Network (1976)

Dana and Tom discuss one of the most prescient films of all-time in Network (1976): directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Paddy Chayefsky, starring Peter Finch, William Holden, Robert Duvall, Faye Dunaway, and Ned Beatty.

Plot Summary: Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the lead anchor at UBS, is fired when his ratings tank. Network executive Max Schumacher (William Holden), Howard's best friend, is forced to deliver the bad news. Beale can't stomach the idea of his firing, so he announces to the viewers that he's going to commit suicide on his final program. Network head Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) finds out that UBS had its greatest ratings ever on the night of Beale's self-destruction, and programming exec Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) talks Hackett into reprogramming Beale's show. Beale becomes the hottest TV personality in America, and Diana becomes the network's fair-haired girl, drawing up plans to treat the nightly news broadcast as entertainment, built around the rants of Beale. However, when Beale steps on a corporate deal between the owners of UBS and the Saudis, all hell breaks loose, and Beale is caught in the crosshairs.

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