William Finley

Paul Williams

Jessica Harper

George Memmoli

Gerrit Graham

Archie Hahn

Jeffrey Comanor

Peter Elbling

Colin Cameron

David Garland

Gary Mallaber

Art Munson

Mary Margaret Amato

Rand Bridges

Jim Bohan

Herb Pacheco

Jennifer Ashley

Janit Baldwin

Janus Blythe

Katherine Mastellos

Robin Mattson

Patrice Rohmer

Cheryl Smith

April Troy

Walter Foster

Peter Harrell

Troy Haskins

Gene Gross

Henry Calvert

Ken Carpenter

Sam Forney

Leslie Brewer

Celia Derr

Linda Larimer

Roseanne Romine

Nydia Amagas

Sara Ballantine

Kristi Bird

Cathy Buttner

Linda Cox

Jane DeFord

Bibi Hansen

Robin Jeep

Deen Summers

Judy Washington

Susan Weiser

Janet Savarino

Jean Savarino

Keith Allison

Bobby Birkenfeld

Sandy Catton

William Donovan

Scott Edmund Lane

Dennis Olivieri

Adam Wade

Nancy Moses

Diana Walden

Sherri Adeline

Carol O'Leary

Marty Bongfeldt

Coleen Crudden

Bridgett Dunn

William Shephard

Angelyne

Greg Bransom

Shelly Desai

Paul Hirsch

Rod Serling

Al Gramaglia

Michael J. Dmytryk

Sissy Spacek

Burt Bluestein

Dan Sable

Robert Enrietto

James M. Tanenbaum

Brian De Palma

Edward R. Pressman

Larry Pizer

George Aliceson Tipton

Ronnie Taylor

John L. Black

Andy Epper

Cary Griffith

Tim Griffith

Jim Lovelett

Louisa Rose

Gaston Leroux

Rosanna Norton

Sylvia Fay

Geno Havens

Peggy Taylor

Jack Fisk

Jeffrey L. Hayes

Lynn Pressman-Raymond

Michael Arciaga

Bill Scott

Paul Lewis

Gustave M. Berne

Rolf Miller

Thomas Lightburn

John Chambers

Thomas R. Burman

Anna Sugano

Gary Kent

Greg Auer

Music

Comedy

Horror

Phantom of the Paradise

Harbor Productions

Pressman-Williams

United States of America

CinemaSerf

William Finley as the eponymous character and Paul Williams as the duplicitous record producer "Swan" both ham up enjoyably in this update of the Gaston Leroux novel. "Finley" is writing a cantata, parts of which are overheard by the unscrupulous "Swan" who gets his sidekick "Philbin" (George Memmoli) to pinch the score. Next thing, auditions are ongoing and the poor old writer has been well and truly sidelined. He's determined to wreak his revenge, a determination amplified after an accident sees him hideously disfigured. With chaos ensuing all around, "Swan" decides to try and make a peace with his nemesis - but pretty soon it's clear that's never going to work and as the opening night of the rock club "The Paradise" looms ever closer, you have to wonder if you'd really want a ticket after all. It's good fun this film with some entertaining performances at the top, Jessica Harper holds her own as the feisty chanteuse "Phoenix" and there's just about enough menacing megalomania to prevent it descending into farce. It's quite easy to see how many subsequent films or concepts it may have spawned as it takes much from musical theatre and high drama and mingles them into something that's a sort of an hybrid of the "Man from U.N.C.L.E" and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Williams also wrote much of the of the original soundtrack with a few power ballads packed in to keep the pace moving along and it's worth sticking about for the credits. It has dated, but I still enjoyed it.