An acerbic radio talk show host based in Dallas starts what could be an important few days when he discovers that his controversial late night show is about to be "picked up" by a nationwide network of radio stations. However, all is not perfect for him, because on top of troubles with his love life and fears that the management of the network will try to alter the content of his show he has to cope with a neo-nazi group who have been angered by his forthright opinions.
Written by
Mark Thompson
Plot Synopsis:
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Eric Bogosian's play "Talk Radio", on which this film is based, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
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In his research for this film version, actor Eric Bogosian often watched the on-air production of Tom Leykis' talk show, then originating from Los Angeles station KFI. Bogosian's fictional character in the film shares many speech patterns and mannerisms with real-life talker Leykis.
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A warehouse in Dallas, Texas was converted into a fully equipped radio station.
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The edition of Playboy magazine that John C. McGinley is reading has an interview with director Oliver Stone in it.
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Michael Wincott also played the role of Kent in the stage version of the "Talk Radio" stage play.
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When Barry is bring introduced to the crowd at the SMU basketball game, the Emcee says that "football will be back in the fall". It was during this period that the real SMU football program had received the "death penalty" from the NCAA for recruiting violations, and the program itself had been forced to shut down operations.
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The movie featured a cast with more voice artists who were not seen in the picture than actors who made physical appearances.
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According to his autobiography, Nevertheless, Alec Baldwin hated working with Oliver Stone due to his ego and militant directorial style, describing him as a "Machiavellian filmmaker who would throw his own mother down a flight of stairs if it would help him get his project financed, get the shot he wanted, or simply get his way."
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John C. McGinley, known as the most frequent acting collaborator of Oliver Stone, had also appeared in the theatrical presentation of Eric Bogosian's play.
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Alan Berg, who the character of Barry Champlain (Eric Bogosian) is based, once said: "Talk Radio is like Russian Roulette. When you press that button, you don't know what will happen".
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The announcer for the radio station is the voice of Chip Moody, who was the news anchor for WFAA, Dallas' ABC affiliate.
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The film's source stage play's original off-Broadway production opened at Martinson Hall and the Joseph Papp Public Theater on 29th May 1987 and ran for 210 performances across six months until it closed on 29th November 1987. The play's debut on Broadway, a revival commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the play, opened at the Longacre Theater on 11th March 2007, and ran for 121 performances across about 3½ months, until it closed on 24th June 2007. This production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play in 2007.
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Star Eric Bogosian received an 'introducing' credit on at least one of the movie's trailers.
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Debut starring role in a theatrical feature film of actor Eric Bogosian.
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This film marked the first time that a Baldwin brother, who was Alec Baldwin, worked with writer-director Oliver Stone. After Alec's participation, his other brothers (Daniel Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin', & William Baldwin), all later appeared in cameo performances in Stone's next picture Born on the Fourth of July (1989).
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Shot over the course of four weeks.
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The movie was made and released about four years after the death of real life talk radio show host Alan Berg.
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One of the sensitive subjects covered during Barry's show is the genocide of WWII and certain people's denial of such. Eric Bogosian is of Armenian descent and also took part in Ararat (2002), a film concerning the Armenian genocide and certain people's denial of such.
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The film was made and released about a year after its source stage play of the same name written and/or conceived by Tad Savinar and Eric Bogosian had been first performed in 1987. Bogosian also co-wrote the screenplay for this motion picture.
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Eric Bogosian and Oliver Stone had several creative differences from the screenplay's development through production.
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The radio tower seen at the end of the film is the tower for KDFW, Dallas' Fox affiliate (although at the time of the film, KDFW was the affiliate for CBS).
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The picture was entered and selected to screen in competition at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival in 1989 where Eric Bogosian) won a Silver Bear Award for an Outstanding Single Achievement.
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Actor Eric Bogosian starred in his source stage play of the same name, from which this movie is based, at the New York Shakespeare Festival's Public Theater in 1987, in the year before this motion picture debuted.
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One of several productions directed by Oliver Stone and starring John C. McGinley. They also collaborated in Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987), Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Nixon (1995) and Any Given Sunday (1999).
