The Buddy Holly Story **** (1978, Gary Busey, Don Stroud, Charles Martin Smith, Conrad Janis, William Jordan, Maria Richwine) – Classic Movie Review 11,376

Director Steve Rash’s 1978 The Buddy Holly Story stars Gary Busey, who was Oscar nominated as Best Actor in a Leading Role for his riveting portrayal of the bespectacled Fifties rock ‘n’ roll star Buddy Holly in this pleasing, convincing, unclichéd biopic with music, realistically handled by director Rash.

Busey is even more remarkable considering that he does not look or sound remotely like Holly. Among the ensemble of fine performances, Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith stand out as Holly’s drummer Jesse Charles and bass player Ray Bob Simmons.

Joe Renzetti’s best adapted score won an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score. It was also Oscar nominated for Best Sound.

The entertaining, revealing screenplay is by Robert Gitler, based on the story by Alan Swyer, adapted by Robert Gittler from Buddy Holly: His Life and Music, a 1975 biography of Holly by John Goldrosen.

Also in the cast are Conrad Janis as Ross Turner, William Jordan as Riley, and Maria Richwine as Maria Elena Holly, as well as Amy Johnston, Albert Popwell, Jim Beach, John F Goff, Dick O’Neil, Paul Mooney, Bill Phillips, Arch Johnson and Neva Patterson.

The actors did their own singing and played their own instruments, though Jerry Zaremba overdubbed the guitar parts. Busey recorded the soundtrack music live and lost 32 pounds to portray the skinny Holly. Busey was 33 but Holly is seen from age 19 to 22 between 1956 and February 1959.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,376

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