A family in Queens in the late 1930's is contrasted with the lives of the radio personalities they regularly listen to.
After the huge success of Hannah and Her Sisters, Woody Allen's next film looked into the past for what was arguably his most personal film to date. Drawn from his own childhood experience and passed-down anecdotes, the film is also a departure for the director in that it stands as a series of vignettes rather than a straightforward story.
The genesis of the project came from Allen remembering popular songs from his youth, and thinking of stories that came to mind when he heard them. He approached the visuals with attempt to emulate a cartoon; many actors were cast for looking like exaggerated versions of Allen's relatives or people he knew.
Allen worked again with many of the key cast and crew members from Hannah, including Mia Farrow, Dianne Weist, Julie Kavner, as well as cinematographer Carlo DiPalma and art director Santo Loquasto. The film also reunited him with Tony Roberts & Diane Keaton from Annie Hall, and Jeff Daniels & Danny Aiello from The Purple Rose of Cairo. A young Seth Green plays the younger Allen proxy, and notably, this is Allen's second film where he does not appear on screen, though he does provide the narration.
Radio Days struggled to replicate the box office returns of its predecessor, but reviews were very good, and the film was nominated for two Oscars including its screenplay, and was honored by the British Film Academy with seven nominations.
Running time is approx. 90 minutes.
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