Cadillac Records

[Kevin Schneider]

I work in a movie theater and I watched 5 minutes of this movie today.
Here's what I saw:
Chuck Berry (played by Mos Def) is listening to Surfin' USA by the Beach Boys, which he feels bears a striking resemblance to his own composition, Sweet Little Sixteen. As he is voicing his dismay, two police officers come in and arrest him for transporting a minor across state lines. Allusions are made to the young girl in question being white. There is a montage of clean cut Frankie and Annette types frolicking on the beach, inter spliced with Chuck Berry's mug shots, to the tune of Surfin' USA. The next scene depicts The Rolling Stones showing up at Chess to pay homage and record some songs. The Film shows the Stones recording Muddy Water's Can't Be Satisfied followed by a DJ spinning a 45 of the record and talking about how their rendition of the song is "tearing up the charts" or some similar sentiment. Next scene is Leonard Chess talking about how all these new white performers are making big bucks from the Chess sound but Chess can't get a hit because "The Goose that laid the golden egg" (referring to Chuck Berry) is in prison and unable to record.

Here's what's wrong with that 5 minutes
-Chuck Berry's arrest for transporting a minor across state lines was in 1959. Surfin' USA didn't come out until 1963.
-The girl was a Native American he met in Mexico (i.e. not white).
-The Rolling Stones' Can't Be Satisfied was never released as a single. Which means that there was no 45 and the song never charted.
-Chuck Berry got out of prison in October 1963, and released several hit songs, including No Particular Place to Go, one of his most popular, in 1964, well before the Rolling Stones made it big stateside.

[swt]

Amazing. I haven't seen it, but I wonder how many more mistakes are in the other two hors or whatever.

I understand that while Leonard Chess is a main character, in the movie there's NO PHIL CHESS!

This is disappointing. I actually wanted to see the flick. I visited the old Chess Studios with my son last summer.

[Krakhaus]

It's worth watching....just don't get too caught up in the accuracy thing. It's entertainment, and they had to cover a lotttttt of material in a short time. Great Casting and Beyonce is bootylicious of course!!!!

[Wipeout!]

Krakhaus said:

It's worth watching....just don't get too caught up in the accuracy thing. It's entertainment, and they had to cover a lotttttt of material in a short time. Great Casting and Beyonce is bootylicious of course!!!!

Agreed....It's an entertaining flick but not a historical doc, kids...go into it with that in mind and it's almost 2 hours of good tunes and decent actin' (I did not dig Beyonce as Etta....she way over did it)

Yeah the only thing that really bugged me was the lack of Phil Chess and how small a part Howlin' Wolf had in the flick (one of my all time fav Chess artists)

[IDON MINE]

YA, the movies... they "shoulda" made a second version with all the stuff accurate. In a good way. Loves me some Mos Def on screen, the guys good fun and delivers hilarious playing.

Such movies are mostly (always?) bound to trip in their attempt. But I'm glad they made it even if it turns out junk...

Thanks for the details on all that Mr. Schneider!

I also dig the pic SWT put up. The Chess sound trembles on!

[kopper]

Wow. Amazing how they can just rewrite history for film, ain't it?

[Gas-House Gorilla]

Great post. Unreal and unconscionable moving-making. I still want to see the flick - but I'll be keeping your observations in mind. I was dubious of the film when I heard there was only one Chess brother (or Cadillac brother, I suppose)...

[IDON MINE]

Yeah, really! It puzzles me how that seems to be an option in doing the whole thing. Like:

"O.K. we really like the taste of this type of orange, looks great. We wanna make some juice out of it, looks like it will sell!

But let's just give it a different paint job, light green maybe? The shape, no the shape don't work for what we have in mind. Also the juice it's just... it don't fit. We thought, maybe use an apple after all - they are so in fashion and the concentrate is soooo much sweeter!"

Hahaha. Has anybody heard what Mr. Berry thought of how it all was presented?


kopper said:

Wow. Amazing how they can just rewrite history for film, ain't it?

[Mike]

I read that on the DVD release there is a deleated scene where Phil Chess is mentioned briefly. Also, how about the whole Willie Dixon narrative. Did he actually record any kind of oral history of the label as they show in the film's begining?

[Ryan Katastrophe]

I like Etta James saying Beyonce is gonna get her ass whipped if she keeps singing her song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZAqKv86Clg

[IDON MINE]

Oh the gossip!
Old school mean. But understandable so... haha!

I'd somehow like to see that catfight back in the day! I guess Miss B wouldn't stand a chance, hhehehe.

...
See, know I've shot off my mouth! Darn it!

[Kevin Schneider]

"He ain't my president"

Oh my God, is Etta James a republican?

Ryan Katastrophe said:

I like Etta James saying Beyonce is gonna get her ass whipped if she keeps singing her song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZAqKv86Clg

[IDON MINE]

Hopefully not! Else I will just have to "NOT-SEE-THAT" when I listen to her!



Kevin Schneider said:

"He ain't my president"
Oh my God, is Etta James a republican?
Ryan Katastrophe said:

I like Etta James saying Beyonce is gonna get her ass whipped if she keeps singing her song... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZAqKv86Clg