Bustin' Loose (film)

Last updated
Bustin' Loose
Bustin' Loose.jpg
Theatrical release poster for Bustin' Loose.
Directed by
Written by Lonne Elder III
Screenplay by Roger L. Simon
Story by Richard Pryor
Produced by
  • Michael S. Glick
  • Richard Pryor
Starring
Music by
Production
companies
  • Omar Productions
  • Northwest Film and Television Consultants
  • Universal Clearances
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • May 22, 1981 (1981-05-22)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million [1]
Box office$31.3 million

Bustin' Loose is a 1981 American road comedy-drama film starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson. It was directed by Oz Scott and Michael Schultz (uncredited) and written by Pryor (story), Lonne Elder III (adaptation), and Roger L. Simon (screenplay). [2] Along with starring Pryor and Tyson, [3] the film also features Robert Christian [2] [4] and George Coe. [5] Bustin' Loose was produced by Michael S. Glick and Pryor. [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Plot

Joe Braxton is a convict who violates his parole after a failed attempt to lift a bunch of televisions from a store in Philadelphia. After a dramatic attempt at reverse psychology with the judge, he is given a second chance at parole, and his parole-officer, Donald, has him do something for him.

Donald is also involved with school teacher Vivian Perry, whose school was just closed down by the city due to budget cuts. While most of the children have been relocated, eight special needs students have yet to be relocated. Vivian decides to take them to her aunt's farm in rural Washington. Donald is against it, and at first gets Joe to tell her the old bus she planned on using would not work. However, that blows up in his face, but Donald then decides to have Joe go ahead and drive the bus to Washington.

As Joe, Vivian and the kids ride the bus, the past lives and ailments of the kids are told:

Joe thinks he is there to fix and drive the bus, but he finds out his true knack is helping out the kids, especially shown when he scolds and councils Annie after she tries to sleep with him and saves Anthony from setting another person's property on fire, eventually taking the kids fishing for their first time.

After fixing the bus in the rain on a dirt road, Joe and Vivian have trouble getting it out of the mud. When Joe leaves to get help, he is found walking in lock step with a group of Klansmen, who follow him back to the bus. Joe then manages to talk the head Klansman and the rest into getting the bus out to get the kids to a hospital in Washington, suddenly claiming they are all blind. They agree sympathetically and push them out of the mud.

Somewhere in Montana, Donald catches up with them at a motel, after finding out Vivian lied to him and falsified the kids records. After trying to flee in the middle of the night, Donald catches up with them and demands they return to Philadelphia, which the kids, Vivian, and Joe all resist.

After arriving at the farm, Vivian meets with a banker in order to secure a $15,000 loan to save the farm. One of the other kids overhears them and tells the rest of the kids this. Joe then confronts the kids, who are whining and protesting about their fate. Joe learns about this as well and heads into town where he sees an ad for a "trapezoid scheme" and goes in to learn about it, dressed as a cowboy from Texarkana. Eventually, he works his way into sitting with the group and schemes to rip them off. He does and gets Vivian her $15,000 then leaves with her, while two men from the group pursue them. After evading them and burning the money, they go back to the farm and have an argument about the money.

They realize the old Rolls-Royce from the bank is there, and they find out the kids told the president of the bank (who is also the mayor of the town) lies about what good things Joe and Vivian did, and convinced the mayor to give the loan and make the kids a part of the community. After they celebrate, Donald shows up with a police officer demanding they all return to Philadelphia but has a confrontation with the mayor that he ends up losing. In the end, it seems that Joe is going to go back to Philly with Donald, but Donald gets to the end of the driveway, and changes his mind and lets Joe stay.

Cast

Production

Bustin' Loose was filmed in part in various towns in Washington state, including Carnation, Ellensburg, and Snohomish. [9]

Music

Although the film's score was composed by Mark Davis, Roberta Flack also contributed new original music to the film and released a soundtrack for the film on June 5, 1981. Luther Vandross and Peabo Bryson contributed vocals to the album and Vandross wrote the song, "You Stopped Loving Me", which he later performed himself on his debut album Never Too Much .

Soundtrack

Bustin' Loose
Bustin' loose (album cover).jpg
Soundtrack album by
ReleasedJune 5, 1981
Recorded1981
Genre R&B, soul
Label MCA
Producer Buster Williams
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack chronology
The Best of Roberta Flack
(1981)
Bustin' Loose
(1981)
I'm the One
(1982)
Singles from I'm the One
  1. "You Stopped Loving Me / Qual E Malindrinho (Why Are You So Bad)"
    Released: June 20, 1981
  2. "Lovin' You (Is Such an Easy Thang to Do)/ Hittin' Me Where It Hurts"
    Released: September 19, 1981

Bustin' Loose is a soundtrack album released by Roberta Flack in 1981. It was recorded for the movie of the same title starring Richard Pryor. Luther Vandross and Peabo Bryson contributed vocals to the album and Vandross wrote the song, "You Stopped Loving Me", which he later performed himself on his debut album Never Too Much .

