COME ALIVE AT 505

by Robin F. Brancato ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1980

It might occur to someone that there's good reason for nobody bothering to run for senior class president at Duncan High; but to Danny and his friends it's just a deplorable sign of apathy. Deplorable, because ""if nobody runs, [there'll be] no prom, no yearbook, no nothing."" And so, to shake people up, get them all working together, and have a little fun, they launch an all-out campaign for a non-existent candidate. The campaign only lasts a day before the administration gets wise, but it's a big day; and before it's out Danny has got himself appointed chairman of a school ""fun raiser"" and has met sympathetic Mimi, fat but possessed of just the beautiful sexy voice Danny wants to tape. You see, Danny fancies himself a latter-day Jean Shepherd, has hundreds of tapes of his own fantasy radio broadcasts, and is anxiously waiting to hear the results of a local station's talent search, which promises the winner a guest appearance and a possible ""employment opportunity."" Mimi takes to Danny at once, confesses to him her amphetamine-troubled past, puts herself on a strict diet (no drugs this time), and best of all loves his tapes--though the very generous sampling we see reveals only a small talent for glibness and less wit than you'll find in your local high-school john. Anyway Danny does win the talent search, gets to go on to college and take the employment opportunity (weekends), and in the end wins Mimi as well (""She's my woman"" are his somewhat premature closing words)--but not before Brancato has thrown in a little heavy melodrama, with a delinquent, drug-dealing fellow-student as villain. Slick stuff, for the straighter segment of the top 40 crowd.

Pub Date: March 1, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1980

Categories: FICTION