Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Sony/Tri-Star, 2022

Starring Naomie Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, and Tamara Tunie

Directed by Kasi Lemmons

Music and Lyrics by various

After Houston's untimely death in 2012, ideas for a film biography were tossed around. A TV film debuted on Lifetime in 2015, but while it was well-received, it mostly focused on her relationship with Bobby Brown. The movie they finally came up with in 2020 focused on her entire life, from her first major performance in 1983 to her last hours. How does her difficult life look now? Let's start just as pop superstar Whitney Houston (Ackie) is gearing up for the 1994 American Music Awards...and remembering how she began...and find out...

The Story: In 1983, Houston sings in her church choir and lives with her girlfriend Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams). Her mother Cissy (Tunie) groomed her for the choir, but she has bigger plans. She "suddenly" gets laryngitis the day major music producer Clive Davis (Tucci) happens to be in the audience at the nightclub where she sings. Whitney goes on for her, and Davis is so impressed, he gives her a contract to Arista Records.

Whitney's first filmed performance is of "Home" from The Wiz on The Merv Griffith Show later in '83. Her first album debuts in 1985, and it's a sensation. She wants Robyn to be her personal assistant, but her father and manager John (Clarke Peters) encourages her to start dating men. Whitney really takes that to heart and first goes out with Jermaine Jackson (Jaison Hunter), to Robyn's consternation. Though her second album in 1987 is even bigger, it's not enough to dodge criticism that her music isn't "black enough." She quells this by becoming engaged to early rapper Bobby Brown (Sanders) in 1989 after they meet at the 1988 Soul Train Awards. 

Whitney's at her peak of popularity in the early and mid-90's, singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl and appearing in the smash hit 1993 film The Bodyguard. Her home life isn't going nearly as well. She and Bobby finally marry in 1992, and she has their daughter Bobbi Kristina in March 1993, but Bobby is frequently missing and her father is withholding her assets. 

Two attempts at a comeback, in 1998 and 2009, are massive hits...but the subsequent tours after their releases wear out her body and her vocal chords. They're not the only things wrecking havoc on her body, either. She's begun to deal with the pain of her bad marriage and heart by drinking heavily and taking cocaine. John has mismanaged most of her money, too, forcing her into a 100 million dollar contract with Arista. She's so furious with him, she won't go to his funeral. Divorcing Bobby in 2007 does help, but by 2012, she's spiraling into addiction again...this time with fatal consequences...

The Song and Dance: The heavy story is alleviated somewhat by powerhouse performances. Ackie and Sanders are fabulous as Houston and Brown, showing how they fell for each other when they were both stars, only for Brown's ego and both their addictions to come between them. They really did their homework, too. Most of the concerts and music videos look like the real thing. You can almost believe that's Whitney in the candy-splashed "How Will I Know?" music video. 

The Numbers: We open with Whitney singing "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah" as her mother gives her a singing lesson for the church choir. We get a brief glimpse of her mother singing "I'll Be There" at a nightclub...before her parents' fight indicate that she's most definitely not around much. Robyn and Whitney dance together - and fall for each other - to the tune of Chakah Khan's "Hot Butterfly." Whitney gets her big break singing "The Greatest Love of All" in place of her mother. She's an even bigger sensation singing "Home" on The Merv Griffith Show.  

We next get a montage of Whitney choosing songs for her next album. Among those that make the cut are the ballads "Saving All My Love for You" (which we see Houston recording) and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" She really loves the bouncy "How Will I Know?" Later on, she's even more into "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and has a ball singing it in concert. Bobby sings his hit "My Prerogative" at the Soul Train Awards. Whitney's rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl in 1991 is so impassioned, it becomes an instant legend. After starring in The Bodyguard and singing it at the 1994 Concert for a Free South Africa, she's even more associated with "I Will Always Love You." It even plays under her wedding to Bobby. She has a harder time with "I Have Nothing," even refusing to sing it at one point.

Her recording of "Why Does It Hurt So Bad?" turns into a commentary on her tumultuous relationship with the possessive and egotistical Bobby. "It's Not Right, But It's Okay" launches her 1998 comeback. The single isn't released, but the album is a hit. She does a fabulous "I'm Every Woman" and "I'm Your Baby Tonight" in a montage on tour, which finishes with "One Moment In Time." Her surprise rendition of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" on The Oprah Winfrey Show launched her second comeback in 2009. We end on a positive note with her sensational medley of "I Loves You Porgy," "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," and "I Have Nothing" at the 1994 American Music Awards. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, not all of this is historically accurate. For one thing, she recorded "The Greatest Love of All" for her 1985 debut album and never sang it at a club. She also had a career as a model before she started singing that isn't really discussed here. (She was one of the first black models to appear on the cover of Seventeen Magazine in 1981.) But then again, this movie is long and slow enough as it is. Some of the depressing ending could have been trimmed with no one the wiser. It's also dripping with typical biographical film cliches, up to and including that upbeat ending at the American Music Awards. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out if you're a fan of Houston and have time on your hands. 

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Hulu

Musical Documentaries - Hail Hail! Rock and Roll

Universal, 1987

Starring Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Johnnie Johnston

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Music and Lyrics by Chuck Berry and others

This year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by honoring another musical pioneer from the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. Chuck Berry had his strongest successes from 1955 through 1964 as one of the pioneers of R&B and early rock. He was overshadowed by the British Invasion and hard rock in the later 60's, even as the Beatles covered "Roll Over Beethoven," but would have one more moment in the sun with the novelty hit "My Ding-a-Ling" in the 70's. By the 1980's, Berry in particular and early rock in particular were getting a reassessment as his songs turned up on TV and on oldies stations and his albums were re-released on vinyl and on CD. We learn just how influential and popular his music was in this documentary honoring his 60th birthday. Let's begin with testimony from no less than John Lennon as we see an array of stars explaining Berry's influence on their music and find out...

The Story: We see rehearsal for two dynamic concerts at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, Missouri honoring Berry's 60th birthday and featuring an array of stars singing his music. Before and between scenes of the concert, Berry discusses his life and career, talking about his beginnings as the house band at the Cosmopolitan Club in St. Louis and how he fought with producers and fellow musicians a like to get his money and protect his music.

The Song and Dance: First of all, I'm glad the Fox Theater still exists in St. Louis, because it's a gorgeous palace with incredible architecture. It's the perfect backdrop for the two electric concerts that showcase Berry at his rollicking, dynamic best. We even get a wide array of stars of the time singing with him, everyone from Linda Ronstadt to John Lennon's son Julian. I like how honest the documentary is, showing that yes, Barry had trouble in the 50's and 60's with racism and whites who didn't really understand his sound covering his music, but the fact that, well, he wasn't always the most pleasant person. In fact, we see in the rehearsals that he could be downright controlling...but he's dynamic onstage, playing likely as well as he ever did.

The Numbers: We open with interviews and a dynamic "Mabellene" between four rehearsal numbers at Berry's home and at the Cosmopolitan Club, "Come On," "Carol," "It Don't Take But a Few Minutes," and a brief take on the standard "I'm Through With Love." We see how hard he pushes his band and hear his arguments with Richards in particular on "Carol" and "It Don't Take." 

"Roll Over Beethoven" featuring blues guitarist Robert Cray opens the first concert. After "Almost Grown," Linda Ronstadt, who recorded a cover of "Back In the USA" in 1978,  joins up for a rollicking duet. Berry tears into "Sweet Little Sixteen," "No Money Down," and "Nadine." Julian Lennon looks a little out of place for "Johnny B. Goode," but he does well enough with the duet and looks pretty good in the 50's-style suit. After "Memphis, Tennesee" and "Little Queenie," Cray returns to put his own stamp on "Brown Eyed Handsome Man." We hear testimonies from Little Richard between "Too Much Money Business" and "No Particular Place to Go." 

Eric Clapton takes the stage for "Wee Wee Hours." He sticks around for "Rock and Roll Music" as Etta James comes in for a duet. The big finale is the song that provided the film's title. Guitarist Joe Walsh joins Berry, Richards, Cray, and Clapton here.

Trivia: Berry had overworked his voice singing at an outdoor concert shortly before shooting began on this film and had to be dubbed at the concert scenes. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Universal needs to take a crack at restoring this. The copy currently at Amazon Prime seems a bit on the grainy side, especially in the rehearsals. Second, I kind of wish there'd been more focus on Berry himself and less on stars of the time gushing about how he influenced their music. Berry may have been, to be blunt, a jerk, but he was a fascinating one, and it really is interesting to hear his take on his music and how he got started.

The Big Finale: I remember this turning up on cable fairly frequently in the late 80's when I was a kid, and I'm finally glad I got around to seeing it. If you have any interest in Chuck Barry, his music, or the early history of rock, you'll want to ride along in your own automobile and give this take on his life and songs a look.

Home Media: The discs currently seem to be hard to find. Your best best for this would be streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

This Christmas

Sony (Columbia)/Screen Gems, 2007

Starring Loretta Devine, Delroy Lindo, Idris Alba Jr., and Regina King

Directed by Preston A. Whitmore II

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's jump back thirteen years from a community-focused Christmas to a family-oriented one. Most Christmas musicals are big and bold. This one reminds us that there's music in smaller holidays, too. I also don't know of too many holiday musicals that focus on the African-American Christmas experience, like this one does. How well does the tangled tale of one family's troubled Christmas Eve and Day hold up over a decade and a half later? Let's begin as a singer performs a slinky "Santa Baby" and the Whitfield family begins to gather for Christmas and find out...

