This richly detailed examination of two branches of American entertainment focuses on the various ways that radio stations and air personalities have been depicted in motion pictures, from 1926’s The Radio Detective to more recent films like 2022’s Halloween Ends. Newly updated and revised chapters cover the cinematic portrayals of various aspects of radio, including disc jockeys, sports broadcasts, religious programs and abnormal personalities on the air. Such films as The Big Broadcast (1932), Reveille with Beverly (1943), Mister Rock and Roll (1957), WUSA (1970), Radio Days (1987), Private Parts (1997), We Are Marshall (2006) and Straight Outta Compton (2015) provide fascinating insights not only into their own times, but also into the historical eras that some of these films have attempted to recreate.

The late Laurence Etling served as a professor of mass media at Valdosta State University after a career in radio, including with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Frank Barnas is the director for the Center for Innovation in Media at Middle Tennessee State University.
Marie Barnas serves as the chair for the department of media arts at Middle Tennessee State University.

Laurence Etling, Frank Barnas and Marie Barnas
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9098-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5105-7
Imprint: McFarland