By Soulpuss (24.102.217.36) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 12:24 am:

I recall years ago when there was a buzz through the soulvine that some folks were planning on making a movie based on the life story of Sam Cooke. I believe Teddy Pendergrass was to be the star. If I remember correctly this was before his car accident. I guess the idea died on the vine.I think the Manhattan Gerald Alston's name was being thrown around too.He can sing y'all. Gerald Alston is vastly underated and overlooked.

Who do you think could take on the star role and do it justice? Will Smith, Denzel, Mario Van Peebles, Cuba Gooding Jr., who???

I think, if Marvin Gaye were around, he would be the perfect fit for the star role. What do you think?

There are a couple of guys that sound very close to Sam Cooke. Some are: Louis Williams (Ovations),Benny Conn, Willie Hightower. Are these singers still with us?

By john dixon (63.101.17.207) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 06:07 am:

Cuba Gooding Jr? After "Snow Dogs" and "Boat Trip", he'll be lucky to get a Preparation H television endorsement. Talk about career self-immolation!

Denzel's the best, of course, but he's too old now to play Sam convincingly plus he's just too Denzel. Someone not so well known should play the part.
But Sam's story is just begging to be told by the right film makers.
The first couple of minutes of the movie "Ali" made me believe for a second that I was about to see 'The Sam Cooke Story'.

By dvdmike (65.208.234.61) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 07:03 am:

These types of films, although great ideas, are often slow to develop. I can still remember talks to have Teddy Pendergrass portray Otis Redding and Dorian Harewood play Nat King Cole. But, these are stories that should be told.

By Eli (205.188.209.38) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 08:01 am:

Dorian Harewod would make a great Sam Cooke with dubbed in songs of course.
Definitely NOT any of the other afforementioned people.

By dvdmike (65.208.234.61) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 08:32 am:

Some years ago, Dorian was on tap to portray Nat King Cole, but the project was cancelled mainly to disagreements with Nat's widow, Maria. He wanted to do his own singing and Maria wanted him to lip-sync to Nat's recordings. Anyone who has never heard Dorian sing, the man can blow, but he never seriously pursued a music career. Irene Cara once said she tried many times to persuade him to focus more on his singing.

By JSmith (212.39.231.20) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 08:42 am:

Is the 'Otis Redding Story' movie project still dead in the water.
I know many moons ago (when he was hot in the charts) Billy Ocean was pencilled in to play Otis.
Who would get the part now...Sam L Jackson ????(George's brother NO ..Jessie's brother, NO ...Chuck 'Charles' brother !!!! ....NOT)

By john dixon (205.188.209.38) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 09:38 am:

I'm trying to get a bead on who Dorian Harewood is. Didn't he play a GI in Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket"? If I've got the right guy, he WOULD have been great as Sam, maybe 15 years ago. I think he's too old now. Sam was only 33 when he was murdered.

And trying to picture Billy Ocean, with his thick island patois, portraying Macon, Georgia native and no-doubt-about-it southmouth Otis Redding is just plain hysterical. Thank God that didn't pan out!

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 10:53 am:

At one point, wasn't Cuba Gooding Jr. considered for the lead role in a proposed film on Otis Redding? I remember a television interview with Cuba Sr. where he was asked about his son playing a singer. Cuba Sr. laughed and said, "My son can play a singer but he'd better leave the real singing to me!!"

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:08 pm:

Soulpuss,

I could be wrong about this but I've a feeling
Louis Williams died a few years ago. He sounded
so much like Sam it was uncanny.

Haven't heard anything about Willie Hightower
or Benny Conn in years. The last sighting of
Willie Hightower was an indie single in the early eighties. He's probably gone back to singing gospel.

By Michael/cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:09 pm:

John Dixon:

You are a hoot! I am still laughing at your Cuba Gooding comments. But your are right. He must be working with Gwynneth Paltrow's agent.

Hollywood needs to be shown that doing films about these great black singers will generate box office. Films such as "What's Love Got to Do With It" and "Lady Sings the Blues" are the exception rather than the rule. And these films were about "female" icons who seem to get more play and adulation in the media.

Since Hollywood's main focus is the teenage audience and their memories only go back as far as Michael Jackson, biopics of these late, great male soul legends are doomed unless they are done for TV. Or unless an A-list person like Denzel Washington or the newly crowned A-list person Queen Latifah throw their weight around. I think a Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, or Otis Redding biography would be incredible because of the complexity of their lives. But Hollywood.... I think you will see a biopic of P. Diddy sooner.

