Ringo Starr Movies
Fresh from a nondescript Liverpudlian musical group known as Rory Storme and the Hurricanes, Ringo Starr made the quantum leap to superstardom in 1962 when he replaced Pete Best as drummer for the burgeoning Beatles. Starr was regarded by many music aficionados as the least creative of the foursome, though he may well have enjoyed the largest fan following -- especially among young ladies who felt the urge to "mother" the diminutive Mr. Starr (though he appeared to be the baby of the group, Ringo was in fact the oldest of the Fab Four). In the Beatles' first two films, A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965), most of the comedy material went to Ringo, whose Chaplinesque demeanor and droll, deadpan dialogue delivery paid off in big laughs. Upon the group's breakup in 1970, it was Ringo who fared best as a solo screen actor. He had already brightened up the dull proceedings of Candy (1968) and The Magic Christian (1970); after the Beatles' split, he was seen to good advantage as the Pope in Ken Russell's Lisztomania (1975), as one of Mae West's bewildered amours in Sextette (1978) and as a bumbling Cro-Magnon in Caveman (1979), in which he co-starred with his second wife, Barbara Bach. In 1973, Ringo produced the bizarre horror movie spoof Son of Dracula, appearing onscreen with fellow rock icon Harry Nilsson. A big draw all over again in the 1980s thanks to his All-Star Band tours, Ringo Starr remains a most welcome, if infrequent TV guest star; he has also shown up in several entertaining commercials, including a 1995 Pizza Hut spot in which he co-starred with ex-Monkees Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, and Peter Tork. Ringo continued to record music and often appeared in music documentaries, not all of which were about the Beatles. He made memorable contributions to both Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? as well as George Harrison: Living In the Material World. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
This concert video contains highlights from the Prince of Wales's second benefit concert designed to help out needy British children. Performers include Phil Collins, Bryan Adams, Elton John and Spandau Ballet. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This made-for television version of the Lewis Carroll classic features an all-star cast. ~ Forest Ray, Rovi
- 1985
This entertaining PBS series features stories about Thomas, the little train engine from the land of Sodor. ~ Rovi
- 1985
This live action trip back to Wonderland finds Alice dodging the Jabberwocky and encountering a Wonderland crew including Humpty Dumpty, Tiger Lily, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The voice cast is staggering, including (to mention a few) father and son Lloyd Bridges and Beau Bridges, Phyllis Diller, and George Gobel, Ringo Starr, Jonathan Winters, Sally Struthers, Karl Malden, and many, many more. ~ Rovi
- 1985
One of a series of volumes containing tapes of live performances as seen on the fab British rock 'n roll TV show so popular in the 60s. ~ Rovi
One of the most star-studded super-groups of the rock era, Willie and the Poor Boys included such luminaries as Charlie Watts, Jimmy Page, and Bill Wyman. Filmed at Fulham Town Hall in 1985, this concert film features the band joined by several special guests for a performance of such songs as "Poor Boy Boogie," "You Never Can Tell," "Baby Please Don't Go," and "These Arms of Mine." ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- 1985
- Add Carl Perkins and Friends: Blue Suede Shoes - A Rockabilly Session to Queue Add Carl Perkins and Friends: Blue Suede Shoes - A Rockabilly Session to top of Queue
Carl Perkins was one of the first guitar heroes of the rockabilly revolution of the 1950s, mixing country & western with R&B and creating such classic hits as "Blue Suede Shoes," "Honey Don't," "Boppin' the Blues," and many more. Carl Perkins and Friends: Blue Suede Shoes - A Rockabilly Session preserves a special concert staged for television in which Perkins sits in with a handful of friends and admirers, including George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Rosanne Cash, and Slim Jim Phantom of the Stray Cats. Perkins' longtime friends Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis also make guest appearances. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1985
Carl Perkins is featured along with other artists in this jam session. Also performing are Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Rosanne Cash and Ringo Starr. ~ Rovi
- 1984
This 1984 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Ringo Starr and features musical guest Herbie Hancock. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ringo Starr, Herbie Hancock, (more)
- 1984
- PG
- Add Give My Regards to Broad Street to Queue Add Give My Regards to Broad Street to top of Queue
Having written the music and screenplay for this film, Paul McCartney also plays himself in the leading role. When the sole copy of McCartney's latest album is misplaced, he must discover its whereabouts in less than 24 hours or else risk losing his recording company to the lowlife Mr. Rath (John Bennett). McCartney performs three new songs, along with a number of classic Beatles' tunes. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul McCartney, Bryan Brown, (more)
