Directed by: Steve Rash
Starring: Gary Busey, Charles Martin Smith, Don Stroud, Maria Richwine
Buddy Holly died in plane crash on February 3, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa. Like Ritchie Valens, who also died in the crash, Holly's career was blossoming and we are only left to wonder what would have been. Holly recorded a string of hits that have stood the test of time, but also was an innovative musician who produced his own records, which was unheard of at the time. Today it's commonplace. "How can I tell someone to create what's in my head?", he tells a record executive and it is a sound argument. Even if Holly's songwriting dried up, he still likely would have become a powerhouse producer. We will never know.
Holly, who died at age 22, is played by the then-33-year old Gary Busey in a career-defining performance. Busey even sings Holly's songs, which gives them a sense of urgency and freshness. Busey is a pretty good singer. Even though he was 11 years older than the age in which Holly died, Busey looks the part, complete with a wide-eyed enthusiasm for "his" music. Make no mistake, the music was Holly's own and he fought tooth and nail to keep it that way. The Buddy Holly Story works the strongest when we see Holly working his hardest to maintain his vision of what his music should be.
Along with his backup band, The Crickets, Buddy Holly's demo "That'll Be The Day" became an unexpected hit in the Northeast as Holly was struggling with short-sighted radio stations and record producers who do not want him to play "the devil's music." Rock and roll was in Holly's blood, heavily influenced by the black artists of the day, so much so that Holly and the Crickets were hired to play the Apollo sight unseen by a promoter who thought they were black. "Thank you very much," was Holly's response when he is told, "I thought you guys were black." They become the first white artists to play the Apollo Theater and are an immediate hit. The guys are soon part of the tour featuring Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, and other prominent black artists of the day. They fit right in.
The whirlwind marriage of Holly to a Puerto Rican record company receptionist named Maria Elena Santiago is also documented. The makers of the film came under fire by depicting a fictional conflict in which Buddy had to convince Maria's aunt to allow him to date her niece. The aunt is opposed to Maria dating musicians, but Holly wins her over with his sincerity. There is also a nice payoff at the end of the scene. So what if it is made up? It works nicely. Most biopics create fictional conflicts and invent things that did not happen in order to further dramatic impact. The real story of Maria Elena's marriage to Buddy is not nearly as interesting. In the film, Buddy tells his wife that he chartered the ill-fated plane because the tour bus broke down, which was true. Holly also wanted to get to the next town so he could get his laundry done and rest before the next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota. This is not mentioned in the film, but those who got all up in arms over this slight change in motivation are merely splitting hairs.
The Buddy Holly Story takes the time to examine what made Holly special and convinces us of this as well. We see he had so much more to offer, but his life was cut short, so we will never know the extent of what he could have given us. As mentioned, Busey captures the spirit of Holly in the live performances, but I do have a quibble with how many full songs are played. While it is essential to show Buddy Holly the performer in his milieu, is it necessary to play three or four full songs in a row? I start to think I'm watching a concert, or the filmmakers are merely filling screen time. This is likely just a pet peeve of mine, but I would have like to have seen more of the behind-the-scenes Buddy Holly. We know the songs already and they are part of history. I would have enjoyed seeing a few minutes more of what went into creating them. But that's just me.
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