Jerry Butler Movies
Roger Friedman is an entertainment journalist and music fan with a particular love for R&B and soul music from the mid-'50s to the pre-disco era of the early '70s. Owing in part to segregated booking policies and simple lack of proper archiving, Friedman discovered there is little or no surviving film footage or videotape of many of the greatest artists of the era performing on-stage. However, a large number of the performers in question were still active and performing on a regular basis, and with the help of documentary filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker, Friedman set out to capture some of his favorites on film while they were still in good form. Only the Strong Survive features knockout performances from such R&B legends as Wilson Pickett, Jerry Butler, the Chi-Lites, Carla Thomas, Mary Wilson, Ann Peebles, and many more, as well as interviews in which the artists discuss the ups and downs of their lives in music. Only the Strong Survive also features performance footage of Memphis R&B pioneer Rufus Thomas, who had passed on at the age of 84, less than two months before the film was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Bell, Jerry Butler, (more)
- 2001
- Add Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop: The Greatest Songs From Early Rock 'n' Roll to QueueAdd Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop: The Greatest Songs From Early Rock 'n' Roll to top of Queue
Some of the greatest artists of the early days of rock & roll and rhythm & blues return to the stage for this special musical celebration. Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop: The Greatest Songs From Early Rock features hosts Jerry Butler, Lloyd Price, and Frankie Valli as they introduce new performances from such legendary acts as Little Richard ("Keep A-Knockin'"), Frankie Ford ("Sea Cruise"), Lou Christie ("Lightning Strikes"), Little Anthony and the Imperials ("Tears on My Pillow"), Joey Dee and the Starlighters ("Peppermint Twist"), the Fleetwoods ("Mr. Blue"), the Contours ("Do You Love Me"), and many more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2000
The great street-corner harmony groups of the 1950s return to show a packed house how it's done in this program originally produced for PBS. A number of classic doo-wop acts perform their hits, including the Cadillacs ("Speedo", Harvey and the Moonglows ("Sincerely" and "The Ten Commandments of Love"), the Harptones ("Sunday Kind Of Love"), the Flamingos ("I Only Have Eyes for You"), the Spaniels ("Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight"), Jerry Butler ("For Your Precious Love"), and more. This video is the second of two volumes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2000
Season six of Star Trek: Voyager came to a traditional climax with Part I of the cliffhanger "Unimatrix Zero." In a dream, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) envisions a world called Unimatrix Zero, where all Borg Drones briefly become individuals during the Borg Collective's regeneration process. It turns out that this strange new world is very real, and when the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) finds out about the "recessive mutation" of her minions, she vows to destroy Unimatrix Zero. Combining forces with Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Seven of Nine attempts to stop the Queen by fomenting an all-out mutiny against the Collective. Former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Brent Spiner makes a cameo appearance as an "uncompleted" Drone. "Unimatrix Zero, Part I" first aired on May 24, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
- 2000
Season seven of Star Trek: Voyager commenced with the conclusion of the previous season's cliffhanger finale, "Unimatrix Zero." The titular world is a place where all Borg Drones briefly become individuals during the Borg Collective's compulsory regeneration process. Determined to destroy Unimatrix Zero, the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) faces formidable resistance in the form of a rebellion, sparked by Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). But the uprising threatens to end in disastrous defeat as Seven of Nine's loyalties begin to waver between the Collective and the Federation. "Unimatrix Zero, Part II" first aired on October 4, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roxann Dawson
- 2000
Rhythm & blues legend Jerry Butler is your host for this concert video, which features performances from some of the greatest vocal groups of the first rock & roll era, reunited for a special show at Pittsburgh's Benedum Center. Doo Wop at 51, Vol. 2 stars the Coasters, the Chiffons, the Orioles, the Clovers, and many more. Selections include "Poison Ivy," "One Fine Day," "Crying in the Chapel," "Love Potion #9," and other hits. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1999
Jerry Butler hosts this nostalgic look at some of the music groups and songs that thrilled audiences of the 1950s and 1960s. Segments feature such performers as the Del-Vikings, the Mystics, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Marcels. Tunes like "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" let viewers revisit happy memories of listening and dancing pleasure from yesteryear. ~ Elizabeth Smith, Rovi
