UHF (1989)

An unemployed visionary becomes the manager of a local public station. The station becomes a success, with all sorts of hilarious sight gags and wacky humor.

Director:

Jay Levey

Writers:

'Weird Al' Yankovic (as 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 Campbell
Kevin McCarthy	...	R.J. Fletcher
Michael Richards	...	Stanley Spadowski
David Bowe	...	Bob Steckler
Stanley Brock	...	Harvey Bilchik
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	...	Esther Bilchik
David Proval	...	Head Thug
Grant James	...	Killer Thug

Storyline

George Newman is a daydreamer whose hyperactive imagination keeps him from holding a steady job. His uncle decides George would be the perfect man to manage Channel 62, a television station which is losing money and viewers fast. When George replaces the station's reruns with bizarre programs such as "Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse", "Wheel of Fish" and "Raul's Wild Kingdom", ratings begin to soar again. Mean-spirited and cynical mogul R.J. Fletcher becomes furious that the UHF station is getting better ratings than his network's programming. Because of gambling debts, the uncle is forced to consider selling the station to Fletcher, who would only too happily shut down (he cannot legally own two stations in the same town). George and his friends organize a 48-hour telethon to raise the money by selling investment stock from Channel 62 to save the town's new favorite station.

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Plot Keywords:

television station | tv show | telethon | satire | janitor | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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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:

Rosewood Chapel - 2570 S Harvard Ave - Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,157,157

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinecorp SAC,Imaginary Entertainment,Orion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 150 min (rough cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to the programs shown on Channel 62, the station's Friday lineup on the wall board includes these programs: - Beastiality Today - Beat the Loan Shark - The Beverly Hillbillies - Buddha Knows Best - Dog Racing from Rio de Janeiro - Druids on Parade - Eye On Toxic Waste - Fun with Dirt - Leave it to Bigfoot - Mr. Ed - My Three Mutants - Name that Stain - News - Raul's Wild Kingdom - Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse - That's Disgusting - The Flying Pope - The Lice is Right - The Young and the Dyslexic - Town Talk - Traffic Court - Secrets of the Universe - Underwater Bingo for Teens - Volcano Worshiper's Hour - Wheel of Fish - Wide World of Tractor Pulls - Wonderful World of Phlegm - You Bet Your Pink Slip. Shows shown but not on the lineup include: - Bowling for Burgers - Strip Solitaire

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Goofs

When we see the apartment from outside, a car drives in front of the camera, and the camera, the cameraman, and offstage actors are reflected in the side of the car.

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Quotes

George Newman: [message left on Teri's answering machine; voice] Teri! I'm sorry! Come on give me one more chance please! Come on Teri! Teri! Oh Oh I'm in hell! I'm in hell! Teri, Teri pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! Pick up the phone! Oh, Oh Teri! PLEASE!

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Connections

Referenced in The Goldbergs: I Drank the Mold! (2015)

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Soundtracks

Bonanza
Theme Song
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Published by Jay Livingston Music - St. Angelo Music

User Reviews

Comedy at it's best!

This is probably, by far, the only movie I've seen that really makes me laugh more and more every time I see it. It's one of the only comedies that has good, clean humor. The whole movie is just a joke itself, a mix of original jokes, and many parodies. Michael Richards is perfect as Stanley, the Janitor. Weird Al is his usual comedic genius, who is also perfect for his role as the manager of 'U62'. For anybody who's in for a night full of laughs, UHF is definitely for you. A comedy masterpiece, 10/10!