From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Five HeartbeatsDirected byProduced byChristina SchmidlinRobert TownsendKokayi AmpahLoretha C. JonesWritten byRobert TownsendStarringTico WellsMusic byStanley ClarkeCinematographyBill DillEditing byDistributed byRelease date(s)January 1, 1991 Running time122 min.LanguageEnglishThe Five Heartbeats is a 1991 directed by, who co-wrote the script with. Distributed by, the film's main cast includes Townsend, Tico Wells, of the,. The plot of the film (which is loosely based on the lives of several artists;, and others) follows the three decade career of the fictional band The Five Heartbeats. Contents.PlotIn the 1980s, Donald 'Duck' Matthews browses a magazine, noticing an article questioning the recent exploits of The Five Heartbeats, and and why the groups disbanded.In a flashback, Donald Matthews, Anthony 'Choir Boy' Stone and Terrence 'Dresser' Williams are preparing to perform at a music contest. They are forced to prepare to sing both their vocals and those of other members since JT is being intimate with his girlfriend, and Eddie King Jr.
And Bobby, the lead singers, are missing. Bobby and Eddie cheat while.
Bobby is shot in the leg, but Eddie arrives at the contest and performs with the Heartbeats.The group loses to Flash and the Ebony Sparks but pleases the crowd and is noticed by music producer Jimmy Potter. Jimmy offers to manage the group; to prove he has their best interests at heart he promises them $100 from his own pocket if they do not win first prize the next month. After a more polished performance the group still loses. Jimmy pays the group, and they sign a contract with him. Jimmy brings in Ernest 'Sarge' Johnson as the group's choreographer.
After vigorous training Sarge and Jimmy feel the Heartbeats are ready to perform in a larger competition. Bird witnesses the Heartbeats rehearsing their routine and is concerned his group could lose; he asks his girlfriend to invite her friends and boo the Heartbeats while cheering The Midnight Falcons.
The announcer, Bird's cousin, forces The Heartbeats to use a piano player they are unfamiliar with. He also claims that the Heartbeats believe themselves to be better than the other groups.The Heartbeats perform '.
Duck grows frustrated with the house piano player's butchering of the music and takes over the piano. Eddie leads the group in a number that results in Bird's girlfriend fainting in Eddie's arms. Watching in the audience is Flash, leader of the Ebony Sparks.
The Heartbeats win the contest with a standing ovation and the interest of Big Red, who owns Big Red Records. Big Red offers them a deal, but Jimmy and his wife Eleanor, aware of Big Red's corrupt operations, decline. The group searches for a record company they can trust, but the only ones that will sign them are operated and insist that their songs be covered by a white group named The Five Horsemen, giving the Heartbeats only minor song writing credit. They sign with Big Red.The group goes on the road. ChoirBoy's father is concerned he will forget where he comes from, Dresser has a girl back home, Eddie's father is waiting for him to fail and JT and Duck have a family depending on them. The travel is marked by racism and poor living conditions. Dresser's girlfriend visits at the same time as the record rep from Big Red.
Dresser finds out his girlfriend is pregnant and they are faced with their first album cover having white people on the cover. Despite their problems, the group becomes successful.Throughout the mid to late 1960s The Five Heartbeats receive numerous awards, charting several hits, and being featured on magazine covers. Eddie abuses and, causng him to miss rehearsals and performances as well as losing his girlfriend. Eddie becomes paranoid and attempts to blackmail the other Heartbeats and Jimmy using his new deal with Big Red, along with buying Jimmy out of his contract.
Robert Townsend
Jimmy threatens to go to authorities with information about cooked books that could have Big Red arrested, leading Red to have Jimmy killed. In the wake of the murder, the group learns that Eddie's deceit was behind the argument between Jimmy and Big Red. The group gets together to talk and includes Bird, whom Red beat up when he questioned his bookkeeping, to put Big Red away. Big Red is convicted of Jimmy's murder and the group moves to a new record label. Eddie leaves the group despite Duck's pleas.The Heartbeats add former rival Flash as their lead singer, which angers JT due to their rivalry over women. Duck has gained the attention of Tanya Sawyer, whom he lusted after since meeting her in Jimmy's living room years ago. After their engagement, he suspects she is having an affair.