The Story: Shirley "Ma'Dere" Winfield (Divine) is looking forward to seeing her six children and their families and significant others. She's happy with her boyfriend Joe Black (Lindo) after her husband walked out, but her oldest son Quentin (Alba) doesn't like that he replaced their father. Her oldest daughter Lisa (King) is a housewife with two children whose unfaithful husband Malcolm (Laz Alonso) barely has time for her. Kelli (Sharon Leal) is a college grad living in New York, while youngest daughter Melanie (Lauren London) is a college student who brings her boyfriend Devan (Keith Robinson) home for the holidays. Youngest son Baby (Chris Brown) still lives at home. He loves photography, but he also loves to sing, which he hides from his mother. 

Musician Quentin is having his own problems with bookies Mo (David Banner) and Dude (Ronnie Warner), who want $25,000 yesterday. Kelli is happier with Gerald (Mekhi Phifer), the handsome guy she meets at a local nightclub. After middle brother Claude (Columbus Short) is arrested for pulling a gun at a nightclub, his very white wife Sandi (Jessica Stroup) turns up nervous and pregnant. There's also their mother's long-standing dry cleaner business that they all own shares in. Malcolm and Lisa want to pressure the others to sell, but it's their mother's business. Over the course of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, faith will be tested, new bonds will be created, and the Whitfield family will learn the importance of family, teamwork, connection, and sticking up for yourself and others.

The Song and Dance: I like how low-key this is. As I mentioned earlier, most Christmas musicals tend to be big, bold, and brassy. The focus on one family and their relationships makes this rare among holiday musicals, and almost refreshing just for that. It's sweet and thoughtful with just enough sass to keep it from diving into overly syrupy Hallmark movie territory. Brown's adorable as the youngest member of the family who worries that his talent may upset his mother, Divine is radiant as the family's anchor and matriarch, and Alba as the most tortured of the brothers. 

The Numbers: We open with Lina's sexy performance of "Santa Baby" at the bar where musician Quentin works. "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" provides the backdrop for Baby taking photos while his mother and Kelli wonder where the others are. Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up Part 1" provides the backdrop for Quentin's arrival via Greyhound as the rest of the family dances. "Merry Christmas Baby" by Charles Brown underscores Malcolm and Lisa discussing Quentin and why their mother doesn't allow them to play music. Quentin plays "The Christmas Song" on a piano in the garage late at night. 

A rap group at the nightclub performs "Go Getter" as they arrive. Baby performs "Try a Little Tenderness," to the shock of his siblings who had no idea he could sing. TLC's version of "Sleigh Ride" underscores the scene where the men buy a Christmas tree. Aretha Franklin's "I Ain't Never Loved a Man (The Way I Loved You)" likewise provides the backdrop for an angry Lisa to drive her husband's beloved truck into the Los Angeles River. "Twinkle Twinkle Little Me" by Stevie Wonder has Quentin leaving clothes for Joe. The church choir raises the roof with a gorgeous "O Holy Night," after which Baby sings the title R&B standard for his mother. The movie ends with the entire cast reprise their group dance routine to "Got to Give It Up."

What I Don't Like: If you're expecting a bigger, bolder, or more action-packed show, this is not going to be for you. This is basically a holiday family soap opera with a couple of goons thrown in. It also goes on for way, way too long. Most of the melodrama in the middle could have been trimmed. Some members of the family are heard from more than others. London in particular as the youngest daughter has the least to do other than talk about her night spent with Gerard. And what's with the random dance-off at the middle and end of the movie? They're funny, but they also have nothing to do with anything. 

The Big Finale: If you're looking for a quieter Christmas movie to watch with your grown children by a roaring fire, you can do far worse than this look at one family's tumultuous holiday season.

Home Media: The discs are pricey, but it's easily found anywhere on streaming, including for free with commercials on Pluto TV.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Pluto TV On Demand

Happy Halloween! - Sinners

Warner Bros, 2025

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Jack O'Connell

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Halloween with something truly unique, and one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Director Ryan Coogler was mainly known for his adaptations, including the two Black Panther films. This is his first original. There was a lot of question marks surrounding this movie when it debuted this April, but it received some of the best reviews of the spring. Positive word-of-mouth turned it into a huge hit, a rarity for an R-rated movie and an original without a franchise behind it. Considering other musicals this year, including Snow White and Kiss of the Spider Woman, have struggled, what made this one stand out? Let's head to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932, where twin brothers Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (Jordan) are "Wanraising the roof in their father's church with "This Little Light of Mine" and find out...

The Story: The twins buy an old sawmill from smarmy landowner Hogwood (David Maldonado) to open their own juke joint, an African-American nightclub and dance hall. They bring in their cousin Sammie (Caton), despite his pastor father Jeddiah (Saul Williams) warning him against the sins of blues music. They recruit local field worker Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) as the bouncer, Chinese grocery store owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) Chow as suppliers, and legendary blues man Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) as a musician. Smoke talks his wife Annie (Wunami Mosaku) into cooking for them, despite them being estranged after the death of their infant daughter, while Sammie admires pretty singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson) and Stack tries to court his white-passing ex-girlfriend Mary (Steinfeld). 

The opening night of the juke joint attracts a lot more than customers who only pay in company money. Sammie's music is so transcendent, it attracts the spirits of the past and future...and Remmick (O'Connell), a vampire looking for someone whose music can restore his lost community. He's already turned Hogswood's nephew Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and his wife Joan (Lola Kirke) into vampires, and he attacks Mary when she tries to reason with him. After she turns Stack, he becomes set on taking the entire African-American community. Smoke won't go down without a fight, but when Remmick rallies the rest of the town, it's up to him and those who remain to save the joint and their music from this supernatural menace.

The Song and Dance: Wow, no wonder this was so huge. First of all, the movie is gorgeous. The costumes and sets (filmed in Louisiana) are stunning and period-accurate, perfectly redolent of the sweat and grime of the real south in the early 30's. There's some fabulous performances, too. Jordan does well as both twins, especially the determined Stack, and Caton's performances at the juke joint are good enough to make you understand why Remmick wanted him to play his music, too. Maldonado is a good smarmy landowner, and O'Connell's Irish vampire obsessed with resurrecting his lost home is chilling. And I appreciate how much music is central to the story. It's the reason they want that juke joint, that Sammie defies his father, that Remmick attacks them.

The Numbers: We open with Sammie raising the roof (along with the DC6 Singers Collective and the Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans) at his father's church with the traditional "This Little Light of Mine." "Wang Dang Doodle" is the song heard while the men are driving to discuss opening the juke joint with Hogwood. Sammie performs "Travelin'," "Juke," and "I Lied to You" at that "transcendent" juke joint opening night. "Can't Win for Losin'" is another number for Delta Slim and his musicians. There's also "Old Corn Liquor." "Pick Poor Robin Clean," "Will Ye Go, Lassie Go?" and "Rocky Road to Dublin" are the numbers for Remmick and Hogswood's nephew and his wife. The last-named turns into a chorus number when they bring the others vampires in on it. The eerie "Pale, Pale Moon" is Pearline's big number in the juke joint, while Mary gets "Dangerous." 

Trivia: This became the first movie to ever be offered by a streaming service with American Sign Language interpretation (which is how I saw it on Amazon Prime). 

What I Don't Like: First of all, heed that R rating. Given vampires and gangsters are involved, you probably won't be surprised to hear that there's a ton of violence, blood, and swearing in this movie. This juke joint is for adult revelers only. Second, frankly, the more realistic first half, where we learn about the relationships between the Moore twins, their family, and the community is slightly more interesting than the supernatural second half. The second half almost gets into horror Marvel territory and shows that Ryan Cooger hasn't quite left the Marvel action movies behind yet.

The Big Finale: If you're an adult who loves horror, black cinema, or the blues and are willing to take a chance on something different, you'll want to take a trip to enjoy the Moore twins' supernatural Halloween horror party, too.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere, on disc and on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime (American Sign Language Interpretation Only) 

Cult Flops - Glitter

Columbia/20th Century Fox, 2001

Starring Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, Terrance Howard, and Eric Benet

Directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall

Music and Lyrics by Mariah Carey and others

This week, we dive into the recent past with two vehicles for major pop and R&B stars that are among the most reviled films of the early 21st century. By 1997, Mariah Carey was one of the most beloved singers on the planet. Most of her albums had gone platinum, her singles were among the most recognizable of the 90's, and she even had one of the biggest Christmas songs of the late 20th century in "All I Want for Christmas Is You." 

By 1997, Carey and her handlers felt she was ready for Hollywood. She wrote the songs for the movie before the project even got a green light. It didn't really get moving until 2000...and then proceeded to have so many problems with filming and editing, Carey had a mental breakdown. It's release was ultimately moved to 2001, two weeks after the attacks on September 11th, which didn't exactly help its chances. Across-the-board awful reviews did the rest. Is the movie really that bad, or does this diva deserve a chance at redemption? Let's begin with young Billie Frank (Isobel Gomes) and her mother Lilllian (Valarie Pettiford) as she calls her onstage to sing with her in a dive bar in the 70's and find out...

