Supremes' inspired 'Sparkle' releases first movie poster...

[ivyfield]

I just hope it's better than the Dreamgirls movie. We'll all know come August...

[midnight johnny]

I was very sad to see the trailer......to me it doesn't look at all in the calibre of the original, which was funny, gritty, and had a sense of authenticity. And it had the gorgeous and amazing Lonette McKee and others who could act.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atoS_KCAdcI

[marv2]

The Supremes definitely inspired this version of Sparkle, the movie. They had Mary Wilson serve as mentor to Jordin Sparks during the filming and it was filmed in Detroit of all cities!

[marv2]

What was especially eery about the original motion picture, was in what happened to one of the main characters "Sister" [[Lonette McKee) she died suddenly. One of the most disturbing things about the film was the fact that Florence Ballard passed away on February 22, 1976 and the film was released on April 8, 1976. We went to see it on April 18, 1976, Easter, Sunday.

Was this just an eery coincedence or could the producers have had enough time to alter the film to bring it even more in line with the real story of the Supremes? This is a question that I have thought about for a good while now.

[ivyfield]

Wow - that's very erry. Art imitating life [[or vice-versa).

[skooldem1]

I saw absolutely no similarities between Sparkle and the Supremes.

[marv2]

I saw absolutely no similarities between Sparkle and the Supremes.

I did. Especially the part early on when the girls where singing with the guys in a group. At one gig, the audience threw money and they picked it up. Florence Ballard in her interviews with Peter Benjaminson said the EXACT same thing about the crowds throwing money ..."and don't think that we didn't pick it up!" she said with a chuckle.

Also there was an incident at one of the Primettes early gigs where Diane flirted hard with a guy from the stage and then she jump out into the audience and started dancing with him. Betty McGlown had to step in because it created a commotion. The EXACT same thing happened in the original Sparkle movie when Sister started flirting, bumping and grinding from the stage until a near fight broke out in the audience!

There were a number of similarities between movies and the group, the Supremes.

[bradsupremes]

Aside from it being about a girl group from the 60's, I don't see the similarities. It's funny because I have no interest in seeing "Sparkle." "Dreamgirls" was far more inspired by the Supremes and was a fictionalized version of a true story.

[Roberta75]

I saw absolutely no similarities between Sparkle and the Supremes.

Me neither skooldem although I'll probably see it at the movies because of Whitney Houston.

Best to you,

Roberta

[Kamasu_Jr]

Me neither skooldem although I'll probably see it at the movies because of Whitney Houston.

Best to you,

Roberta

Finally, this will be the movie to put the nail in the coffins of both Diana Ross' and Berry Gordy's careers and will show how they conspired against poor Shantel Baker, Tina Duress and all of the other Supremes.

[simplysupreme]

Finally, this will be the movie to finally put the nail in the coffins of both Diana Ross' and Berry Gordy's careers and will show how they conspired against poor Shantel Baker, Tina Duress and all of the other Supremes.

Hehehehehehe!!

[skooldem1]

I saw a clip from this movie and honestly it looks like a TV movie to me. The most disappointing thing was the song that I heard. It had no soul to it. It sounded so bland compared to the original.

[Kamasu_Jr]

I don't know why the remake old classics. I don't expect a lot out of this film either. The original was low budget, but it had Lonette McKee, who almost burned a hole in the screen; This remake looks low budget and Rev. TD Jakes is involved so I expect some kind of religious message.

[ivyfield]

Finally, this will be the movie to put the nail in the coffins of both Diana Ross' and Berry Gordy's careers and will show how they conspired against poor Shantel Baker, Tina Duress and all of the other Supremes.

Oh, and let's not forget Scheenie Pieenie [[yes she was introduced as that In Japan) and Linda Lorenz...

[Penny]

I will have to see if the original version of this film is on Netflix.

Penny

[smark21]

Jordin Sparks has always been more of a pop singer than a soul singer.

[marv2]

From Wikipedia:

"Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and friends.

Sparkle was a successful film, and is something of a cult classic among African-American audiences. Its success was inspirational in the creation of the musical that would eventually debut on Broadway in 1981 as Dreamgirls. In fact, one of Dreamgirls' central characters is named "Effie", the name of the Mary Alice character in Sparkle. The film's soundtrack album, featuring Aretha Franklin in place of the actresses in the film, was also a success. Two of Sparkle's stars, Dorian Harewood and Irene Cara, portray Alex Haley's parents in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Sparkle was released on VHS in the early 1990s. After being long out of print and unavailable save for television broadcasts, Sparkle was released on DVD in 2007. An abbreviated edition of the accompanying Aretha Franklin album was included on a bonus disc."

