The Idolmaker (DVD, 2000)

There was a period that the musical made a brief comeback. We had Saturday Night Fever, Grease, The Wiz, Xanadu, You Can't Stop The Music, The Jazz Singer and Flashdance to name a few.

In the midst of all this, a small film was produced in the same year as The Jazz Singer, starring Neil Diamond. It was a film called The Idolmaker.

Meant to loosely represent the life and times of Bob Marucci, the guy that brought Fabian and Frankie Avalon of "Beach Blanket Bingo" fame, it shows the flight and turbulence of his meteoric rise to legitimacy through hard work, sacrifice, and the terrorizing of his musical charges.

Ray Sharkey, a more than competent actor really electrifies the character he plays, Vincent Vaccardi, and shows the passion and deep pain of the rise and fall of his creations. Paul Land plays his first idol, Tommy Dee, a character he tortures like a fly on a pin to create a success of his music. The original cookie cutter pop star, Ray spins a cyclone around his charge, elevating him to great heights, only to have his soul torn apart through his concrete maliability. He then takes on Peter Gallahger, playing a lowly worker, a diamond in the rough, one he rechristens Caesare. Brilliant marketing propels yet another comet into the stratosphere, a star on the rise. Unfortunately, Sharkey controls and twists and contorts this charge to an even greater degree, and as a result, is even more beleaguered when Caesare finally also jumps ship to avoid the slavery he's been painted into (not to mention his white pants as well).

In the end, the moral is that you can only please yourself, and you leave the film on a mild note, one of two defects within the storyline.

The music does not represent the period the Idolmaker is set in, the late fifties. Instead, it takes pop cues from the current decade, making the film less believable.

However, that being said, for pure entertainment, and a little planned frustration through the eyes of the kinetic Ray Sharkey, it's a winner even to this day.

A film that took me back to my first childhood crush. Peter Gallagher definitely a star that will never let anyone forget him. This movie will definitely make anyone dare to dream a dream. If you just need a little hope in a world that you feel you have lost all hope then take a little trip and escape to live a dream and forget all your problems.

I liked the concept. I bought it because my favorite musician mentioned it.
I also like it because it is timeless information.

I saw the original when it first came out and it is great! Not the same old same old movie that you have come to expect! The characters were believable and you can relate to their feelings since we were all young once.

I'd already seen themovie but I wanted my own copy. Thank you for the opportunity to own one myself.

this is a classic all american movie with ray sharkey and a very young peter gallager with just a little marsha brady who always looked good

I rate it excellent not just because it depicts the struggles and pain entertainers must go through on their road to stardom. But also because I am a tried and true fan of Maureen Mccormick! Anything Maureen appears in she makes it just that much better with her sweetness, poise, witty charm and beauty! I just love her to death!

John from Maryland

I have this movie on tape but wanted it on DVD. I did not receive this item because the seller was out of stock at the time I ordered it. He refunded my money back to E-bay. Everyone should see this movie. It's great.

One of my very favorite movies....It's hardly ever on TV, network or cable. I was so happy to see it available. It really captures the time period. Ray Sharkey is top notch and this might have been Peter Gallagher's first movie. I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!

Im an OC fan and fond of PETER GALLAGHER and his role not only in television,music and in this movie. RAY SHARKY plays a perfect role as manager extrodinaire finding and grooming talent.Movie seemed a bit slow at times, but music content was great and made you want to dance along.A nice movie to see with your mate.

I saw this movie when it came out and have often thought I would like my children to see it, but I could never find it or anyone who knew of it. It does have a timeless quality that my mom and I and my kids can enjoy. I read in an interview that Peter Gallagher still feels that it was a good movie, and I agree with him. I don't know what the climate was at the time that it didn't get more attention, but it is memorable beyond many that made a big splash at the time.

Love this movie. Fell in love with Peter Gallager for the firt time in Idolmaker! It is one of those movies that I feel never got noticed but should have because it has the feel to it like Dirty Dancing, Flash Dance, you know a small time guy/girl (this case guy) trying to make it big in show biz. Loved it, I could watch it over and over again. Cant' wait to get my copy in, I have been searching for this movie for along time.