Woodyanders Late, great character actor Ray Sharkey gives a sensationally dynamic, throughly brazen and completely on the money bravura performance as shrewd dude late 50's rock'n'roll hustler/producer/ manager/songwriter/all-around shyster sleaze-ball extraordinaire Vinnie Vacarri, who's got everything but the requisite good lucks to cut it as a teen scream sensation. Resigned to this bitter fact, Vinnie instead decides to groom callow, but promising handsome lads Paul Land and Peter Gallagher into fluffy bubblegum teen pop idol sensations so he can vicariously live through their monumental successes. Vinnie transforms raunchy slob Land into an irresistibly dreamy, well-mannered Adonis. Vinnie pulls off an even more miraculous metamorphosis with Gallagher, a klutzy busboy who under Vinnie's masterful tutelage becomes a devastatingly hunky stuff muffin on wheels. Alas, Vinnie's ego and over-controlling nature skyrocket along with his newfound popularity and teeming bank account, leading to inevitable conflicts and Vinnie's painful downward spiral back into the dismal obscurity he started from.Loosely based on the real-life story of legendary South Philadelphia pop music impresario Robert Marcucci (the man who discovered both Fabian and Frankie Avalon; he gets a "technical adviser" credit for this picture), Taylor Hackford's terrifically tart rock bio is more notable not for what it does, but for what it bravely and commendably avoids doing. Although set in the much sentimentalized 50's, Hackford's boldly unromanticized movie certainly isn't some plasticky rosy nostalgia piece. Instead Hackford, working from Edward Di Lorenzo's smart, cheeky, astutely observed script, offers a tantalizingly tawdry warts'n'all depiction of the blithely amoral behind-the-scenes music business wheeling and dealing: payola, groupies, wheedling, backstabbing and betrayal, sneaky advanced promotion tactics, rock music as strictly a hot marketable commodity to make money off of -- y'know, all that tasty lowdown dirty stuff that goes on backstage that the record-buying public isn't supposed to know about.Moreover, the songs and on-stage performances are both top-notch: Veteran songwriter Jeff Barry penned the bouncy, moony, incredibly perky and catchy tunes while Denny Terrio did the vital, mildly lewd, daringly impertinent and provocative dance choreography. The acting is across-the-board excellent as well: Land and Gallagher (the latter also does his own strikingly fine singing) are amiably wide-eyed and convincing, while Joe Pantoliano as Vinnie's loyal songwriter best friend, Tovah Feldshuh as a canny, demanding teen mag editor, Olympia Dukakis as Vinnie's loving mom, Richard Bright (Al Neri in all three "Godfather" films) as Ray's ineffectual loser uncle, and everyone's favorite Brady girl Maureen McCormick as an eminently desirable teen zine writer acquit themselves superbly in supporting roles. Ultimately, it's nonetheless still Ray Sharkey's show all the way: forcefully projecting a certain low cunning, oozing scintillating reptilian charisma from every vibrantly oily pore, dressed to the nines in sharp suits, perpetually on the make and furiously talking a dazzling line in rhythmic rat-a-tat-tat pitter-patter bulls**t, Sharkey's spot-on, positively electrifying characterization deservedly nabbed him a Golden Globe Award and now serves as a sterling reminder of just how remarkably tragic his untimely AIDS-related death truly is. Rest in peace Mr. Sharkey and thank you for all your wonderful performances.

Cindy Reynolds This one's a movie I never was able to get tired of, so I finally purchased it online. The music is catchy and irresistible, the electrifying Ray Sharkey was at his usual best and, according to IMDb, this was Peter Gallagher's first movie. As Gallagher's various profiles indicate, he performed in a band early on, and whatever he drew from that makes him shine on stage in Idolmaker. Now he's releasing CD's of his singing and original songs - go figure. Obviously the late great Sharkey didn't invest that theatrical gene in Gallagher, but he and this movie can only have nourished and enhanced it. Sharkey truly was a tiger tiger burning bright and he never shone brighter than as the Idolmaker. Olympia Dukakis was perfect as the Idolmaker's mother. Color me surprised; that actress can do no wrong, in my opinion.The music in this film is a huge part of its charm, as has been said before. And it looks like more of the movie was choreographed than just the stage scenes and Vinnie's training of his would-be stars; the whole thing just ends up being served up as perfectly as a 5-star gourmet dinner.

ptb-8 Since Broadway is turning (ha!) to movies as stage shows, just how long do we all think it will be before THE IDOLMAKER makes its way onto the boards, HAIRSPRAY style? A sort of Queer Eye For The Straight Film.... I predict this along with THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKYS as perfect fodder for a Broadway 'revival' or makeover. Royalties can be sent to me via the IMDb. In fact it is the male version of HAIRSPRAY, really, isn't it. Unless of course the 1977 musical drama about Alan Freed: American HOT WAX, gets a gig instead. Perfect 60s musical theatre on film as a real movie, THE IDOLMAKER is a very good production with excellent set pieces and songs...and with an exceptional Peter Gallagher as Fabian-ish teen heart throb CESARE long before his days on The OC. I actually thought THE IDOLMAKER was a gay musical and felt the Ray Sharkey character was quite obvious. Especially in the shaving foam scene. I guess the film went as far as it wanted to with his possibility and left it a bit ambiguous. Not a popular film in its day, THE IDOLMAKER should find a new and appreciative audience on DVD and later on Broadway as a stage musical instead. It deserves it.

glentom1 I first saw this movie on HBO in 1981. At that time HBO only showed box office flops. The supposedly really good ones would not get on HBO for 3 or 4 years.I just saw it again tonight, after 23 years, and I still enjoyed it. The music is great, the acting is great, and the plot is great.What is there not to like about it? I tried watching Chicago in 2002, the academy award winner, and it was a piece of crap. It was a combination Alfred Hitchcock/Showboat/Singing in the Rain movie, that was a total flop in my opinion. I much more enjoyed this movie.There are a few slow points in the movie, but they don't last for long. There is such energy and vivacity in this movie that it holds your attention as it builds up continually to the next "Idol."The songs stick in your mind (at least in mine), but they are always "in the wings" of the Ray Sharkey character. For example, the first idol he made, Sharkey is shown off stage mimicking the singer's moves.Anyway, it is a fun movie to watch, and one of a kind for its time, so I highly recommend it!