When I was on one of my 'spring' breaks from school, I ventured out to California. I was in Hollywood in 1980 and on the telephone poles and on construction sites I saw this black and white poster of this guy - he looked like he was right out of the 50's and it asked the question: "Who is Caesare?"
Well I've gotta tell ya, Hollywood in 1980 was very interesting. There were a lot of signs, posters and billboards of folks you never heard of such as "The Untouchables", "The Specials", "The Go-Go's", "Motley Crue"... and this was right along with them. So I thought - it's a retro-50's punk-new wave thing. The guy is kinda cute, though. And went back to school on the east coast.
When I finally came back to Los Angeles later in the 80's , I was watching "Z" Channel and ran into this film called "The Idolmaker" starring Ray Sharkey. I loved Ray Sharkey's work in "Crime Story" and "Wiseguy" and thought this would be a good film. Lo and behold, I finally got to connect the posters I saw in Hollywood. It was "The Idolmaker".
This film isn't getting the recognition it deserves - it is quite wonderful. It is quite near the full telling of artist vs. manager, how to be a pop star and how artist dumps manager once they become a star. While this is a parallel of a tale of Frankie Avalon and Fabian, it could be just about anyone in the popular music field and the late Ray Sharkey gives the bravo performance of his life here.
The one thing to note now about this film is the array of folks in it: Peter Gallegher was toted as "too pretty to be a serious actor" from this film and that has haunted him ever since. But guess what? He was an actor here, and the next film "Summer Lovers" and more TV work and movies after that to his fun performance as "The King of Real Estate" in American Beauty and on the teen drama The O.C. He has held his own despite what the critics had said. Post 'Brady Bunch' Maureen McCormack for example - and faces you know (if not the names) that go on to star or be associated with every excellent mob or crime film or series in the 80's, 90's and today. This film was a first in many things - and a peek into the work of it's director, Taylor Hackford who is very good at telling the "devil in the details" films.
If you're interested in how managers/agents/etc. fit in the pop industry, here's a look at how it started -- and how they are treated once their piece of coal becomes a diamond. And too sometimes how making an 'American Idol' goes to their head as well as they forget about the talent. Great film.
Well I've gotta tell ya, Hollywood in 1980 was very interesting. There were a lot of signs, posters and billboards of folks you never heard of such as "The Untouchables", "The Specials", "The Go-Go's", "Motley Crue"... and this was right along with them. So I thought - it's a retro-50's punk-new wave thing. The guy is kinda cute, though. And went back to school on the east coast.
When I finally came back to Los Angeles later in the 80's , I was watching "Z" Channel and ran into this film called "The Idolmaker" starring Ray Sharkey. I loved Ray Sharkey's work in "Crime Story" and "Wiseguy" and thought this would be a good film. Lo and behold, I finally got to connect the posters I saw in Hollywood. It was "The Idolmaker".
This film isn't getting the recognition it deserves - it is quite wonderful. It is quite near the full telling of artist vs. manager, how to be a pop star and how artist dumps manager once they become a star. While this is a parallel of a tale of Frankie Avalon and Fabian, it could be just about anyone in the popular music field and the late Ray Sharkey gives the bravo performance of his life here.
The one thing to note now about this film is the array of folks in it: Peter Gallegher was toted as "too pretty to be a serious actor" from this film and that has haunted him ever since. But guess what? He was an actor here, and the next film "Summer Lovers" and more TV work and movies after that to his fun performance as "The King of Real Estate" in American Beauty and on the teen drama The O.C. He has held his own despite what the critics had said. Post 'Brady Bunch' Maureen McCormack for example - and faces you know (if not the names) that go on to star or be associated with every excellent mob or crime film or series in the 80's, 90's and today. This film was a first in many things - and a peek into the work of it's director, Taylor Hackford who is very good at telling the "devil in the details" films.
If you're interested in how managers/agents/etc. fit in the pop industry, here's a look at how it started -- and how they are treated once their piece of coal becomes a diamond. And too sometimes how making an 'American Idol' goes to their head as well as they forget about the talent. Great film.