This last part is a bit strange because I bought "Sparkle" VHS in 1986 at the Colony Record Store in Manhattan.

[luke]

Good info Marv. I remember seeing Sparkle many years ago and not liking it but I will see it again and see. I throughly enjoyed Dreamgirls movie and I saw original Broadway show and of course got chills when Miss Jennifer sang her song. The audience was so knocked out there was a stunned silence and then the theater went nuts!

[carlo]

I saw the original "Sparkle" earlier this year after purchasing the DVD. After I watched it once, I gave the DVD away to my local library. I didn't like the movie at all. Maybe it's because I had already seen "Dreamgirls" and Dreamgirls for me had the ultimate wow factor. However, I am very excited for this re-make because I'm really looking forward to seeing Whitney. It will be bittersweet. I also like Jordin Sparks.

[marv2]

I saw the original "Sparkle" earlier this year after purchasing the DVD. After I watched it once, I gave the DVD away to my local library. I didn't like the movie at all. Maybe it's because I had already seen "Dreamgirls" and Dreamgirls for me had the ultimate wow factor. However, I am very excited for this re-make because I'm really looking forward to seeing Whitney. It will be bittersweet. I also like Jordin Sparks.

I need to add this perspective on the origina film "Sparkle". For us at the time, it had a huge WOW factor. For many reasons. For one the Supremes were very big news at the time mainly because Florence Ballard had died just weeks before the release of the film Sparkle. It was during the time that action packed "blaxpoitation" films had really begun to die down and there were not many films in major release starring black people in early 1976. The other parts of the major WOW factor for us is that they actors and actresses were excellent in this film and the soundtrack was totally SUPERB!.

Next in a line of unique occurrances surrounding the original "Sparkle" film was Aretha Franklin's appearance on American Bandstand later that month to sing one of the songs from the film. Within a week or two of Aretha's appearance, Mary and the Supremes appeared on AB with Susaye for the first time. All of this was going on while the film was still in it's original run in most U.S. Urban centers!

[Penny]

Carlo, it will be very bittersweet. It will be emotional for some of us to see Whitney on the screen after her untimely death. It will be haunting.

Penny

[rod_rick]

Hey Marv
We all know Aretha recorded the sound track album for Sparkle, but did you want a sound track from the singers in the film, because I did. Don't get me wrong love Aretha, but it was something about Lonette McKee and Irene Cara's vocals that I really liked and wanted to have as well.

[marv2]

Hey Marv
We all know Aretha recorded the sound track album for Sparkle, but did you want a sound track from the singers in the film, because I did. Don't get me wrong love Aretha, but it was something about Lonette McKee and Irene Cara's vocals that I really liked and wanted to have as well.

Rod, of course we wanted the "actual" soundtrack that were heard in the theater when we saw "Sparkle". My brother Robert came home one day with the album Sparkle and it just had Aretha on the cover. I was confused looking at it before listening to it. Why was Aretha on the cover, she wasn't one of the girls in the movie! We had the HOTS for Sister and the Sisters hehehehehehehe....

Anyway, I'll admit Aretha did an excellent job covering those Curtis Mayfield songs. It would be 10 years before I was able to hear Irene, Lonette and Dawn's voices again when I bought the video of the movie.

[jobeterob]

What songs came from Sparkle? Did Aretha Franklin have a hit from it? What year?

[dzMusica]

I bet they did inspire it. LOL.

[captainjames]

What songs came from Sparkle? Did Aretha Franklin have a hit from it? What year?

Rob the one I remember off the top of my head that Aretha did was "Something He Can Feel" or "Giving Him Something He Can FeeL".

[reese]

What songs came from Sparkle? Did Aretha Franklin have a hit from it? What year?

1976 was the year. The soundtrack album went gold, and featured the hit singles SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL, JUMP, HOOKED ON YOUR LOVE, and LOOK INTO YOUR HEART. Aretha still performs some of these songs in concert.

[marv2]

1976 was the year. The soundtrack album went gold, and featured the hit singles SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL, JUMP, HOOKED ON YOUR LOVE, and LOOK INTO YOUR HEART. Aretha still performs some of these songs in concert.

The "Sparkle " soundtrack album was very popular. You could hear Aretha's "Something He Can Feel" all over the place that "Bicentennial Summer". LOL! It went to number one on the Soul Charts.

[smark21]

In 1992 En Vogue covered Giving Him Something He Can Feel and Hooked on Your Love for their Funky Divas album. Giving was the second single from the album and a big hit for them.

[marv2]

In 1992 En Vogue covered Giving Him Something He Can Feel and Hooked on Your Love for their Funky Divas album. Giving was the second single from the album and a big hit for them.

