Alan Alda's character is a music journalist whose career as a piano player came to an end when his debut concert received undeservedly scathing reviews.
The Mephisto Waltz is a 1971 American horror film directed by Paul Wendkos and starred Alan Alda (To Kill A Clown [1972]), Jacqueline Bisset (The Deep [1977]), Barbara Parkins, Bradford Dillman (Piranha [1978]) and Curd Jürgens.