User Reviews

The guys that played the bad guy band Rapid Fire in the movie were 4 guys from MacArthur High School (Irving, TX...Morgan, John, Mark, and Tad) and the drummer was from Dallas (Oak Cliff - David J...) Marty Bongfelt was from Mac as well (always had a crush on her - there, the cat's out). While it really was/is a cheesy flick, we got out of 2 weeks of school, received A's, and were local heroes for awhile. And it's still great at a party when someone is spewing garbage, to throw out "I was in one of Ron Howard's" movies. After the wrap, Ron took us out to Campisi's for dinner (if you're from Dallas you know of where I speak)... I have LOTS of funny stories from the shoot but would have to incriminate myself as well : )

I attended Lake Highlands in '84-'86 and some of the staff extras in the Movie were still working when I went through. I still love to watch the movie because of the nostalgia when I see all my old haunts. The school still hasn't changed much and I can place almost all the scenes of the school. I was lucky enough to get a decent VHS recording off of it back in 84 and I still drag it out every few months to watch it commercial free. It's just not in good enough shape to try to transfer it to disc. I'm hoping they release Skyward on DVD eventually as well. Another film right here in Dallas...mostly Mesquite this time though. Man, Bette Davis. Some high power acting for such a small film and director (at the time).

My friend and I watched this cheesy movie because we were 14 and had our own band together. My Dad was watching it with us, and being the experienced professional singer he was, he was pointing out the importance of vocal harmonies. We listened and related to the shaky starts and ruined rehearsals...but I was most interested in the drums, as they were the popular Vistalite series made by Ludwig. I had my own set of them, the same era too, only mine were not the spiral pattern like those used in the film; they were "smoke" black (thus, my kit was cooler). We realized it was a bit of a stupid movie, but we were early high-schoolers and inspired by anything we could catch on TV that involved bands (of course MTV changed that soon after). I loved Smith in American Graffiti but he was MORE of a dork in this one. We howled laughing when he resents his nosy old neighbor complaining about the noise and says disgustedly, "rinky-DINK!" We knew WE would have said something far worse! Corny music, some fair acting, but a pleasant film. But I always wondered...was "I Shot The Sheriff" the only damn song Rapid Fire even knew? I couldn't figure out why they had FANS, when they knew only one song and were lousy at it to boot!

I saw cotton candy when I was just a kid, and never forgot it. It may be a bit cheesy by today's standards, but I think the naivete just adds to the innocent magic of the film. Although the movie has been locked away since Disney aquired it and hasn't seen the light of day, this film will always be a special part of my youth, and just thinking about it all these years later still manages to make me smile. From the melodramatic performances of the Howards to the fully overblown character of Torbin Biqette, this film was what most movies of today just aren't anymore...FUN!

This is surely no piece of great cinema, but it is incredibly kooky and anyone who likes lamb-chop sideburns and bad, bad pop music will love this one. That is, if you ever see it. Seems like maybe Ron "Opie" Howard has locked this one up in a vault, because I have not seen it aired since they used to play it on the 2 O'clock Movie on WBBM in Chicago over and over and over back in the 80's. If you like bad stuff, ie the Love Boat, Robbie Benson movies and anything made by Aaron Spelling, you'll love this.

This is as close as Ron Howard will ever get to making a wonderful piece of trash. Set in 70s it tells the sordid Brady Bunch sentimental story of High School Rock Band COTTON CANDY and their high school war with competition bad boy rock band RAPID FIRE. When they hit the stage youve got to see how dreadful they are to believe it!!!Just like a John Water's movies nearly every scene has some one either being overactingly nasty to some one or people yelling and screaming at one another with horrible songs thrown in for good measure!!!Why no one has ever released this trash el supremo on DVD is a sheer crime! I imagine Ron Howard has had anyone who was interested in releasing it "bumped" off anyhow out of sheer embarassment. His father and crazed looking geek brother Clint also appear. I kinda like the songs now...can u get the soundtrack? essential Aaron Spelling like party tape gone wrong!!! Brilliant TV movie!! If you got a good copy taped off TV please contact me!!!

I loved this movie the first time I saw it, just great chemistry between the actors. A feel good movie for when you need a pick me up. I just wished it was on DVD. Ron and his brother just seem to click and Charles Martin Smith is just a great actor, I just dont know why they never made another one like this.

