UHF (1989)

Director:

Jay Levey

Writers:

'Weird Al' Yankovic (written by) &
Jay Levey (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

TV as it was meant to be seen. In a movie theatre.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Television Station | Television | Kidnapping | Part Computer Animation | Stop Motion Animation

Cast

'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

Also Known As:

The Vidiot from UHF

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #29692) | UK:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Channel 8 - 6655 S. Lewis, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Company:

Cinecorp SAC

Trivia:

Cameo: [Barry Hansen](a.k.a. Dr. Demento) is the man eating whipped cream during the Channel 62 promo. The Dr. Demento show is a long-running (almost 40 years) syndicated radio show focusing exclusively on novelty and comedy records, and was the springboard that launched Weird Al.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: 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.

Quotes:

Little Old Lady: Excuse me... aren't you R.J. Fletcher?
R.J. Fletcher: So what if I am?
[she knees him in the groin, he collapses in pain]

Movie Connections:

Features "The Beverly Hillbillies: The Clampett Curse (#5.19)" (1967)

Soundtrack:

MR. ED

This is an absolute must-see for all Weird Al fans, and anyone!

"UHF" is, to me, one of the greatest comedies ever. So many great scenes, so many awesome quotes, and best of all, a chance for Weird Al Yankovic to show off his talents, both as an actor and as a singer. Also, it's so much fun to see if you can pinpoint all the references to famous movies that Al puts into this film, such as the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" parody at the beginning, and many others.

The film is the story of George Newman, a young man who has trouble holding a job (and frequently gets his best friend Bob in trouble too) due to his overactive imagination. When he is given ownership of a local TV station, UHF, his imagination can finally be put to good use, in inventing the most bizarre show lineup you can imagine. When a network owner gets jealous of UHF's success, George and his friends and fans must unite to stop him and keep UHF on the air. Michael Richards is also quite excellent as the optimistic, not-too-bright Stanley.

Though it can be somewhat difficult to find, it's definitely worth the time and effort to buy "UHF" on DVD, so you can enjoy Weird Al's movie again and again and again...