By Sly fan (67.115.74.237) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:23 pm:

Cuba Gooding Jr....Sam Cooke!?? I had a hard time with Will Smith playing Ali (before he gained the weight and spent dern near 24 hours with "The Champ") but Cuba..They should've picked Leon( the one who was in 5 Heartbeats and he played David Ruffin).

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:41 pm:

The way Hollywood stinks everything up I wouldn't be surprised to see Tom Cruise as Sam Cooke. Didn't Harry Connick Jr play one of the Tuskeegee Airmen or something? No, wait that was another hallucination....

SteveK

By Sly fan (67.115.74.237) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:47 pm:

LOL!!

By Michael/Cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:49 pm:

LTLFTC:

LOL!!!!

By Vickie (64.236.243.31) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 02:55 pm:

The best show case for these types of films are TV and cable. The Dorothy Dandridge Story was HBO..and it did very, very well...
The Beach Boys Mini Series was great as well, was nominated for an Emmy..It's hard to get the mass public out to theatres for these types of films.
Network Mini Series or SHowtime, HBO special series movie I think is the best way to go...

Vickie

By Common (209.2.55.172) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 03:23 pm:

LTLFTC: LMAO!

Vickie: I agree with going the cable route. For various reasons, feature length movies focusing on black singers, don't seem to do very well. The movie on Frankie Lymon came & went without a trace. The movie itself wasn't too bad but I thought that casting Larenz Tate wasn't a good idea. I guess he was a hot property at the time & they thought it would pull in the audiences. Obviously, they were wrong. In the case of Sam Cooke, I also think it should be an unknown. I read somewhere that they were considering Leon to play Marvin Gaye(????????). Nuff said!

Peace!

By john dixon (63.101.17.207) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 03:34 pm:

If Hollywood feels like they need to cast some young rapper turned instant thespian in the role of Sam to pull in a younger demographic, I would just as soon they didn't bother at all.

By dvdmike (12.84.120.232) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 09:06 pm:

Dorian Harewood will be 52 in August

By Soulpuss (24.102.217.36) on Tuesday, April 08, 2003 - 10:09 pm:

Here goes Soulpuss playing casting director:

Sam ...R. Kelly
L.C. ... Nelly
Sam's Dad ... Mr. Biggs
Sam's Wife ... Queen Latifah
J.W. Alexander ... Ice Cube
Bob Keene ... Tom Hanks
Soul Stirrers ... Boys to Men
Bumps Blackwell ...Cedric the Entertainer
Motel Owner who shot Sam ... Missy Elliott

Director ...Robert Townsend

By R&B (138.238.41.128) on Wednesday, April 09, 2003 - 10:03 am:

THE SAM COOKE STORY,LET ME PLAY CASTING DIRECTOR AND PUT THE ACTOR WHO PORTRAYED RICHARD STREET IN THE TEMPS MOVIE,HE'S YOUNG ENOUGH,HE SINGS AND IF YOU TAKE A GOOD LOOK HE FAVORS SAM ALOT MORE THAN THE OTHERS MENTIONED.

By Sly fan (67.119.52.20) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 03:37 pm:

soulpuss: Are you a casting agent??..thats too perfect of a cast...Kelly is from Chicago but he doesnt look anything like Mr. Cooke but I do like the idea...

Ice Cube and Missy, LOL!! that would be pretty cool..

If Diana Ross can play Billie Holiday..anything is possible....

By Ritchie (62.254.0.9) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 03:53 pm:

I think Ms Ross played a character CALLED "Billie Holiday" in that movie. There, the similarity ended :o)

By dvdmike (12.84.120.28) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 04:48 pm:

The actor who played Richard Street in the "Temptations" movie is J. August Richards. He also played Teenager Sherman Garnes in the film, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love". He might have the looks, but he's a bit tall for Sam Cooke.

By john dixon (63.101.17.207) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 04:51 pm:

doesn't he play Gunn on "Angel", the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" spinoff on the WB?

