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![Orson Welles [1915-1985] performing live radio, circa 1938](images/OWliveradio.jpg)
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links pioneers books programs A Prairie Home Companion videos & DVDs |
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browse Old Time Radio books & audio & CDs at Amazon
radio drama shows {some modern} on audio CD at Amazon
browse books on Collectibles / Antique Radios at Amazon.com
radio legend Gary Owens: credits at IMDb •
Wikipedia
Radio Pioneers
pioneer disk jockey Al Jarvis [1909-70]
Long John Nebel [1911-78]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_John_Nebel
"The Way Out World" [Prentice-Hall, 1961] book by Long John Nebel
"The Psychic World Around Us" [1969] book by Long John Nebel & Sanford M. Teller
"Long John Nebel: Radio Talk King, Master Salesman, Magnificent Charlatan"
[Macmillan, 1974] bio by Donald Bain
Nikola Tesla [1856-1943] Page
The Inventor of Radio
Walter Winchell [1897-1972]
"Walter Winchell" radio program [1930-55] 11 episodes, 1941-49 on CD
Old Time Radio Links
Best of Web Radio
Best of Western Radio
Old Time Radio Digest magazine: subscription
The Original Old-Time Radio WWW Pages
Radio Days site
Philco Radio Gallery
The Old Radio Network
Phil's Old Radios website [est. 1995]
Dad's Old Time Radio
The Vintage Radio Place
Old-Time Radio on Tape
Susanna's Old Time Radio Commercial site
Museum of Broadcast Communications [est. 1987] in Chicago, IL
Radio Hall of Fame at Museum of Broadcast Communications
American RadioWorks - Hearing America: A Century of Music On The Radio
Janet's Radio Revisited website
Books About Old Time Radio
http://www.amazon.com/Inventing-American-Broadcasting-1899-1922-Technology/dp/0801838320/
http://www.amazon.com/Law-Looking-Glass-1896-1939-American/dp/0821417843/ [2008]
http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Radio-Marconi-through-Golden/dp/0786423684/
http://www.amazon.com/Blast-Past-Pictorial-History-Radios/dp/1886745064/
http://www.amazon.com/Have-Mercy-Confessions-Original-Animal/dp/0446517429/
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"Radio For All" [1922] by Hugo Gernsback
Read Books 6½x4½ pb [1/2008] for $26.99 Kessinger Publng 9x6 pb {9/2007] for $23.52 Kessinger Publng 9x6 hardcover [9/2007] for $34.92 sci-fi pioneer Hugo Gernsback [1884-1967] entry at Wikipedia |
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"Hello, Everybody!: The Dawn of American Radio" [2008] by Anthony Rudel Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 9x6 hardcover [10/2008] for $17.16 |
 | "Sounds of Change: A History of FM Broadcasting In America" [2008] by Christopher H. Sterling & Michael C. Keith Univ NC Press 9x6 pb [7/2008] for $22.50 Univ NC Press 9¼x6 hardcover [7/2008] for $59.95 |
 | "The Medium and The Magician: Orson Welles, The Radio Years, 1934-1952" [2005] by Paul Heyer Rowman & Littlefield 9x6½ pb [2/2005] for $29.95 Rowman & Littlefield 9¼x6¼ hardcover [2/2005] for $87.00 |
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"Encyclopedia of Radio" [2003] Edited by Christopher H. Sterling Routledge {12.4 pounds} hardcover 3-volume set [12/2003] for $420.00 |
 | "Pirate Radio Stations: Tuning In To Underground Broadcasts In The Air and Online" [1988 & 1995 & 2001] by Andrew Yoder includes CD with 80+ minutes of pirate radio audio McGraw-Hill/TAB 9¼x7¼ 3rd edition pb & CD [12/2001] out of print/used McGraw-Hill/TAB 9x7½ pb [12/88] out of print/used McGraw-Hill/TAB hardcover [4/90] out of print/used |