After she leaves the house, he follows her to a hotel. The doorman asks for his autograph and marvels at the fact that he is the second Heartbeat the doorman has seen that night; his brother is already upstairs. Duck realizes Tanya is cheating on him with his brother.
As Duck leaves, his fiancee and brother fight. Tanya has been trying to break things off, but he insists that she break things off with Duck. Tanya refuses, insisting she loves Duck. At an awards ceremony celebrating their success, Flash announces he is leaving the group.
Duck reveals that he knows about Tanya and JT, and that he is no longer a Heartbeat.Several years later, Duck receives a letter from ChoirBoy, who returned to his father's church. He asks Duck to come to a service. When he walks in, the choir is singing and Eddie and BabyDoll step up to sing lead. After the service Duck reunites with Eddie, ChoirBoy and BabyDoll.
Eddie is clean, sober and married to BabyDoll, and also manages a group. He asks Duck to write songs for them, to which he agrees. He urges Duck to contact JT.
Duck finds JT in a park with a wife and two children. The brothers reconcile.In the 1980s Flash has transitioned from doo wop to pop, as the lead singer of Flash and The Five Horsemen.
The Heartbeats are disappointed by the music and aspire to show their families how they performed at the peak of their career. At first Eddie declines to join the other Heartbeats but Eleanor Potter, coming to terms with her husband's death, forgives Eddie. Cast and characters.
AdvertisementsThe Five Heartbeats. as Bobby Cassanova: Bobby and Eddie are co-lead singers of the group.
Bobby is only seen in the movie's opening scenes when he and Eddie are caught cheating at a high stakes poker game. Bobby gets shot in the leg and is replaced by Duck. as Donald 'Duck' Matthews: Duck hails from a poor family. He is The Five Heartbeats' co-founder and brother of fellow Heartbeat's member J.T Matthews, and originally was only the composer and musician for the group. He is a permanent vocalist after Bobby disappears. He serves as the movie's narrator, with the film beginning as he reminisces about the group's career. as Eddie King, Jr.: Eddie comes from an area that features predominantly poor individuals, his own father believing his attempts to start a career in the music industry will be unsuccessful.
Similar to, Eddie is the lead vocalist of the band and falls into a life of drugs that eventually leads to his expulsion from the group as well as emotional trauma. Sigma as 227 program ma 2016. Eddie is one of the founding members of The Heartbeats and serves as the crowd pleaser whose voice leads to success in many of their performances. as J.T. Matthews: J.T. Is the older brother of Duck.
Tico Wells as Anthony 'Choir Boy' Stone: Stone is given the nick name 'Choir Boy' (much to his offense) for his past as a choir boy in his father's church. Similar to Eddie, Stone's father does not support his decision to become a music artist fearing rock and jazz are music of the devil. John Canada Terrell as Flash: Michael 'Flash' Turner is the lead singer of Flash and the Ebony Sparks, the Heartbeats' only competition. When Eddie goes into a downward spiral, Flash is brought in as the new lead singer. as Terrence 'Dresser' Williams: The original choreographer of The Heartbeats, Dresser serves as the groups bass singer and one of the founding members.
He is replaced by Ernest 'Sarge' Johnson as the choreographer after Sarge out-dances Dresser. Other characters. Hawthorne James as Big Red Davis: Corrupt owner of the first record label The Five Heartbeats are signed to. Chuck Patterson as Jimmy Potter: The Heartbeat's manager, Jimmy is responsible for giving the group the opportunity to perform at more publicized events and receive training from Ernest 'Sarge' Johnson. as Eleanor Potter: Jimmy Potter's wife, Eleanor along with her husband are the original supporters of The Five Heartbeats. as Bird: Bird is the lead singer of Bird and The Midnight Falcons.
The Five Heartbeats Songs
Early in the film the character attempts to defeat The Five Heartbeats in a vocal contest. After Big Red orchestrates the murder of Jimmy Potter, Bird joins members of the Heartbeats in testifying against Red and helps to convict him of the murder. of as Ernest 'Sarge' Johnson: Johnson is The Five Heartbeat's choreographer. He choreographs the dance moves for the group. Sarge is last seen in the hospital on his birthday. as Baby Doll: Eddie's girlfriend, who leaves him after he abuses drugs and alcohol. She later marries Eddie and they are shown singing together in a choir.
as Brenda: - Dresser's girlfriend, who later becomes his wife. Other bands. Bird and The Midnight Falcons portrayed by actors Roy Fegan, Gregory Alexander, Roger Rose, Jimmy Woodard: The group The Five Heartbeats compete against in their second onscreen performance. The Midnight Falcons attempt to cheat by ordering their girlfriends to deliberately cheer against The Heartbeats.