- 1984
This live-action animation comes from The Railway Series by the Rev. W. Awdry. Designed for children, this European series has welcome continuity and is narrated by Ringo Starr. ~ Rovi
This melodrama is the second of a two part story based on a novel by Judith Krantz. In this episode, Daisy, the daughter of a Russian prince and an American movie star, must leave college and begin looking for a job in New York so that she can pay her sister's enormous medical bills. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lindsay Wagner, Paul Michael Glaser, (more)
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr plays a prehistoric, social outcast who, along with other misfits, forms his own tribe and finds various comic adventures. This spoof is mostly without dialogue besides the expected neanthropic grunt. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, (more)
The classic rock group The Who are featured in this 1979 documentary about the career of the group. It is enhanced by rare footage of the performers, including a television interview with the later-deceased Keith Moon. Highlights include footage from many of the band's early performances. Among the many songs featured are "Magic Bus," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "My Generation," "Young Man's Blues," "Happy Jack," and excerpts from the innovative rock-opera Tommy. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, (more)
Martin Scorsese's documentary of the 1976 final performance of the legendary Sixties rock group The Band is at once a show featuring some of the greatest rock performers of their generation and a bittersweet look back at an era that was just beginning to fade. As Scorsese guides the group through interview segments discussing their 15 years together, these relatively young men sound like battle-weary survivors. But The Band were in splendid form for this show, and their multiple guest stars pulled out all the stops, especially Muddy Waters, whose "Mannish Boy" is so powerful it nearly burns a hole in the screen; Van Morrison, with a rousing performance of "Caravan;" and Bob Dylan, whose "Baby Let Me Follow You Down" displays the brilliant cockiness of his barnstorming days with this band. The all-star camera crew and superb stereo sound mix create what is considered to be of the best-looking and sounding rock films ever (as the opening credit says, play this movie loud!), and two studio-shot sequences with Emmylou Harris and The Staple Singers stand on their own. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, (more)
Mae West (1892-1980) was perhaps the original comic sex goddess of American cinema. Originally a vaudeville performer, she became a national sensation following her 1926 Broadway show Sex, which she wrote, produced, directed and starred in. She continued to outrage the sensibilities of her time on Broadway before coming to Hollywood and doing the same there throughout the 1930s. She perfected her double entendre humor onscreen and gradually fell out of favor with an increasingly prudish film-going public, though her career underwent several brief revivals. Even as an extremely old woman, she affected the manners and dress of a reigning sex queen. The 1978 release of Sextette, based on her own original scenario, marked her final screen appearance. It was not well received by critics nor the public, and was an undignified note on which to end her sensational career. In this farcical and star-studded film, West plays the fading movie star Marlo Manners, whose attempts to consummate her marriage to Sir Michael Barrington (Timothy Dalton), her sixth husband, are humorously interrupted by the preceding five. Marlo is also dictating the unexpurgated story of her life, and when one of the tapes goes missing, it threatens to cause an international incident, as well as ruining a number of reputations (including her own). ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mae West, Timothy Dalton, (more)
- 1975
- R
This audacious, vulgar, freewheeling fantasia on the life of pianist Franz Liszt ranks among director Ken Russell's most outrageous efforts. Roger Daltrey, lead singer for The Who, is awkward yet likeable as the flamboyant piano performer with a bevy of fetching mistresses and groupies, while Paul Nicholas is completely outlandish as the scheming opera composer Richard Wagner. There's no nod to reality here: Liszt and Wagner were in fact friends, and Liszt, who became Wagner's father-in-law, actually assisted in the production of Wagner's opulent productions. Russell, on the other hand, presents Wagner as Liszt's jealous rival ready to wreak havoc on the world by unleashing a cryogenic Viking (Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman) and a horde of machine-gun wielding robot Nazis. In a finale out of Flash Gordon serials, Liszt saves the day after surviving a guillotine designed for phallic dismemberment. The film is fast and loud and wildly undisciplined, much like one of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies. Look fast and you'll see Ringo Starr as the pope. ~ Les Stone, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roger Daltrey, Sara Kestelman, (more)
- 1974
- PG
