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New Factory-Sealed LD's The Idolmaker AC-3 RM WS Rare NEW LaserDisc Directors Drama

The Idolmaker AC-3 RM WS Rare NEW LaserDisc Directors Drama

How to Create a Rock 'n' Roll Teen Idol Ships Worldwide

The Idolmaker AC-3 RM WS Rare NEW LaserDisc Directors Drama

How to Create a Rock 'n' Roll Teen Idol Ships Worldwide

Rare Factory-Sealed, Dolby Digital AC-3, Widescreen, LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint Condition with Gatefold with a split

$39.97

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The Idolmaker AC-3 RM WS Rare NEW LaserDisc Directors Drama

How to Create a Rock 'n' Roll Teen Idol Ships Worldwide

Rare Factory-Sealed, Dolby Digital AC-3, Widescreen, LaserDisc Movie Near-Mint Condition with Gatefold with a split

$39.97

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$39.97

Rare Factory-Sealed, Dolby Digital AC-3, Widescreen, LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint Condition with Gatefold with a split

Ray Sharkey, Paul Land, Olympia Dukakis and Peter Gallagher in...

The Idolmaker

( Catalog Number ML100370 )
(1.85:1) (2 Sides) (CLV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
See Many More Rare Dolby Digital AC-3 LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

The Idolmaker
1980 - 119 min. - Color
Genre: Drama
Rated PG
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Vincent Vaccardi (Ray Sharkey) has talent and drive, but in the singing world of 1959, he knows he has to have looks too. Determined to find success for his songs, he latches on to a local performer and shapes his image into Tommy Dee (Paul Land), who's suddenly an overnight sensation. As his own power and income increase, Vinnie doesn't realize he's lost his focus on the work and is becoming a feral, driven taskmaster. When Tommy starts to agitate for bigger things, Vinnie realizes he'd better have more than one trick up his sleeve. He finds another fresh face (an unbelievably young Peter Gallagher), whom he transforms from Guido the busboy into Caesare--a reclusive, mysterious singing sensation. Vinnie's formula is on the money, and Caesare is catapulted to fame as well, but Vinnie finally begins to see that he may have left something important behind, and that he's not the only one who might have to pay for it. Director Taylor Hackford's THE IDOLMAKER is a brutal exploration of the creation, manipulation, and destruction of teen idols and their audience in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
The story of Philadelphia-based rock 'n' roll starmaker Bob Marcucci is given a pointed a clef treatment in The Idolmaker. Ray Sharkey plays Vincent Vacarri, who takes a couple of raw young kids (Peter Gallagher and Paul Land) and molds them into teen idols. If Gallagher and Land seem at times to be clones of Fabian and Frankie Avalon, then you've gotten the point. As played by Sharkey, Vacarri comes off as both maven and monster: he gives his boys everything they need professionally and everything they want personally, but it's subliminally clear that his interest is purely mercenary (incredibly, Bob Marcucci is the film's technical advisor). An excellent, clear-eyed view of show biz mechanics, The Idolmaker falters only in its anachronisms, notably the style of music performed by Vacarri's proteges. ---- Hal Erickson

An underrated minor gem from debut director Taylor Hackford that, while often compared to Grease (1978) and the same year's odious remake The Jazz Singer (1980), actually owes considerably more to the Oscar-winning The Buddy Holly Story (1978) in tone and execution. While certainly not displaying the charm and emotional impact of that classic film, Hackford's introduction is not without its charms, which include a pair of nicely turned-on performances from Tovah Feldshuh and Golden Globe-winner Ray Sharkey (this film and the series Wise Guy standing as two of the ill-fated actor's finest projects), as well as some memorable tunes from legendary pop songwriter Jeff Barry, co-author of "Da Do Ron Ron," "Be My Baby," and "Leader of the Pack," among other hits of the Brill Building era. The drama's limited budget shows in its rather skimpy efforts to depict the time period, and the story is predictably rags-to-riches-to-rags, but in this thinly veiled bio of "power behind the throne," Bob Marcucci crackles with a raw, nervously sexual energy, fairly bristling with enthusiasm for its subject matter. Not yet cynical and jaded by an industry that would so often misrepresent and poorly promote his work, Hackford is fully engaged here, and it shows on all levels, from casting (Peter Gallagher and Joe Pantoliano both make their feature film bows with the film) to the picture's subtly frisky, funny (and most likely totally intentional) homoerotic undercurrent. It's not the definitive rock & roll film, but The Idolmaker (1980) still trumps later-model cousins such as Rock Star (2001). ---- Karl Williams