Flash and the Ebony Sparks portrayed by John Canada Terrell, Ron Jackson, Recoe Walker and Wayne 'Crescendo' Ward: The Ebony Sparks defeat The Five Heartbeats in singing competitions—many of which are rigged—prior to their mainstream popularity. Flash later becomes the lead singer for the Five Heartbeats.ProductionAfter writing (along with ), producing, directing, and starring in his previous film, Robert Townsend had gained a near cult status with independent filmmakers due to his dedication to the past film which caused him to max out all his credit cards and spend nearly $100,000 of his own money raised through savings and various acting jobs in order to produce the film. When writing Townsend's first feature length film, The Five Heartbeats, Townsend and Wayans kept comedy an important aspect of the film, but ventured to explore complex characters in a more dramatic way. After extensive research with R&B singing group The Dells, who are renowned for their four-decade career, Townsend used his film to depict a similar story following three friend's who aspire to become musicians. Due to the setting of the film, he was able to tie in other elements, such as race relations, as well.
Due to the movie's budgetary constraints, Townsend used little-known actors of the time, with the exceptions of, and of. 'Heartbeats of America'To promote the film, Townsend, along with other actors who portrayed the fictional musical quartet The Five Heartbeats (Leon Robinson, Michael Wright, Harry J. Lennix, and Tico Wells) performed with real life Soul/R&B band The Dells (one of the many groups that inspired the movie) in a concert prior to the film's released. Similar to the movie's musical performances, The Dells sang the vocals and recorded mix tapes as the actors lip synced.
Soundtrack The Five Heartbeats(Music from the Motion Picture)by Various ArtistsReleasedApril 2, 1991andCapitolProfessional reviews. AllmusicA soundtrack for the film was released by Virgin Records featuring original music from both the film and those recorded by various artists (most predominately the Dells) for the soundtrack. Both Nights Like This and went on to become top 20 hits on the section of the US music charts.
The entire album is described in an inuniverse tense, crediting the songs to fictional characters in the film as opposed to the actual vocalists. (Note: While original music by, and was played during the 60's era of the movie, none of the songs appear on the soundtrack.). We Haven't Finished Yet -, Tressa Thomas, Billy Valentine. Nights Like This -. Bring Back the Days - U.S.
Male. Baby Stop Running Around - Bird and the Midnight Falcons. In the Middle - Flash and the Five Heartbeats. Nothing But Love - The Dells with Billy Valentine.
The Five Heartbeats Documentary
Are You Ready for Me - Flash and the Ebony Sparks. Stay in My Corner - The Dells. I Feel Like Going On - (Eddie, Baby Doll and the )ReceptionThe film grossed approximately $8,500,000 after being released in 862 theaters throughout North America, however despite the film's moderate success it was not well received by a majority of critics. On The Five Heartbeats accumulated an average of 46% positive reviews, although only 13 reviews were counted (6 of which were positive, the remaining seven negative).of the commented that '.at feature length, Townsend shows a real talent, and, not surprisingly, an ability to avoid most cliches, to go for the human truth in his characters.by the end we really care about these guys.' Due to the nature of the film, music montages were commonly used to progress the plot; critics considered this to be a major flaw.
Ebert states in his review that numerous scenes in the film serve no purpose other than to represent the racism encountered by African-American musical acts during the early 1960s.The numerous musical performances were highly acclaimed, All music complimented the Dells lead singer Marvin Junior (the vocalist who provided the singing voice for fictional character Eddie King, Jr.) stating him to be 'one of the most underrated voices in pop music.' Tressa Thomas's performance of 'We Haven't Finished Yet' in particular was described by critics as favorable. The film received an award for Most Performed Songs in a Motion Picture for the song 'Nights Like This.' DVD releasesA DVD was released for the film in 2002, a special edition was also released in 2006 for the film's 15th Anniversary which includes additional content.