By stephanie (64.63.221.87) on Thursday, April 10, 2003 - 05:58 pm:

Steve K
that was funny!!! Harry Connick a Tuskegee Airman...LOL
Steph

By CandyKool51 (66.73.179.243) on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 12:57 pm:

How about Taye Diggs as Sam Cooke? Leon was great as David Ruffin and very good in The Five Heartbeats but whoever cast him as Little Richard should be shot. Money is money though.

By Soul Sister (65.43.153.219) on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - 10:03 pm:

Soulpuss: Your right Gerald Alston is a friend of mine, Sam Cooke was one of his idols, he's always wanted to play Sam in a life story, he absolutely adores Sam's gospel style when he was with the SoulStirrers. To hear Gerald sing Ä Change Is Gonna Come"will send chills up your spine, Gerald's the Man!

By fayette (152.163.188.68) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 04:16 pm:

why not let usher do sam cook. trent darby
did an excellent job portraying jackie wilson.
he sung to be loved and blew me away.then there's
byran mcknight(sam)

By fayette (152.163.188.68) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 04:21 pm:

i would like to see a movies based on
donny hathaway and phyliss hyman. phyliss
was talented and beautiful. donny was a genius

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 06:22 pm:

Donny Hathaway's death was an awful tragedy and a major shock at the time.

Can anyone tell me where he died please?

By Soul Sister (65.43.153.219) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 06:39 pm:

I heard it was a hotel in N.Y.C.

By fayette (64.12.103.22) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 06:48 pm:

donnie hathaway fell 15 stories to his
death at the essex hotel in new york

By SisDetroit (68.42.209.170) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 06:55 pm:

Some artist do not believe it was intentional on Donnie's part.

By Scratcher (65.132.77.157) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 07:30 pm:

Phyliss Hyman also supposedly committed suicide in a New York hotel room.

By fayette (152.163.188.68) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 07:42 pm:

the tragic thing is donny had been treated
for depression, to me he had it all.handsome
talented wealth. but still something missing.
same with phyliss,

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 07:47 pm:

Phyllis Hyman died on June 30, 1995 - hours before she was to perform at the Apollo Theatre with the Whispers. She was found unconcious inside her NYC hotel room by her colleagues & management - she had taken a bottle of sleeping pills.
I was managing a record store in Manhattan's Upper West Side at that time and had set up a display with her CDs for the concertgoers. The next day the display became a memorial.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By dvdmike (12.84.107.226) on Thursday, April 17, 2003 - 08:17 pm:

I got to meet Donny Hathaway when I was in high school. It was 1972 and the head of my high school music department, Lena McLin held a music seminar. Donny was there along with Quincy Jones, Jerry Butler, Yusuf Lateef and local singer Bobby Hutton. I saw Phyllis Hyman on Michigan Avenue in Chicago a couple of years before she died.

By Soul Sister (65.43.153.219) on Friday, April 18, 2003 - 04:11 pm:

Phyllis from what I understand was having big problems with her management and trying to get away from the situation. I know she called another singer(whom I know personaly) for some advice but the man"s wife at the time, would not let her talk to him (out of jealousy), then two days later Phyllis was gone, maybe she felt she had nowhere to turn.(?)...How sad, she was wonderful.

By Julian (205.188.209.16) on Saturday, April 19, 2003 - 12:39 am:

Phyliss Hyman was FOINE (fine)!

By fayette (64.12.97.7) on Saturday, April 19, 2003 - 07:27 pm:

wonder why nobody has made a movie about
marvin gaye. he was a seemingly complex
man. extremely talented and i believe his
life story would make a interesting movie.ps
i'm wondering who could play marvin???

By Soulpuss (24.102.217.36) on Sunday, April 20, 2003 - 07:43 am:

Hi Fayette: Your suggestion of casting Usher to
play Sam Cooke is excellent. He could also do Marvin Gaye.

By 1Wicked (24.126.64.120) on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 02:01 am:

Donny Hathaway's death remains a mystery. Though his mental state was considered "fragile" (at best), and he had been treated for depression...many doubt that it was suicide. It has been said that he would often lean out of windows to "preach" to the birds....and perhaps this time he leaned too far. Nothing going on in his life at that time suggested that he was a man on the brink.
IMHO Donny was a genius and his work still holds up all these years later. "Valdez In The Country" and "The Ghetto" (among others) are just as beautiful today as they were the day they were released. And his duets with Roberta Flack are second only to Marvin and Tammi.