The Buddy Holly Story (1978)

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

Director:

Steve Rash

Writers:

Alan Swyer (story), John Goldrosen (source material "Buddy Holly His Life and Music"),

Stars:

Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Busey	...	Buddy
Don Stroud	...	Jesse
Charles Martin Smith	...	Ray Bob
Conrad Janis	...	Ross Turner
William Jordan	...	Riley
Maria Richwine	...	Maria Elena
Amy Johnston	...	Cindy Lou
Dick O'Neill	...	Sol Gittler (as Dick O'Neil)
Fred Travalena	...	Madman Mancuso
Neva Patterson	...	Mrs. Holly
Arch Johnson	...	Mr. Holly
John F. Goff	...	T.J. (as John Goff)
Gloria Irizarry	...	Mrs. Santiago
Jody Berry	...	Engineer Sam
Richard Kennedy	...	Preacher

Storyline

The musical career of Buddy Holly is chronicled, from the days when "Peggy Sue" was "Cindy Lou," a song about his first girlfriend, to the meteoric run of "That'll Be The Day" up the charts, to his marriage, breakup with the Crickets, reunion with the Crickets, and untimely death.

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Plot Keywords:

star | song | disc jockey | pregnant woman | affection | 

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Taglines:

The Music You'll Love Forever. The Man You'll Never Forget. The Movie You Must Not Miss.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 November 1978 (Finland)

Also Known As:

A História de Buddy Holly

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

ECA, Innovisions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Also according to Busey and Director Steve Rash, the scene at the roller rink after the band's first rock number in which the extras clapped and cheered was an unexpected reaction to their performance. As you can see in the film, Busey, Smith, and Stroud sort of lose their place and start nervously laughing.

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Goofs

KDAV was a daytime-only radio station in the 1950s.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Caption shown after the end credits are over: "This film is dedicated to those who loved him first - Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence Holley, Maria Elena Holly"

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Best of Music in the Movies (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Mockin' Bird Hill"
(uncredited)
Written by Vaughn Horton
Performed by Gary Busey

User Reviews

Busey's Best

At times, you forget that you are watching Gary Busey play Buddy Holly and start to think that you are really watching Buddy Holly! Besides the terrific acting, Busey is really singing and playing the guitar when on stage. The movie is made as real as a documentary. Like snap shots from his life, the Buddy Holly Story is just that, Buddy Holly's story.