UHF (1989)

A local public station gets a new owner. The station becomes a hit, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor.

Director:

Jay Levey

Writers:

'Weird Al' Yankovic, Jay Levey,

Stars:

'Weird Al' Yankovic, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
'Weird Al' Yankovic	...	George Newman
Victoria Jackson	...	Teri
Kevin McCarthy	...	R.J. Fletcher
Michael Richards	...	Stanley Spadowski
David Bowe	...	Bob
Stanley Brock	...	Uncle Harvey
Anthony Geary	...	Philo
Trinidad Silva	...	Raul Hernandez
Gedde Watanabe	...	Kuni
Billy Barty	...	Noodles MacIntosh
John Paragon	...	Richard Fletcher
Fran Drescher	...	Pamela Finklestein
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Aunt Esther
David Proval	...	Head Thug
Grant James	...	Killer Thug

Storyline

George Newman (Yankovic) is a normal man. Problem is, he's also a daydreamer, who can't keep hold of a steady job. His uncle decides George will be the perfect man to manage Channel 62, a station which is losing money and viewers fast. George's imagination is put to good use and he starts thinking up bizarre shows such as "Wheels of Fish" and "Raul's Wild Kingdom". The ratings start to soar again, but not everyone is happy.

---

Plot Keywords:

television | television station | pet food | camera | satire | 

---

Taglines:

TV the way it was meant to be seen. In a movie theater.

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Vidiot from UHF

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$6,157,157 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinecorp SAC, Imaginary Entertainment, Orion Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Uncle Harvey is in the pool, the song that Weird Al originally wanted was "Kung Fu Fighting". Due to the limited budget, they couldn't afford the rights, so Weird Al wrote the song "Let Me Be Your Hog" for the occasion.

---

Goofs

In the scene where R.J. Fletcher meets Harvey Bilchik at the airport to close the business deal R.J. puts the briefcase on the back end of the limo but when the limo drives off the briefcase is nowhere to be found and is assumed that R.J is holding it in the next shot.

---

Quotes

R.J. Fletcher: This is an embarrassment. A disgrace. What do you think R.J. Fletcher Senior would be saying if he were alive today?
Richard Fletcher: "Help me out of this box, I can't breathe in here. Help, let me out."

---

Connections

Spoofs Conan the Barbarian (1982)

---

Soundtracks

"NUTZY'S CLUBHOUSE"
Written by Todd Grace
Published by Donna-Dijon Music Publications, Inc.

User Reviews

Programming for all to enjoy, and it ain't even sweeps

Weird Al Yankovic's only excursion into film making proved to be a solid effort on his part. With an off-beat story such as this, the frizzy haired patron of pop polka proves his acting is adequate enough to carry a film such as this. While I feel there could have been more Weird Al songs, the comedy wasn't lacking. Michael Richards had his best role ever as Stanley Spadowski the janitor. All of the children's show sequences were hilarious. While this film isn't for all, it was certainly a movie which I can enjoy on many occasions. 6.8/10