The Story: In 1983, years after being put in a foster care home, she and her best friends Louise (Da Brat) and Roxanne (Tia Texada) are spotted dancing in a local club by DJ and producer Julian "Dice" Black (Beesley). He's incensed that she's allowed her voice to be used by another singer. She just thinks it's work. He wants to be her producer, but she already has a contract with big-time producer Timothy Walker (Howard). She finally gets Timothy to let her go if Dice pays him $100,000.

Dice does sign her up with a major label, and they have a huge hit in the song "Loverboy," but their relationship is starting to unravel. He insists on controlling her image, and even throws out her two best friends when they get fed up with him. Billie learns he never paid Timothy that $100,000 either when he turns up and threatens her. She's had enough and walks out...but they can't forget each other. They even end up writing the same song. Alas, he's killed by Timothy before he can reconcile with her, leaving her reminding everyone at her concert that we should never take those we love for granted.

The Song and Dance: Honestly, Carey wasn't really that bad. At the least, knowing she was going through a divorce, a mental breakdown, and discovering she's bipolar at the time this was being filmed does explain a lot about her performance. Howard is the only other cast member who makes even a remote impression as the slick producer who never really let Billie - or her voice - go. There's some pretty spectacular costumes for Billie too, no matter how much Dice derides many of them as inappropriate.

The Numbers: We open with young Billie joining her mother in that dive bar for "Lillie's Blues." "Twister" introduces us to adult Billie and is the song they initially sing for Timothy as back-up singers. "If We" and "All My Life" take us to the nightclub where Billie meets Dice, with Sylk (Padma Lakshimi) seemingly performing the latter. Billie does a version of "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" for Dice, but her confetti-strewn video for "Loverboy" proves far more difficult. She wants to "Lead the Way" with her career at a big music awards show. Rafael (Benet) who is also interested in Billie, performs "We Could Have Been" for her. "Want You" is the song Billie writes with Rafael. "Never Too Far" is Dice and Billie's songs written at the same time with the same music and lyrics. She tries to reprise "Loverboy" at a concert, but breaks down and sings "Never Too Far" instead.

What I Don't Like: Hoooo boy. No wonder this became one of the most notorious flops of the early 2000's. Carey and Billie both deserved far better than this. No matter what the movie wants us to believe, Dice is a major jerk who tries to control not only Billie's career, but Billie herself. He treats her badly, even making a shady deal behind her back. Her dumping him near the end feels somewhat realistic and justified....but then she wants him back, to the point where they somehow manage to write identical songs? That's hard to swallow, even for a musical. The lighting is dreadful, with too many scenes lost in darkness, and the off-and-on editing is worse. None of the songs are remotely close to Carey's best (and weren't hits in real life). I honestly had no idea it was set in 1983, either. The costumes, the sets...they're all pure early 2000's. The music, even the 80's music, doesn't really sound like that era, either. 

The Big Finale: Though this has apparently begun to pick up a slightly better reputation of late, frankly, some mildly decent performances aren't enough to save this off-the-rails vanity project. Even the most devoted fans of Carey will want to stick to the soundtrack and avoid this mess.

Home Media: It was such a flop, it's not even easy to find today. The DVD is way out of print,  the Blu-Ray is available but not much cheaper, and it's not currently streaming. The only place you can currently find it online is in illegal streams on YouTube.

DVD

Blu-Ray

YouTube

Cult Flops - The Fighting Temptations

Paramount, 2003

Starring Cuba Gooding Jr, Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps, and LaTanya Richardson

Directed by Johnathan Lynn

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate Holy Week with two movies about unlikely church choirs taking part in major competitions. We'll start with the one that has the bigger-name cast. Beyonce Knowles was an up-and-coming singer who had just left her group Destiny's Child the year before. Gooding Jr had been a popular character actor and comedian in movies like Jerry Maguire (which he won an Oscar for) since the early 90's. How well do they work in this tale of a young man who returns to his Georgia hometown and takes over the church choir? Let's begin with two kids sitting on the church steps in 1980, just as the choir's number begins, and find out...

The Story: Ad executive Darrin Hill (Gooding) never planned on returning to his hometown of Monte Carlo, Georgia. He and his mother Mary Ann (Faith Evans) were run out of town by Paulina Lewis-Pritchett (Richardson), a self-righteous and obnoxious biddy who disapproved of Mary Ann singing R&B on the side. Darrin's Aunt Sally (Ann Nesby), who never stopped believing in him, left him the church choir, with the stipulation that he gets them into the Gospel Explosion contest. If he wins, he will inherit Aunt Sally's stock in the company. 

Trouble is, Darrin is an unrelenting and unrepentant liar. He lied his way into the ad job, which he lost due to his lies right before a detective served him the invitation to Aunt Sally's funeral. After he learns that the once-powerful choir has been reduced to a few members, he fibs that anyone who joins will get half the prize money. It takes him longer to convince his childhood friend Lilly (Knowles), who had a child out of wedlock and is now a singer at a local bar. He convinces her to sing lead.

Paulina quits after Lilly joins, but she's not done making trouble. After she claims the deadline to audition for the Gospel Explosion has passed, Darrin convinces the audition judge and town's prison Warden to let them perform for his prisoners. They go over so well, not only do they get in, but three prisoners join the group. A frustrated Paulina reveals his past, which leads the others to turn against him. He returns to New York...but realizes when he gets his job back that it's meaningless, and he's nothing without his new friends, Lilly, and the choir that has come to mean so much to him.

The Song and Dance: Frankly, the song and dance are the only reasons to see this. Digging through the soppy plot reveals some terrific numbers, including Beyonce's nicely intimate "Fever" at the club. This was likely intentional, given MTV had a hand in making this one. Beyonce shines as the talented singer who is reluctant to return to the church after she was pushed away. Nice location shooting in the real small-town Georgia is the only other thing of interest here. 

The Numbers: We open with Aunt Sally leading the choir through a literally foot-stomping "I'm Getting Ready" and "The Stone" in 1980. Mary Ann performs "Heaven Knows" in a flashback as Darrin recalls his life with his mother on the road. Real-life gospel singer Shirley Caesar really gets into a dynamic "The Church Is In Mourning" with her own choir at Aunt Sally's funeral. Lilly does even better by a sexy, intimate "Fever" at a smoky local club that is by far the best thing in the film. 

The choir's first attempt at "Amazing Grace" is...less than stellar, especially due to a leaky roof. It couldn't be a greater contrast to Lilly's slinky "Everything I Do" with Bilal. The montage of locals auditioning for the choir ranges from a not-great "Amazing Grace" to two teens doing "God's Turning the World Upside Down"and someone doing a really horrible "Isn't She Lovely." He's impressed enough with the O'Jays' barbershop quartet rendition of "Loves Me Like a Rock" to convince the head barber to join. He starts them in on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" before he realizes they need a lead singer. "Swing Low" gets a far more effective reprise at the prison after Lilly joins the choir. 

The newly-hired prisoner singers show what they can do with "Down By the Riverside." T-Bone does his own rap version, "To Da River." The church really shows what they can do for their church audience with "Rain Down." The first number at the Choral Explosion is Mary Mary's "Brighter Days." The Blind Boys of Alabama really get into "I'm a Soldier In the Army of Love." The Baptist Choir's big finale is "Turn My Life Around." We end with everyone - even Paulina - back at the church with "Come Back Home."

What I Don't Like: This is cliched to the max. We've seen basically the same story on this blog in the first Sister Act film and the later Joyful Noise. Gooding Jr's perpetual liar is more annoying than cute or funny. He and Beyonce have no chemistry, making her suddenly falling for him in the second half a lot less believable. Frankly, you begin to wish his constant fibbing had gotten him into trouble long before this. The movie just goes on and on and takes what should have been a light-hearted romp much too seriously. Paulina's attempts to discredit Darrin in the second half borders on comic-book camp at times and probably could have been trimmed with no one the wiser. 

The Big Finale: In the end, this is too shallow and disjointed to be recommended to anyone besides major fans of Beyonce, the other singers in the cast, or gospel and R&B. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

The Buddy Holly Story

Columbia Pictures, 1978

Starring Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, and Maria Richwine

Directed by Steve Rash

Music and Lyrics by Buddy Holly and others

Jim Morrison was hardly the first or last rock star to die young. Buddy Holly was one of the seminal rock pioneers. His songs were international hits in the late 50's, including classics like "Peggy Sue," "Rave On," and "That'll Be the Day." He pushed for more control over his music, including writing and producing his own songs. He might have done more, if it wasn't for his death during that fateful and poorly-organized Winter Party Tour. I reviewed a later version of that fateful night, La Bamba, last September. How does this slightly more upbeat take on Holly's side of the story look now? Let's begin with teens roller skating at a rink in Lubbock, Texas and find out...

The Story: Buddy Holly (Busey) and his friends drummer Jesse Charles (Stroud) and bassist Ray Bob Simmons (Smith) play at the skating rink and for a local radio station as the Crickets. Buddy's been experimenting with that brash, jangly new sound known as rock. The teens at the rink love it, and Riley, the manager at the station (William Jordan), is interested enough to recommend them to Coral Records. 

