American Hot Wax 1978

In late-1950s New York City, WROL disc jockey Alan Freed, [Tim McIntire], promotes his upcoming rock ‘n’ roll show at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater, headlined by Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Freed’s radio program is hugely popular with teenagers, and the Paramount concert is expected to sell out, even as authorities worry they might once again shut him down as they did with his Boston show. Local law enforcement, led by D.A. Coleman [John Lehne], targets Freed for allegedly inciting teenagers to wild and immoral behavior by broadcasting raucous and sexually suggestive rock ‘n’ roll songs, many of them by black musicians. WROL station management dislikes Freed’s unconventional programming, including playing songs the station has banned such as Tutti Frutti by Little Richard. Freed stubbornly refuses to alter his style or pander to more “respectable” acts like Pat Boone, and he won’t sign a statement denying he ever took bribes for playing a record, arguing that signing it would be a falsehood and that all disc jockeys—those who have signed such statements included—take such bribes.

Because Freed has the power to push records to hit status simply by airtime, he is constantly besieged by promoters and artist managers. He avoids most of them, but he does connect with those who share his passion for rock ‘n’ roll. He repeatedly rebuffs the aggressive Lennie Richfield [Jeff Altman], yet treats kindly Artie Moress, a young boy who is president of a Buddy Holly fan club, and even puts Artie on the air to talk about his idol. Freed also encourages Louise [Laraine Newman], a white teenage songwriter whose parents ignore her talent and disapprove of her association with the Chesterfields, a black doo-wop group who perform her songs. Freed himself experiences discrimination when he brings a racially mixed group of teenagers to look at a luxury home he wants to buy; the owner refuses to sell to him at any price. Freed’s own father back in Akron, Ohio also rejects him, returning a check Freed sent and refusing to talk on the telephone with his son.

The Paramount show goes on despite Coleman’s attempts to stop it, including a failed drug bust. Louise is moved to tears after the Chesterfields, a late addition to the lineup, perform her songs to thunderous applause from the capacity crowd. Freed’s feisty young secretary Sheryl [Fran Drescher], and his chauffeur Mookie [Jay Leno], who have constantly bickered on the job, finally bond over their shared love of Freed and rock ‘n’ roll, and begin a romance. Mid-show, IRS agents seize all the proceeds from the box office, leaving Freed with no money to pay his artists. However, Berry saves the day by performing for free, and Lewis arrives at the last minute to close the show as the police move in, trying to shut it down because teenagers are “dancing in the aisles.” As the police begin clearing the theater with Lewis still onstage, chaos erupts and the film ends on an epilogue stating that this was Freed’s last performance: he was taken off the air, indicted, moved to California, and died five years later, penniless, but that rock n’ roll lives on.