Track listing

  1. "Lovin' You (Is Such an Easy Thang to Do)" [5:57]
  2. "Rollin' On" [4:17]
  3. "You Stopped Loving Me" [4:32]
  4. "Just When I Needed You" (Eric Mercury, Roberta Flack) [4:48]
  5. "Qual E Malindrinho (Why Are You So Bad)" [4:47]
  6. "Love Always Commands" [6:27]
  7. "Children's Song" [4:40]
  8. "Ballad for D" [3:35]
  9. "Hittin' Me Where It Hurts" [3:43]

Personnel

Reception

Bustin' Loose opened number one at the box office in 828 theaters domestically. It grossed $6,622,753 in its opening weekend. Its run ended with $31,261,269 in the box office, domestically. [10]

Critical response

Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote in his review: "Only the incomparable Richard Pryor could make a comedy as determinedly, aggressively sentimental as Bustin' Loose, which is about eight needy orphans and a $15,000 mortgage that's due, and still get an R-rating. Vulgar language is the reason, but because vulgar language is a basic part of the Pryor comedy method, one longs for his every assault on genteelism in Bustin' Loose, a film that would otherwise be painful." [11] TV Guide gives Bustin' Loose 4 stars out of 5 stars. [12]

Release

Bustin' Loose was released in theaters on May 22, 1981. The film was released on DVD on May 1, 2001, and again on January 11, 2005. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peabo Bryson</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1951)

Robert Peapo "Peabo" Bryson is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for singing soul ballads including the hit singles "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", "You're Looking Like Love To Me" and "As Long As There's Christmas" with Roberta Flack, "A Whole New World" with Regina Belle, and "Beauty and the Beast" with Canadian singer Celine Dion. Bryson has contributed to two Disney animated feature soundtracks. Bryson is a winner of two Grammy Awards.

<i>Free to Be... You and Me</i> 1970s US childrens entertainment project

Free to Be... You and Me is a children's entertainment project, conceived, created and executive-produced by actress and author Marlo Thomas. Produced in collaboration with the Ms. Foundation for Women, it was a record album and illustrated book first released in November 1972 featuring songs and stories sung or told by celebrities of the day including Alan Alda, Rosey Grier, Cicely Tyson, Carol Channing, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Shirley Jones, Jack Cassidy, and Diana Ross. An ABC television special, also created by Thomas, using poetry, songs, and sketches, followed sixteen months later in March 1974. The basic concept was to encourage post-1960s gender neutrality, saluting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one's identity. A major thematic message is that anyone—whether a boy or a girl—can achieve anything.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Jackson (musician)</span> American bassist (born 1952)

Anthony Jackson is an American bassist. Described as "one of the masters of the instrument", he has performed as a session musician and live artist. He is also credited with the development of the modern six-string bass, which he refers to as a contrabass guitar.

Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist.

Dann Lee Huff is an American record producer, studio guitarist, and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the Musician of the Year award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Country Music Association Awards and the Producer of the Year award in 2006 and 2009 at the Academy of Country Music. He is the father of American singer and songwriter Ashlyne Huff, a member of Giant and White Heart and brother of drummer David Huff.

James Earl Gilstrap is an American singer and session musician. He is best known for his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.

Lonne Elder III was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. Elder was one of the leading African-American figures who informed the New York theater world with social and political consciousness. He also wrote scripts for television and film. His best known play, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, won him a Drama Desk Award for Most Promising Playwright and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. The play, which was about a Harlem barber and his family, was produced by the Negro Ensemble Company in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Masser</span> American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music (1941–2015)

Michael William Masser was an American songwriter, composer and producer of popular music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georg Wadenius</span> Swedish musician

Georg "Jojje" Wadenius is a Swedish multi-instrumentalist, singer, and composer who was particularly active during the 1970s and 1980s as a studio and session guitarist and bassist, as well as for a series of albums of children's songs in Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Tee</span> American pianist, singer and arranger