The Crickets don't last long with Coral after they learn they're expected to play country music, not rock. Fortunately, Riley also sent a tape of their skating rink performance to producer Ross Hunter (Conrad Janis) in New York. He's so impressed, he releases the tape without knowing the Crickets aren't under contract. After it's a hit, Holly convinces Hunter to sign them up and let him produce their output. 

That gets them up and running. They're so popular, they even become the first white act to play the Apollo Theater in Harlem after someone mistakes them for a black band. Buddy's more interested in Turner's secretary Maria Elena Santiago (Richwine). He convinces her aunt to let them go out, then marries her after their first date. 

Buddy's now writing hit after hit, but Jesse is feeling in his shadow and resents the time he spends with Maria. After an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, he and Ray Bob quit the band and return to Texas. Buddy wonders how he can make music without them. Maria encourages him to go on the Winter Party Tour to bring his confidence level back up again. She and the Crickets even plan on seeing him in the next stop after Clear Lake...or would, if he hadn't chartered a plane to get them there in a snowstorm...

The Song and Dance: This has some things in common with La Bamba and The Doors. They're all anchored by terrific performances from actors who threw themselves into the lead roles, beautifully recreating the performing styles of the singer in question. Gary Busey was so perfect as Buddy Holly, he landed a Best Actor nomination. He looks as gangly as he did in real life and does his own singing and playing so well, you'd think that was Buddy Holly there. Smith and Stroud also do well as his band mates who eventually feel overshadowed by his success. The low budget and decision to film all musical numbers right on the soundtrack actually works to the film's advantage, giving it a slightly gritty, raw warts-and-all feel that's very welcome in a biopic.

The Numbers: We open with Buddy and the Crickets performing the country ballad "Mockin' Bird Hill" at the skating rink before switching to the far more upbeat "Rock Around With Ollie Vee" and "That'll Be the Day." He's not as happy when their attempt to record "Day" for Coral Records comes out sounding a lot more country than he wants. Paul Mooney makes a not-bad Sam Cooke singing "You Send Me" at the Apollo before Buddy and the Crickets come out and tear up the place with "Everyday," "Oh Boy!" and "It's So Easy." The audience has so much fun, they end up dancing in the orchestra pit.

"Words of Love" and "I'm Gonna Love You Too" show us the Crickets in the studio. "Love You Too" almost ends with fisticuffs between Buddy and Jesse when the latter makes a racial comment about Maria. "Rave On" and "Listen To Me" go better, until Buddy gets so into his duet with Eddie Cochran (Jerry Zaremba) on "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," he makes the other two Crickets feel unappreciated. "Well...All Right" and "Maybe Baby" are their numbers at The Ed Sullivan Show, but the damage has been done. After the Big Bopper (Gailord Sartain) performs "Chantilly Lace" at Clear Lake, Buddy proves he still has it, even on his own, with a final medley of That'll Be the Day," "True Love's Ways," and "Not Fade Away."

Trivia: This wasn't the first attempt at a Buddy Holly movie. Gary Busey actually played the drummer for the Crickets in another biography made for 20th Century Fox, Three-Sided Coin, that was ultimately canceled. 

What I Don't Like: While more accurate than The Doors, this is still full of cliches. The original Crickets had already sold the rights to their names for another biopic, which is why fictional names are used and the band is reduced from three to two. "Peggy Sue" was named for the girlfriend of original Cricket Jerry Allison, not Buddy's girlfriend. Buddy's time recording country songs in Nashville went far smoother than what we see here and didn't end with him punching anyone. 

I'm also not a fan of the film's too-pat ending. They allude to the fatal crash in a quick paragraph after the Clear Lake Finale medley, but we don't see it. It wasn't until La Bamba debuted almost a decade later that someone finally detailed the events leading up to that tragedy on the big screen.

The Big Finale: Though not as dynamic as The Doors, it's still worth checking out for Busey's terrific performance as the title musician and the sensational numbers, especially if you're a fan of early rock. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming in the US.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Musicals on TV - Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story

TV One, 2016

Starring Teyonah Parris, Gary Dourdan, Darius McCrary, and Amari Cheatom

Directed by Christine Swanson

Music and Lyrics by Miki Howard and others

I'm going to be honest, both the subject matter and the channel that debuted this are entirely new to me. Miki Howard was an R&B diva who had her biggest hits in the 80's and early 90's. Neither her early life, nor her love life were anywhere near as glamorous. Her troubled teen years and habit of marrying men who used her as a doormat boomeranged back at her later, when she fell heavily into drug and alcohol addiction. By 2016, she was attempting a comeback and was well-remembered enough by R&B fans to be the subject of this biography. How does all of this come across on the small screen? Let's begin with sixteen-year-old Michelle "Miki" Howard (Parris) fleeing to a friend's home in 1974 and find out...

The Story: Miki had a rough life, even before her mother Josephine (Vanessa Bell Calloway) threw her out after a boy attacked her. Josephine, a gospel singer, loved her daughter but resented her stealing the spotlight at her concerts and at church. Miki just couldn't resist being in the spotlight wherever she went. She and a friend went out to a disco, which is where she first encounters Augie Johnson (Dourdan). She records a single for them, then is thrown out of her friend's house when she resents Miki getting the attention and insults her homeless status.

Augie, as it turns out, is no prize either. Though they have two children together, he cheats on her and discourages her from leaving the group. After she leaves him, she signs with Atlantic Records who is willing to let her go solo. Not only does she have a series of hit R&B singles, but she falls in love with fellow singer Gerald Levert (McCrary) who inspires some of her best and most popular work. She's a global sensation who tops the R&B chart and appears in films, but her producers want her to become a pop diva like Whitney Houston. 

Miki finally leaves Gerald for smooth-talking producer Eddie Phelps (Cheatom). She also leaves Atlantic for Giant Records when she can't work with Gerald anymore. Eddie claims he's interested in helping her raise a family, but their relationship just ends with him abusing her and trying to control her. He career spirals downwards after she almost literally throws him out. She falls into heavy drug and alcohol addiction and can barely function or take care of her children. It's not until she almost dies of a drug overdose that she goes into therapy and realizes that what she really needs is to learn to respect herself, and that her life and that of her children are worth far more than any of the fame and fortune in the world. 

The Song and Dance: Damn, if any of this is remotely the truth, I feel very sorry for Miki. The abuse here is raw, real, and scary. It's hard to watch on film, let alone in real-life. Parris nails Miki, playing her as a vulnerable woman who has been thrown around and smacked around all her life, until she literally has sense frightened into her. McCrary comes off best of the three men as the most abusive and jerk-ish of the three loves in her life. Callaway also has some good moments as the mother who pushes her daughter away when she sees the woman she's becoming. Some really gorgeous costumes too, especially in the late 80's and 90's when Howard was at the height of her fame.

The Numbers: We open with the gospel song "Somebody Loves Me" as we see a montage of how Miki fell out with her mother and was thrown out of her home. Miki records "Just Not Enough" with two other women for Augie when he invites them to his studio, but her friend doesn't appreciate her getting Augie's attention. We get a cover of "Good Morning Heartache" as Miki wanders around LA after her friend's mother throws her out. She and Augie start a family and achieve minor success as part of Side Effect in a montage to the tune of the Toto cover "Georgy Porgy." 

After she signs to Atlantic, she finally gets a hit solo single in the uptempo ballad "Come and Share My Love." "I Feel for You" takes us to the party where she meets Gerald. They duet on the romantic "That's What Love Is," which covers their relationship and her first major tour. The title song gives us her marriage to Eddie and his insistence on changing labels. "Ain't Nothin' of the World" shows her continuing success on albums and in films, even as her relationship with Eddie deteriorates. "Ain't Nobody Like You" gives us her biggest hit single and the video for it, even as she demands money from the drug-addled head of the label. The movie ends with her real-life comeback, performing a more jazz-oriented reprise of "Ain't Nobody Like You."

Trivia: This was the highest-rated movie ever on TV One, an African-American oriented cable channel. 

What I Don't Like: Note the discussion of the heavy abuse scenes up there. There's violence, drug, alcohol, and marital abuse, strong language, and Miki pulls a gun on Eddie in front of her children at one point. This is absolutely not for kids. See if you can dig up Howard's albums for them first. As mentioned, the violence level makes it hard to watch at times, especially in the middle when Eddie's all but attacking her. It's also a mess of cliches, though the grittier tone does make this a bit more original than some recent music biographies.

The Big Finale: Adult R&B and jazz fans who can deal with the violence level may find this story of abuse and redemption to be fascinating, if just for the performances.

Home Media: Not on disc at press time, but it can be found on many streaming sites for free with commercials, including Tubi and Plex.

Tubi

Plex

Musicals On TV - Double Platinum

ABC, 1999

Starring Diana Ross, Brandy, Christine Ebersole, and Brian Stokes Mitchell

Directed by Robert Allen Ackerman

Music and Lyrics by various

We transition from Black History Month to Women's History Month this week with two TV movies featuring black actresses and singers. Ross mostly stayed away from films since The Wiz flopped in 1978, while Brandy Norwood was an up-and-coming R&B star who had a smash success in the lavish ABC version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella two years before. Ross finally returned to films with this soap soul drama that paired her and Brandy as a mother who tries to direct the career of the daughter she'd abandoned years before. How does all this look now? Let's begin in 1981, as a music executive tells aspiring singer Olivia King (Ross) that she might have a job waiting for her in New York and find out...

