The movie is more than it seems. Behind the seemingly superficial plot are so many jokes and references that it's unlikely anyone would catch them all, and certainly not on one viewing. For example, the storyline seems to be based upon the breakdown in the relationship between General David Sarnoff, president of NBC who insisted on using the "General" title after his service in WWII and Edwin Howard Armstrong, an engineer with several of the most important patents in radio including the one for Frequency Modulation (FM). Sarnoff used the power of NBC to essentially cheat Armstrong out of credit for his patents. Armstrong was so distraught over the loss of a patent suit with Sarnoff (the decision was reversed after Armstrong's death) that he killed himself by jumping from an upper floor window. The engineer in the movie even bears a physical resemblance to Armstrong. (see Empire of the Air by Tom Lewis for more on this topic)I also enjoyed the performers including the dancing cigarette girls, the Spike Jones bit, Fred and Ginger, the Carmen Miranda suit, George Burns as himself, and Rosemary Cloony who I think was imitating Kate Smith.

Radioland Murders is one of the greatest comedy features I've ever seen! The gags are hilarious, the cast is absolutely brilliant, what can I say more? Just watch this movie and ENJOY :) Radioland Murders have unbelievable "rhythmic" vision, editing and plot line. I can't believe that Radioland Murders is so underestimate movie?!? I was very happy and proud when I've found it on Amazon on a unreasonable low price? Whatever, Radioland Murders is one of my 'all time favourites' and I recommend it to everyone who love great comedy movies. And it's not just comedy. It's a unique masterpiece depicts the daily ground of early radiostations.

If you're looking for a serious mystery--or for that matter, a serious anything--don't watch this movie.If you just want a fun movie that you can watch again and again, this one is for you! It takes place in the studios of radio station WBN on the night of its national debut. The station managers, directors, writers, and actors, already stressed with the debut and pleasing the affiliates, are shocked when a trumpet player in the orchestra is poisoned and killed. The station crew then has to keep the programs going while the police investigate and the writers go on strike. After more murders are committed, writer Roger Henderson, the innocent prime suspect, has to simultaneously evade the police, rewrite scripts for shows about to air, and solve the crime to prove his innocence.There are some discrepancies and parts I'm sure critical people split hairs over. Don't expect a masterpiece, just some good fun.

A few years before "The Phantom Menace", George Lucas was involved in the goofy "Radioland Murders", about a series of killings at a radio station in 1939 Chicago. In a way, the whole movie seems like an excuse for a bunch of gags (namely the scene where the bellboy accidentally walks into the dressing room), but I couldn't help but admire it. Even people who never lived through the '30s are likely to feel nostalgia for that era (uh, can one be nostalgic for the Depression?). Overall, this movie may have no cinematic and/or artistic value whatsoever, but it's just fun to watch. Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson play the lead roles (and George Lucas said that they're the parents of Richard Dreyfuss's character in "American Graffiti"). George Burns, in his final film role, appears as a radio personality. Also starring Ned Beatty, Michael Lerner, Michael McKean, Jeffrey Tambor, Stephen Tobolowsky, Christopher Lloyd, Larry Miller, Anita Morris, and Rosemary Clooney. A fairly neat movie.Oh, and as the movie makes clear: nothing's ever going to overtake radio as the dominant medium.