6.2/10
434
4 user 7 critic

The Ratings Game (1984)

Not Rated | | Comedy, Romance | TV Movie 15 December 1984
The Ratings Game Poster
A New Jersey trucker creates a hit TV show with help from his girlfriend in the ratings business.

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1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
... Vic De Salvo
... Francine Kester
... Parker Braithwaite
... Mrs. Sweeney
... The Colonel
... Goody DeSalvo
Ronny Graham ... Cap'n Andy
... Benny Bentson
... Frank Friedlander
... Wes Vandergelder
... Al
... Sal
... T.V. Director
... Tony
... Skip
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Storyline

Vic De Salvo, a sympatic mafioso, manipulates with the help of Francine, a girl working for the TV audience controler, the data of the audience watching his program of a small channel. Thus he converts himself into a star of the TV screen. Written by Volker Boehm

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Plot Keywords:

fictional tv show | fictional tv network | urban setting | directed by an actor | pilot episode | See All (97) »

Genres:

Comedy | Romance

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

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Details

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Release Date:

15 December 1984 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Mogul  »

Filming Locations:

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Company Credits

Production Co:

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Technical Specs

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Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

In a deleted scene Lainie Kazan played 'Edna,' the struggling network's psychic adviser. Jonathan Winters wanted to play kiddie show host 'Captain Andy,' but was unavailable. Geena Davis auditioned for several parts, including 'Hamilton's Girl.' See more »

Quotes

Vic De Salvo: Boys, I'm offering all of you a piece of the biggest money-making racket in America today.
Tony: Drugs?
Sid: Hookers?
Tony: Car insurance?
Vic De Salvo: No, television! Where a minute of advertising costs a hundred thousand dollars... and a ratings point is worth forty million to a network.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Danny DeVito/Joan Embery/John Searing (1986) See more »

Soundtracks

I Won't Last a Day Without You
Written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols
Performed by Gap Mangione
Courtesy of A&M Records
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User Reviews

 
It's a dog, but it's a cute dog.
21 March 2016 | by – See all my reviews

This satire on the TV industry is too much of it, with mountains of cheesy plot-driven dialog set to the accompaniment of hyper-cheesy music. But mixed in are some great gags--one of the best is a sight gag, when Gerrit Graham walks back on stage at the MBC confab, to continue plumping his network's new shows against a devilishly appropriate freeze-frame from one of them. Much of the value now is to have fun seeing all kinds of talent before, between, or after the high points of their careers. Casting wise, this show could pick 'em.

The strongest element here is the apt satire. Alas, the laughs are not frequent enough, or intense enough, to really sustain the effort. The movie in the end is a cheese dog, but the stars play it cute, and it's fun. Five stars for wide and deep star power, far transcending the script.
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