Here are 10 fascinating facts about 'Weird Al' Yankovic's cult favorite film, 'UHF.'

'Weird Al' Yankovic’s first movie, UHF, was a passion project for the famous parodist. He worked alongside his longtime manager, Jay Levey, to co-write and develop the script over a span of four years. Levey also directed the film.

Despite receiving positive feedback from test audiences, UHF—released in U.S. theaters on July 21, 1989—didn’t meet the studio's expectations and ultimately flopped at the box office. However, its popularity grew significantly through cable reruns, midnight screenings, and multiple home video releases over time.

For almost four decades, UHF has been a prime example of a cult classic. With a new biopic about Yankovic, starring Daniel Radcliffe, set to stream on the Roku Channel this fall, there's no better time to revisit this underrated film. Here are 10 fun facts you probably never knew about 'Weird Al' Yankovic’s UHF.

Mad magazine played a key role in inspiring the name of the main character.

The main character of the film, George Newman (played by 'Weird Al' Yankovic), was named after Alfred E. Neuman, the beloved mascot of Mad magazine.

"Oh, absolutely. I’ve always been open about the fact that Mad magazine was a major influence on me, including on 'Uncle Nutsy’s Clubhouse,'" Yankovic shared with the A.V. Club in 2015. "There’s no clearer homage to Mad magazine than that. It's one of my favorite pieces from the '60s, and it was a direct tribute."

Up-and-coming talents like Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Tilly auditioned for roles in the movie.

While Victoria Jackson secured the role of George’s girlfriend, Teri, and Fran Drescher (who later starred in The Nanny) played secretary Pamela Finklestein, several other rising actresses, including Ellen DeGeneres and Jennifer Tilly, also auditioned for parts in the film.

Other lesser-known actors were also considered for roles in UHF. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld was offered the role of Bob, George’s best friend, while Crispin Glover and Mystery Science Theater 3000 creator Joel Hodgson were potential candidates for Philo, Channel 62’s station engineer. All three ultimately turned down the offer.

Dr. Demento makes a brief cameo appearance in the movie.

Dr. Demento (a.k.a. Barret Eugene Hansen) gave 'Weird Al' Yankovic his big break when he played the 16-year-old’s novelty song 'Belvedere Cruising' on his radio show in 1976. Later, Yankovic gave his mentor a brief cameo in UHF, where he appeared as a member of the audience in the 'Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse' scene. He’s credited as 'Whipped Cream Eater.'

UHF was filmed on location in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Much of UHF was shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at well-known local spots across the city, including Harden’s Hamburgers, Rose Bowl Lanes, Joey’s House of the Blues, and the Tulsa International Airport, among other locations.

"We’re having a great time," Yankovic shared with The Oklahoman while filming in 1988. "Tulsa is a great place. All the people have been really nice. They treat me as if I’m human."

The decision to shoot in Oklahoma was influenced by executive producer Gray Fredrickson’s positive experience working on The Outsiders, which was filmed in the state a few years prior.

"We’ve had a lot of good experiences with previous films we’ve done in Tulsa," Fredrickson, an Oklahoma native, shared with The Oklahoman in the same 1988 article. "It’s human nature. When you have a good time somewhere, you’re more likely to want to return."

Dire Straits contributed to recording a parody of their own hit song for the film.

In the Beverly Hillbillies dream sequence, 'Weird Al' parodies Dire Straits' famous track 'Money For Nothing.' Frontman Mark Knopfler gave permission for the parody, on the condition that he could play lead guitar and keyboardist Guy Fletcher could play synthesizer on the track.

As a result, the track was recorded, and Yankovic, Knopfler, Sting (who co-wrote the original song), and Paul Henning (creator of The Beverly Hillbillies) were all credited for the song.

The parody was ultimately named 'Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*' due to legal reasons. 'The lawyers told us that had to be the name. Those wacky lawyers! Whatcha gonna do?' Yankovic explained in the UHF DVD commentary.

UHF originally received higher test scores from audiences than RoboCop.

Before its 1989 release, Orion Pictures was quite optimistic about UHF. It even tested better with audiences than RoboCop, which Orion released in 1987. The studio was so confident in the film that they believed it would be their biggest summer hit—but it ultimately flopped, earning only $6.1 million at the domestic box office against a reported $5 million budget.

In 2019, Yankovic shared with Yahoo! Entertainment that he was disappointed when the film failed, 'primarily because my expectations were so high. Orion Pictures, God love ’em, were thinking I was ‘the next Woody Allen.’ They tested the movie, and it received the highest numbers since the original RoboCop, which they had released. So they were all excited, like, 'This is going to be our big summer movie!'"

For context, UHF was released during the same summer as Batman, Ghostbusters II, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade—all of which grossed at least $90 million domestically.

Siskel & Ebert gave the film a harsh review.

In 1989, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both gave UHF two thumbs down. Siskel even remarked that the film 'may be injurious to your sense of humor,' while Ebert criticized it as 'a series of half-baked parodies of bad TV.'

In 1992, Yankovic got back at the film critics in his parody song 'I Can’t Watch This,' which mocked M.C. Hammer’s 'U Can’t Touch This.' The lyrics included, 'Those Siskel & Ebert bums/Oughta go home and sit on their thumbs.'

UHF was rated PG-13, a rating the studio believed contributed to its poor box office performance.

Orion Pictures believed UHF would have done better with a PG rating instead of PG-13. However, 'Weird Al' Yankovic refused to cut certain scenes to get a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

Yankovic recalled, 'One scene involved Emo Philips cutting his thumb off with a table saw, and another had Raoul Hernandez tossing poodles out the window.' He continued, 'They told me, 'If you remove those two scenes, we'll make it PG, and more people will watch it.' I refused, saying, 'I'm not willing to compromise.' So, it stayed PG-13, and I'm happy I stuck to my decision. I'd rather the film be the way I intended, even if it flopped, than to make a compromised version that also flopped. And just to clarify, no poodles were harmed during the filming of UHF, as the ASPCA was on set to ensure no harm was done.'

The film received a different title for overseas markets.

For international distribution, Orion Pictures rebranded the movie as The Vidiot From UHF. Years later, Yankovic expressed that he wished the film had been titled simply The Vidiot instead of UHF.

'When the movie went global, we changed the title to The Vidiot From UHF,' Yankovic shared with the A.V. Club in 2015. 'I’m not sure why they insisted on keeping UHF in the title, as The Vidiot would have worked better. They wanted to connect it with the North American release, which was a bit odd since it wasn't exactly a huge success. Looking back, I feel The Vidiot, or maybe just Vidiots, would have been a title that stood the test of time more.'

UHF played a key role in 'Weird Al' eventually gaining Nirvana's approval for a parody song.

A few years after UHF was released, it played a pivotal role in 'Weird Al' Yankovic securing Kurt Cobain's approval to parody Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' Victoria Jackson, who starred in the film, was also part of Saturday Night Live when Nirvana performed as musical guests in 1992. Through her, Yankovic and Cobain were able to speak directly on the phone.

'He was kind and got the idea in just a few seconds,' Yankovic recalled in a 2012 Spin magazine interview. 'He asked, 'Is this going to be a song about food?' because that was my thing at the time. I replied, 'No, it's actually about how no one can understand your lyrics.' He laughed and said, 'Oh, sure, that's funny.'

This article was first published in 2022 and has been revised for 2024.