Was Memphis Sue a real person?
I can't find anything about her on the net other
than who played her and reviews of the movie. Did
she really exist?
No. She was based on Lefty Lou, the daughter in a family that took Woody under their wing when he got to California. They found that their voices worked really well together so when you got his radio show he made her his on-air sidekick & singing partner.
This movie was great -I enjoyed it a lot, it really captured Guthrie's sense of integrity(which I think is more key than historical accuracy when telling his tale), but as far as details go it was pretty fictional, even compared to Woody's highly fictionalized autobiography...
If you are intrigued by America's great voice of the people I would recommend reading 'Woody Guthrie: A Life' by Joe Klein.
I can't believe I didn't pick up that Melinda was "Memphis Sue" but she had on that puffy black wig and I just had never thought of her as a singer. I wonder if Ashby just was having fun with the viewers or he wanted to cast M.Dillon in two parts for a reason?
I read Woody Guthrie: A Life. One the best biographies I have ever read.
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