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Topic: Movie - Shame on You |
John Poston
From:
Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 9:57 am |
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I wonder who will star as Joaquin Murphy. Who do you think it should be?
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 10:01 am
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Smiley, if he shaves off his moustache !  |
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Dan Sawyer
From:
Studio City, California, USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 11:20 am
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| Every few years, i read about somebody trying to make a movie of Spade's life. I'll believe this one when i see it. |
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Al Johnson
From:
Sturgeon Bay, WI USA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 3:13 pm
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Dan, I agree with you, I will believe it when I see it. There has been talk off and on for years about a life of Bob Wills movie.
Stay tuned right Al |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 3:50 pm
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| I wonder who will play Roy Rogers... |
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Gene H. Brown
From:
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
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Posted 2 Dec 2004 4:31 pm
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Why, .....Clint Black of course!
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If You Keep Pickin That Thing, It'll Never Heal!
;)
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Jason Odd
From:
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 5:05 am
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Geez, another article mentioning Cooley and full of mistakes.
His band didn't split in 1946, the core of his group left to form their own group, while Spade hired in new guys.
He pretty much had a band right up to the day he killed his wife.
They also make it sound like he was released for the benefit gig, it was a 72 hour furlough, somewhat different.
Maybe I'm spliting hairs, but surely they could do better than that.
In regards to a Cooley pic, I shudder to think how bad it could be, I'm not sure what Quaid's fascination is, but it has proved long lasting as he has talked of this project for some many years. |
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David L. Donald
From:
Koh Samui Island, Thailand
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 5:27 am
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| Riders In The Sky come to mind. |
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Glenn Suchan
From:
Austin, Texas
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 5:45 am
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Jason,
Spade Cooley is well known for his great swing band (I once heard: "If Bob WIlls is the 'King of Swing' then Spade Cooley is the 'Queen of Swing' "). But he was also known for his association with L.A. mobsters as well as the murder of his wife. All in all, Spade was a fairly controversial celebrity. That's, quite understandably, what has inspired the continued interest by Dennis Quaid.
If the movie stays close to the facts (fat chance) it could be a good flick.
Keep on pickin'!
Glenn |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 6:52 am
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| As I have stated before, I was only a sub in Spades band. The Spade I knew was an entirely different person than the one the media etc have made him out to be. Oh yeah, Spade had his warts like everyone else. I hope the pic will present his life fairly. On a prev post I told the story of what Joaquin did for me which presented the side of big bad Joaquin that alot of people were unaware of. Of course I did not know Spade as well as the regular members of his bands but I believe they would stop and think they would remember that Spade was not All Bad. CC |
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Perry Hansen
From:
Bismarck, N.D.
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Posted 3 Dec 2004 8:25 am
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| I hope Quaid does a better job than he did in ""Great Balls of Fire". |
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Jason Odd
From:
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 6:28 am
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No doubt C.C. that the Spade of 1940 was a different guy to the Spade of 1960, you gotta pack in a couple of marriages, a few years of struggle, losing your main band, rebuilding, changing styles, massive success, then the eventual decline.
One might argue that Spade's downfall was one more than he could handle.
The decline of interest in his music, the lack of recording contracts of note, no chart success for years, business concerns failing and so on.
There's been a portrayal of a character that was eventually consumed by jealousy and envy, which led to a repressed rage and outburst of brutal and fatal anger.
Who's gonna fit that in a film, the guy formed his first Hollywood band in 1941, that's a good 20 years to fit in, so I reckon they'll have to skip over a lot, or focus on a period.
Spade Cooley and mobsters, that's a new one on me. I did have a tiny bit of input for Susan Van Hecke's bio on Cooley, as did C.C. (who added more as he worked with Cooley) and Herb Steiner, and possibly some others on the Forum.
Still, it seems to have dissapeared off the planet.
Prior to that Susan wrote a bio on Gene Vincent and more recently co-authored one about Eddie Cochran.
The Cooley autobiography was published and in print, it's just that there wasn't much interest from what I've seen.
I really expected more press on the book, it didn't even get a mention here.
Strangely enough, in the novel L.A. Confidential Spade Cooley appeared as a character, a rather debaunched opium fiend and friend of rackateers, that fictional tale is the only gangster connection I've heard of. What have you heard Glenn, I'm curious?
Actually, Cooley and his band (all fictional) were removed (with many other characters and plotlines) when L.A. Confidential was made into film in the early 1990s.