I remember that. The original motion picture, "Sparkle" was very, very popular as well as, influential. The acting was excellent in my opinion.

[marv2]

and who could forget "The Gamma-Rays" from Spike Lee's "School Daze"? They were obviously influence by Sparkle:

[Roberta75]

I bet they did inspire it. LOL.

Well Mary Wilson spent a couple of hours with Jordin Sparks one day last year so I'm sure Jordin picked her brain. LOL

Best to you,

Roberta

[jobeterob]

So sad that we get these movies that try to emulate the Supremes, but they can't use the music, so they use something inferior; the model the movies after the Supremes who get nothing for it; there is nothing that is actually the Supremes story; there is no "reprise" of the Supremes. You can get Diana out there singing the songs and that's about it.

I thought Dreamgirls was so boring which is why it started to slip immediately after its release. And the music was modest; it sure wasn't Motown at its best. Sparkle could easily be a better story.

Someday, possibly................we'll get something real.

[smark21]

So sad that we get these movies that try to emulate the Supremes, but they can't use the music, so they use something inferior; the model the movies after the Supremes who get nothing for it; there is nothing that is actually the Supremes story; there is no "reprise" of the Supremes. You can get Diana out there singing the songs and that's about it.

I thought Dreamgirls was so boring which is why it started to slip immediately after its release. And the music was modest; it sure wasn't Motown at its best. Sparkle could easily be a better story.

Someday, possibly................we'll get something real.

The music for the original version of Sparkle was not inferior. A true legend and genius, Curtis Mayfield, wrote the songs for that movie.

[marv2]

The music for the original version of Sparkle was not inferior. A true legend and genius, Curtis Mayfield, wrote the songs for that movie.

I have to agree. The music from the Original Soundtrack to the Original Motion Picture, "Sparkle"
was superior to most anything the Supremes recorded with Diana Ross in her last couple of years with the group! The Curtis Mayfield written and produced songs for that movie were perfectly crafted to tell the story of those characters and their lives. Aretha brought them to life.....AGAIN in her own unique way! The album is still highly listenable today. I dare Mr. Jobete to try to keep from tapping his foot or whatever he does whenever his soul is upset........hehehehehehehe!

[reese]

So sad that we get these movies that try to emulate the Supremes, but they can't use the music, so they use something inferior; the model the movies after the Supremes who get nothing for it; there is nothing that is actually the Supremes story; there is no "reprise" of the Supremes. You can get Diana out there singing the songs and that's about it.

I thought Dreamgirls was so boring which is why it started to slip immediately after its release. And the music was modest; it sure wasn't Motown at its best. Sparkle could easily be a better story.

Someday, possibly................we'll get something real.

The soundtrack that Curtis Mayfield wrote for SPARKLE is very good. I remember singing along with the songs during the film, and being not able to wait until I could buy the album. As much as I liked Irene and Lonette's songs, I really love Aretha's soundtrack.

From the trailer I saw last night, it sounds like they are using the same compositions in the remake as well. That surprised me. But I gather there are some new songs as well.

[SupremeBoy]

What was especially eery about the original motion picture, was in what happened to one of the main characters "Sister" [[Lonette McKee) she died suddenly. One of the most disturbing things about the film was the fact that Florence Ballard passed away on February 22, 1976 and the film was released on April 8, 1976. We went to see it on April 18, 1976, Easter, Sunday.

Was this just an eery coincedence or could the producers have had enough time to alter the film to bring it even more in line with the real story of the Supremes? This is a question that I have thought about for a good while now.

It was just an eerie coincidence. "Sparkle" was released in April 1976, the film would have to have been completed 5 months prior to that release date at the very least. "Sparkle" was a low budget, independent film with virtual unknowns in the leads. There was no way the producers were going to call everyone back after five months, re-write Sisters story line, re-score, re-shoot and re-edit just to bring the film "more in line" with the story of The Supremes.

"Sparkle" was what is known in the film industry as a negative pick-up, that is a film that was made by independent producers and then "picked up" by a major studio for theatrical release. "Sparkle" was produced by The Robert Stigwood Organisation, Ltd. and then picked up and released by Warner Bros.
In this case the film could have been sitting in the can a year before it was actually released.

Dreamgirls however is another matter altogether. The stage version dipped it's toe in The Supremes/Motown waters while the film version jumped in head first.

[candykamaine]

^^ I agree it was a 100 percent coinendince. Sister's death is'nt mirroring Flo death, the movie was prob finished way before that.

And not only that but If i can recall correctly the charater that died was still in the group. [[I'm a little rusty due to the fact that I have'nt seen the movie in a long while.)