Purple People Eater 1988

In Sunny Hills, 12-year-old Billy Johnson, Neil Patrick Harris, is living with his grandfather Sam, Ned Beatty, and his little sister Molly, Thora Birch, while their parents are away on a European business trip. That night, as Billy tinkers with a novelty song, a one-eyed, one-horned flying purple alien from outer space lands on a nearby tree and befriends him, naming himself Purple. The next day at the mall, Billy and Grandpa Sam spot Purple together, and Sam is amazed, encouraging Billy to think about forming a rock-and-roll partnership with his extraterrestrial friend.

Purple explains that he can only recognize Earth songs that are already part of his planet’s timeline, because radio waves take twenty-five years to travel across space. To keep the secret, Billy tells a close friend, Shonda Whipple who plays Allison, who promises to keep it quiet, but the information is overheard by Donna, Billy’s nosy neighbor, Kimberly McCullough.

Meanwhile, Ken Noodle, John Brumfield, a greedy landlord who runs the elderly housing, presses Sam and Rita, Shelley Winters, for eviction to collect rent. Rita, who has lived there for years and fears losing her home, hosts a birthday gathering with her family, but Noodle arrives with an eviction notice that makes her collapse. An ambulance takes Rita to the hospital, leaving the family devastated, and Billy and Sam hurry to be by her side.

At the hospital, Billy, Sam, and Purple begin planning a Labor Day benefit concert to raise funds to save the residents’ homes. Noodle, determined to stop them, tries to kidnap Purple before he can perform. Purple manages to escape after a harrowing road chase, and the community’s effort intensifies. Just in time for the show, Purple arrives and launches into The Purple People Eater, a quirky, energetic performance that captivates the crowd and seals the plan to help Rita and her neighbors.

As the final notes fade, Purple waves goodbye to Billy and returns to his home planet, leaving behind a sense of wonder and a reminder of what a small town can accomplish when it bands together. The event also features brief cameos by music icons such as Chubby Checker and Little Richard, who add a dash of authentic rock-and-roll history to the night.