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Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for The Idolmaker

Ray Sharkey - Vincent Vacarri
Paul Land - Tommy Dee
Olympia Dukakis - Mrs. Vacarri
Peter Gallagher - Caesare
Joe Pantoliano - Gino Pilato
Tovah Feldshuh - Brenda Roberts
Maureen McCormick - Ellen Fields
John Aprea - Paul Vacarri
Richard Bright - Uncle Tony
Steven Apostlee Peck - Mr. Vacarri
Lenny Gaines - Luchetti
Denny Terrio - Jerry Martin
Charles Guardino - Jesse
Michael Mislove - Ed Sharp
Penny Perry Davis
Barbara King
James Saito
Kenneth O'Brien - Walt Bennett

Crew for The Idolmaker

Taylor Hackford - Director
Gene Kirkwood - Producer
Howard W. Koch, Jr. - Producer
Edward di Lorenzo - Screenwriter
Adam Holender - Cinematographer
Jeff Barry - Songwriter / Composer (Music Score)
Steve Potter - Editor
Arthur Schmidt - Editor
Neil Travis - Editor
David Snyder - Art Director
R.J. Louis - Associate Producer
Barbara Krieger - Set Designer
Rita Riggs - Costume Designer
Bob Glass - Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Hliddal - Sound/Sound Designer
Buzz Knudson - Sound/Sound Designer
Don MacDougall - Sound/Sound Designer
Clifford C. Coleman - First Assistant Director
Bob Marcucci - Consultant/advisor
Denny Terrio - Choreography

Awards for The Idolmaker

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy (win) Ray Sharkey 1980 Golden Globe
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy (nom) 1980 Golden Globe

Feature Details

Title: The Idolmaker
Feature Release Date: 1980
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Color: Color
Runtime: 119 Minutes
Chapters: 34
Picture: Letterboxed
Ratio: 1.85:1
Playback Format: CLV

IMDB Info...

Technical Details

LD Release Date: 20 Nov 1996
Catalog Number: ML100370
UPC: 027616037060
Publisher: MGM/UA Home Video

Diameter: 12"
Sides: 2
Cover: Gatefold Jacket
Sound Analog Right: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spoken Language: English
Country: USA
Video Format: NTSC

Model: ML100370-N
Shipping Weight: 1 lbs
0 in Stock

Rare Factory-Sealed, Dolby Digital AC-3, Widescreen, LaserDisc Movie

Near-Mint Condition with Gatefold with a split

Ray Sharkey, Paul Land, Olympia Dukakis and Peter Gallagher in...

The Idolmaker

( Catalog Number ML100370 )
(1.85:1) (2 Sides) (CLV) (NTSC)

LaserDisc Special Features

Best Version on LaserDisc
See Many More Rare Dolby Digital AC-3 LaserDiscs at DaDon's...

The Idolmaker
1980 - 119 min. - Color
Genre: Drama
Rated PG
Country: USA

LaserDisc Movie Storyline:
Vincent Vaccardi (Ray Sharkey) has talent and drive, but in the singing world of 1959, he knows he has to have looks too. Determined to find success for his songs, he latches on to a local performer and shapes his image into Tommy Dee (Paul Land), who's suddenly an overnight sensation. As his own power and income increase, Vinnie doesn't realize he's lost his focus on the work and is becoming a feral, driven taskmaster. When Tommy starts to agitate for bigger things, Vinnie realizes he'd better have more than one trick up his sleeve. He finds another fresh face (an unbelievably young Peter Gallagher), whom he transforms from Guido the busboy into Caesare--a reclusive, mysterious singing sensation. Vinnie's formula is on the money, and Caesare is catapulted to fame as well, but Vinnie finally begins to see that he may have left something important behind, and that he's not the only one who might have to pay for it. Director Taylor Hackford's THE IDOLMAKER is a brutal exploration of the creation, manipulation, and destruction of teen idols and their audience in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