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"The Great Radio Heroes" [2001] by Jim Harmon McFarland & Co. 9x6 pb [2/2001] for $35.00 |
 | "Listening In: Radio and The American Imagination - From Amos 'n' Andy & Edward R. Murrow To Wolfman Jack & Howard Stern" [1999] by Susan J. Douglas Univ MN Press 9x6 pb [2/2004] for $13.57 Crown 9½x6¾ hardcover [4/99] out of print/used |
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"On The Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio" [1998] by John Dunning Oxford Univ Press 10¼x7½ hardcover [5/98] for $42.00 |
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"Five Directors: The Golden Years of Radio" [1998] Edited by Ira Skutch interviews with Himan Brown, Axel Gruenberg, Fletcher Markle, Arch Oboler & Robert Lewis Shayon Scarecrow Press 8½x5½ pb [5/98] for $30.95 Scarecrow Press 8¾x5½ hardcover [5/98] for $43.00 |
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"Zenith Radio: The Early Years, 1919-1935" [1997] by Harold N. Cones & John H. Bryant Schiffer Publng 11x8½ pb [6/97] for $29.95 "Zenith Radio: The Glory Years, 1936-1945 - History & Products" [2003] by Harold N. Cones, John H. Bryant & Martin Blankinship Schiffer Publng 10¾x8½ pb [10/2003] for $29.95 Schiffer Publng 11x8½ pb [10/2003] for $34.95 |
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"The Age of Broadcasting: Radio" [1997] Edited by Wim Coleman & Pat Perrin Tandem Library 8x5 econoclad [10/2002] for $15.25 Discovery Enterprises pb [3/97] out of print/used |
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"Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922-1952" [1997] by Michele Hilmes A sociological study, from the early days of radio entrepreneurs to the takeover by the big media corporations, with an emphasis on N.B.C. & J. Walter Thompson. Univ MN Press 9x5¾ pb [4/97] for $22.50 Univ MN Press 9½x6½ hardcover [4/97] out of print/used |
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"Listening To Radio, 1920-1950" [1996] by Ray Barfield Praeger 9½x6½ hardcover [7/96] for $92.95 |
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"The Encyclopedia of American Radio: An A-Z Guide To Radio From Jack Benny To Howard Stern" [orig 1995] by Ronald W. Lackmann Checkmark Books 2nd edition pb [5/2000] for $18.95 |
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"Philco Radio 1928-1942: A Pictorial History of The World's Most Popular Radios" [1993] by Ron Ramirez & Michael Prosise Schiffer Publng 11X8½ pb [3/2006] for $29.95 Schiffer Publng 11x8½ hardcover [9/93] out of print/used |
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"The Broadcast Century and Beyond: A Biography of American Broadcasting" [orig 1992] by Robert L Hilliard & Michael C. Keith Focal Press 4th edition 10¼x7¼ pb [10/2004] for $39.56 |
Old Time Radio Programs
NOV 2003: After Clear Channel Communications bought KNX-1070 in Los Angeles,
they cancelled the 'Drama Hour' broadcasts of old-time radio programs, which included "Dragnet",
"Sam Spade", "Philip Marlowe" and many comedy and adventure programs.
RadioLovers [dot] com: Free Old Time Radio Shows
"Fibber McGee & Molly" fansite
Radio Program Dept. on the Hopalong Cassidy Page
at 'Readers of the Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
Radio Program Dept. on the Lone Ranger Page
at 'Readers of the Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
Radio Program Dept. on the Cisco Kid Page
at 'Readers of the Purple Sage' Western Bookstore
Old Time Radio Catalog website [est. 1999]
featuring hundreds of CDs of old time radio series/programs,
including Westerns and detectives and comedies, and gobs more ...
