Wardell Gray Film

[Quasimado]

Anybody know anything about Abraham Ravett's 1994 film *Forgotten Tenor* on the life of Wardell Gray?

Q

[Tom in RI]

I have the film on VHS, it can be a little arty in spots. There is not much in the way of Wardell in action, one clip is repeated quite a bit in the film. However, there is a lot of oral history and I am glad I bought it for that reason.

[Unk]

I have the film on VHS, it can be a little arty in spots. There is not much in the way of Wardell in action, one clip is repeated quite a bit in the film. However, there is a lot of oral history and I am glad I bought it for that reason.

Agree. There are a few interesting interviews (Dorothy and ?? (ex-wives), Clark Terry, Gus Johnson (I think it was)). The material gets stretched waaaaay too far. The same soundie clips play many times. The only new-to-me film is with BG's band. And the same still photos are filmed over and over, mainly to fill time(?)

[Stereojack]

I have the film on VHS, it can be a little arty in spots. There is not much in the way of Wardell in action, one clip is repeated quite a bit in the film. However, there is a lot of oral history and I am glad I bought it for that reason.

Agree. There are a few interesting interviews (Dorothy and ?? (ex-wives), Clark Terry, Gus Johnson (I think it was)). The material gets stretched waaaaay too far. The same soundie clips play many times. The only new-to-me film is with BG's band. And the same still photos are filmed over and over, mainly to fill time(?)

I saw the film in Boston when the director premiered it. There are a few interesting interviews, but overall the film is a mess. The interview with Gus Johnson (already deeply afflicted with Alzheimer's) is embarassing. The inept "artsiness" is laughable. In his talk after the film, Revett admitted that getting clearance rights for the music was way too expensive, so he stretched what he had.

[JSngry]

Finally getting to see this, and...uncomfortable in waaaay too many spots. Not just "messy" uncomfortable, but, you know..."dude, you should not have done this" uncomfortable.

But Benny Carter's little phone conversation is priceless - "and again I say to you, good luck". And Jeri Gray's hustle is a delight (and her reminiscence of Wardell's comparison of Art Blakey & Max Roach as dancer's drummers had my jaw dropping), and Dorothy Gray's in-progress heartwarming as the feelings come back is moving.

Some more good things, moments. But the way the film keeps running out on Teddy Edwards...really?

Overall, uncomfortable.

[BeBop]

Finally getting to see this, and...uncomfortable in waaaay too many spots. Not just "messy" uncomfortable, but, you know..."dude, you should not have done this" uncomfortable.

But Benny Carter's little phone conversation is priceless - "and again I say to you, good luck". And Jeri Gray's hustle is a delight (and her reminiscence of Wardell's comparison of Art Blakey & Max Roach as dancer's drummers had my jaw dropping), and Dorothy Gray's in-progress heartwarming as the feelings come back is moving.

Some more good things, moments. But the way the film keeps running out on Teddy Edwards...really?

Overall, uncomfortable.

I agree. He's got about eight minutes of actual WG film to work with and he strrrrrrrrretches it for all it's worth. Some of the interviews are borderline painful - people past their "better days". Would have been more advisable to distill what they had to say, instead having them sit in real time and endeavor mightily through a thought.

[scooby]

I have it and was so disappointed. Wardell really deserves better. I suppose the guy's heart was in the right spot, but the final outcome is a mess. You can tell in that conversation with Benny Carter that the guy is standing on Benny's last nerve

[BeBop]

Wardell hasn't been served all that well by the (fictional) books about his life/death either. I get ocassional updates on the biography, but it seems to be stalled. Until then, at least we have the website.