| American Hot Wax | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Floyd Mutrux |
| Screenplay by | John Kaye |
| Story by | John Kaye Art Linson |
| Produced by | Art Linson |
| Starring | Tim McIntire Fran Drescher Jay Leno Laraine Newman Moosie Drier Jeff Altman John Lehne Richard Perry Chuck Berry Jerry Lee Lewis Screamin' Jay Hawkins Frankie Ford Charles Greene |
| Cinematography | William A. Fraker |
| Edited by | Ronald J. Fagan Melvin Shapiro Danford B. Greene (sup) |
| Music by | Kenny Vance |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $11,000,000[1] |
American Hot Wax is a 1978 biographical film directed by Floyd Mutrux with a screenplay by John Kaye from a story by John Kaye and Art Linson. The film tells the story of pioneering disc jockey Alan Freed, who in the 1950s helped introduce and popularize rock and roll, and is often credited with coining the term "rock 'n' roll". The film starred Tim McIntire, Fran Drescher, Jay Leno, Laraine Newman, Jeff Altman, and Moosie Drier. It also featured musical performances by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Ford, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Brooklyn Dreams as "Professor La Plano and The Planotones". The film was not a box-office success.
A&M Records released a two-record soundtrack album featuring the film's live Brooklyn Paramount performances on record one (in stereo) and the film's soundtrack (the original monophonic hit recordings) on record two. The LP reached number 31 on the Billboard charts.
Producer Art Linson discusses the movie's production and its box office failure in his book What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line.
- ^ Box Office Information for American Hot Wax. The Numbers. Retrieved July 18, 2014.