Kilroy Was Here (1983 film)

Kilroy Was Here is a short film made to tie in with the Styx album of the same name. It was played at the beginning of each Styx show on their 1983 tour. It was written and directed by Brian Gibson of Still Crazy, What's Love Got to Do With It, The Josephine Baker Story and Poltergeist II fame. The VHS video release of the mini-film and live concert is also known as Caught in the Act in the United States.

Kilroy Was Here
Directed byBrian Gibson
Produced byJerry Kramer
Susan Smitman
Written byBrian Gibson
Dennis DeYoung (story)
CinematographyStephen Goldblatt
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The film tells of a future where rock music is outlawed by a fascist theocracy government and the "MMM (the Majority for Musical Morality)". The story's protagonist, Robert Orin Charles Kilroy, is a former rock star who has been framed for murder and imprisoned by MMM leader Dr. Everett Righteous. In this future society, policing and other peacekeeping duties are maintained by robots; in the prison where Kilroy is kept, "Roboto" humanoid models act as prison guards.[1]

Meanwhile, a young musician/activist, Jonathan Chance, is on a mission to bring rock music back. He is shown leaving a shibboleth graffiti tag, and later comes to the attention of Kilroy when he pirates an MMM video broadcast with a Kilroy video (actually the Styx music video for "Borrowed Time"). This inspires Kilroy to disable a Roboto, steal its mask as a disguise, and escape prison.

At night, Chance breaks into the Paradise Theatre, the site of the Kilroy concert where an MMM member was allegedly killed by Kilroy. The theater has since been turned into an MMM museum against rock music, filled with animatronic replicas of "decadent" rock stars such as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, and Kilroy. Still disguised as a Roboto, the real Kilroy emerges from the shadows and reveals himself to Chance. At this point the film ends (when shown in concert, this would segue into the opening song by the band, "Mr. Roboto").

Cast
  • Dennis DeYoung as Robert Orin Charles Kilroy (R.O.C.K.), a former rock star, the protagonist of the story
  • Tommy Shaw as Jonathan Chance, a young musician who helps to release Kilroy
  • James "J.Y." Young as Dr. Everett Righteous, MMM leader, the antagonist of the story[1]
  • Chuck Panozzo as Lt. Vanish, Righteous henchman/Voice of the Roboto
  • John Panozzo as Col. Hyde, Righteous henchman/Prisoner
  • Robert Romanus as Jonathan Chance's Friend
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References
  1. Holden, Stephen (27 March 1983). "Serious Issues Underlie a New Album From Styx". The New York Times. p. 27. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
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