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"The Bickersons", starring Don Ameche & Frances Langford
"The Bickersons" radio program [1946-51] entry at Wikipedia Radio Spirits album [2005] 6 half-hour episodes on CD Volume 1: Radio Spirits audio CD [7/2005] 3 disks for $9.98 "Best of The Bickersons" albums Volume 1: Bayview audio CD [1/2002] for $18.98 Volume 2: Bayview audio CD [1/2002] for $18.98 |
 | "Don McNeill and His Breakfast Club" [2001] by John Doolittle Univ Notre Dame Press 10¼x7¼ HC book & CD [5/2001] out of print/used "Breakfast Club, with Don McNeill" radio program [1933-68] 7 episodes on CD |
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"The Complete War of The Worlds" [2001] Edited by Brian Holmsten & Alex Lubertozzi 1897 illustrated edition of H.G. Wells's novel and audio of Orson Welles and Mercury Theatre's Hallowe'en 1938 radio broadcast Sourcebooks hardcover {book + audio CD} [4/2001] for $27.17 |
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"The Best of Old-Time Radio Starring Orson Welles" [2001] from Radio Spirits & The Smithsonian Institution Radio Spirits audio cassette & 60-page booklet [4/2001] for $24.98 |
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"The 60 Greatest Old-Time Radio Shows of The 20th Century" [1999] Selected by Walter Cronkite Radio Spirits audio CD [7/2000] 30 disks - out of prodn/used Radio Spirits audio [10/99] 20 tapes - out of prodn/used |
"The Shadow" radio program [1931 to 1954]
mostly written by Walter B. Gibson, using the pen name 'Maxwell Grant';
Orson Welles [1915-85] acted the part on radio from 1937-38
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'The Shadow' entry at Wikipedia DR's Shadow fansite 'The Shadow: Master of Darkness' fansite Radio Spirits 6-show audio CD [1/2006] 3 disks for $29.95
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"The Shadow: Greatest Radio Adventures" [2002] 40 episodes {20 hours} from Radio Spirits 8 episodes starring Orson Welles; 15 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 17 episodes starring Bret Morrison Radio Spirits audio CD box set [7/2002] 20 disks & booklet for $69.98 |
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"The Shadow: The Lost Shows" [2006] from Radio Spirits 1 episode starring Orson Welles; 3 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 4 episodes starring Bret Morrison; 2 episodes starring Albert Bester Radio Spirits audio CD box set [1/2006] 5 disks for $39.95 |
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"The Shadow Chronicles" [2006] from Radio Spirits 2 episodes starring Orson Welles; 3 episodes starring Bill Johnstone; 2 episodes starring Bret Morrison; 1 episode starring John Archer Radio Spirits audio CD [1/2006] for $35.96 Radio Spirits audio [9/96] for $18.87 |
Garrison Keillor's
"A Prairie Home Companion" Radio Show
"A Prairie Home Companion" [est. 1974] website
Garrison Keillor entry at Wikipedia
M.N.H.S. bio
Garrison Keillor books, tapes & CDs at Amazon
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"A Prairie Home Companion" feature film [Picturehouse June 2006]
Directed by Robert Altman [1925-2006]; starring Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph & Virginia Madsen NewLine widescreen color DVD [10/2006] for $18.87 full credits at IMDb official movie site |
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"The Adventures of Guy Noir: Radio Private Eye" [11 episodes 2005]
Highbridge UNABR audio CD [4/2005] for $16.47 Highbridge UNABR audio [4/2005] for $16.47 Guy Noir, Radio Private Eye [8 episodes 1995] Highbridge ABR audio CD [8/2002] for $10.17 Highbridge ABR audio [8/95] for $12.95 |
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"WLT: A Radio Romance" [1991 bestseller] by Garrison Keillor Two brothers set up radio station WLT ('With Lettuce and Tomato') in Minneapolis in 1926 to draw crowds to their wilting sandwich restaurant. The station is a success, and they are soon hiring local talent whose on-air personalities are not exactly the same as in real life: winsome child star Little Becky is a chain-smoking practical joker, the sports announcer is blind, and the always-cheerful songstress is confined to her wheelchair by polio and fat. The novel's hero is young straight man Francis White, who comes of age at the station and, as the staion's success fades, goes on to greater things in television. Penguin 7½x5 pb [11/92] for $10.20 Viking 8½x5¼ hardcover [11/91] out of print/many, many used Highbridge ABR auduio CD [10/2006] for $20.48 |
Videos & DVDs
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"American Graffiti" [1973]
Directed by George Lucas; nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Picture & Best Director;
full credits from IMDb
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"American Hot Wax" [1978]
Directed by Floyd Mutrux;
full credits from IMDb
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"Do The Right Thing"
[40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks 1989]
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Possibly inspired by Akira Kurosawa's "Do-desu-ka-den" [1970], the tale of a blighted neighborhood in Spike Lee's home turf of Brooklyn. There is actually a moment, ignored or missed by most reviewers, where 'the right thing' gets done – look for it.
