Announcer / Newscaster (voice)
John B. Wells	...	V.O. (voice)
Leigh French	...	Newscaster (voice)
Walter Lynn	...	Newscaster (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Theresa Bell	...	Lucy (uncredited)

Directed by
Oliver Stone

Writing credits (WGA)
Stephen Singular		(book "Talked To Death: The Life and Murder of Alan Berg")
Eric Bogosian		(play creator) &
Tad Savinar		(play creator)
Eric Bogosian		(play)
Eric Bogosian		(screenplay) &
Oliver Stone		(screenplay)

Produced by
A. Kitman Ho	....	producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	producer
Diane Schneier	....	associate producer
Greg Strangis	....	executive producer
Sam Strangis	....	executive producer
Neal Weisman	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Stewart Copeland

Cinematography by
Robert Richardson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Brenner
Joe Hutshing		(co-editor)

Casting by
Risa Bramon Garcia
Billy Hopkins

Production Design by
Bruno Rubeo

Art Direction by
Milo

Set Decoration by
Derek R. Hill

Costume Design by
Ellen Mirojnick

Makeup Department
Martha Marek Beresford	....	hair stylist
Sharon Ilson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jane Bartelme	....	unit manager
Michael Flynn	....	executive in charge of production
Clayton Townsend	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vebe Borge	....	second assistant director
Joseph P. Reidy	....	first assistant director (as Joseph Reidy)

Art Department
Don 'Tex' Clark	....	set dresser (as Don Clark)
Chris Henry	....	construction foreman
Mike Parsons	....	property master
Barry Phillips	....	assistant art director
Craig Pittman	....	set dresser
Joe Sharber	....	stand-by props
Phil Shirey	....	set dresser
J. Grey Smith	....	lead man (as Grey Smith)
Floyd Gentry	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Terry Lynn Allen	....	dialogue editor (as Terry Allen)
Lorna Anderson	....	dialogue editor
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound editor (as Lon E. Bender)
Neal Burger	....	dialogue editor
Harry Cohen	....	digital sound effects designer
Tom Dionne	....	sound effects editor
Scott Martin Gershin	....	sound designer
Avram D. Gold	....	dialogue editor (as Avram Gold)
Lewis Goldstein	....	dialogue editor (as Lew Goldstein)
Douglas Greenfield	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Patrick M. Griffith	....	post-production sound supervisor
Victor Grodecki	....	dialogue editor
Penny Lee Hallin	....	assistant dialogue editor
Kevin Hearst	....	dialogue editor
Sherry Klein	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gerry Lentz	....	foley editor
Gerry Lentz	....	foley recordist
Kim Maitland	....	sound recordist
Tod A. Maitland	....	sound mixer
Joseph A. Mayer	....	adr supervisor (as Joseph Mayer)
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
T.J. O'Mara	....	boom operator
Kelly Oxford	....	assistant dialogue editor
Dan M. Rich	....	dialogue editor (as Dan Rich)
David M. Roberts	....	utility sound (as David Roberts)
Joan Rowe	....	foley artist
Ann Scibelli	....	sound effects editor
R. Russell Smith	....	sound effects editor (as Rusty Smith)
Cathie Speakman	....	sound editor
Wylie Stateman	....	supervising sound editor
Ken Teaney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Stephen Toback	....	sound effects editor
Jerry Trent	....	foley artist
Jeff Vaughn	....	foley editor
Jeff Vaughn	....	foley recordist
Jeff Timbs	....	daily sound transferer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Dyan Traynor	....	effects coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Sharon Alley	....	second assistant camera
Jerry G. Callaway	....	aerial photographer
Mark Shane Davis	....	key grip (as Mark Davis)
Jonathan D. Guerra	....	electrician (as Jon Guerra)
Johnny Gutierrez	....	rigging electrician
John Johns	....	video playback operator
Steve Lang	....	grip
Fred L. McLane	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Fred McLane)
Reinhart 'Rayteam' Peschke	....	gaffer
Philip C. Pfeiffer	....	director of photography: second unit (as Phil Pfeiffer)
Toby Phillips	....	Steadicam operator
Bill Pierson	....	dolly grip
David Rudd	....	first assistant camera
Joyce Rudolph	....	still photographer
Frank Scheidbach	....	best boy
John Shoemaker	....	electrician
John Patrick Smith	....	camera trainee (as Patrick Smith)
Peter J. Verrando	....	24 frame video operator (as Pete Verrando)
Sean Cohen	....	electrician (uncredited)
Mark A. Hatley	....	grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Matthew W. Davis	....	casting assistant
Ed Johnston	....	casting: Texas
Carl Scaglione	....	casting assistant: Texas
Katherine Venti	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Barbara B. Baker	....	wardrobe assistant (as Barbara Baker)
Sawnie Baldridge	....	costume supervisor (as Sawnie Baldridge Smith)
Stephen M. Chudej	....	costumer (as Stephen Chudej)
Mayes C. Rubeo	....	assistant to costume designer (as Mayes Castillero de Rubeo)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	additional negative cutter
Jana Carroll	....	apprentice editor
Bob Hagans	....	color timer
Michele Perrone	....	assistant editor (as Michelle Perrone)
Melody Platt	....	apprentice editor
Marcelo Sansevieri	....	assistant editor
Pietro Scalia	....	assistant editor
Emmy Scharlatt	....	assistant editor
Amy Urema	....	post-production assistant