The Story: Olivia's husband Adam (Mitchell) is totally against her having a music career, so she leaves in the middle of the night, vowing to return for their daughter Kayla. 19 years later, Kayla (Brandy) is now an aspiring singer who admires Olivia King. She's thrilled when she wins a contest to see her idol in concert and enjoy a night out with her. She's so thrilled, she invites Olivia to see her perform in a local club. Adam's not as happy with Olivia's attempt to get back into their daughter's life...and neither is Kayla when she learns the truth. 

Olivia finally convinces Kaya to join her in New York. She introduces her daughter to everyone she knows in the music industry, finally getting her signed to a recording contract. Olivia wants to be in her daughter's life, but her attempts to direct Kayla's career drives her into the arms of handsome older music executive Rick Ortega (Allen Payne). Kayla's bitterness towards her mother boils over at a Grammy party and during a concert where her mother's performance steals her thunder. She moves in with Ric, just as the press gets word of her true parentage. Olivia flees to a cabin to avoid the scandal, followed by Kayla when she learns Ric's true colors. Mother and daughter have a lot of talking to do, but they finally come to realize just how much they have in common.

The Song and Dance: Ross and Brandy are backed by a terrific cast of stage actors, some of them making rare TV appearances. Mitchell plays off both well as the concerned father who worries he's losing both his ladies. Payne makes a suitably smarmy record executive who thinks he's the one in charge of Kayla's career. Some of the music isn't bad, either, including a decent "He Lives In You" from The Lion King. Ackerman specialized in TV movies revolving around strong women - he went on to do the Emmy-winning miniseries Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows two years later - and that shows in performances he coaxes out of Ross in particular. 

The Numbers: The film opens with Olivia singing "Back In Love With Me Again" at the lounge in 1981. Nineteen years later, she belts "He Lives In You" from The Lion King II at the concert Kayla wins tickets to.  Kayla's first number is the sultry "Almost Doesn't Count" at the club. She sees her mother sing "Someone That You Loved Before" at another concert, but she's not as happy to agree to join her backstage. The mellow R&B ballad "Have You Ever?" is the first song Kayla records after she gets that contract, and she's good enough to impress the producer (Harvey Firnstein). Olivia records her own sultry ballad, "Until We Meet Again." "Happy" is Kayla's number at her first major concert; "Carry On" is the upbeat dance number Olivia grooves to that upstages her. They finally come together in the finale for "Love Is All That Matters."

What I Don't Like: This is pretty obviously a TV movie that was shot in 20 days. The costumes are relatively lavish, especially Ross' sequined gowns, but the sets are minimal. The story is a huge pile of cliches that finally collapse onto themselves around the time Kayla suddenly realizes that mothers do know best in this case and Ric is more interested in his career than hers. This isn't for someone who's not into R&B or is looking for more action and less soap opera. The music is basically the two leading ladies bringing whatever they recorded in their last albums, and except for "He Lives In You," isn't terribly memorable.

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for fans of the two leading ladies or late 90's R&B for the songs and performances alone.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming. The latter is currently free at Tubi with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Get On Up: The James Brown Story

Universal, 2014

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Ackroyd, and Viola Davis

Directed by Tate Taylor

Music and Lyrics by James Brown and others

Our next biography is of a real-life R&B legend. James Brown's tumultuous life story was one of the inspirations for The Five Heartbeats. Unlike them, his career spanned genres and generations, from passionate ballads in the early 60's to being one of the most sampled musicians in rap songs by the early 2000's. Brown was known as "Mr. Dynamite" for a reason. 

Universal had been trying to get this off the ground since 2000, but were prevented by financial and music rights difficulties. They tried again when Brown died of pneumonia in 2006,  but finally got it going in 2012 when Mick Jagger agreed to be one of the producers and they brought on director Taylor. How well did they do with the story of the man whose dynamic performances hid a lot more heartbreak backstage? Let's begin at the ending, with Brown (Boseman) attacking his own business while stoned, and find out...

The Story: Brown (Jamarion and Jordan Scott) grew up in a shack near Augusta, Georgia with his mother Susie (Davis) and his abusive father Joe (Lennie James). His mother walked out to become a prostitute and his father joined the Army, leaving him in the care of his Aunt Honey (Octavia Spencer). His aunt runs a brothel, and he becomes fascinated with the flamboyant people who come there, and even more with the "shout" gospel music lauded to the heavens in the church she attends. He boxes briefly later, but proves to be unsuited to it.

At 17, he steals a suit and ends up in jail. He meets Bobby Byrd (Ellis) when he brings his gospel group to sing at the church. Impressed by Brown's voice, Byrd's family gets him parole, and he joins the band and moves their sound from gospel to R&B and soul. Even Little Richard (Brandon Mychal Smith) is impressed when Brown jumps onstage with his newly christened Famous Flames during one of his shows. Little Richard admonishes  him to avoid "the white devil," but Brown joins a white R&B record company and hires one of their people, Ben Brandt (Ackroyd), to be his manager. 

Brandt at first shunts the band off to the sidelines, leading them to quit. They return in 1962 when James puts in his own money to record the hugely successful Live at the Apollo album. Two years later, he upstages the Rolling Stones at the T.A.M.I Show and pays young DJs to promote his albums and avoid paying promoters. He even manages to keep the audience from rioting in Boston after Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in 1968 and, despite almost being shot down, joins the USO and plays for Vietnam troops later that year. 

His home life isn't doing so well. He divorces his first wife Velma (Jacinte Blankenship) and abuses the second Deirdre (Jill Scott). He's not thrilled when his mother tries to get back into his life, and first  his band, and then Bobby quit over his tendency to expect perfection, insist they work on days off, and hog the spotlight. It's not until he gets out of prison in 1993 that he finally mends fences with Bobby, reminding them that, no matter what life throws at them, they still need each other.

The Song and Dance: Boseman and Ellis lead a parade of powerhouse performances in this story of a searing performer driven to sing at all costs, including the cost of his relationships. Boseman may be more attractive than the young Brown, but he still nails his mannerisms and his unending energy and charisma. Ellis more than matches him as his best friend through (almost) thick and thin, who is generally happy to be off to the sidelines and let James bask in the spotlight. Ackroyd and Davis also do well as the "white devil" who proves to be more of an angel in disguise and the mother who left him behind. Love the gorgeous cinematography in many of the real locations this was set, including Paris and rural Georgia. The non-linear story that jumps between incidents from Brown's life makes this a little more creative than most standard Hollywood biographies.

The Numbers: We don't get our first number until nearly fifteen minutes in, but it's Brown's searing "Out of Sight" that steals T.A.M.I from the Rolling Stones. He dances to his signature "I Feel Good" with the band in red ski sweaters on the set of the winter Beach Party imitation Ski Party ...at least until he realizes he'd much rather be taking things up a notch over a decade later. That "shout" preacher almost literally throws himself into "No More, My Lawd" at an all-white church, inspiring Brown's signature funky style. He's one of the inmates joining Bobby's gospel band for "O Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't Your Mourn," until he's attacked by another prisoner and starts a fight.

Smith is equally magnetic in his one number as Little Richard. "Tutti Frutti" shows Richard's flamboyant style even better than "Caldonia" showed off Brown and the Flames. James' one boxing match even turns into an instrumental jazz number as he imagines a jazz combo playing as he's beaten black and blue. "This Thing Called Love" gives us a brief routine at a club showing Brown's early success with black audiences. Syd Nathan (Fred Melamed) doesn't understand "Please, Please, Please" the way Ben Brandt does, considering it repetitive and protesting Brown recording it despite Brandt pushing it.

No wonder Live at the Apollo was such a smash, with a short but really funky rendition of "Night Train" that the audience adores. "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" shows how he fell for Deidre and how dramatic his shows could get, which takes us back into a brief reprise of "Please, Please, Please." "Cold Sweat" is performed in the recording studio, showing how hard he could be on his band, his wife, and his best friend. His band mate Pee Wee imitates him singing "Mother Popcorn" in the studio...before the assassination of Martin Luther King. He convinces the mayor of Boston to let the concert go on, despite the riots in the summer of 1968...and keeps the audience from tearing the town apart with his rendition of "Mother Popcorn," even letting one kid dance onstage. 

He records the Civil Rights anthem "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" with a chorus of kids in the studio. A lean, mean James comments on his current situation right before a dynamic "Soul Power" in Paris. His truly heartfelt "Try Me" in 1993 is what finally convinces Bobby and his wife Vicki that all is forgiven. 

What I Don't Like: Though the non-linear story makes this unique among biopics, it also makes it hard to follow. The erratic quick-change editing that rarely lets anyone finish a number doesn't help here. While the costumes are nice and remain true to the time, the makeup on everyone later in the film is anything but convincing, particularly on Ells. They could have gone even further into certain aspects of his life, like his heavy involvement with the Civil Rights Moment and writing his own material. Like Five Heartbeats, this also goes on for way too long. 

