Barry White Movies
His voice is unmistakable, and the impact that singer Barry White had on the world of R&B, undeniable. With his seductive grooves highlighted by smooth baritone vocals, White turned up the heat with such memorable songs as "Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe" and "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me." In the world of cinema, the good-humored actor/musician scored numerous films in addition to utilizing his voice to striking effect in Ralph Bakshi's Streetfight (1975) and a pair of appearances on the enduring animated sitcom The Simpsons. A native of Galveston, TX, who developed affection for gospel music in his youth, the self-taught pianist later moved to South Central Los Angeles with his mother. As a teen living in California, White began singing with his church choir, later experimenting with recording while working with various independent record labels around the city. Briefly jailed for stealing tires at age 16, White heard Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" and decided to get his life in shape and focus on his career as a singer.From the early '60s on, White was elevated to legendary status following a series of stratospheric hits. Though regarded as a unflinchingly serious man, White is often credited with sparking the carefree disco craze, and his film work shows that he did indeed have a sense of humor regarding his public image. White's score for the 1974 film Together Brothers proved a solid introduction to the film world, though most of his music would be featured in such 1990s efforts as Dead Presidents (1995) and Love Serenade (1996), in addition to contributions to the hit television series Ally McBeal. Plagued by such health problems as kidney failure due to high blood pressure in his later years, White was forced to cancel tour dates in 1999 due to exhaustion. In September of 2002, he was hospitalized due to kidney failure and subsequently underwent dialysis, but a stroke in May of 2003 further debilitated him. On July 4, 2003, legendary crooner Barry White died in a Los Angeles hospital as a result of his health problems. He was 58. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A successful prostitute attempts to fashion a homeless man into her ideal pimp in this unconventional, darkly humorous French drama. Marie (Anouk Grinberg) has no real need for a pimp, being a self-reliant, unabashed woman so fond of her job as a hooker that she is able to convince strangers to try it themselves. Indeed, her financial success allows her to take care of Jeannot (Gérard Lanvin), an impoverished vagrant whom she finds on the streets. She provides him with a bath and a place to sleep, and the two rapidly become lovers. Nevertheless, Marie is soon imploring Jeannot to act as her pimp, begging him to slap her around and take her money. He takes to his new role and soon decides to talk a manicurist (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) into becoming the next member of his stable. The newcomer's inexperience proves to be his downfall, however, as the manicurist lands him in trouble with the law. Director Bertrand Blier attempts to create a controversial look at sexuality by combining black comedy with scenes of smoky sensuality, though many critics found the central premise and the presentation of Marie's contradictory, masochistic character too unconvincing for the film to be fully successful. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anouk Grinberg, Gérard Lanvin, (more)
- 1993
The citizens of Springfield are being inundated with advertisements heralding the arrival of something called "Gabbo," raising curiosity to a fever pitch. One day, it is revealed that Gabbo is the irrepressible wooden sidekick of ventriloquist Arthur Crandall (voice of Hank Azaria), and that they are to star in a new television show. However, much to the dismay of Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright) and Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith), Gabbo's show is scheduled to air opposite that of their favorite entertainer, Krusty the Clown (voice of Dan Castellaneta), and soon Krusty's ratings sink through the floorboards as Gabbo leaps to unprecedented success. Krusty's show is dropped from the schedule, and after his career as a professional gambler hits the skids, Krusty is left with nowhere to go. Eager to help their fallen hero, Bart and Lisa suggest that Krusty stage a comeback special, featuring some of the big-name stars he's become friendly with during his years in show business. Krusty hands his address book to Bart and Lisa and asks them to get to work rounding up talent, while he attempts to lose the weight he put on with a steady diet of milkshakes. Appearing on Krusty's TV special are Bette Midler, Johnny Carson, Hugh Hefner, Luke Perry, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, all of whom perform their own voices; Barry White and Elizabeth Taylor also provide voice cameos for the episode. "Krusty Gets Kancelled" first aired on May 13, 1993. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1990
An informative presentation that includes a guide to recycling. Includes an information booklet and stars a large group of celebrities. Bugs Bunny, B.B. King, Kenny Loggins, Bette Midler and many others are here to spread the word. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1975
- R
Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic helmer Ralph Bakshi subsequently directed the über-controversial animated feature Coonskin (aka Streetfight, 1975). Bakshi opens and closes the film with a live-action tale that stars Scatman Crothers, Miami Vice's Philip Michael Thomas, Charles Gordone, and Barry White; it recounts the adventures of three African-American men who escape from prison and are later gathered up. In between, an animated tale has animal characters with stereotypically black traits -- Brother Rabbit (voiced by Thomas), Brother Fox (voiced by Gordone), and Brother Bear (voiced by White) -- entering a white-dominated ghetto environment and diverging into different paths; one becomes a crime overlord, the second sells the first out to La Cosa Nostra, and the third establishes himself as a media-exploited sports icon. Completely misread as a racist work upon release, the film actually entails Bakshi's satirical excoriation of bigotry via the tongue-in-cheek use of black urban stereotypes. The director laces the film with profane ghetto dialogue and street slang; though animated, this is not a picture for children. Variety wrote of the work, "Beyond Bakshi's cinematic style, his stories seem haunted by a worldliness that is torn between cynicism and tortured humanism. There is heart in his plots, so superficial putdown is totally absent. What is present [is] the evidently sincere empathy of a social surgeon." The legendary Albert S. Ruddy (The Godfather, Cloud Nine) produced. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry White, Charles Gordone, (more)
- 1974
- PG
The Together Brothers is a Galveston, Texas, teenaged gang, populated by blacks and Chicanos. A popular police officer is murdered, and the Brothers' leader (Ahmad Nurradin) wants to track down those responsible. The leader's 5-year-old brother (Anthony Wilson) is the only witness to the crime, thus the boys must keep the kid from becoming dead meat at the hands of the killers. Through methods ranging from cerebral to violent, the Together Brothers piece together the clues and expose the murderers. Filmed on location with a largely nonprofessional cast, Together Brothers makes up in energy and conviction what it lacks in slickness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
