''Cotton Candy'' is a 1978 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

and broadcast on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

. It is also known as ''Ron Howard's Cotton Candy''.

Plot

George Smalley is a high school senior trying to find direction in life. His attempt to land a spot on the varsity football team fails when he is cut from the team. A songwriter in his spare time, he and his pal, Corky Macpherson, recruit other local teens to form a rock band to ultimately perform in the town's Battle of the Bands competition. Together, they recruit a set of brothers who play keyboards and guitar, a former gang member on bass guitar, and a talented female drummer. Meanwhile, big man on campus Torbin Bequette leads a rival band, Rapid Fire (whose entire repertoire seems to consist of a hard rock version of "

I Shot the Sheriff "I Shot the Sheriff" is a song written by Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley and released in 1973 with his band Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers. Background The song was first released in 1973 on Bob Marley and the Wailers, the Wailers ...

"), and attempts to undermine George and Corky's band. The movie climaxes with the two bands going toe to toe in the Battle of the Bands final.

Production

The film was the first production for Major H Productions, which Howard had created in 1977 with his father Rance and brother

Clint Clint may refer to: * Clint (name), a given name and a surname Places *Clint, North Yorkshire, a village in England *Clint, Texas, a town in the United States Fictional characters * Clint Barton, a superhero in American comic books published by ...

. Filming took place in Dallas, Texas, at

Lake Highlands High School Lake Highlands High School (LHHS) is a secondary school serving grades 9–12 in the Lake Highlands area of northeastern Dallas, Texas, United States, primarily serving the Lake Highlands community. The school is part of the Richardson Independe ...

and at the Town East Mall for the Battle of the Bands event.

Cast

* Charles Martin Smith as George Smalley *

Clint Howard Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His more than 200 acting credits include feature films ...

as Corky Macpherson * Leslie King as Brenda Matthews * Manuel Padilla Jr. as Julio Sanchez * Kevin Lee Miller as Barry Bates *

Dean Scofield Dean Scofield (born January 12, 1957, Alhambra, California, Alhambra, California) is an American actor who has provided the voice of the recurring character List of characters in the Metal Gear series#Johnny Sasaki, Johnny Sasaki in ''Metal Gear S ...

as Bart Bates * Rance Howard as Mr. Bremmercamp * Mark Wheeler as Torbin Bequette *

Alvy Moore Jack Alvin "Alvy" Moore (December 5, 1921 – May 4, 1997) was an American actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent Hank Kimball on the CBS television series '' Green Acres''. His character would often make ...

as Mr. Smalley * Joan Crosby as Mrs. Smalley * William H. Burkett as Mr. Barton * Bill Hosmer as Uncredited Extra * Joseph Renzetti Music score & Music Director

References

External links

* 1978 television films 1978 films 1978 drama films Films directed by Ron Howard Films scored by Joe Renzetti NBC original films Films about musical groups American drama television films 1970s American films {{US-tv-drama-film-stub