Written & directed by Spike Lee; starring Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Rosie Perez & Samuel L. Jackson, with Spike Lee as 'Mookie'; Oscar nominations for Best Script & Best Actor [DA]
Universal Home Ent. widescreen color Blu-ray [6/2009] for $18.99 
20th Anniversary Edition DVD [6/2009] for $13.99
Universal letterbox color DVD [7/98] for $17.99 Universal widescreen color DVD [2/2001] 2 discs for $28.99 Universal color VHS [1/2000] out of prodn/many used Sony original score CD [9/89] for $11.98 full credits from IMDb Cambridge Univ Press critical text 9x6 pb for $25.19 |
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"Empire of The Air: The Men Who Made Radio"
[P.B.S. Oct 1991]
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While showcasing on-air radio talents from long ago, this 100-minute documentary also details the corporate soap opera of the development of radio as a commercial medium.
Co-written & directed by Ken Burns; hosted by Jason Robards, Jr. P.B.S. Paramount b&w/color DVD [9/2004] out of prodn/used P.B.S. Home Video b&w/color VHS [2/97] out of prodn/used full credits from IMDb companion book by Tom Lewis Harper Perennial 8x5½ pb [1/93] out of print/used HarperCollins 9½x6½ hardcover [9/91] out of print/many used |
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"F.M." [Universal April 1978]
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Q-SKY is the number one radio station in Los Angeles because of the great music that they play, but the corporate bosses insist on more advertising and less music.
Directed by John A. Alonzo, written by Ezra Sacks; original music by Steely Dan; starring Michael Brandon, Eileen Brennan, Alex Karras, Cleavon Little, Martin Mull, Cassie Yates & cameos by Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty & R.E.O. Speedwagon
Anchor Bay widescreen color DVD [1/2000] out of prodn/used Starz/Anchor Bay widescreen color VHS [11/98] out of prodn/used MCA/Universal soundtrack CD [6/2000] 20 tracks on 2 disks for $14.97 full credits from IMDb |
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"Good Morning, Vietnam"
[Silver Screen/Touchstone Dec 1987]
Directed by Barry Levinson; starring Robin Williams;
full credits from IMDb
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"The Great American Broadcast"
musical feature film
[Fox May 1941]
Directed by Archie Mayo; starring Alice Faye, John Payne, Jack Oakie, Cesar Romero,
The Ink Spots & The Nicholas Brothers;
full credits from IMDb
http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Broadcast-Alice-Faye/dp/B0019APR5S/
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"The Great Man" [Universal Dec 1956]
![shot of Jose Ferrer & Julie London kissing, from "The Great Man" [1956] movie](covers/TheGreatMan1956-kiss.jpg) |
"Everybody loved the Great Man - except those who hated his guts" When a popular radio commentator dies in a car accident, his successor is ordered to produce an hour-long tribute, but he can't find anyone who knew the guy with good things to say about him. Co-written & directed by & starring José Ferrer; based on the novel by Albert E. Morgan; also starring Dean Jagger, Keenan Wynn, Julie London, Joanne Gilbert, Ed Wynn, Jim Backus, Lyle Talbot, Henny Backus & Johnny Grant
VHS/DVD/Blu-ray not available • full credits at IMDb |
 | "The Great Man" A Novel" [1955] by Al Morgan covers of the books show TV equipment, but the story is indeed about radio networks Pocket/Cardinal mass pb [1957] out of print/scarce Dutton 7¾x5¼ hardcover [1955] out of print/used |
"The History of Talk Radio" [1996]
 | This 60-minute documentary features talk radio pioneers Bill Balance, Alan Burke, Barry Gray, Long John Nebel, Joe Pyne & and others, plus leading talk show personalities including Morton Downey Jr., Bob Grant, Don Imus, Larry King, G. Gordon Liddy, Limp Rushbaugh, Ollie North, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Howard Stern & Dr. Ruth Westheimer. {NOTE: Produced before the Air America Radio Network existed.}
Produced by Dennis Hedlund White Star color DVD [6/2005] for $17.99 full credits from IMDb |
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"Pirate Radio" aka "The Boat That Rocked" 
[Working Title / Focus Features Nov 2009]
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As the Sixties rock'n'roll phenomenon bursts onto the scene, British government officials refuse to give licenses for rock music radio stations; so a band of music-loving rebels set up an underground radio station on a leaky ship in international waters of the North Sea.