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 8:12 am
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| Jason, where can the Cooley book be purchased? I knew it was going to be published but never heard that it was. You are correct about Spade being a different person thru the yrs. Noel Boggs and I corresponded quite a bit and I believe no one can doubt Noels integrity. He was the only band member that he knew of that visited Spade in prison. What little time I was with Spade I saw him bailguys out of jail, make their alimony payments, car payments, rent, utilities, plus give extra money to them when they ran short. As for dealing with gangsters, whoever said that must be refering to union payoffs. In any event I hope the movie is fair even though they will have to chop it up to meet time limitations. Maybe it will be better that than the old B&W Hank Williams story. I have always doubted to an extent the story concerning the eye witness account of the murder. The little girl with Spade seemed to be a loving daughter but when her mother was around she snubbed Spade, or at least the few times I saw her. Some of the permanent band members said the mother had turned her against Spade. Whether or not Spade deserved it I don't know. I do remember the good things Spade did. take care CC |
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Wayne Franco
From:
silverdale, WA. USA
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 10:37 am
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| Good think Spade wasn't a steel player. He'd never make it into the Hall of Fame. Seriously, I will never forget the Yellow building when I was very your there in Saugest that was Spade Cooleys in the early 50's. [This message was edited by W Franco on 04 December 2004 at 10:45 AM.] |
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Al Johnson
From:
Sturgeon Bay, WI USA
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 4:45 pm
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| Jason, I always enjoy your comments. Many of the medias writings on Spade Cooley and other artists are slanted and wrong to say the least. I have a number of recordings on tape of the Spade Cooley radio show on Armed Forces radio. Spade Cooley was very popular in the 40s with the dancing people in California, on the live shows he would talk about the baseball games with Woody Herman's Band. Knock out the lights this is a waltz. Just good music and good times. One show even featured Spade and Bob Wills and their great bands. They spoke well of each other on stage and had fun. Al |
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 4:56 pm
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| One lousy murder and they won't let you in the hall of fame... |
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Al Johnson
From:
Sturgeon Bay, WI USA
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Posted 4 Dec 2004 5:23 pm
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you are sharp tonight Jim. I've liked Spade Cooley music since I first heard Oklahoma Stomp on the WJJD Suppertime Folic from Chicago in the mid 1940s on the radio. When my daughter years later would say Dad, he killed his wife I would reply so he had bad day! Seems to happen alot in America. Shame on Us
Al |
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Jason Odd
From:
Stawell, Victoria, Australia
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 4:42 am
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Yeah, it's a strange thing, you could say "well, I listen to the stuff from before he was a killer."
A buddy of mine loaned me a CD of Charles Mansons' various recordings, now I quite like the 1968 demos, one might say from a more innocent time.
A year later those recordings took on a whole new meaning, so it's all context.
I do listen to Cooley a bit, but find it a litle weird every now and then when I think about what happened.
It's a sad and torrid tale, but I think a lot of writers get wrapped up in the whole image of the murder and impose a lot of that on his whole life.
It was a crime of passion, a heat of the moment thing, and incrediably brutal.
I don't think that's something you can forget, that the same guy that helped create those cool records was the same dude who did what he did.
C.C. I've yet to see a copy of the book, usually I can find that sort of thing at local specialist stores, but I've not seen one.
If you do a search for Cooley and Susan Van Hecke's name you should come up with at least one retail website that would sell it.
I'm afraid I can't recommend any, I buy my books at various stores, from the chains, small, second hand and specialist weirdo ones. (bless 'em)
Perhaps someone here could suggest a site?
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Herb Steiner
From:
Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 7:44 am
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Re: Spade and his role in "LA Confidential" as a fiend and gangster-type, it's all fiction. Not to drop names, , but James Ellroy and I are old friends from Junior High and High School (I'm even mentioned in passing in a couple of his autobiographical books... one of my greatest claims to "fame"). James is my age and a product of the Southern California culture in the late 40's and early 50's, so he remembers Spade's TV shows, the murder, etc. In other works, he uses Deuce Spriggens (a Spade vocalist/bassist) as a sleazy character as well, and he actually wrote some novellas in which accordionist Dick Contino is the lead character (e.g. Dick Contino's Blues). James has always peppered his fiction with real-life historical characters to give his work a less "fictional" feel to it. But fiction it is, fer sure.
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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association
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Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 8:15 am
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| Well, he could have changed their names "to protect the innocent"! I sure wouldn't like it much if someone used my real name and called me a gangster in print and then tried to wash it away by saying "oh, but this is fiction". If it's "fiction" you can make up a fictitious name, thank you very much! |
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Don Walters
From:
Saskatchewan Canada
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 8:45 am
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for those currently experiencing an irresistable urge to polka
Dick Contino
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 9:16 am
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| Herb, Duece Spriggins was an essential part of the Cooley band. He and Pedro did 99.9% of the arranging and Duece did the aranging for several other bands in Sou Cal. I remember when Tex Williams was at the 97 98 st Corral?? for yrs and Stu Hamblin " Remember Me" came in to replace Tex, Ernie Tavares was Stu's steel player and he told Stu that this band needs Duece Spriggins to arrange or we are not going to fly. Stu hired Duece. Duece taught me to read music and arrange. He said then " there are alot of old arrangers but few old musicians that still had their chops. The book " Swingin the devils dream"is listed on amazon as not available. CC |
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c c johnson
From:
killeen,tx usa * R.I.P.
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 9:23 am
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| Duece was one of those fellows that make us mortals sick "with envy" In adition to arranging, he sang lead and harmony( one of the few that could sing the 4th part when needed) played lead and rhythem guitar, Harmony fiddle, piano,bass, a little trmpet, sax and clarinet. When as a smart eleck kid I asked where is yor trombone? He said he didn't have time. CC |
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Jerry Hayes
From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
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Posted 6 Dec 2004 9:30 am
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I remember those TV shows well which were on KTLA channel 5 in Los Angeles. That was the station owned by Gene Autry. I'm a huge Bob Wills fan but Spade's group was a much more "polished" group than Bob's. They were a very precise and well rehearsed band than just about any other western swing band in history. Tex Williams sang the vocal on Spade's hit of Shame, Shame on You". When he left to form the Western Caravan almost the entire band went with him, including Joaquin. I always thought that Tex's band was a mirror image of Spade's as they were the same musicians and Tex went on to have a bunch of hits under his own name. Herb probably remembers Joaquin on that TV show. What a monster player he was. It was incredible how he'd get those single string things that sometimes you'd think was a lead guitarist playing instead of a steel. He could play more way back without pedals than most of the players of today can do with them.....JH
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Livin' in the Past and Future with a 12 string Mooney Universal tuning.
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