- 1999
The magic of the first rock & roll era comes alive again in this program (originally broadcast on PBS), which brings together some of the greatest harmony groups of the 1950s singing their best-loved hits. The highlights include the Platters singing "Only You," the Del-Vikings rockin' on "Come Go With Me," Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners crooning "Since I Don't Have You," Jimmy Maestro performing his hits from his days with the Crests ("Sixteen Candles") and the Brooklyn Bridge ("The Worst That Could Happen"), the Cleftones swinging on "Heart and Soul," and the great Eugene Pitt and the Jive Five performing the classics "My True Story" and "What Time Is It?". A second volume is also available. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1985
This release compiles television appearances by a number of beloved R&B performers including Ben E. King, Billy Preston, Gladys Knight, and Sam Moore. Among the songs performed are "Soul Man," "Spanish Harlem," "Band of Gold," and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rufus Thomas, Sam Moore, (more)
- 1982
Three New York women with a history of sex and drug abuse become roommates and grapple with their problems in this erotic adult drama from co-writer and director Chuck Vincent that notably strives to be a cut above its porn genre. Samantha Fox stars as Billie, a former prostitute now trying to forge a career as a casting director but who finds herself once again being used and abused by men. Billie splits the rent with two other young women: Joan (Veronica Hart), a drama student having an affair with her married acting coach Ted (Josh Andrews), and Sherry (Kelly Nichols), a model struggling with a drug addiction. Despite their attempts to overcome their roles and their mutual support for each other, all three roommates face challenges that threaten to compromise their efforts. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Samantha Fox, Veronica Hart, (more)
In this sexploitation film, made in conjunction with the Playboy Channel, struggling law student and heir Chip Thurston cannot inherit his fortune until he graduates. If he does not finish, his cousin will get all the money. Naturally, the cousin is doing all he can to insure that Chip will fail. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Drake, Steven Holt, (more)
A black cowboy saves a frontier town from both the law and the bad guys in this western written by and starring Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. Boss (Williamson) is an African-American bounty hunter traveling though the Wild West with his best friend and sidekick Amos (D'urville Martin), gunning down wanted men and claiming the rewards when they make their way into town. When Boss bests a man in a gunfight, he discovers the victim had an invitation to become sheriff of San Miguel, a town under the control of notorious outlaw Jed Clayton (William Smith). Boss and Amos head to San Miguel, hoping to claim the hefty reward for capturing Clayton, but they discover the corrupt and venal Mayor Griffin (R.G. Armstrong) has to be bullied into making a black man sheriff. When Boss shoots two of Clayton's henchman during a barroom brawl, it brings the outlaw out of hiding, but it also makes life dangerous for anyone who dares to side with Boss, including Clara Mae (Carmen Hayworth), a beautiful woman he rescued from an ambush that claimed her father. Boss also finds time for a romantic assignation with Miss Pruitt (Barbara Leigh), the town's pretty schoolmarm, and Amos's new career as deputy allows him to interpret certain laws to his own advantage. Boss Nigger was also distributed under the less controversial title The Black Bounty Hunter, and has been released on home video simply as Boss. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1973
This concert documentary chronicles the many acts that appeared during Jesse Jackon's Operation PUSH exposition held in 1972 in Chicago. Featured concert performers include Marvin Gaye singing "What's Going On," The Temptations with "Papa Was a Rolling Stone, " and Bill Withers performing "Lean on Me." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1972
- PG
In this sci-fi horror movie with comedic elements, a racist transplant surgeon (Ray Milland) learns that he's dying of cancer. He's recently performed some revolutionary experiments with a gorilla (special effects guru Rick Baker), by attaching a second head to the gorilla's body and removing the first one after the second has grown firmly into place. Now he wants to replicate the experiment with a human body, by grafting his head onto another person's frame. This way, he reasons, he'll be able to continue his medical and scientific work unabated. When he comes to after surgery, however, he's horrified to find out that his head has been stitched onto the body (and next to the head) of a large black man (former football player Roosevelt 'Rosey' Grier) due for a murder sentence. Enormous complications then ensue, as the two headed person runs about, with the convict intent on proving his innocence to the cops, and the scientist intent on having the convict's head removed. Director Frost formerly worked on stag films such as 1964's Love is a Four-Letter Word.
~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Roosevelt Grier, (more)
