Sparkle (1976 film)

Sparkle
Directed by	Sam O'Steen
Produced by	Howard Rosenman
Written by	Joel Schumacher Howard Rosenman
Starring	Philip M. Thomas Irene Cara Lonette McKee Dwan Smith Mary Alice Dorian Harewood Tony King
Music by	Curtis Mayfield
Cinematography	Bruce Surtees
Studio	RSO
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	April 7, 1976
Running time	98 min.
Language	English

Sparkle is a 1976 American film directed by Sam O'Steen and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. Inspired by The Supremes, Sparkle is a period film set in Harlem, New York during the late 1950s and early 1960s which follows the rough lives and careers of singer Sparkle Williams and her family and friends.

The film stars Philip Michael Thomas (later of Miami Vice fame), Irene Cara, Lonette McKee, Dwan Smith, Mary Alice, Dorian Harewood, and Tony King. Curtis Mayfield served as the composer and producer of Sparkle's songs and score.

Plot synopsis

The movie starts at 1958's Harlem, New York. The Williams sisters – Sister (Lonette McKee), Dolores (Dwan Smith), and Sparkle (Irene Cara) – are singers in their local church's teenagers' choir along with their friends Stix (Philip Michael Thomas) and Levi (Dorian Harewood). The girls' mother, Effie (Mary Alice), works hard as a maid for the Gerber family on Long Island and struggles to keep her girls, especially the "high-spirited" Sister, safe. Stix, a budding songwriter who is in love with Sparkle, wants to start a group, and arranges the five of them into a quintet called "The Hearts". The Hearts enter a local talent show contest, which they win with the help of Sister's stage appeal. Shortly afterwards, however, Levi drops out of the group so that he can become an important man in the operations of local gangster Satin (Tony King).

Stix decides to repackage the group as an all-girl trio, appointing Sister lead singer and reducing his role in the act to manager and songwriter. The girls, now known as "Sister & the Sisters", debut at the seedy Shan-Doo Club; their immediate success gains them a position as regular performers there. Satin, invited to the show by Levi, takes up with Sister, who leaves home to move in with him. Sister begins showing up at the Shan-Doo with bruises from Satin's abuse and begins taking cocaine. When Dolores learns that Satin has gotten her hooked on drugs, she plots revenge, coming on to one of Satin's flunkies in order to set the kingpin up. Dolores calls the police to let them know when and where Satin's next drug pick-up will be, but Levi is the one caught in the sting. Regretful and weary of life in Harlem, Dolores packs up and leaves home in order to pursue her dreams of racial equality.

Sister's drug use and her life in the "big time" caused her to relinquish her position as lead singer of the group, and a frustrated Stix gives up on music. He leaves Harlem to work in construction upstate, breaking Sparkle's heart in the process. Several months later, Sister has died of drug overdose, and Stix reconciles with Sparkle after her funeral. By this time, he has moved back to New York and gained employment with a record label, and offers to produce Sparkle as a solo star. He borrows money from Effie's employer Max Gerber (Paul Lambert) to fund a recording session, and Sparkle's first single becomes a smash hit. Stix lands Sparkle a gig at Carnegie Hall as Ray Charles' opening act, but finds himself kidnapped by Gerber's partners in the Mafia for refusing to agree to a partnership in owning the rights to Sparkle's fame. Despite being threatened with death, however, Stix refuses to give in, and the impressed Gerber lets Stix go free. Stix arrives at Carnegie Hall just in time to see Sparkle finish her set.

Cast

• Philip Michael Thomas as Stix
• Irene Cara as Sparkle
• Lonette McKee as Sister
• Dwan Smith as Delores
• Mary Alice as Effie
• Dorian Harewood as Levi
• Tony King as Satin
• Beatrice Winde as Mrs Waters
• Paul Lambert as Moe
• Joyce Easton as Lee
• Otis Day as Ham
• Norma Miller as Doreen
• Talya Ferro as Miss Taylor
• Bob Delegall as Mr Daniels
• Armelia McQueen as Ann
• Don Bexley as Bubbles

History

Sparkle was a successful film, and is something of a cult classic among African-American audiences. Its success was inspirational in the creation of the musical that would eventually debut on Broadway in 1981 as Dreamgirls. In fact, one of Dreamgirls' central characters is named "Effie", the name of the Mary Alice character in Sparkle. The film's soundtrack album, featuring Aretha Franklin in place of the actresses in the film, was also a success. Two of Sparkle's stars, Dorian Harewood and Irene Cara, portray Alex Haley's parents in the 1979 miniseries Roots: The Next Generations.

Sparkle was released on VHS in the early 1990s. After being long out of print and unavailable save for television broadcasts, Sparkle was released on DVD in 2007. An abbreviated edition of the accompanying Aretha Franklin album was included on a bonus disc.

Remake

See also: Sparkle (2012 film)

In 2011, Sony Pictures announced that it was remaking Sparkle, with Debra Martin Chase as producer, and husband-and-wife team Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil as director and writer, respectively. The Akils will also co-produce the film. The new version will star Pop/R&B singer Jordin Sparks as Sparkle, with the late R&B/pop singer Whitney Houston (an executive produceer on the film) as her mother.

Production began on the Sparkle remake in October 2011, with Sony's TriStar Pictures set to release the film.

On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston passed away. Filming had been completed prior to Ms. Houston's passing. Sadly, Ms. Houston made this her final film rather than her comeback into the entertainment industry she so greatly wanted.

Soundtrack album

• Sparkle (1976)

External links

• Sparkle at the Internet Movie Database
• Sparkle at AllRovi