ABBA: The Movie(1977)

Most of the movie consists of ABBA concert footage.  The story is primarily used as a bridge between concert scenes and music videos.

The 70’s pop group ABBA (playing themselves) are starting a tour of Australia, and the manager of a Sydney country music station orders Ashley (Robert Hughes), one of his DJ’s, to come up with a two-hour ABBA special to run on the last day of the tour.  He also tells Ashley that the special will include an in-depth interview with the four primary members.  Knowing nothing about the group, he buys every magazine about them and heads out to the airport with a microphone and a reel-to-reel recorder, but in his haste he forgets his press pass.  Because of the crowd, Ashley is unable to meet them at the airport and also misses their press conference.  Every attempt Ashley makes to talk to ABBA is thwarted because he doesn’t have his press pass, and he can’t buy a ticket to the show because it’s sold out.  Because his manager demands that an interview be included with the special, Ashley has no choice but to follow the band to it’s next tour stop in Perth (over 2000 miles away).  He also asks his manager to send his press pass to the hotel in Perth.

On the way to Perth, Ashley reads the magazines he bought earlier and learns the history of the band and it’s members.  He also decides to fill the special with interviews of ABBA fans, which are inter-cut with concert footage throughout the movie.  Because his press pass hasn’t arrived yet and the show is sold out, Ashley decides to sneak into the band’s hotel to try to get the interview, but he is stopped by their over-protective bodyguard (Tom Oliver) and is physically removed from the hotel.  Undeterred, Ashley follows the group to their next stop in Adelaide.  Meanwhile, the station manager is becoming increasingly worried that Ashley won’t get the interview, but Ashley constantly tells him not to worry and to now send his pass to the hotel in Adelaide.  Ashley, however, is also worried he won’t get the interview.

The events in Adelaide are similar to the events in Perth:  no press pass, Ashley can’t get to ABBA, the bodyguard prevents any attempt to meet them, and the show is sold out.  Ashley then follows the band to the final stop in Melbourne and does the same routine he did in Perth and Adelaide.  But while in the hotel, Ashley catches a break.  He runs into the band’s manager and tells him that he needs an interview for his special, and the manager agrees to an interview with the band at 10:00 AM the next day, which is the last day of the tour.  Unfortunately, on the morning of the interview, the hotel forgets to send his wake-up call, and Ashley is too late for the interview.  Thinking he has blown his last chance, he returns to his hotel.  After learning his press pass finally arrived, he gets on the elevator, only to find out the only other people in the elevator car are ABBA!  Realizing this incredible turn of events, he hastily turns on his recorder and finally gets his interview.

With the interview completed, Ashley quickly flies back to Sydney and is literally editing the program in the taxi on the way to the radio station.  With only a few minutes to spare, Ashley arrives at the station, and with just seconds to air time, he gets the completed program on the reel-to-reel player and cued up just as he goes on the air.  Out of breath, he introduces the special and starts the tape.  The next day, with their tour now completed, ABBA says goodbye to their Australian fans and flies to their native Sweden.  The movie ends with the band in the studio preparing to record their next album.