Look...yes this movie is dated, silly and at times sickeningly sweet, but darn is it ever fun! I was a kid when this was first aired, and not surprisingly just starting out on the bass guitar myself, so ANYTHING that remotely had anything to do with music on television in those dark days before MTV was very welcome. Watching it now, of course, I see how cheesy it was, but I also realized how well it was done. It is easy to look at Ron Howard now and take for granted that he always had talent but who, at that time, could have foreseen how far his career path would have taken him? It is actually quite remarkable to look at this film and see how ambitious it actually was. Not only did he direct the movie to tell an interesting and fun story, but from a technical standpoint, he had to deal with film making situations that demonstrate how much faith the network put in him to pull this off. I am sure that it must have been difficult for him to, not only direct large crowd and concert sequences, but also do it while being nearly the same age as all of the actors themselves. There have been many rock and roll movies made over the years. Some have been great (8 mile, Almost Famous, This is Spinal Tap,) some have been simply good and fun (Rock and Roll High School, Eddie and the Cruisers,) and some have been terrible (You cant Stop the Music, Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.) But Cotton Candy is a R-n-R movie that tells a heartfelt story and simply entertains. It is nothing terribly fancy, mind you, but since I don't think that Ron Howard was trying to change the world with this movie, its shortcomings can easily be overlooked when weighed against its fun-factor!

What a great, great underdog band movie! I remember seeing this in grade school and, to this day, it still stuck with me. I would love to be able to get a copy of this Ron Howard bad boy on DVD and drift back in time to 4th grade and watch Cotton Candy rock the house and take over the senior prom! Remember Clint Howard as the bands manager after he got thrown out for starting the fight with Torbin? As Rapid Fire leaves the stage and Cotton Candy starts to win over the Rapid Fire crowd, there's Clint, looking through the door and crying at the fact that the band is becoming a hit. Chalk one up for Cotton Candy, the little band that could! STAND UP AND SHOUT!!!!!!!

I love this film! Yes it's cheesy but it is also an accurate description if you were ever in bands while in jr. high etc. I also happen to know the brothers who were in Rapid Fire. Rapid fire was not the name of their band and the lead singer was an actor but the rest of the band was a real high school band at Dallas' lake highlands high school. The bass player is a friend of mine and he now owns/operates a famous studio in Dallas tx. A nice tid bit is that they(the band) thought their music would actually be in the film...but it didn't happen. If you haven't seen it, watch it cuz it's pretty good for us naive chees eaters.

I can't speak for the average viewer, but if you were ever part of a neighborhood rock band that fantisized greatness while playing on drum sets obtained with S&H green stamps and guitars from the local Sears & Roebuck, then this film will reconnect you with your youth. From band managers, to battles of the bands, to playing your own original songs, to the love story we all imagined, to the popularity we all dreamed of, it's all there. The tunes are simple but catchy, and the ending is what fun movies are made of. If you never played in a neighborhood rock band, you may not relate. :+)

"Cotton Candy" is typical of most 1970s juvenile movies: bad clothes, bad hair and a typical plot. Ron Howard's first attempt at directing fared well, and this story of B.M.O.C. vs. regular Joe to get the girl is predictable. "CC" was filmed in Dallas in June, 1977 at Town East Mall and Lake Highlands High School to enormous local fanfare (remember that this is before "Dallas" and the Ewing family gave the town an identity!) Unfortunately, "CC" is not available on tape; it rarely is shown but will most likely pop up on an independent TV station's "Afternoon Movie" or the like. Great piece of history for Dallasites, but not much else there for a moviegoer seeking an intriguing story.

I actually haven't seen this movie in several years, but I do remember enjoying it. The story is cheesy at best, but entertaining nonetheless. There are two things most notable to myself. Firstly, the rival band in the flick repeatedly delivered an interesting rendition of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." Secondly, the Battle of the Bands scenes were shot at Town East Mall, which is about 3 miles from my home. I was 10 years old when the film aired, and I thought that featuring a local "monument" was pretty cool. Ron Howard did the directing, and, of course, his brother Clint has a part. In this case, Clint has a lead role. It's a far cry from the bit part that Clint played in "Apollo 13."

This movie i saw when i was a little kid. It stuck out in my head, as one of those flicks you can't believe how corny it is. There's a crying scene with CLINT Howard, that made absolutely no sense.... ANd even as a little kid, i thought 'did they just stick that in so Clint could showcase that he had the ability to cry ' ?? Now I know OF course it was.. Ron Howard and his BRO, trying to be 'legit' players in Hollywood.

If any movie could sum up what Ron Howard is about, it's this. This is as deep as Ron Howard has ever got. Its incredible that Ron has reached such stellar success .