![]() ![]() While it is overly dramatic and liberally serves up sloppy doses of soap opera clichés, the film also is highly watchable because of its over-the-top campiness. ![]() Set in the 1950's, the movie tackles racism, sexism, jealousy, and both chemical and physical abuse. ![]() And as the much put-upon Sister, McKee is convincing and earns the viewer's sympathy. Cara is a joy to listen to when she unleashes her powerful pipes. But because this movie is called Sparkle and not Sister, we know that Irene Cara's character is the one to watch. Because the men add little oomph to the outfit, the quintet becomes an all-girl trio and is renamed the redundant (and hysterical) Sister and the Sisters. There's Sister (Lonette McKee), Sparkle (Irene Cara, Fame ), and Delores (Dwan Smith), who team up with a couple of players (including a very young Philip Michael Thomas, pre- Miami Vice ) to form a singing group. Sparkle tells the rags-to-riches (and rags again, for some of the characters) tale of three sisters with gorgeous voices. Released in 1976, the low-budget movie (which is also loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes) achieved somewhat of a cult following among fans that enjoy a good cry along with their kitsch. Wheels: 18 Sparkle Silver Metallic, Valet Function, Trunk/Hatch Auto-Latch. Kitty & the Haywoods: a slice of Chicago Sister Funk.Actor: Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith, Mary Aliceīefore Dreamgirls hit cineplexes in 2006, there was Sparkle. Delivers 32 Highway MPG and 27 City MPG This Honda CR-V delivers a Intercooled Turbo Regular Unleaded I-4 1.5 L/91 engine powering this Variable transmission.La Cade: The little hair care company that made some big waves.Donald Jenkins and the Delighters (and their Basement Music Revolution) Three talented sisters claw their way from the Harlem ghetto to stardom in the rock n roll world.White Leroy Hutson Local Chicago Music Local Chicago Soul Lumpen Media Michael Jackson Morseland Museum of Contemporary Art Music new york photography Pilsen poetry Printed Matters Race radio reclaimed soul Sonotheque soul Soul Train South Side Chicago style Theaster Gates The Dells Tom Tom Washington urbanism vocalo woodlawn Yaw 1968 Africa afro-punk art Arts & Culture Ayana Contreras Black Business Black Literature Blues books Bridgeport bronzeville Cadet Records Charles Stepney Chess Records Chicago Chicago Arts Chicago Blues Chicago Cultural History chicago events Chicago History Chicago Jazz Chicago Music Chicago Soul Class community building Cult Movie of the Week cult movies curtis mayfield Curtom dance david boykin DJ Ayana Donny Hathaway Dorchester Projects Ebony Education Englewood Events fashion film hip hop hyde park inner city John H.NOTE: Curtis Mayfield (who composed the music for the movie) came up in the Cabrini Green housing projects here in Chicago and had a rags-to-riches story of his own to tell, although the projects were a far different place in those days. Who doesn’t love a righteous dream, bigger than the span of your arms? What I like most about this movie is the locomotive power of their dreams, and the entrepreneurial spirit that runs through the tale. ![]() A Star is Born, and Phillip Michael Thomas (as Stix) is willing to gamble everything to see their dreams come true. Sparkle (Irene Cara) is forced to take over the Lead Vocalist’s role, rising from the ashes. Their first of many hurdles however, is sneaking out of their mothers house. Ultimately, a slippery force named Satin cracks the glossy veneer of Sister (the sophisticated lead vocalist played by McKee), and it seems all their dreams are derailed. This 1976 film remake is set in the 1960s, where three stunning and independent sisters try their luck at celebrity in a singing group. Enter stage left the young well-meaning Svengali producer character (played by Phillip Michael Thomas) whose dreams ride heavily on their success. Notably, in the movie, the somewhat unpolished vocals work well (after all, the singers were supposed to be kids coming up from the streets).īack to the rags-to-riches story. thought not well enough to sell REAL LIFE records. Each of the main actresses ( Lonette McKee, Irene Cara, and Dwan Smith) could all sing well enough to not be dubbed out of the movie but apparently Warner Bros. What’s controversial?įirst, the film is a pre-Dreamgirls rags-to-riches story of three girls with dreams of stardom. A Curtis Mayfield-produced gem sung by Aretha Franklin, the soundtrack to the movie is glorious… but laden with its share of controversy. Not unlike many movies that are labeled as “Blaxploitation”, the soundtrack to Sparkle (1976) is often regarded more highly than the film itself. ![]()
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