IMDb RATING
5.5/10
1.4K
YOUR RATING
A radio station in the Deep South becomes the focal point of a right-wing conspiracy.A radio station in the Deep South becomes the focal point of a right-wing conspiracy.A radio station in the Deep South becomes the focal point of a right-wing conspiracy.
- Awards
- 2 nominations
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPaul Newman researched the role by spending time at radio station KMPC in Los Angeles. The teen intern assigned to show him the operation was Ken Levine, who became a disc jockey before going on to be a writer on M*A*S*H (1972), Cheers (1982) and Frasier (1993), and a producer and director of other TV shows.
- Quotes
Rheinhardt: I'm a survivor. Ain't that great?
- Alternate versionsThe preview version ran 3hrs and 10 minutes according to cast member Robert Quarry. Much of his character and several other characters' motivation and dramatic development scenes were cut out before release.
- ConnectionsReferenced in The Zodiac Killer (1971)
- SoundtracksGlory Road
Composed and Performed by Neil Diamond
Featured review
"This is a station with a point of view"
A lot of what was predicted in the film Network about the media was also put forth in this film about radio WUSA. Sad to say it was laid on a bit too thick by its players and director.
Paul Newman who had a lot of faith in this project plays an itinerant disc jockey who both gets a job at this New Orleans based radio station WUSA and takes up with hooker Joanne Woodward, a girl whose heart really isn't in her work anyway.
As station owner Pat Hingle says, "this is a station with a point of view" and Hingle expects that point to be emphasized at all times. At that time the Richard Nixon White House was big on telling us that they were looking toward the great 'silent majority' of Americans who took the 'my country right or wrong' dictum to the exponential height. That's WUSA's point of view.
Newman is not a terribly sympathetic figure here which is one of the reasons the film flattens out. He sees what's wrong, but just goes with the flow. A whole lot like the characters with one exception in that other Louisiana based political drama, All The King's Men.
One who doesn't is Anthony Perkins who plays this rather pitiable 'survey taker' whose job is really to foster racial discontent by getting minorities thrown off welfare. I imagine there were many a Perkins out there, but this one doesn't like being taken for a fool and he reacts most violently. Perkins is probably the character you most remember from WUSA.
WUSA correctly predicted the advent of right wing talk radio about fifteen years before it became a fact. Rush Limbaugh would have been right at home on Pat Hingle's station. They've even got a right wing political preacher played by Laurence Harvey as part of their family. Harvey's another interesting character, but he's also laid on a bit thick for my taste. He should have adapted a more subtle approach to the part.
I wish I could rate such a prescient film as WUSA a bit higher, but the heavy handed approach just gets in the way.
Paul Newman who had a lot of faith in this project plays an itinerant disc jockey who both gets a job at this New Orleans based radio station WUSA and takes up with hooker Joanne Woodward, a girl whose heart really isn't in her work anyway.
As station owner Pat Hingle says, "this is a station with a point of view" and Hingle expects that point to be emphasized at all times. At that time the Richard Nixon White House was big on telling us that they were looking toward the great 'silent majority' of Americans who took the 'my country right or wrong' dictum to the exponential height. That's WUSA's point of view.
Newman is not a terribly sympathetic figure here which is one of the reasons the film flattens out. He sees what's wrong, but just goes with the flow. A whole lot like the characters with one exception in that other Louisiana based political drama, All The King's Men.
One who doesn't is Anthony Perkins who plays this rather pitiable 'survey taker' whose job is really to foster racial discontent by getting minorities thrown off welfare. I imagine there were many a Perkins out there, but this one doesn't like being taken for a fool and he reacts most violently. Perkins is probably the character you most remember from WUSA.
WUSA correctly predicted the advent of right wing talk radio about fifteen years before it became a fact. Rush Limbaugh would have been right at home on Pat Hingle's station. They've even got a right wing political preacher played by Laurence Harvey as part of their family. Harvey's another interesting character, but he's also laid on a bit thick for my taste. He should have adapted a more subtle approach to the part.
I wish I could rate such a prescient film as WUSA a bit higher, but the heavy handed approach just gets in the way.
helpful•84
- bkoganbing
- Jul 24, 2011
- How long is WUSA?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $4,800,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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