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Both Eric Bogosian and John C. McGinley later played villains against Steven Seagal in different movies. McGinley was in On Deadly Ground (1994) while Bogosian was Seagal's nemesis in Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995).
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The location of the film's source play is described at its start as: "Setting: Studio B of radio station WTLK in Cleveland, Ohio; Spring 1987".
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Many audiences likened star newcomer Eric Bogosian to actor Elliott Gould.
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"Unlike the film, the original play takes place entirely during the on-air broadcast and there are no scenes outside the radio station" according to website Wikipedia.
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The nick-name of talk radio disc jockey Barry Champlain (Eric Bogosian) that he was billed as was "The Man You Loved to Hate".
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The name of Barry Champlain (Eric Bogosian)'s radio talk-show was "Night Talk".
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The name of the Dallas radio station in Texas, USA was "KGAB".
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The film's title, Talk Radio, is defined by the Wikipedia website as " . . . a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live conversations between the host and listeners who "call in" (usually via telephone) to the show. Listener contributions are usually screened by a show's producer(s) in order to maximize audience interest and, in the case of commercial talk radio, attract advertisers. Generally, the shows are organized into segments, each separated by a pause for advertisements; however, in public or non-commercial radio, music is sometimes played in place of commercials to separate the program segments. Variations of talk radio include conservative talk, hot talk, liberal talk (increasingly known as Progressive talk) and sports talk".
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Eric Bogosian wrote the screenplay with help from director Oliver Stone. The screenplay was almost entirely based on Bogosian's original play and some biographical information about Alan Berg, a talk show host in Denver who was murdered in 1984 by white supremacists.
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If you listen closely, in the final minutes, the therapist whose program follows Barry's show mentions a disturbed guy she met in the parking lot minutes earlier. When she says that, Barry is talking to someone else and doesn't pay any attention. That disturbed guy ends up killing Barry.
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During the flashback sequence, a Pepsi can with a tapered rim is seen on Jeff Fisher's desk. Dialogue sets the scene during the Carter administration (1977-81), but beverage cans with the tapered design weren't introduced until 1987, around the time the movie was filmed.
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When Barry talks about his visit to Germany, he says that he wanted to visit Adolf Hitler's homeland. Hitler was born in Austria.
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In two occasions when Barry is taking listeners calls and he's also talking to his producer or bosses, he is not seen pushing the button to direct the call only to his staff which would prevent his radio listeners to hear what's he saying yet they don't hear any of his complaints on the air - only his staff hears his conversation.
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When Barry puts his finger on the glass in the studio and Laura stands up to place her finger against his, the placement of Barry's hand changes dramatically between shots.
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Early in the film, Barry expresses anger that his producer isn't putting through more interesting callers. He's supposed to be reading examples from the computer screen that displays a list of callers on hold and the subjects they're calling about, but when we see the screen, some of the callers he says he'd like to talk to aren't listed.
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The radio station gives its identification as "KGAB in Dallas". Dallas shares its media market with Fort Worth, so all radio and television stations give their identification as being from "Dallas-Fort Worth".
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KGAB's radio tower is shown to be in Downtown Dallas. Most radio stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are in Cedar Hill, in between Dallas and Fort Worth. While there are exceptions depending on the power of the radio station, if KGAB were as large a station as depicted, its tower would be in Cedar Hill.
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One of the callers says she's afraid of the possibility of meeting Ted Bundy on the street. Bundy was in jail during the story setting (in fact, he was in jail for most of the late 1980's).
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The first threatening letter addressed to Barry Champlain finishes with the wrongly written sentence: "Your dead" instead of "You're dead".
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When Barry Champlain says that he's going to punish his listeners by playing the Bee Gees' song - Saturday Night Fever, ten times in a row. While they had a monster hit with "Night Fever" there is no such song as "Saturday Night Fever." The record they actually play is Disco Inferno by The Tramps. This may be intentional due to copyright issues; however, the track is on the OST for Saturday Night Fever.
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After picking up Ellen from the airport the car that Barry is driving is in "Park." This can be seen in the shots through the windshield.
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