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for Boseman and Ellis' performances if you're a fan of Brown or vintage R&B and soul music with time on your hands. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - The Five Heartbeats

20th Century Fox, 1991

Starring Robert Townsend, Leon Robinson, Michael Wright, and Tico Wells

Directed by Robert Townsend

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we dive into Black History Month with reviews of biographies of fictional and real R&B stars. We begin with the fictional group. Doo wop and early R&B groups were at the height of their success in the early 1960's, as the Civil Rights Movement gathered steam. If young men weren't creating groups in garages and on street corners, they were starting record companies to showcase those garage bands. Townsend was coming off a success with the 1987 stand-up comedy film Eddie Murphy Raw. Keenan Ivory Waynas produced Raw and wrote Townsend's first movie Hollywood Shuffle and In Living Color, the satirical variety show that was in it's second year when this debuted. Is this as much fun as In Living Color, or should it be thrown off a balcony? Let's begin backstage at a band contest in Columbus, Ohio and find out...

The Story: Brothers Donald "Duck" (Townsend) and J.T (Robinson) Matthews and their friends Eddie King Jr. (Wright), Anthony "Choirboy" Stone (Wells), and Terrence "Dresser" Williams (Harry J. Lennox) are members of the doo-wop group the Heartbeats. They don't win the contest, but they do manage to impress manager Jimmy Potter (Chuck Patterson). He takes them on when they fail to win another contest and introduces them to Ernest "Sarge" Johnson (Harold Nicholas), who redoes their choreography. Potter's not crazy about them signing with corrupt Big Red Davis (Hawthorne James) and his record company after his independently published single is a hit and they finally win a contest, but no one else will take them.

They become an instant success, despite a difficult tour with bad conditions and racism in the south. Eddie, who was never the most stable to begin with, handles it the worst. He takes to drugs and heavy drinking, to the point where his girlfriend Baby Doll (Troy Beyer) breaks up with him. Jimmy and the other Heartbeats are more concerned about his deteriorating performances. Eddie's worried that Jimmy intends to replace him and has Big Red cut him out. Jimmy retaliates by threatening to go to the cops with all of Red's shady activities, which promptly ends with Big Red's men running him down in front of his wife Eleanor (Diahann Carroll).

Eddie is horrified and guilt-ridden by his part in everything and does end up quitting the band. They replace him with Michael "Flash" Turner (John Canada Terrell), a far more flamboyant singer. Their success comes to an abrupt end when Flash decides to go solo and Duck and J.T have a falling out over Duck's fiancee (Carla Brothers). They don't speak to each other again until 1991, when they all finally admit that, even with all the trouble, they've never forgotten the one thing that always meant the most to all of them...singing and dancing together.

The Song and Dance: There's some terrific performances in this look at the darker side of the 60's music scene. Some of it may hit harder in today's racial climate, like the Heartbeats being furious over four white performers appearing on the cover of their album and their treatment during that tour. Carroll and Patterson come off best as the manager hoping that these guys won't leave him in the dust if they make it and his supportive wife. Wright's performance can be overwrought at times, especially in the second half, but his over-the-top delivery especially works. When the guys see him again as a poor drug addict, he's so desperate, you can practically feel it coming off him. The colorful costumes and sets do well representing the mid-60's through the early 70's, especially those sharp primary-colored suits and narrow-brimmed fedoras most of the men seem to favor.

The Numbers: We open at that contest with one girl band doing "I Never Felt This Good" and Baby Doll singing "I Love Joey." The next number gives us a glimpse of Flash's intense style that'll later take over the group with "Are You Ready for Me?" The Heartbeats finally debut with "Nothing But Love." Bird and the Midnight Falcons sing "Baby Stop Running Around" to their adoring fans who have been instructed to cheer them and boo the Heartbeats...until they hear the Heartbeats' "9:20 Special" and "A Heart Is a House for Love," and one girl literally faints into Eddie's arms. 

Duck spends all night writing a new song, but it's his little sister (Tressa Thomas) who helps him put "We Haven't Finished Yet" together. (Thomas is such a scene stealer here, I wish her brothers could have found a way to get her into the group.) Duck and J.T hear "Nothing but Love" on the radio even before they wake up, ending with dancing joyously with their many siblings. Weeks on the road playing terrible venues and staying in dirty hotels takes its toll on "Nights Like This," which ends with the guys tearing their clothes apart in a free-for-all....but the tearing goes over so well, it's incorporated into the act. 

The Four Tops' hit "Same Old Song" gives us a montage of the Heartbeats' success, from the covers of Time and Esquire to appearances on American Bandstand. We hear Flash performing "Down for the Count" with his original band, right as Eddie's life starts to go seriously south. After Eddie leaves, Flash finds himself "In the Middle" of the band's other drama. Jennifer Holliday (who starred in the original 1984 Dreamgirls on Broadway) performs a searing "Amazing Grace" at Jimmy's funeral. "Just In Case" proves to be the swan song for Flash and the Heartbeats before they finally disband. Eddie and Baby Doll finally get a number together in the 90's as part of Anthony's choir, "I Feel Like Going On." "We Haven't Finished Yet" is reprised in the finale by Patti LaBelle with Billy Valentine and Thomas.

What I Don't Like: This movie is cliched to high heck. It's basically the male flip side of Dreamgirls, with a lot of the same done-to-death complications. No wonder this wasn't a hit in 1991. We've seen it all before, and will again many times. Things get a lot less interesting after Jimmy's death and Eddie's involvement. The last half-hour with the brothers fighting over the same woman comes off as dull soap opera claptrap and makes the movie a lot longer than it needs to be. 

The music that everyone makes such a fuss about is derivative and boring, especially compared to the real vintage R&B from the groups who inspired this that plays throughout the film. (And why use "Same Old Song" for the rise to success montage? Wouldn't it have made more sense to have a song by the Heartbeats, let them actually show why they became so popular so fast?) 

The Big Finale: This seems to be one of those things people either love for the decent performances and numbers, or hate for the overwrought melodrama and inconsistent tone. It's still worth checking out at least once this Black History Month, if only to see where you stand.  

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Ray (2004)

Universal, 2004

Starring Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, and Regina King

Directed by Taylor Hackford

Music and Lyrics by Ray Charles and others

We move to a later jazz and R&B musician for our next review. Apparently, this film had been in the works for at least 15 years while the producer tried to secure financing, and then find a studio willing to release it. Kids who grew up in the 80's and 90's like I do probably know him best for his series of Pepsi commercials with his female backup singers and his duets with Willie Nelson, Billy Joel, and Van Morrison. I didn't know until recently that his career spanned the latter half of the 20th century, covering everything from R&B ballads to country. Is it worthy of this big-screen treatment, or should it be left on the road? Let's begin in 1946 as Charles (Foxx) grapples with a cop in Northern Florida as he tries to take a bus to St. Louis for a job and find out...

The Story: Charles learned how to play piano at a young age while growing up in rural Northern Florida with his mother Aretha (Sharon Warren). He's still haunted by the accidental drowning of his younger brother in his mother's washtub as a child and his going blind by age 7. Even after he gets a job with a night club band in Seattle, the club's owner exploits him. He finally signs a solo record deal and tours the "Chitlin' Circuit" - a string of nightclubs owned by and designated for African-Americans. While the tour is successful, it's also where he becomes addicted to heroin.

Ray's life starts to look up when he lands a deal with Ahmet Ertegun (Curtis Armstrong) of Atlantic Records, which releases his first hit, "Mess Around." He also falls in love with and marries pretty preachers' daughter Della Mae (Washington). Ray adds a female back-up group, which may not be a wise decision when he first has an affair with Mary Ann (Aunjanue Ellis), then a more serious one with Margie (King). He comes up with his first million-selling album after he comes up with "What'll I Say" when a show runs long.

Even as he hits the big time with "Hit the Road, Jack" and "Georgia On My Mind," he tells Margie to hit the road when she admits to being pregnant with his child. Margie leaves for a solo career, and Ray gets into trouble with the state of Georgia when he refuses to play a segregated venue. After encouraging black and white dancers to mingle during a concert, his room is raided, and he's arrested for drug possession. Della's not happy when he moves her to LA, then to a huge house in Beverly Hills, and his band isn't happy when he moves to ABC Records and hires smarmy Joe Adams (Harry Lennix) as his manager. A second drug arrest lands him in rehab, where he finally finds the strength to conquer his addictions and make amends with his past.

The Song and Dance: There's a reason Foxx earned one of the movie's two Oscars. He nails Charles, from his mannerisms to his voice and even his way of playing the piano. And yes, that is Foxx playing the piano. He apparently went to college on a classical piano scholarship and more than knew his way around the ivories. He's especially effective in the second half, as Charles battles his addictions and comes to terms with his brother's death and his dissolving relationships. The movie pulls no punches as it looks into what makes this man tick, showing us his deep addictions and how he was used and abused, and his multiple relationships with his singers, even as he remained married.

Favorite Number: Charles performs two hits usually associated with Nat King Cole, "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "Route 66," early in his career before finding his own style. "We Will Walk Through the Streets of the City" is the ensemble hymn performed at the church during the funeral for Ray's brother, when his mother breaks down crying over her son's coffin. "The Midnight Hour" is another early Charles performance. He finally finds what he does best with Ertegun's jaunty "Mess Around." 