Music Department
Budd Carr	....	music supervisor
Niki Freegard	....	music coordinator
Carlton Kaller	....	music editor (as Carl Kaller)
Jeff Seitz	....	music co-producer
Jeff Seitz	....	music engineer

Transportation Department
Alvin Milliken	....	driver (as Alvin Milliken Jr.)
Billy Milliken	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Bill Abbott	....	key technical advisor
Judith Lee Berg	....	consultant
David Bradstreet	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
David A. Brink	....	production assistant (as David Brink)
Billy Crawford	....	film courier
Elon Dershowitz	....	assistant: Edward R. Pressman
Cindy Fairfield	....	studio manager
Catherine M. Griffin	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Robert Grindrod	....	assistant auditor
Sandy Hollis	....	craft service
Andrea Jaffe	....	publicist
Myra Lebo	....	office staff executive assistant: Pressman Films, Los Angeles
Deborah Lupard	....	key production assistant
Susan Malerstein	....	script supervisor
Lisa Mashburn	....	bookkeeper: Los Angeles
Dan Perri	....	title designer: main titles
Sandra Maltz Saccio	....	production secretary: Pressman films, Los Angeles (as Sandra Maltz)
Elisabeth Seldes	....	assistant: Oliver Stone
Christina Stauffer	....	production assistant
Barbara-Ann Stein	....	auditor
Elizabeth Stone	....	spiritual advisor: Naijo No Ko
Leeann Stonebreaker	....	production coordinator
Layne Teaff	....	production assistant
Art Tizon	....	office coordinator: Los Angeles
Peter J. Verrando	....	technician: broadcast electronics (as Pete Verrando)
Anath White	....	technical advisor
Mike Childress	....	stage manager (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cineplex-Odeon Films
• Ten-Four Productions

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (1990) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• CBS/Fox Video (1989) (UK) (VHS)
• Cineplex-Odeon Home Video (1989) (Canada) (VHS)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MCA Home Video (1989) (Canada) (video)
• MCA Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1990) (Finland) (VHS)
• Universal Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1998) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• EFX Systems  digital sound
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• Optical House, The  opticals
• Otto Nemenz International  camera and lenses
• R/Greenberg Associates  additional optical effects
• Soundelux  dialogue editing

Also Known As:

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating: 2005) | UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:18 (1989-2005) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Building One, Studios at Las Colinas - 6301 North O'Connor Road, Irving, Texas, USA

Company:

Cineplex-Odeon Films

Trivia:

John C. McGinley, known as the most frequent acting collaborator of Oliver Stone, had also appeared in the theatrical presentation of Eric Bogosian's play.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Barry Champlain says that he's going to punish his listeners by playing the Bee Gee's song - Saturday Night Fever, ten times in a row. The record they actually play is Disco Inferno by The Tramps. This may be intentional due to copyright issues however the track is on the OST for Saturday Night Fever.

Quotes:

Barry:[to a caller about the most powerful drug ever sold] It's tobacco. It kills 350,000 people a year. You know how much coke, crack, heroin, pot kill every year? Four thousand people. Will you listen to sense? Hello? Let me check. Will you listen to logic, please? The only people who benefit from prohibition... are the gangsters makin' the money on it, the politicians condemning it and gettin' your vote. And who foots the bill? You, Rhonda Q Sucker!

Movie Connections:

References "I Love Lucy" (1951)

Soundtrack:

Telephone & Rubber Band

Hugely ignored classic

I have seen it a few times and get completely glued to it every time. It is very suspenseful and intense. To describe it sounds boring but it is amazing. It is the kind of movie where you need can't miss a thing, but if you soak it in it sticks with you long after it ends. Now thinking about it I don't even know what Stone was trying to make us see. Just the story of Alan Green? I don't think so. It was a look at ignorance, stupidity, self-absorption, and a guy just loosing his grip. Maybe he had more grip than the listeners though. I didn't like Barry but still seemed worried about him for some reason. I was perplexed at why I couldn't get him out of my mind when the movie ended. I wish I could see inside Olive Stone's mind for this one.