- The story of Alan Freed, the pioneering disc jockey who was instrumental in introducing and popularizing rock 'n' roll in the 1950s.
- 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.—Martin Lewison <lewison+@pitt.edu>
- New York City, September 1959
Radio disk jockey Alan Freed (Tim McIntire) starts his evening shift at radio station WROL. Inside the booth, he finds a note on top of a stack of rock 'n roll phonograph records that reads: "WROL Don't Play List." Alan tosses the note aside and plays one of the records on air. As Alan continues to broadcast rock 'n' roll music, his show is enjoyed throughout the city.
A little later that night, station manager Peter "Pete" Overmyer (Stephen Pearlman) storms into Alan's booth, furious that the disc jockey has ignored his "don't play" list. Overmyer explains that the New York City police department and the Board of Health, among other local establishments, have issued complaints about the station broadcasting rock 'n' roll music; Overmyer begs Alan to play popular singers such as Patti Page or Pat Boone. Alan's colleagues Sid (Will Thornbury) and Gordie (Pat McNamara) chuckles in the booth as Alan ignores Overmyer's threats. When Overmyer storms away, Sid asks Alan about the upcoming rock 'n' roll concert Alan is organizing and questions why the music sparks such controversy, but Alan is unable to explain.
As Alan continues his radio show, an African-American group called The Chesterfields (Carl Earl Weaver, Al Chalk, Sam Harkness, Arnold McCluller) comes to the station wanting to sing for Alan. Meanwhile, Alan's secretary, Sheryl (Fran Dresher), and his driver Mookie (Jay Leno), bicker in the reception area as music industry men arrive at the station, eager for Alan's attention. At the end of the night, a young hopeful named Teenage Louise (Laraine Newman) corners Alan in the elevator and pitches one of her original songs, but Alan is unimpressed. Louise follows Alan outside, where he is serenaded by The Chesterfields. When Alan expresses interest in the group and invites them to come back, Louise strikes up a conversation with the musicians and The Chesterfields agree to perform one of her original songs.
Elsewhere in New York City, district attorney Coleman (John Lehne) and his associates listen to a recording of Alan's show and Coleman explains that Alan has a strong influence on the public. Referring to rock 'n' roll as a threat to society, Coleman announces his plan to shut down Alan's upcoming concert.
Later, Alan holds court at a bar with a stream of admirers. Alan runs into a disc jockey friend. He tells Alan that his show was taken off the air when he played rock 'n' roll. Just then, two of Coleman's associates, Phillips (Jack Edward Ellis) and Donahue (Richard Forbes), show up at the bar. When Donahue chastises Alan for playing "spook" music and for negatively influencing young people, Alan's friend calls Donahue a "bigot" and a shouting fight ensues. Later, as Mike drives Alan home, he expresses concern that Alan's concert will be canceled. Mike reminds Alan that a rock 'n' roll concert in Boston, Massachusetts, provoked a riot. When Mike asks if rock 'n' roll will be threatened by government action, Alan responds affirmatively but assures Mike that rock music will not perish.
The next morning at WROL, people clamor for Alan's attention. While some musicians are looking for a record deal, others are vying for a slot at Alan's concert. Meanwhile, The Chesterfields, Louise, and Artie Moress (Moosie Drier), the 12-year-old president of the Buddy Holly fan club, wait for Alan outside. When Alan sees the group of hopefuls, he invites them to join him for the day. Later that afternoon, after Alan, Sheryl, Mookie, Louise and the rest of the musicians visit a mansion that Alan intends to purchase despite the protests of its owner, who finds Alan disreputable, the young musicians accompany Alan to a live recording session with The Planotones.
Meanwhile, Coleman learns from Phillips and Donahue that Alan has been covertly accepting $600 a week in "payola" bribes from record labels; however, Alan refuses to play records that he doesn't like and Coleman is discouraged in his effort to denounce the disc jockey. The next day, The Chesterfields visit Louise's house to work on a song as Louise's mother looks on disapprovingly.
At WROL that evening, Alan invites young Artie into the booth to share his feelings about Buddy Holly on air who remarks that the day is September 7... on what would have been the late Buddy Holly's 23rd birthday since his death in a plane crash seven months earlier. Later, Alan receives a long-distance phone call from his father and is saddened by the man's refusal of financial support. Meanwhile, Louise argues with her father, who wants her to go to college instead of pursuing her music career but Louise insists on doing things her way and performs a song on the piano.
Back at the radio station, Overmyer pulls Alan aside and demands that the disc jockey sign an affidavit stating that he "did not receive money or gifts," or "payola," to play rock 'n' roll records, but Alan refuses. When Overmyer claims that disc jockeys across the country have signed the document, Alan insists that they are lying. Although Overmyer warns Alan that the station cannot legally protect him unless he signs, Alan retorts that they want to censure him for broadcasting rock 'n' roll, not for receiving bribes.
The next night, teenagers line up outside the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in anticipation of Alan's concert show, waiting to buy tickets. Alan arrives at the venue to talk to his fans and to appease the concerns of police officers who fear another riot. When Louise begs Alan to let The Chesterfields perform one of her songs, Alan denies her request but gives her tickets for the show, promising that everything will work out. Meanwhile, a television news program reports on the long lines at the event and the anchor notes that the audience may resort to "jungle instincts" when the music starts.
On the night of the concert, a raucous, multicultural audience enjoys the show as law authorities watch from the sidelines. Meanwhile, Phillips and Donahue search Alan's dressing room for marijuana, hoping to implicate him in a crime, but they come up empty-handed. During the show, Alan takes the stage and introduces Teenage Louise as an up-and-coming songwriter. When the Chesterfields perform her song, the crowd goes wild, and Louise is thrilled by her big break. As the show continues, Alan gets news that Jerry Lee Lewis is not coming as planned and, later, Alan comforts Louise as she cries that her love of music has isolated her from her family. The theater's box office receipts are seized by Internal Revenue Service agents and Alan is informed that he does not have the capital to pay the musicians.
Sitting backstage with Chuck Berry, Alan questions if the show can go on and hears the crowd grow increasingly impatient. As Coleman looks on, a police officer orders Alan to quiet the crowd, but Chuck Berry offers to perform for free and takes the stage. As the audience cheers, Phillips warns Alan to control them. When Jerry Lee Lewis unexpectedly arrives, Coleman plans to take charge of the event by turning on the house lights. Thrilled by Lewis's performance, the crowd dances in the aisles, provoking Coleman to declare the event a fire hazard as he accuses Alan of turning the kids into animals. The police fight with audience members, including young Artie, and the lights come up in the theater, but Lewis demands that the lights be dimmed for the duration of his act. Lewis' defiance incites the crowd as Alan argues with the authorities, warning that the cancellation of the concert will not diminish the popularity of rock 'n' roll. As lights come up again, police officers and audience members clash and a full-scale riot ensues, despite Alan's protests. As the police begin clearing the theater with Lewis still performing onstage, Alan, Sheryl, Mookie and Louise help carry the injured Artie out of the theater. As the crowd filters into the city street, a lone street musician is seen playing rock n' roll music on makeshift drums.
The film abruptly ends with an epilogue text stating that this was Alan Freed's last performance, and that he was taken off the air, indicted for inciting a riot, accepting payola bribes and income tax evasion. He moved to California and died there five years later in January 1965 from alcoholism at age 43, penniless.... but that rock n' roll lives on.
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