He's heard recording his next hits "I Got a Woman" and "Hallelujah, I Love Her So." When his concert runs short, he's stopped from leaving, which results in a quick performance of what becomes one of his biggest hits, "What Did I Say?" "Georgia On My Mind" becomes ironic considering his difficulties in that state later in the film. Margie reluctantly joins him for his other iconic song "Hit the Road, Jack," which she jumps into with a fierce relish at a performance. 

Later in the film, we get three of his best-known ballads, "Unchain My Heart," "You Don't Know Me," and the country number "I Can't Stop Loving You." The last-named is the performance in St. Louis that so impresses Joe Adams, he becomes his manager. "Born to Lose" and "Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I)" are heard towards the end, when he's battling his addictions.

Trivia: Charles did get to see a work-in-progress print of the film before his death in June 2004. 

The movie also won Best Sound Recording.

Foxx and Regina King are dubbed by the actual recordings by Charles and Hendricks for most of the movie, with the exception of a few early numbers in the clubs. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the movie plays fast and loose with a lot of facts about Charles' life. Yes, he was addicted to heroin from the 50's through the 70's, and while he did kick that, he continued to drink and use marijuana throughout his life. The entire incident that led him to be barred from playing in Georgia was fabricated. He did refuse to play in a segregated venue, but after a telegram from civil rights activists convinced him to do so, and he was never banned in Georgia. Margie was fired in 1964, not '61, and he would never have asked her to have an abortion. She died in 1973, but the cause was never stated. By the time "Georgia On My Mind" became Georgia's state song, Della and Charles had divorced, and she would not have been there for the announcement. 

Second, good as Foxx's performance is, the movie itself is cliches of the highest order. This is nothing you haven't seen in musical biographies going back to the 1930's, including the somewhat similar Walk the Line on Johnny Cash that came out a year later. Also, it's way too long at 2 1/2 hours. Some of the slower middle section that gets bogged down in Charles' relationship problems could have been trimmed a bit. 

The Big Finale: See this one for the terrific numbers and Foxx's amazing Oscar-winning performance if you're a fan of Foxx, Charles, or soul and R&B music.

Home Media: Easily found on all formats, often for under $10.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Happy Valentine's Day! - Been So Long

Netflix, 2018

Starring Michaela Coel, Arinze Kene, George MacKay, and Joe Dempsie

Directed by Tinge Krishnan

Music and Lyrics by Arthur Darvill

We celebrate the most romantic of all holidays with one of the sweetest recent musicals. This one was based on a 1998 play and apparently debuted in a West End fringe house in 2009. Netflix bought the US rights when it debuted in its single-biggest acquisition of an English movie at that point. Were they right to spend all that money on this, or should it be dumped in a bar? Let's start at a festival in Camden Town, London, as single mother Simone (Coel) navigates through the eager crowds with her wheelchair-bound daughter Mandy (Mya Lewis) and find out...

The Story: Simone is a hard worker who rarely has time for meals, let alone going out with her friend Yvonne (Ronke Adekoluejo). Yvonne finally talks her into a night out on the town, which she eventually spends playing checkers with handsome and mysterious Raymond (Kene). Raymond has his own problems. He's on parole from prison and is being stalked by the insane knife-wielding Gil (MacKay). Simone, meanwhile, is still smarting from her divorce with Kestrel (Dempsie), Mandy's father, and is afraid to open her heart again. It'll take Gil openly attacking Raymond and seeing their friends come together for the duo to finally understand the healing power of relationships.

The Song and Dance: This is such a sweet movie. Kene and Coel walk away with the movie as the lovers trying to navigate the dating waters again, and both have gorgeous voices to boot. Adekoluejo is a hoot as Simone's party-loving girlfriend Yvonne who gets the ball started by taking her out and encourages her romance, and MacKay is a genuinely scary Gil. Beautiful location shooting in the real London adds to the feeling of intimacy. It's almost more like looking in on people's lives than a typical musical. 

Favorite Number: We open with Kene performing "Love Is" as Simone wanders through a local fair with Mandy, pulling her away from sweets and ignoring all the dancers and merriment around her. "What U Sayin'" is Yvonne's big rap number as she talks Simone into going out with her. She sings "I Want a Fella" while at the bar. Raymond gets "Primus Humanus (Man of Steel)" after he meets Simone. Gil's "Smile" is a more terrifying look at why he's after Raymond. "Thunder and Gold" and "Fire" are duets for Raymond and Simone before and after their meeting on the bench in the park. "Closing Time" is the big finale as everyone, including the back up singers seen in numbers throughout the film, meet in the bar again...except Simone and Raymond, who are content to quietly walk off in each other's arms. 

What I Don't Like: If you're looking for a stronger plot or a darker take on romance, you won't get that here. This is just a sweet, simple series of love stories. It comes off more like a BBC soap opera than a movie at times. To be honest, not a whole lot happens besides the musical numbers until Gil attacks Raymond near the end. It's slow-moving and can be wordy, especially in the second half when the romances get more melodramatic.

The Big Finale: This charming romance is one of the better musical offerings currently on Netflix. Give it a whirl this Valentine's Day or when you feel the need for a little love in your life.

Home Media: It's a Netflix exclusive at the moment. 

Netflix

Krush Groove

Warner Bros, 1985

Starring Blair Underwood, Sheila E, Joseph Simmons (Run D.M.C), and the Fat Boys

Directed by Michael Schultz

Music and Lyrics by various

Our second look at early rap culture has a lot of things in common in Beat Street. It was also set in the Bronx, is very much a capsule of its era, and gives a rare look at several R&B and rap artists who don't often turn up in films. This one, however, is based on the true story of how rap label Def Jam Recordings got started. Def Jam began in 1983 as a haven for rap, hip hop, and R&B and really helped bring a new type of music into the public eye. How does the fictional story of its origins look today? Let's begin at Krush Groove's studio with Run D.M.C recording their latest hit and find out...

The Story: Russell Walker (Underwood) has signed all the hottest hip hop and R&B acts in the Bronx, including the Fat Boys and Run D.M.C, featuring his brother Run (Rev Run). Desperate to press more albums and get their latest hit to the public, he borrows money from street hustler Jay B. (Richard Gant). He also falls for feisty rapper and drummer Sheila B. (herself), but Run does, too. Russell has to figure out how to date her without hurting his brother's feelings, then where to get that money when Jay B. comes calling and wants it yesterday...

The Song and Dance: Obviously, story is not this movie's strong point. It's also not that heavily into the breakdancing that was a big part of Beat Street. This one is all about the music, performed by some of the most popular acts from Def Jam's roster. There's some genuinely good songs here, some of which became hits in their own right. 

Underwood made his debut as the charming and driven Walker. He's the backbone of the film, whether he's trying to get the albums out, hire more acts, or adorably falling for Sheila. At the very least, this makes a lot more sense than Schultz' previous attempt at an all-star rock musical, the ridiculously bizarre Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. 

Favorite Number: We open in the studio with Run D.M.C recording "King of Rock." Their music and Krush Groove Records spread throughout the Bronx, encouraging groups to breakdance and leave their jobs to try their own songs at the studio, ending with Run D.M.C doing the number at a concert. After being sent to the principal for rapping in class, the Fat Boys gets their whole school moving with the infectious "Don't You Dog Me" on the stairs. 

We're introduced to Sheila B. in a club with her hit "A Love Bizarre" (which she sang with Prince in its original version). She's having such a great time strutting her stuff, it's no wonder both Walkers fall hard for her. Sheila proves to the guys that she can do whatever the boys can do in her "I'm Sheila E" at the Walker's home. Kurtis Blow picks things up at a rap concert with "If I Ruled the World" in top-hat, a very 80's tux, and with dancers in elaborate 20's-style costumes. Sheila blows the audience away with her driving "Holly Rock" before Run D.M.C finally get onstage to claim "their house" with "It's Like That." 

Nayobe performs part of her R&B hit "Please Don't Go" at Krush Groove Studios, and even what little we see is good enough for them to sign her. LL Cool J shows off part of his early song "I Can't Live Without My Radio." New Edition was huge at the time, as was their R&B number "My Secret," done at the talent show in flashy glittering suits. The Fat Boys finally get in long enough for their second number, "Pump It Up - Let's Get Funky." They also eat every bit of food in a Sbarro's when they see an "All You Can Eat" sign in the film's strangest and most music video-like number. 

We get Run D.M.C's "Can You Rock It Like This?" before teenager Chad launches into a rollicking cover of "I Want You to Be My Girl" at the second talent show. The "Fat Boys" end up winning it all with their self-titled number. "Tender Love" appropriately covers Sheila and Blair's big sex scene. The movie ends with all of the bands performing "Krush Groovin'" at a benefit dinner to earn the money Russell needs. 

Trivia: Film debuts of Blair Underwood and LL Cool J. 

