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")
(more)

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
Gailard Sartain	...	The Big Bopper
Albert Popwell	...	Eddie Foster
Paul Mooney	...	Sam Cooke
Freeman King	...	Apollo M.C
Matthew 'Stymie' Beard	...	Luthor
Bill Phillips Murry	...	Desk clerk at black hotel
Joe Renzetti	...	Violinist #1
Rajah Bergman	...	Schwartz (violinist #2)
Alan Peterson	...	Eight-year-old
Craig White	...	King Curtis
John Walden	...	Six-year-old
M.G. Kelly	...	Lenny Lawrence
Jerry Zaremba	...	Eddie Cochran
John B. Jarvis	...	Pianist, Eddie Cochran Band
Richard Hayward	...	Drummer, Eddie Cochran Band
David Miner	...	Bass, Eddie Cochran Band
Jack Denbo	...	New York cabbie
Paul Carmello	...	Mr Parker
Robert Christopher	...	Alderson Cadillac salesman
Jack Jozefson	...	Ed Sullivan Show stage manager
Buddy Miles	...	Tour musician
Loutz Gage	...	Ed Sullivan Show producer
Peter Griffen	...	Ed Sullivan Show director
Gilbert Melgar	...	Richie Valens
John Fisher	...	Man in theater
Will Jordan	...	Ed Sullivan (voice)
Bill Lytle	...	Delbert
Roulle	...	Barking Dog
Cora	...	Ruby
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arch Johnson	...	Lawrence O. Holly
Mags Kavanaugh	...	Sissy Lou (uncredited)
Hope Sage	...	Fan (uncredited)
Eric Voge	...	Groupie (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve Rash

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Gittler		screenplay
John Goldrosen		source material "Buddy Holly His Life and Music"
Alan Swyer		story

Produced by
Frances Avrut-Bauer	....	associate producer
Fred Bauer	....	producer (as Freddy Bauer)
Edward H. Cohen	....	executive producer
Fred T. Kuehnert	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Joe Renzetti

Cinematography by
Stevan Larner		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David E. Blewitt		(as David Blewitt)

Casting by
Joyce Selznick

Production Design by
Joel Schiller

Set Decoration by
Thomas L. Roysden		(as Tom Roysden)

Costume Design by
Michael Butler

Makeup Department
Doris Alexander	....	makeup artist
Marvin G. Westmore	....	makeup artist (as Marvin Westmore)

Production Management
Don Goldman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carol Rimer	....	first assistant director
Robert J. Smawley	....	second assistant director (as Bob Smawley)

Sound Department
Willie D. Burton	....	sound mixer (as Willie Burton)
Joel Fein	....	sound recording mixer
Joel Fein	....	special audio
Walter A. Gest	....	sound re-recordist (as Walter Guest)
Robert W. Harris	....	assistant sound mixer (as Bob Harris)
Marvin E. Lewis	....	assistant sound mixer (as Marvin Lewis)
Tex Rudloff	....	sound re-recording mixer
Curly Thirlwell	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Tom Bookout	....	grip
Garrett Brown	....	Steadicam operator
David Dalzell	....	camera operator
Allen Facemire	....	photography: second unit
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician
Calvin Maehl	....	gaffer
Steve Peterson	....	first assistant camera
Randall Robinson	....	Steadicam assistant
Randall Robinson	....	first assistant camera
Steve Stafford	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
James Seidelman	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Darwin Joston	....	driver

Other crew
Douglas Dean III	....	production assistant
John Lytle	....	location manager
Kelly Marshall	....	unit coordinator
Maggie Rash	....	project coordinator

Production Companies

• ECA (as An Innovisions-ECA Production)
• Innovisions (as An Innovisions-ECA Production)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1978) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1983) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Concorde Film (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar (USA) (DVD)
• Fabulous Films (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Roadshow Home Video (Australia) (VHS) (1980s)

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:

According to Gary Busey in the DVD commentary, the line that Charles Martin Smith says about "A fighter who strafes and trains..." during the drive to Nashville was just Smith accidentally blurting out loud something he was thinking, thus Busey and Stroud's genuine reactions.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Buddy sees his girlfriend off on the bus, the camera pans over to the bus station past a gas station that has a billboard with a Century 21 real estate sign over it. Century 21 started in 1971.

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 "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-02-25)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

True Love Ways

Busey Delivers Big Time

I always liked listening to Buddy Holly and felt a real loss when he was killed at a young age in an airplane crash. He wasn't in the old rock 'n roll class of , let's say, Chuck Berry or Jerry Lee Lewis, but he wasn't far behind. Who knows how big his legacy would have been had he sang for decades. Almost every single he put out was a hit.

So, I was very pleasantly surprised how good a job Gary Busey did at playing him and at imitating his singing voice. He did Buddy proud, as were the actors (Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith) who played Holly's backup group, "The Crickets."

Music-wise, there are some of Holly's better-known songs in the beginning of the film and its really good with a strong finish at the end as Holly and the boys are shown in Iowa in their last concert ever. Busey not only sings like Holly, he's a dead ringer for him in the looks department. Some thing was the actor''s best performance ever, and you get no argument from me.

I'm also glad they ended the film on an upbeat note with that Iowa concert, instead of dwelling on his tragic accident. The ending could have been a real downer, but they didn't let it be.