Read Holiday's original biography and you'll soon find that the 1971 "LSTB" has VERY little to do with Billie Holiday's amazing story, (and many who knew the woman personally further testify that the autobiography itself both embelished and ignored certain facts). The white band with whom she travelled was Artie Shaw's. Neither he, nor his road manager, had ANYTHING to do with getting Lady hooked on heroin. That shameful honor belongs to a man named Stan Levy (not to be confused the great jazz impressario/manager of the same name.) Louis McKay was not a presence throughout Holiday's life as the movie depicts. By her own admission, her choice in men was notoriously bad. If she had actually enjoyed a stable, healthy relationship with someone she might have been able to fight off the demons that eventually killed her.
But remember, in 1971 when the film was made Louis McKay was still alive and probably had some say in how his name was used in connection with the film.
Also, the climactic scene when Richard Pryor is murdered NEVER TOOK PLACE! NOTHING LIKE THAT EPISODE EVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!!
All the musicians she worked with over the years ADORED Billie Holliday like a sister because she never behaved like a typical "diva". She was described by many of them as "one of the cats". Her comraderie with the musicians she worked with should be the focus of any remake. Musicians, as a group, (including individuals like Lester Young, Tommy Flannigan, Artie Shaw, and many scores of others), comprised her most lasting and influencial relationships.
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rpniew
17 years ago
Actually, Billie's autobiography has very little to do with the facts of her life as well. But that's what happens with ghost-written entertainment autobiographies. Her story -- her real story -- has yet to be made into a film. By the way, I know it's controversial among Billie lovers, but I am a big fan of the "Wishing on the Moon" biography, even if it does kind of exaggerate the more salicious details.
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denbeez
17 years ago
Your're right. William Dufty DID alter the facts, and perhaps Lady Day did as well, (or perhaps she forgot a few things.) This is why I said in my post above that "many who knew the woman personally further testify that the autobiography itself both embelished and ignored certain facts."
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rpniew
17 years ago
Ok,I read it quickly. Sorry I passed over the line. I would have loved to have seen her live. Despite attempts to clean up the tracks, many of her recordings are just way too distorted to appreciate. (Although the Decca recordings and the "Lady in Satin" album are excellent.) Of course, if you think that distortion is bad, try listening to Leadbelly. The recording quality is generally awful and he has an accent so thick you could shatter it with a baseball bat. But back to Billie: After having seen "Dreamgirls" (actually over my objections -- my fiancee was the one who wanted to see it) I would love to see Jennifer Hudson in a remake of "Lady Sings the Blues. She has Billie's body shape and can pull off the songs very well.
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rooprect
17 years ago
This is one of the rare occasions where I'm totally in favour of a remake--just to set the facts straight! I agree with just about everything mentioned in this thread; this movie took way too many liberties and definitely tried to beat Billie's life story into a Hollywood formula (complete with a suave, perfect husband and those eee-vil band members who got her hooked on drugs and then dumped her).
But what really irked me is that Billie's music was totally trampled. Did any of you catch the clip of "My Man" which, in the movie, comes across as a feel-good glorification of McKay? lmao Anyone who knows the lyrics realizes that the song is about spousal abuse and the inability to flee. Also it's implied that Billie imagined "Strange Fruit" after seeing a lynching. lmao again. "Strange Fruit" was written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish schoolteacher from the Bronx. It was originally performed by a black vocalist Laura Duncan in 1937.
Which leads me to an interesting note I found on wikipedia which sums up this whole discussion:
In her autobiography Lady Sings the Blues, Billie Holiday suggests that she ... put the poem to music, though the claim is dismissed by David Margolick ... as "an account that may set a record for most misinformation per column inch". When challenged, Holiday - whose autobiography had been ghost-written by William Dufty - claimed "I ain't never read that book."
P.S. I also felt that Diana Ross's singing in the movie was too characteristic of Diana Ross and not enough Billie. Perhaps if they do a remake they should get an unknown singer who has no problem with trying to imitate Billie's performance more faithfully.
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RodFtLaud
17 years ago
The movie doesn't have as much to do with Billie Holiday as much as it does with Diana Ross' considerable charisma and some Hollywood cliches dusted off and recast. But, having said that I have to disagree with you about the music. I thought it was a respectful job. To mimic Holiday is no tribute. There is subtlety in Ross' interpretation. Holiday is really a torch singer.
"Hot sun, cool breeze, white horse on the sea, and a big shot of vitamin B in me!"
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rooprect
17 years ago
You're right, to mimic Holiday is no tribute. And yeah I was a bit harsh when I said Diana's performance trampled all over Billie's music. But I really think the two singers' styles are too different to fly. Diana Ross (whom I think is a great singer in her own right) is extremely upbeat and positive; her notes are crisp and precise. Billie on the other hand had a very dark edge to her singing, and she used a lot of portamento (is that the word when you slide into notes?) and languid, heavy tones. So for Diana to sing Billie's music is a bit like The B-52s singing a bunch of Black Sabbath tunes.
I've only seen a few Billie Holiday performances on tape, but in every one we can see & hear how much pain there is in every note. In one performance of "Strange Fruit" Billie is practically in tears by the end. (Actually Diana did a decent job of trying to sing it with anguish, but it didn't quite seem convincing to me. Well, at least she wasn't smiling.) My gripe with Diana's presentation is that she acts so drugged up that the performances seem numb & emotionless. The director probably told her to do it that way.
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RodFtLaud
17 years ago
I know in my heart you are correct. But I still wish people could hear the Holiday BEFORE the drugs. She's having a great time with a laconic sense of swing and brightness in her voice. There's a lot out there, but it doesn't get the attention that the aching drug period gets.
Ross has a very ladylike, almost dainty approach. I think that is also age. When you listen to her return to that music in 1993's live performance "Stolen Moments" it's just a shade darker.
"Hot sun, cool breeze, white horse on the sea, and a big shot of vitamin B in me!"
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rpniew
17 years ago
I agree; there's a joy in Billie's early music that can't be compared to anything else. But I would also recommend the "Lady in Satin" CD (album). She is at the end of her career, reflecting on her life and her relationships. She no longer has her voice and she knows it, but gives a soul-shattering dramatic vocal performance.
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rpniew
17 years ago
OK, I really don't want to jump on a bandwagon here, but Jennifer Hudson has Billie's body shape (at least in her prime, not the shriveled-up remnant at the end of her career), and I strongly suspect she could pull the part off.
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