Rating: 
Summary: classic woody
Review: That special blend of comedic, melancholic ideal world haze---when he gets it correctly, it is great! This is one of those Allen movies that sucks you into the remembered world, sepia toned, more than slightly un-realistic! But how realistically did we think when we were kids anyways! Great flick.
Rating: 
Summary: Bittersweet Comedy
Review: The best thing about Woody Allen is his ability to build a movie on episodic material and subplots, without the need for an overarching plot. "Radio Days" is told in anecdotal vignettes, which relate to Allen's memories of radio in the 1940s. These vignettes are seamlessly interwoven, and through them, we come to get a feel for how and where Allen grew up.Where he grew up was Rockaway, Queens, and -- having been there dozens of times, visiting from my own Brooklyn -- Allen's actual use of the neighborhood locations really places this movie not only in place, but time, as Rockaway Beach has changed so little since the 1940s. Most memorable are the actors which comprise the ensemble cast: Seth Green plays a young Allen, casted as "Joe"; Julie Kavner and Jeff Tucker play his always bickering parents; Diane Wiest plays his old-maid aunt, Bea. But Mia Farrow as aspiring radio personality Sally White steals the show with her Canarsie accent "Hawk, I heyuh da cannons raw. Is it da king approachin'?" and later blossoms into a radio gossip show hostess, a la Hedda Hopper, replete with a proper Anglicized accent to boot. Living now in an age when many social critics blame television for driving the American family apart, Allen paints a portrait of a time when it was radio which drew families closer together; all his favorite childhood memories having some connection to a radio program or song, and it is this connection which Allen memorializes, suggesting a time that was not so much more innocent, but one that was more dramatic, classier and less jaded. DP Carlo diPalma's beautiful use of primary colors and editor Susan Morse's perfectly-timed montage flesh out a gorgeous visual counterpart to the soundtrack, which is brimming over with jazz, big bands, cop dramas, boy crooners, game shows and torch song sirens. "Radio Days" is, along with "Crimes and Misdemeanors" the closest Allen came to making a perfect movie.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Comedy
Review: The best thing about Woody Allen is his ability to build a movie on episodic material and subplots, without the need for an overarching plot. "Radio Days" is told in anecdotal vignettes, which relate to Allen's memories of radio in the 1940s. These vignettes are seamlessly interwoven, and through them, we come to get a feel for how and where Allen grew up. Where he grew up was Rockaway, Queens, and -- having been there dozens of times, visiting from my own Brooklyn -- Allen's actual use of the neighborhood locations really places this movie not only in place, but time, as Rockaway Beach has changed so little since the 1940s. Most memorable are the actors which comprise the ensemble cast: Seth Green plays a young Allen, casted as "Joe"; Julie Kavner and Jeff Tucker play his always bickering parents; Diane Wiest plays his old-maid aunt, Bea. But Mia Farrow as aspiring radio personality Sally White steals the show with her Canarsie accent "Hawk, I heyuh da cannons raw. Is it da king approachin'?" and later blossoms into a radio gossip show hostess, a la Hedda Hopper, replete with a proper Anglicized accent to boot. Living now in an age when many social critics blame television for driving the American family apart, Allen paints a portrait of a time when it was radio which drew families closer together; all his favorite childhood memories having some connection to a radio program or song, and it is this connection which Allen memorializes, suggesting a time that was not so much more innocent, but one that was more dramatic, classier and less jaded. DP Carlo diPalma's beautiful use of primary colors and editor Susan Morse's perfectly-timed montage flesh out a gorgeous visual counterpart to the soundtrack, which is brimming over with jazz, big bands, cop dramas, boy crooners, game shows and torch song sirens. "Radio Days" is, along with "Crimes and Misdemeanors" the closest Allen came to making a perfect movie.
Rating:
Summary: Woody Allen selects WWII Big Band tunes for you
Review: The only real complaint with this album of selections form the original soundtrack for Woody Allen's "Radio Days" is that the most memorable song from the film is not included. That would be Carmen Miranda's "Down South American Way," which is lip synchs by his character's older sister while her father and uncle provide the "ay yi, ay yi"s at the end. That being said, what you do get are representative big band tracks from the time of World War II, which means Glenn Miller ("American Patrol"), Benny Goodman ("Goodbye"), Tommy Dorsey ("I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"), Larry Clinton ("I Double Dare You"), Xavier Cugat ("One, Two, Three, Kick"), and others. With songs like "Remember Pearl Harbor" and "(There'll Be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" it becomes clear that Allen was putting together a calculated musical background for his period piece. Even if you are a fan of the Big Band era I think you will probably find some track you do not own, because if you have all of these already you have a very nice music library.
