The Little Richard Story

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Movie
German title The Little Richard Story
Original title Little Richard
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 2000
length 86 minutes
Rod
Director Robert Townsend
script Bill Kerby ,
Daniel Taplitz
production Iain Paterson
music Velton Ray Bunch
camera Edward J. Pei
cut Sabrina Plisco ,
Marcelo Sansevieri
occupation

The Little Richard Story (Original Title: Little Richard ) is an American television film by Robert Townsend from 2000 about the life of rock 'n' roll musician Little Richard . The film was broadcast on June 4, 2001 by the pay-TV channel Premiere . VOX broadcast it on free TV on January 24, 2004.

action

During a concert in Sydney , Australia in 1957 , the musician Little Richard noticed the launch of a Russian rocket in the sky and interpreted it as a sign of God. He leaves the stage during the show. Even his band cannot dissuade him from his plan to stop playing the next day.

1943: Richard is repeatedly discovered by his father Bud while playing in women's clothes. Richard can only avoid the beating attack by his father through the intervention of his mother. As a punishment, Bud drags Richard to box, where he is knocked unconscious by a bigger boy.

Richard is active as a singer in the church choir in 1948, together with his brothers he has to help his father hide illegally distilled rice schnapps at night. When he confesses his sins in the church and asks for forgiveness, the piano begins to play by itself. Richard interprets this as a sign from God, even when a cat that had hidden inside the piano turns out to be the cause. The preacher catches Richard playing the piano and complains to his parents. Here Richard has to listen to Bud admitting to the priest that he is ashamed of his son.

While working as a dishwasher in Atlanta , Richard met the musician Sugarfoot Sam in 1952 , who gave him a change to perform in his travesty show. After a guest performance in a tap dance group , Richard, now a singer in the LJ Heath Band, is also making a guest appearance in his hometown of Macon . His father is the only family member who does not come to his performance. When Richard wants to visit his father in his club after the show, he has to watch him force a drunken guest out of the door. This brings back memories of his youth and Richard refrains from visiting. On the steps of the church he vows to make his father proud.

Through his acquaintance with the singer Billy Wright , Richard learns to dress pompously and to apply make-up. Billy arranges for him the first record with the title By the Light of the Silvery Moon . The recording also earned Richard the goodwill of his father, who played his son's record on the club's jukebox . Richard begins a relationship with the attractive Lucille. After a brawl, Bud is shot dead by a drunken guest, James Leroy.

In 1953 Richard founded his band The Upsetters with whom he performed live. Shortly afterwards Richard receives an offer for test recordings, but he has to do this with studio musicians. At first there is no spark, only with a version of Tutti Frutti played by Richard during the break the singer manages to inspire the agent Bump. Richard thus receives a contract from Art Rupe with Specialty Records . Tutti Frutti successfully lands at number 2 in the charts. When Pat Boone, a clearly defused version, also landed in the hit parade, Richard refined his unusual musical style and increased the tempo of his following songs.

In 1956 Richard bought a big house for himself and his family and went on tour with his old band, the Upsetters. Richard's Agent Bump is concerned about Richard's lifestyle, the wild gigs, the wild parties, and the sexual debauchery. When Lucille asks Richard to marry, the relationship ends because Richard does not want to limit himself to one woman, but instead points out to Lucile that he is bisexual . Richard ponders a radio preacher, he notices that his mother only lives in one room of the huge house, in the light of a lamp he recognizes a cross, he recognizes a preacher as a former musician. Doubtful he goes on the upcoming tour to Australia.

In 1962 Richard was working as a preacher in his hometown Macon when he received an offer from promoter Don Arden to headline a tour of England with Sam Cooke . Since Richard needs the money for his community, he agrees to sing gospel on condition . When the audience, fueled by Cooke, booed the singer with his gospel performance, Richard quickly switched back to rock 'n' roll.

The film ends with the note that Little Richard has lost faith in God, as well as faith in the make-up he used .

reception

TV Spielfilm called the film "Through the rose-colored glasses, but quick and vital".

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Little Richard in TV Spielfilm , accessed June 14, 2020