Liberace: Behind the Music (TV 1988)

Director:

David Greene

Writer:

Gavin Lambert

Stars:

Victor Garber, Saul Rubinek, Michael Dolan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victor Garber	...	Liberace
Saul Rubinek	...	Seymour Heller
Michael Dolan	...	Scott Thorsen
Maureen Stapleton	...	Frances Liberace
Shawn Levy	...	Glenn
Michael Wikes	...	George Liberace
Macha Grenon	...	Joanne
George Touliatos	...	Salvatore Liberace
Kenneth Welsh
Dianne Heatherington
Paul Hipp	...	Elvis Presley
Frances Hyland	...	Florence Bettray Kelly
Stephen Watts	...	Jimmy
Rochelle Bruneau	...	George's Girl
Joan Heney	...	Serious Lady

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

liberace | independent film

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Liberace - Ein Leben für die Musik

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kushner-Locke Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 93 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

During a montage of Liberace's Las Vegas shows in the mid-Fifties, stock footage of the Strip and Downtown includes glimpses of hotels and showroom acts that date to late Seventies at earliest.

User Reviews

Liberace: Behind the Music-Casts A Sour Note *1/2

Too much is attempted to be told in 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Victor Garber does turn in a convincing performance as the flamboyant Lee. Maureen Stapleton is his doting mother who appeared on the way to another wonderful performance when the writing for her part did her in. As is the case with all those who orbited around his life, she was there to take full advantage even if it meant attempting to sabotage his one brief stab at a female romance. That being said, even the female took advantage of Lee as well.

The music is nicely staged. There is an all too brief scene with his father, the latter having abandoned the family years before. Years later, the father, an apparent Alzheimer's victim, doesn't even remember his son.

The film tries to convey that Liberace was virtually trapped by his homosexual tendencies. The film begins to fail as the men in his life begin to come and go. The most tragic of his guys was the 18 year old that he took in to make his chauffeur, only to see him become a cocaine addicted victim who is thrown out by Liberace. He retaliates by filing a palimony suit for millions.