Freddie Francis' Son of Dracula, not to be confused with the 1943 film featuring Lon Chaney, Jr., is a minor curiosity, an attempt at a comedic, modern-day vampire story that is most notable for its eccentric casting and pop soundtrack. The title role is played by singer and songwriter Harry Nilsson, in his only leading role. Nilsson would later claim he considered the script "awful," but took the part for the chance to work with close friend Ringo Starr. Starr co-stars as Merlin the Magician, who is friend, assistant, and head astrologer to Nilsson's Count Down. The Count has recently inherited his father's title as ruler of the netherworld, and all the monsters are already arriving in London for the coronation party. Still, though, Count Down is unsatisfied; it seems he's a budding composer, more interested in music-making than evil-doing. When he falls in love, The Count considers giving up his immortality for the sake of a normal life. But first, he and Merlin will have to outsmart the nefarious Baron Frankenstein, who has his own plans for the Count. The film includes a performance of Nilsson's hit single "Daybreak." ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
Long before Grease was even thought of, the British came out with That'll Be The Day, the story of a young man (David Essex) growing up in the dreary working-class world of Britain who comes of age and finds his proper outlet in the first outgrowths of the rock-and-roll world in Britain. This film and its accompanying album were extremely successful in Britain. Along with an excellent (and nostalgic) soundtrack, it features acting performances by rockers David Essex, Billy Fury, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Essex, Ringo Starr, (more)
- 1972
Organized by George Harrison after close friend Ravi Shankar alerted him to the plight of refugees seeking independence from Pakistan, this 1971 concert offers performances by both Harrison and Shankar in addition to featuring such legendary recording artists as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and Ringo Starr. Songs performed in this Madison Square Garden mega-concert include "Blowin' in the Wind", &Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1972
- R
Glam rock superstars T. Rex and their flamboyant frontman, Marc Bolan, were at the height of their fame in the spring of 1972, thanks to a string of hit singles and the smash album Electric Warrior, when former Beatles drummer and budding filmmaker Ringo Starr approached Bolan with the idea of making a movie about the band. Starr filmed a pair of T. Rex concerts at the Wembley Empire Pool, shot a jam session featuring T. Rex, Ringo, and Elton John tearing through a handful of rock oldies in the studio, and included some eccentric comedy bits for texture (including a sequence in which a Mad Hatter-styled Bolan plays a medley of T. Rex hits backed by a string quartet while a group of nuns feast on hamburgers). The result was Born to Boogie, a suitably frantic document of Great Britain's collective bout with "T. Rex-stacy," and the definitive record of Bolan's strutting charisma. Songs include "Bang a Gong (Get It On)," "Jeepster," "Hot Love," "Telegram Sam," "Baby Strange," "Children of the Revolution," and more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marc Bolan
- 1972
A sightless gunslinger and his "seeing-eye" steed is in charge of safely transporting 50 mail-order brides to an isolated Texas town. Unfortunately, a group of Mexican bandits have their own designs on the women. This comical Italian western follows the attempts of the blind hero to rescue them. By the time he gets there the women have decided that they have had enough of all men. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Ringo Starr narrates this animated story of Oblio, a round-headed boy ostracized by society because his head is not pointed. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1971
- R
Less a movie than a purposely crude series of musical vignettes and inside jokes for die-hard fans, Frank Zappa informs viewers in the opening scene that "Touring can make you crazy, ladies and gentlemen, and that is what 200 Motels is all about." The rest of the plot-less production is filled with more self-reflexive reminders, as the close-up eye and tape recorder signal that Zappa is watching everything his bandmembers are doing. Reasonably, the Mothers of Invention make up the cast, notably Jimmy Carl Black, who repeatedly remarks how he just wants to quit the band and go play real music, have a beer, and get laid. The character of Jeff, played by Martin Lickert, was written for bassist Jeff Simmons, who actually did quit the band just prior to shooting. Other cast members include real-life groupies appearing in some bizarre nudity sequences, along with the Who's drummer Keith Moon as the Hot Nun who overdoses on drugs. Ringo Starr appears as Larry the Dwarf and lends some humorous narration, but that does not clarify any of the proceedings. The action supposedly takes place in Centerville, which is really a kind of poorly dressed set guarded by soldiers. The scenes are randomly assembled and interspersed with performances, including the songs "Lonesome Cowboy Burt," "Magic Fingers," and "Strictly Genteel." ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- The Mothers of Invention, Theodore Bikel, (more)
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