Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party, the semi-lost 1983 directorial debut of future Oscar winner Cameron Crowe, aired only once at 2:00 AM on MTV. Now a fully-restored edition with 20 additional minutes of extra footage is coming to theaters for the first time for two nights, October 17th and October 20th. The 20th would have been Petty’s 74th birthday.
“Heartbreakers Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” Crowe said in a statement. “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers leaned into the making of the film with a kind of hilarious music-filled honesty that still feels fresh forty years later. It was also my first experience as a director.”
He added, “I’m so happy we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory. The fact that it was yanked from MTV after only one airing at 2:00 AM just shows that it was indeed an outlandish feast for fans in all the best ways. Let that sucker blast!”
The film follows Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as they record and promote their 1982 album Long After Dark, their third and final record produced by Jimmy Iovine. The trailer leans heavily into nostalgia, with brief hints of MTV execs clucking that something or other was inappropriate, and you can check it out below. Tickets for screenings are available at the official website.
The Tom Petty estate is also marking the occasion with the October 18th release of Long After Dark (Deluxe Edition), which contains previously unreleased songs. CD and vinyl pre-orders are ongoing. As for Crowe, last we heard he was mulling a Joni Mitchell film.