Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Born Elinore Harris, Billie Holiday had a difficult teen and young adulthood period, which included working in brothels, both as a cleaning woman and a prostitute, and being raped. Through this difficulty, she dreamed of becoming a jazz singer. She got her initial singing break when she applied at a Harlem club that was looking for a dancer, but where she got hired as a singer. There, she met and fell in love with the suave Louis McKay. After this initial break, Billie wanted her singing career to move to the mainstream clubs in downtown Manhattan. She took a risk when she agreed to be the lead singer for the Reg Hanley Band, a primarily white group, who convinced her that she would have to make her mark in regional tours before her Manhattan dream could happen. As Billie tried to advance her career, pressures of life, including being a black woman, led to her not so secret substance abuse (especially of heroin), not so secret because of her increasingly erratic behavior, both on stage and off. As those around her, including Louis, worked to support Billie emotionally to get off drugs, Billie faced other issues, such as open narcotic use being a criminal offense, which in combination with the effects of the heroin use itself could be Billie's downfall despite her singing talent.

Cast and Crew:

Director(s):

Sidney J. Furie

Writer(s):

Chris Clark, Suzanne De Passe, William Dufty (book), Billie Holiday (book), Terence McCloy

Starring:

Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Yvonne Fair, Isabel Sanford, Tracee Lyles, Ned Glass, Milton Selzer, Norman Bartold, Clay Tanner, Jester Hairston, Bert Kramer, Paul Micale, Mavis, Byron Kane, Barbara Minkus, Kay Lewis, Helen Lewis, George Wyner, Shirley Melline, Toby Russ, Larry Duran, Ernest Robinson, Don McGovern, Dick Poston, Charles Woolf, Denise Denise, Lynn Hamilton, Victor Morosco, Robert L. Gordy, Harry Caesar, Paulene Myers, Scatman Crothers, Gary Bohn, Darlene Conley, Tony Dante, Charles Drubin, George Golden, Bob Harks, Jayne Kennedy, Richard LaMarr, Tony Regan, Bill Scully, Eddie Smith, Norman Stevans, Toni Vaz

Producer(s):

Brad Dexter, Berry Gordy, Eddie Saeta, Jay Weston, James S. White

Release Info:

Release Date: October 12, 1972 (USA) | Length: 144 min | Genre: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance | Certificate: R | Note(s): ???

Media:

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External Links

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