What I Don't Like: Like I mentioned above, plot is not this movie's strong point. It has very little to do with the actual beginnings of Def Jam Records, which continues today as a rap and R&B imprint of Universal Music. Real owner Russell Simmons was related to Run DMC member Rev Run (Joseph Simmons), but neither had a relationship with Sheila B. Simmons was upset that the writers took so much of the focus off the romantic triangle and Walker's financial struggles and onto the antics of the Fat Boys, and...yeah, he does have a point. The movie lurches from hard-hitting drama with Simmons trying to earn the money to soft-focus romance to the Fat Boys' antics with very little rhyme or reason. The dialogue is negligible, the acting from everyone besides Underwood is worse. These rap artists were terrific singers, but they weren't really actors. 

The Big Finale: That said, this and Beat Street are still important movies for a lot of reasons, not the least being two looks at rap's beginnings. Despite the confusing tone and so-so acting, this is still highly recommended for fans of early rap or black cinema from the 1980's. 

Home Media: It's currently on DVD via the Warner Archive Collection. It's also easily found on streaming, often for free.

DVD

Tubi

The Roku Channel 

Beat Street

Orion Pictures, 1984

Starring Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet, Rae Dawn Chong, and Leon W. Grant

Directed by Stan Lathan

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we dive into early rap culture with two musicals from the mid-80's. By 1983, rap, hip-hop, and breakdancing were just starting to come off the streets of major cities and into dance clubs like the ones in this movie. Record companies were starting to take notice, too, as were several major movie studios who saw the success of those clubs. How well does this do in representing that new culture, seen through the lives of four young men living in the South Bronx? Let's begin on the streets with the kids and their breakdancing and find out...

The Story: Kenny Kirkland (Davis) is a DJ and aspiring composer. His best friend Ramon Franco (Chardiet) is a graffiti artist who tags himself "Ramo," and wants nothing more than to decorate one unmarked subway car with his work. Ramon's girlfriend Carmen (Saundra Santiago) wants him to marry her and help her take care of their child. 

Kenny's brother Lee (Robert Taylor) is a member of one of the breakdancing gangs. He first turns up when he DJs for a party to rumble with another local breakdancing gang, then at the Bronx nightclub the Roxy. Fellow composer Tracy Carlson (Chong) is impressed with his moves and invites him to try out for TV dance show. He's rejected, and Kenny accuses Tracy of being a snob. She goes to his house to make up, and they end up falling for each other. 

Things begin to look up when Kenny gets a job at the Burning Spear Club, and Ramon finally gets an apartment for him and his family. Kenny's not as happy when he first catches Tracy with her professor (Duane Jones), then he accidentally erases his creation on their equipment. Ramon's having his own problems. There's an artist named Spit (Bill Anagros) who keeps defacing his work, and job interviews are keeping him from the art he loves. His attempt to make one last try at that unmarked train leads to a confrontation with Spit that ends in tragedy. Kenny, however, will never forget his friend or the lasting impression he left on his music, his family, and their community.

The Song and Dance: This one has a lot in common with Saturday Night Fever, from the New York Boroughs setting to its use of actual Bronx locations (including the real Roxy nightclub). Chardiet is by far the best thing here with his intense performance as the tough youth who sees beauty in his art where others see something damaging or criminal. Some of the dancing is genuinely amazing too, both in the breakdancing sequences and at the TV show audition Tracy wrote a song for. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Breaker's Revenge" over a montage of Lee and his friends breakdancing in the streets of the Bronx and Ramon. "Son of Beat Street" and "Baptise the Beat" are the dance numbers at the house party. Juicy performs "Give Me All" and over the end credits "Beat Street Strut." "Santa's Rap" is Lee and two of his buddies (The Treacherous Three) singing a comic Christmas rap number as Santa and two kids complain about his gifts. Jake Homes sings the R&B ballad "Strangers In a Strange World" as Kenny takes Tracy home. "Frantic Situation" is Afrika Bamaataa's goofy jungle routine at the Burning Spear Club. "Battle Cry" is the number that gets Lee and his buddies into trouble when they're practicing a dance routine, and the cops think they're actually trying to hurt each other. 

The huge finale involves Davies and almost every rap group in the film dressed in the most 80's collection of tulle, sequins, chains, and vinyl saluting the life and death of Ramon with "Beat Street Breakdown." A gospel choir finishes off with "Believe."

Trivia: Filming locations included the actual Roxy (which has since been demolished), the City College of New York, and the Bronx subway.

Most of the graffitti used in the movie wasn't real, but actual graffiti artists were used as consultants. 

What I Don't Like: It has a lot of the same problems as Saturday Night Fever - namely, it was made to represent a certain time and place, and hasn't aged well beyond that. New York and rap culture have changed a lot in 40 years. The crazy costumes at the clubs and in the finale alone scream "New York 1984." There is some bad language (though not to the degree of Fever) and violence, not to mention that tragic ending. Most of the artists here probably aren't remembered by anyone but huge fans of 80's rap, too, and neither the actors, nor the plot are really all that interesting. 

The Big Finale: If you want to learn more about early rap culture or rap in New York in the 80's or are a fan of the rap and R&B musicals of the mid-80's, this one is worth checking out for some of the numbers alone.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere; it's streaming for free on The Roku Channel and Pluto TV. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

The Roku Channel 

Pluto TV

Musical Documentaries - Wattstax

Columbia, 1973

Starring Richard Pryor, Kim Weston, Ted Lange, and Issac Hayes

Directed by Mel Stuart

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with this look at a classic concert film. This was a benefit organized by Stax Records in 1972 for the impoverished Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles to honor the 7th anniversary of the riots that devastated the community in 1965. Stax brought in the biggest stars in their roster, including actor Issac Hayes, who had just had a massive hit with the first Shaft film. How does this celebration of a place and time where the black community was at a crossroads look today? Let's begin with Richard Pryor introducing what we're about to see and hear and find out...

The Story: Pryor hosts and adds his own comments as the Wattstax concert in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is intercut with scenes from Watts, its vibrant streetscapes, and the Watts Summer Festival that commemorated the riots. We get to see the concert from the building of the stage to the very last song, and how much the music and their community meant to the people of Watts, even after the events that destroyed much of the neighborhood.

The Song and Dance: Great music by a nice variety of gospel, R&B, rock, and jazz artists anchors this look at how a community can still thrive, even in the wake of tragedy, upheaval, and revolution. It's interesting to see the comments from all of the people in the streets and cafes, and how well they compliment and contrast to the songs being played in that massive stadium. Look for Ted Lange, who would play Issac the bartender on The Love Boat five years later, among those discussing their feelings for the riots, Watts, and black culture in the early 70's. 

Favorite Number: Our first song after an audience-rousing speech from none other than Jesse Jackson is "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" by the Dramatics. The group the Staple Singers have three songs - the best is the rousing "Respect Yourself." Kim Weston gets patriotic with "The Star Spangled Banner" and encourages the audience to "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Jimmy Jones lends his velvet voice to "Someone Greater Than I," while the Rance Allen Group throw themselves into the more dynamic "Lying on the Truth."

The Golden Thirteen sing of that "Old Time Religion" while we see scenes from a choir at a real church in Watts performing the number as they remind us how important religion is to much of black culture. The audience almost literally goes wild for "Peace Be Still" by the Emotions. The Bar-Kays, with their huge white Afro wigs and chain costumes, get their funk on for "Son of Shaft/Feel It." Albert King insists "I'll Play the Blues for You," while Little Milton takes us into the night with "Walking the Back Streets and Crying" beautifully shot against a flickering bonfire. 

The men on the streets discuss the origins of Johnnie Taylor's "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" before he comes in with a searing performance of the tough R&B number. Mel and Tim's "I May Not Be What You Want" is a far sweeter ballad that covers a montage of couples throughout Watts falling in love and being together. Lovely Carla Thomas admonishes us to "Pick Up the Pieces," while Rufus Thomas shows off his vibrant pink threads before "The Breakdown" and encouraging everyone to "Do the Funky Chicken" in a performance that's so electric, the entire sold-out stadium dances along. We finish with two very different jazz artists. Luther Ingram purrs "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)" while Issac Hayes performs his smash hit "Theme from Shaft" and ends the film with "Soulsville."

Trivia: MGM objected to the use of "Theme from Shaft" and "Soulsville" when the movie debuted. The replacement ending had Hays singing "Rolling on a Mountainside" on a Los Angeles soundstage. This is now replaced by the original ending on most existing prints. "Rolling" is apparently included as an extra on the DVD. 

Stax Records insisted that the security force and film crew be entirely African-American.

Little Milton, The Emotions, Luther Ingram, and Johnnie Taylor had to bow out of the concert. Ingram's performance was shot on a soundstage. The other three were filmed at various spots throughout the city.

What I Don't Like: This is not for young R&B fans. There's a lot of rough language and racial epithets, as per the time and setting. While there's no actual violence shown, it is discussed, including what kicked off those riots. There's also some light-hearted references to relationship abuse that wouldn't be taken as a throw-away joke today. Also, this could do with some restoration. The print currently at Amazon Prime is grainy and a bit washed-out, especially in the scenes with the men talking. 

The Big Finale: A terrific concert and a piece of black history that's well worth your time for fans of classic R&B, rock, jazz, and gospel, or for those who remember when a record company brought out the best to help a community celebrate its recovery from tragedy.

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD

DVD

Amazon Prime