Co-produced, written & directed by Richard Curtis; starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Darby, Katherine Parkinson, Jack Davenport, Tom Brooke, January Jones, Nick Frost & Rhys Ifans, with Kenneth Branagh & Emma Thompson DVD/Blu-ray not yet available • full credits at IMDb • U.S. official movie site |
"Pirate Radio U.S.A." [indep 2006]
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An 84-minute documentary about rogue (unlicensed) radio stations across America who defy federal law to free the radio airwaves, and the showdown over The Truth during the 1999 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, Washington.
Co-produced, written & directed by Jeff Pearson; featuring underground DJs Him & Her Deface The Nation Films color DVD [8/00] for $14.99 full credits at IMDb • official movie site |
"Play Misty For Me" [Malpaso/Universal Nov 1971]
Directed by & starring Clint Eastwood; full credits from IMDb
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"Pump Up The Volume" [NewLine Cinema Aug 1990]
Written & directed by Allan Moyle; starring Christian Slater;
full credits from IMDb
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"Radio Days" [Orion Jan 1987]
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A nostalgic look at life in Far Rockaway, New York before World War II, when entertainment and outside news came from the radio.
Written & directed by Woody Allen; starring Michael Tucker, Mia Farrow, Diane Keaton, Seth Green, Julie Kavner, Dianne Wiest, Josh Mostel, Danny Aiello & Jeff Daniels; Oscar & WGA nominations for Best Screenplay; 7 BAFTA noms, won 2
M.G.M. widescreen color DVD [11/2001] for $12.99 H.B.O. color VHS [undated] out of prodn/used R.C.A. soundtrack CD [5/92] for $11.98 full credits from IMDb M.G.M. official movie site |
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"Radioland Murders" [Universal Oct 1994]
Executive produced by & story by George Lucas;
full credits from IMDb
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"Straight Talk" [Hollywood Pictures April 1992]
Starring Dolly Parton;
full credits from IMDb
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"Talk Radio" [Cineplex-Odeon Films Dec 1988]
Co-written & directed by Oliver Stone; co-written by & starring Eric Bogosian
full credits from IMDb
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"Tune in Tomorrow . . ." [Cinecom Oct 1990]
Starring Barbara Hershey, Keanu Reeves & Peter Falk;
full credits from IMDb
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"Up In The Air" [Monogram Sept 1940]
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A second-rate radio singer is murdered while singing on the air in a radio studio; a radio page boy and his janitor pal solve the mystery for the none-too-sharp police.
Directed by Howard Bretherton; starring Frankie Darro, Marjorie Reynolds, Mantan Moreland, Gordon Jones, Lorna Gray, Tristram Coffin & Clyde Dilson
Alpha Video b&w DVD [3/2003] for $7.98 full credits from IMDb |
"Vanishing Point" [Fox 1971]
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Anti-hero Kowalski (Barry Newman) bets that he can drive a new Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. This existential car-chase is reported by a disk-jockey in Goldfield, Nevada as it proceeds to its inevitable conclusion – just like life (to the existentialist). Directed by Richard C. Sarafian; co-starring Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger & Victoria Medlin
Fox Video widescreen DVD [2/2004] for $6.99 Fox Video color VHS [1/99] out of stock/used full credits from IMDb |
"W.U.S.A." [Paramount Aug 1970]
Starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Perkins & Laurence Harvey
full credits from IMDb
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movies with background of local & network television
at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
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