"Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party" Trailer: Cameron Crowe Restores His Lost 1983 Rock Documentary
Long thought to be lost, Cameron Crowe’s behind-the-scenes look at Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers resurfaces with never-before-seen footage.
Before Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe gave us such classic films as Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, and We Bought a Zoo—okay, maybe not that last one—he worked as a rock journalist for Rolling Stone magazine. Throughout the late 1970s and early ’80s, Crowe covered the music industry, writing and conducting interviews with some of the biggest rock acts of the day.
One of Crowe’s earlier assignments was to join rock legend Tom Petty as he and his band, The Heartbreakers, wrapped up their tour in support of their groundbreaking Long After Dark album. This project marked the group’s third and final collaboration with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine. Crowe didn’t just document the tour—he also filmed the band for a behind-the-scenes documentary called Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party. This rare footage aired only once as an MTV special in February 1983 and was thought to be mostly lost to time.
However, last year, nearly forty years after its original airing, Crowe found the original tapes and 16mm footage, which included 20 minutes of never-before-seen bonus content. Now, working with Paramount, MTV’s parent company, Crowe has restored the documentary, added new commentary and footage, and will officially release it on the streaming platform Paramount+ on Tuesday, March 11—giving a new generation the chance to experience this fascinating time capsule of one of rock’s greatest bands at the peak of their success.
The studio has released the official trailer for Cameron Crowe’s newly restored documentary Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party, which now officially qualifies as his first film and directorial debut. Watch it above.
Here’s the official press release:
Paramount+ today announced TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY will premiere exclusively on the service on Tuesday, March 11 in the U.S. and Canada and on Wednesday, March 12 in the UK, Australia, Latin America, France, Italy and Germany, marking the first time the fully restored version of the classic ‘80s documentary from legendary and Academy Award®-winning director Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire) will be widely available to a global audience.
TOM PETTY: HEARTBREAKERS BEACH PARTY is a fun, candid, fast-paced and musically rich ride with America’s greatest rock & roll band, a time capsule of the dawn of the MTV era and a rare, shining glimpse into Tom Petty’s lasting creative genius. Featuring nearly 20 minutes of never-before-seen bonus content, including new commentary from Crowe himself, alongside in-depth interviews, electrifying live performances and unprecedented intimate access to Petty and the band.
Originally airing only once on MTV in February 1983, the tapes from Crowe’s directorial debut, were finally found in 2024, nearly 40 years after it became folklore to fans, musicians and the entertainment industry at-large. The highly anticipated film, restored from its original 16mm source, is an era-defining look at rock & roll that captures Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers as they finish, promote and tour the groundbreaking Long After Dark album, the band’s third and final project with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine.
“Heartbreaker's Beach Party occupies a special place in my heart,” said Crowe. “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. Thanks to Adria Petty and the Petty estate, along with our co-filmmakers Danny Bramson, Phil Savenick, Doug Dowdle and Greg Mariotti, we’re bringing it back in all its reckless glory. I’m especially happy to add a postscript with the never-seen outtake footage I always treasured. The fact that the original film was yanked from MTV after only one airing shows that it was, and still is, an outlandish feast for fans in the best ways. Turn it up!!”
