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The Buddy Holly Story

The Buddy Holly Story

List Price: $24.95
Your Price: $22.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An Outstanding Movie!
Review: The best words that you could use to describe this movie is happy and cute. This movie details the life story of Buddy Holly from the beginning days of his career to his tragic death. His ability to write his own music was very well detailed in this movie.It was especially humorous when he packed his girlfriend off to the University of Texas and decided to pursue a career in music.His courtship of his wife was very touching as well. I especially got a charge out of his appearance at the Apollo Theater.The role of Buddy Holly was well played by Gary Busey. He usually plays the role of a villain. The music that was used in the movie was good as well. This was a very good movie that I thoroughly liked watching. Watch it,you will not be dissapointed.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Buddy Holly Story
Review: The Buddy Holly Story is OK if your just wanting to watch a movie. I feel this movie did not portray Buddy as he actually was. I felt they could of done a better job with it. It was not very accurate in the details like the band members names. Not bad for a movie but not very accurate.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's not history, but it is the authentic feel of the music
Review: The Buddy Holly Story starring Gary Busey should not be taken as a historical document. Nor do I believe it ever set out to be. What has been created is a film which gives the feel and atmosphere of Buddy Holly, his music and the USA of the day. To have been completely factual would have most probably killed the film with legal challenges and suppression. The Crickets leaving Buddy to side with Norman Petty in the split leading to the final tour and the bitter disappointment this must have caused Buddy, the actual split itself with Petty and the resultant financial complications, these happenings are really not the sort of thing to air in a movie to celebrate the life and music of one of the founders of Rock.

Instead Gary Busey has strapped on a Fender and in effect becomes Buddy Holly. The rhythm and beat, the frantic excitement, the sheer enjoyment of the music, it is all there. We actually get to experience a timeslice of a period some of us recall fondly and others would like to share. A wonderful reminder of good music for us oldies or a enjoyable introduction to a legend for others, a Rock'n'Roll legend quoted by The Beatles and a number of other major musical identities as a major influence in their music.

One of the lesser known items about this film and the making thereof is that Gary Busey actually formed a band and toured up and down the west coast of the USA before the making of it to provide himself with the feel and practice of performing Buddy Holly songs before an audience. He actually played and sang the songs in the film rather than lip-sync Buddy's records to provide some authentic feel to the whole thing - good on yer Gary !

