For as long as I can remember, my father has listened to talk radio to fall asleep. As a boy, I tried to emulate this mannerism upon receiving my first clock radio. There was a certain charm to being lulled to sleep by people chatting non-sensically about politics, current events, and other issues of which I had no vested interest. But on Sunday nights, sleep would not come so easily. That was the night I actually listened to the radio; that was the night that Steve Friedman took the airwaves in Philadelphia.
Also known as Mr. Movie, Friedman, who passed away earlier this week, was a radio host with an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema. Part film critic, part historian, he was a man who very simply loved movies. Back in the days before IMDb, the forgetful viewer had a choice of unwieldy tomes such as Halliwells or Moviehound to keep one’s facts straight. For the unanswerable, or what I would now call the un-googleable, there was Mr. Movie. “It was the movie where there was a murder in it…”; “Who was that actor? He always played a bad guy, except this one time…”; “I think the director was from Europe…” He always had an answer and a story to share with his eager listenership.
What is so baffling to a critic of my generation about Mr. Movie is that he managed to retain an incredible amount of information before the advent of home video. The bulk of the movies he would discuss, Hollywood classics, are films he would have seen in the theater, maybe only a handful of times. He was a film buff who never grew up. Up to his dying day (he passed away a few hours after a broadcast), Mr. Movie never lost that childish love of movies.
One memory that sticks out for me was listening to how fondly he spoke of the 1985 film Explorers. On it’s face, Explorers is a children’s film. Three friends build a spaceship out of an abandoned tilt-a-whirl car after they all experience the same dreams. Upon reaching the mothership that sent them the plans for the spacecraft, they find that their extraterrestrial pen pals are actually just kids, who are in trouble for making such a long distance call. Given that his favorite film, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s obituary, was Forbidden Planet, it is no wonder that he would lean so favorably towards a sci-fi flick for youngsters.
To the mind of someone like Mr. Movie, there is no distinction between a good arthouse movie and a good blockbuster. A good movie is a good movie. As viewers and critics, we can only strive to be as democratic in our approach as the man they called Mr. Movie. He will be missed.
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Dear Candler,
I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Movie was a staple in my life for the past 25 years. His encyclopedic knowledge and mild manner approach to talk radio made him a joy to listen to and learn from. May he rest in peace. He will be missed by many, many people.
I think all that rain we got in the Northeast this past summer was from all the people in heaven including God himself crying because they knew that one of the greatest persons that ever lived would be joining them soon. RIP Mr. Movie
I met Steve 10 years ago after being a long-time listener to his radio show. We hit it off immediately and became friends. My fiancé and I were invited to his show numerous times and we loved every second of it. We’ve also had the pleasure to be in the company of his lovely wife and beautiful daughter, both of which are truly amazing people. I loved Steve dearly and I will miss him the rest of my days. For those of you who never got a chance to meet him in person, he was just as you’d imagine him to be. Warm, friendly, funny and kind. There will never be another like him.
To anyone who is interested, The Family Film Show is hosting a Tribute Evening to Celebrate the life of the remarkable Mr. Movie, Steve Friedman. We will also be showing Steve’s favorite film, Forbidden Planet, the 1956 MGM Sci-Fi masterpiece. The date is April 16, 2010 at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA. Doors open at 6:45. Tickets are
20.00 in advance and 25.00 at the door.
Send check or money order to The Family Film Show, PO Box 42,
Devault, PA 19432