Richard Edward Tee was an American jazz fusion pianist, studio musician, singer and arranger, who had several hundred studio credits and played on such notable hits as "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow " (1967), "Until You Come Back To Me" (1974), "The Hustle" (1975), "Slip Slidin' Away" (1977), "Just the Two of Us" (1981), "Tell Her About It" (1983), and "In Your Eyes" (1986).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Closer I Get to You</span> 1978 romantic ballad by Donnie Hathaway and Roberta Flack

"The Closer I Get to You" is a romantic ballad performed by singer-songwriter Roberta Flack and soul musician Donny Hathaway. The song was written by James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, two former members of Miles Davis's band, who were members of Flack's band at the time. Produced by Atlantic Records, the song was released on Flack's 1977 album Blue Lights in the Basement, and as a single in 1978. It became a major crossover hit, becoming Flack's biggest commercial hit after her success with her 1973 solo single, "Killing Me Softly with His Song". Originally set as a solo single, Flack's manager, David Franklin, suggested a duet with Hathaway, which resulted in the finished work.

<i>Blue Lights in the Basement</i> 1977 studio album by Roberta Flack

Blue Lights in the Basement is the sixth studio album by American singer Roberta Flack, released by Atlantic on December 13, 1977. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number eight on the US Billboard 200, becoming her third top-ten album on the chart and reaching number five on the R&B albums chart. On February 27, 1978, the album received a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments over 500,000 copies.

<i>Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway</i> 1980 studio album by Roberta Flack

Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Roberta Flack. Released via Atlantic in March 1980, the album features posthumous vocals by close friend and collaborator Donny Hathaway, who had died in 1979. At the 23rd Grammy Awards in 1981, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The award, however, went to Stephanie Mills for "Never Knew Love Like This Before."

<i>Live & More</i> (Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson album) 1980 live album by Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson

Live & More is a two-disc live album between Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson.

<i>Im the One</i> (Roberta Flack album) 1982 studio album by Roberta Flack

I'm the One is an album by Roberta Flack released in May 1982 which reached #59 on the album chart in Billboard whose R&B album chart afforded the album a #16 peak.

On May 14, 1988, the Atlantic Records label held its 40th-anniversary celebration by staging, at Madison Square Garden, New York, a non-stop concert lasting almost 13 hours starting at noon and ending just shortly before 1 am the following morning. The event was dubbed "It's Only Rock And Roll".

The Hampton Jazz Festival is a major musical event started in 1968, and features many of the world's major jazz artists. It is held during the last full weekend in June each year, with the primary venue being Hampton, Virginia's Hampton Coliseum. Festival organizers describe it as "the best available jazz, R&B and blues artists that are on tour during the time of the festival... packaged at a reasonable price." In 2024 it was re-branded as the Hampton Jazz & Music Festival, with an emphasis on a broader range of musical acts.

"If Ever I See You Again" is the title of a 1978 hit single by Roberta Flack. The song was composed by Joseph "Joe" Brooks and served as the title song for the 1978 film If Ever I See You Again, which Brooks directed and also starred in with Shelley Hack as his leading lady. Male vocalist Jamie Carr sang the theme song on the film's soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Miles (musician)</span> Musical artist

Barry Miles is an American pianist, record producer, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Love (song)</span> 1982 single by Roberta Flack

"Making Love" is a 1982 song written by Burt Bacharach, Bruce Roberts, and Carole Bayer Sager to serve as the theme song for the film of the same name in which, as recorded by Roberta Flack with Bacharach and Bayer Sager producing, it played under the closing credits: a Top 20 hit single for Flack, "Making Love" was included on the singer's 1982 album release I'm the One.

References

Citations

  1. Harmetz, Aljean (30 May 1981). "Pryor and Alda Proving Stars Still Sell Movies" . The New York Times. Section 1, p. 10.
  2. 1 2 Donalson 2003, p. 205.
  3. Paietta 2007, p. 36.
  4. Jet Magazine Staff 1981, p. 45.
  5. McNary, Dave (July 19, 2015). "George Coe, Oscar-Nominated Actor and SAG Activist, Dies at 86". Variety . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  6. "Bustin' Loose". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  7. "Bustin' Loose". Hollywood.com . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  8. "Bustin' Loose". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Los Angeles: American Film Institute . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  9. Burchard, Boyd (October 4, 1981). "Love affair paying off for state, movies". The Seattle Times . p. D9.
  10. "Bustin' Loose (1981)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  11. Canby, Vincent (May 22, 1981). "'Bustin' Loose' Stars Richard Pryor Gone Softy – Review". The New York Times . Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  12. "Bustin' Loose". TV Guide . Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  13. "Bustin' Loose". Good Times Video. May 1, 2001. ASIN   B00000JZHI . Retrieved January 6, 2017 via Amazon.com.

General and cited sources