LaserDisc Movie Review:
The story of Philadelphia-based rock 'n' roll starmaker Bob Marcucci is given a pointed a clef treatment in The Idolmaker. Ray Sharkey plays Vincent Vacarri, who takes a couple of raw young kids (Peter Gallagher and Paul Land) and molds them into teen idols. If Gallagher and Land seem at times to be clones of Fabian and Frankie Avalon, then you've gotten the point. As played by Sharkey, Vacarri comes off as both maven and monster: he gives his boys everything they need professionally and everything they want personally, but it's subliminally clear that his interest is purely mercenary (incredibly, Bob Marcucci is the film's technical advisor). An excellent, clear-eyed view of show biz mechanics, The Idolmaker falters only in its anachronisms, notably the style of music performed by Vacarri's proteges. ---- Hal Erickson

An underrated minor gem from debut director Taylor Hackford that, while often compared to Grease (1978) and the same year's odious remake The Jazz Singer (1980), actually owes considerably more to the Oscar-winning The Buddy Holly Story (1978) in tone and execution. While certainly not displaying the charm and emotional impact of that classic film, Hackford's introduction is not without its charms, which include a pair of nicely turned-on performances from Tovah Feldshuh and Golden Globe-winner Ray Sharkey (this film and the series Wise Guy standing as two of the ill-fated actor's finest projects), as well as some memorable tunes from legendary pop songwriter Jeff Barry, co-author of "Da Do Ron Ron," "Be My Baby," and "Leader of the Pack," among other hits of the Brill Building era. The drama's limited budget shows in its rather skimpy efforts to depict the time period, and the story is predictably rags-to-riches-to-rags, but in this thinly veiled bio of "power behind the throne," Bob Marcucci crackles with a raw, nervously sexual energy, fairly bristling with enthusiasm for its subject matter. Not yet cynical and jaded by an industry that would so often misrepresent and poorly promote his work, Hackford is fully engaged here, and it shows on all levels, from casting (Peter Gallagher and Joe Pantoliano both make their feature film bows with the film) to the picture's subtly frisky, funny (and most likely totally intentional) homoerotic undercurrent. It's not the definitive rock & roll film, but The Idolmaker (1980) still trumps later-model cousins such as Rock Star (2001). ---- Karl Williams

Thanks for Visiting DaDon's !

Reviews, Articles, Newsletter and Information for Movies on LaserDisc LD Laser Disc, LazerDisc.

Cast for The Idolmaker

Ray Sharkey - Vincent Vacarri
Paul Land - Tommy Dee
Olympia Dukakis - Mrs. Vacarri
Peter Gallagher - Caesare
Joe Pantoliano - Gino Pilato
Tovah Feldshuh - Brenda Roberts
Maureen McCormick - Ellen Fields
John Aprea - Paul Vacarri
Richard Bright - Uncle Tony
Steven Apostlee Peck - Mr. Vacarri
Lenny Gaines - Luchetti
Denny Terrio - Jerry Martin
Charles Guardino - Jesse
Michael Mislove - Ed Sharp
Penny Perry Davis
Barbara King
James Saito
Kenneth O'Brien - Walt Bennett

Crew for The Idolmaker

Taylor Hackford - Director
Gene Kirkwood - Producer
Howard W. Koch, Jr. - Producer
Edward di Lorenzo - Screenwriter
Adam Holender - Cinematographer
Jeff Barry - Songwriter / Composer (Music Score)
Steve Potter - Editor
Arthur Schmidt - Editor
Neil Travis - Editor
David Snyder - Art Director
R.J. Louis - Associate Producer
Barbara Krieger - Set Designer
Rita Riggs - Costume Designer
Bob Glass - Sound/Sound Designer
Peter Hliddal - Sound/Sound Designer
Buzz Knudson - Sound/Sound Designer
Don MacDougall - Sound/Sound Designer
Clifford C. Coleman - First Assistant Director
Bob Marcucci - Consultant/advisor
Denny Terrio - Choreography

Awards for The Idolmaker

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy (win) Ray Sharkey 1980 Golden Globe
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy (nom) 1980 Golden Globe

Feature Details

Technical Details

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The Idolmaker LaserDisc, Rare LaserDiscs AC-3 Dolby Digital Laser Disc

The Idolmaker AC-3 RM WS Rare NEW LaserDisc Directors Drama

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Rare Factory-Sealed, Dolby Digital AC-3, Widescreen, LaserDisc Movie

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