Rating:
Summary: classic woody
Review: The only real complaint with this album of selections form the original soundtrack for Woody Allen's "Radio Days" is that the most memorable song from the film is not included. That would be Carmen Miranda's "Down South American Way," which is lip synchs by his character's older sister while her father and uncle provide the "ay yi, ay yi"s at the end. That being said, what you do get are representative big band tracks from the time of World War II, which means Glenn Miller ("American Patrol"), Benny Goodman ("Goodbye"), Tommy Dorsey ("I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"), Larry Clinton ("I Double Dare You"), Xavier Cugat ("One, Two, Three, Kick"), and others. With songs like "Remember Pearl Harbor" and "(There'll Be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" it becomes clear that Allen was putting together a calculated musical background for his period piece. Even if you are a fan of the Big Band era I think you will probably find some track you do not own, because if you have all of these already you have a very nice music library.
Rating:
Summary: Woody Allen selects WWII Big Band tunes for you
Review: The only real complaint with this album of selections form the original soundtrack for Woody Allen's "Radio Days" is that the most memorable song from the film is not included. That would be Carmen Miranda's "Down South American Way," which is lip synchs by his character's older sister while her father and uncle provide the "ay yi, ay yi"s at the end. That being said, what you do get are representative big band tracks from the time of World War II, which means Glenn Miller ("American Patrol"), Benny Goodman ("Goodbye"), Tommy Dorsey ("I'm Getting Sentimental Over You"), Larry Clinton ("I Double Dare You"), Xavier Cugat ("One, Two, Three, Kick"), and others. With songs like "Remember Pearl Harbor" and "(There'll Be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover" it becomes clear that Allen was putting together a calculated musical background for his period piece. Even if you are a fan of the Big Band era I think you will probably find some track you do not own, because if you have all of these already you have a very nice music library.
Rating: 
Summary: Mawkish or simply unwatchable - you decide
Review: THE worst in a spate of similar nostalgic films that came out around that time, Radio Days, if made by anyone other than Allen, would have never seen the light of day. Imagine someone else getting away with lines like "But my favorite memory had to be..." over and over again, and that's the movie in a nutshell. This embarrassment is the polar opposite of Allen's well-crafted and hilarious films leading up to it...
Rating:
Summary: Radio Days in your own home
Review: This CD soundtrack is fabulous. Just listening to the music selections from Woody Allen's motion picture "Radio Days" brings you back to an era long gone - the 1930s and 1940s - when Americans listened to the radio for their music and entertainment. The CD starts off with a bang, getting you into the mood with Glenn Miller's "In the Mood", and ends up with a terrific Conga-line number. Other songs I love are "I Double Dare You" and "Remember Pearl Harbor". This soundtrack is missing a few songs that were part of the classic moments in the movie (South American Way" by Carmen Miranda, and "Ba Ba Lou"), but I'm willing to over look this. I've spent many happy hours listening to this and it's one of my favorite soundtrack CDs. Hopefully you'll enjoy this CD as much as I do.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie but saddened
Review: This movie is one of my favorites. I grew up listening to music from the 30's and 40's, musicals, opera, classical etc. But I was really disappointed that this cd didn't include the Kurt Weil & Maxwell Anderson rendition of September Song. My father who learned to play piano by ear, played this song when I was growing up and also others. But I would really love to have a copy of this version. Mr. Allen if you do another collection of favorites, please include this version of September Song. Thank-you. Whenever I grow leary of our computerized world, I put on this movie.
Rating:
Summary: A great introduction
Review: This soundtrack is an excellent introduction to big band music of the 1940, including the familiar "In the Mood" and "Take the 'A' Train," as well as novelty tunes like "I Double Dare You" and "The Donkey Serenade." This CD features a variety of song styles: some with vocals (from operatic to "Betty Boop" and back), some upbeat (hooray for the troops!), others hauntingly melancholy (Benny Goodman's "Goodbye"). However, most will make swing dancers tap their toes and practice their moves. Anyone new to the music of the Big Band era with get a good flavor of the 1940's and be introduced to 10 classic orchestras on this unique soundtrack disc.
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