The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Steve Rash

Writers:

Robert Gittler (screenplay)
John Goldrosen (source material "Buddy Holly His Life and Music")

Release Date:

3 November 1978 (Finland)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Music never felt this good.

Plot:

A film about the life and career of the early rock and roll star.

Plot Keywords:

Star | Song | Rock Music | Blizzard | Rock Star

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Gary Busey	...	Buddy Holly
Don Stroud	...	Jesse Charles
Charles Martin Smith	...	Ray Bob Simmons
Conrad Janis	...	Ross Turner
William Jordan	...	Riley Randolph
Maria Richwine	...	Maria Elena Holly
Amy Johnston	...	Cindy Lou
Dick O'Neill	...	Sol Gittler
Fred Travalena	...	Madman Mancuso
Neva Patterson	...	Mrs. Ella Holly
John F. Goff	...	T J
Gloria Irizarry	...	Mrs. Santiago
Jody Berry	...	Sam
Richard Kennedy	...	Preacher
Jim Beach	...	Waylon

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Certification:

West Germany:o.Al. | Australia:PG | Netherlands:AL | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Biltmore Hotel - 506 S. Grand Avenue, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

ECA

Trivia:

The members of the Crickets had already sold their portrayal rights to the producer of a different Buddy Holly movie, so fictitious names had to be used for the Crickets here. Also, for story simplifcation, the three Crickets were reduced to two.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Buddy Holly's pastor did not oppose Buddy's musical projects. In fact, Buddy reputedly tithed regularly to his church. The Holley (correct family name) were Baptists.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Buddy Holly: Hey, Riley, we're all plugged in and checked up... yeah, we're ready.
Buddy Holly: [to Ray Bob] Riley wants to hear you at the mike - that's the one right there; say somethin' into that mike.
Ray Bob Simmons: One, two, three, testing... one...
Buddy Holly: [to Riley] How's that sound?
Riley Randolph: All right, that's a good level, Buddy, hold it right there... Yeah, you better get ready, it's about thirty seconds till eight.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary (1999) (TV)

Soundtrack:

True Love Ways

Not very factual, but the music rocks and so does Gary Busey

I turned 13 when Elvis hit the big times in 1956 with his first RCA hit. A year later Buddy Holly stepped in to give the King some competition. One of Buddy's major talents, besides his unique singing style and his songwriting ability, is often downplayed. Buddy was also a skilled lead guitar player, developing a unique rockabilly style all his own on his Fender Strat. Gary Busey attempts to capture this aspect of Buddy's persona. There were other contemporary master guitar rockers of equal caliber, such as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, and Eddie Cochran, but Buddy's talent is often overlooked.

As noted by others, Busey is the driving force behind the success of "The Buddy Holly Story." Not only does the script play with the facts of Buddy's life, but it even interjects several anachronisms for the two years of Buddy's popularity, basically 1957-1959. One that comes to mind is the scene where Buddy and Maria are watching a 3-D movie. Buddy is disenchanted with it all and tells Maria that it'll never last. It's just a fad. In reality there were no 3-D movies in circulation at the time. The heyday for 3-D was in the early 1950's. By 1955 the fad had already faded. Yet another example where just a little research would have sufficed to make the story more believable.

At times it is difficult to separate what really happened from urban legends surrounding Buddy's career. The story about how the Crickets got their name may or may not be apocryphal, but it certainly did not take place the way it is presented in the movie. Another problem with the film is how Buddy's parents are depicted. Certainly Buddy's parents were supportive of his musical career. "Maybe Baby" is credited to Buddy's mother and she did have input into the writing of the song.

It's good that Buddy's biggest hits were used in the movie, but I miss hearing one of my favorites, "I'm Looking For Someone to Love." I'm proud that as a result of this movie, Buddy's music was reissued for a new generation to hear. His legacy is one of the very best from the early days of rock 'n' roll. Rave on, Buddy, rave on.