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BUSEY'S BEST PERFORMANCE
Review: The involving movie traces the life and untimely death of one of the best of the 1950's rock and rollers, Buddy Holly. With little or no support from his church, his parents, his girlfriend, or the sponsor of his radio show, Buddy believes in himself enough to continue to pursue his rock and roll dream. And I'm glad he did. Buddy's music will rock on for a long time to come. Gary Busey was the perfect choice to play Buddy. Gary's performance of Buddy's music at the end of the movie in the Clear Lake concert is magical. It is strong enough to draw people into Buddy's music that otherwise would not have been exposed to it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A simple but well done biography
Review: This is not a huge hollywood production with slick lighting and camera work but rather a small production that almost has the feel of a cross between a home movie and a TV movie (in a good way). What this movie does so well is celebrate life, and simply follows a character with passion and drive. It's inspiring to see someone follow their dreams relentlessly and that is what the filmmakers have tapped into here. We all know how Buddy Holly's life ends (so if you don't know don't read on), but the movie never even shows a shot of the plane because that is not what it's about. Top this movie off with Gary Busy's performance which is even more impressive when one learns he did all the singing in this film live (he did not lip sync any of it!).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Buddy Holly dies with Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper in plane
Review: This is the ture story of Buddy Holly (played by Gary Busey) who was on the same private plane with Ritchie Valens and Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson "The Big Bopper" on the night of February 3, 1959. The plane crashed and all perished. Waylon Jennings would have been on the plane, but did not go with them at the last minute. Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti [1979], Never Cry Wolf [1983]) and Don Stroud (Amityville Horror [1979], License To Kill [1989]) are also in the cast as Buddy Holly's band. The 1950's music is fantastic. The main song "Peggy Sue" will forever stay in your memory. You will catch yourself singing it from time to time. Gailard Sartain plays "J.P. Richardson "The Big Bopper". Gilbert Melgar plays "Ritchie Valens", who can be seen briefly comnig out a glass door to board the bus. This DVD contains Audio Commentary by Director Steve Rash & Gary Busey.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not The Real Buddy Holly Story
Review: This movie does not in any way portray the real Buddy Holly. It contains several inaccuracies, and, to me, Gary Busey is miscast as Buddy Holly. I have read several books on Buddy Holly in addition to having the video "The Real Buddy Holly" hosted by former Beatle Paul McCartney and the Biography video of Buddy Holly, and this movie doesn't do justice to the Buddy Holly we all loved and enjoyed. If you're looking for an entertaining movie and not concerned with accuracy then, I suppose, you will enjoy the movie. However, if you want the real Buddy Holly story you'll have to look elsewhere.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not The Real Buddy Holly Story
Review: This movie does not in any way portray the real Buddy Holly. It contains several inaccuracies, and, to me, Gary Busey is miscast as Buddy Holly. I have read several books on Buddy Holly in addition to having the video "The Real Buddy Holly" hosted by former Beatle Paul McCartney and the Biography video of Buddy Holly, and this movie doesn't do justice to the Buddy Holly we all loved and enjoyed. If you're looking for an entertaining movie and not concerned with accuracy then, I supppose, you will enjoy the movie. However, if you want the real Buddy Holly story you'll have to look elsewhere.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: maybe worth 1.00
Review: this movie is a poor excuse for "The Buddy Holly Story" "it's very inacurate, and personally Busey is NO comparrison to "The Great Buddy Holly" the energy was there, but I literally laughed out loud when he sang! Sorry. I don't know how he got an award. They should have done MAJOR overdubbing The book Rave On by Philip Norman is the BEST way to see, live, and breath Buddy Holly for a short period of time!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Get "The Real Buddy Holly Story" produced by Paul McCartney
Review: Well, Gary Busey does a quite good job in portraying Buddy Holly and even looks something like him as long as he keeps his glasses on. But, lawdy, this movie is inaccurate, about 60 - 75 % unadulterated bovine excrement. As a long-time and very devoted Buddy Holly fan, I noticed the errors when I first saw the movie in 1978.

Among the errors:

Cindy Lou: No such person; Buddy's high school sweetheart was Echo McGuire.

Hair color: Busey's hair is dyed brown in the movie; Buddy Holly had BLACK hair.

Eye color: Gary Busey has blue eyes; Buddy had BROWN eyes.

Mountains outside of Lubbock in the bus station scene: Lubbock, Texas, is on the Great Plains; the land is FLAT as a tabletop. Also, the bus station does not look like the one in Lubbock which I have seen.

Marriage in Maryland: Buddy Holly and Maria Elena Santiago were married August 15, 1958, in Lubbock, Texas. The ceremony was performed by the minister of the Tabernacle Baptist Church which Buddy and his family attended.

Names of the Crickets: Jesse and Ray Bob never were. The original lineup of the Crickets: Buddy Holly, lead vocals and (usually) lead guitar; Niki Sullivan, rhythm guitar; Jerry (J.I.) Allison, drums; Joe B. Mauldin, stand-up bass. Yes, there were originally FOUR Crickets; Niki Sullivan left in December 1957. Jerry Allison and Joe Mauldin are still the Crickets.

There are far too many errors in list them in this limited space.

Here I recommend three books to read to get the real story: "Remembering Buddy" by John Goldrosen and John Beecher "The Day the Music Died" by Larry Lehmer. These two are absolutely excellent; also good is: "Rave On" by Philip Norman.

Buddy Holly raves on.


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