Hopefully this film will actually get made...it's fiction mind you, inspired by true events. The truth often is stranger than fiction....
The Book:
http://www.bookreporter.com.asp1-14.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/reviews/0871138492.asp
Teaser trailer for the upcoming feature film
"I FOUGHT THE LAW", directed by Adam Davenport. Based on the novel "THE DEAD CIRCUS" by John Kaye:
http://vimeo.com/48491540
10 comments:
Thanx for the post. I'm not that familiar with Bobby Fuller, however, I did find a decent documentary on him posted on YouTube.
It can be seen HERE.
Fuller was found dead on July 18, 1966 under suspicious circumstances. His death was ruled a suicide, I'm a bit skeptical.
I think his clothes were found doused with gasoline, that leads me to think that someone was possibly considering burning his body, but may have been interrupted.
Indeed, Mountaineer. It's been rumored that someone with the nickname "The Chairman of the Board" may have had it in for Bobby.
And, boy, does the LAPD have a shitstorm on their hands now or what? I am not condoning anything this guy is doing, but this guy is so young he accuses the LAPD of corruption! But only back to about the time of the Rodney King case which was what?...1992.
As if.
This reminds me (not sure why) of another work of fiction that touches upon our subject matter. This one is about some junkies getting hold of an alleged sex tape featuring Sharon, Mama Cass, Steve McQueen and others. Are any of you familiar with it?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7261367-sick-city
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tony-oneill/sick-city/
(Yes, that's Sharon on the cover.)
I've read this book and another of Tony O'Neill's books by the name of Down and Out on Murder Mile. They're not bad. (For the record, I don't think any of the alleged sex tapes featuring Sharon in debauched acts exists. To me, like with so much, they are another urban legend of TLB. That she made a sex tape with her husband which the LAPD later returned to him is true. I tend to think more lurid stories grew out of that and a mishmash of other garbled information and fervid speculation - some of which contained varying degrees of truth and some of which, well, not so much - about the victims that took on a life of its own. Others will think what they will. The book has its funny moments though.)
Anyway, sorry to derail the subject but thought I'd throw this other book out there in any case any TLB completists are interested.
Hi, Leigh,
Try this link:
http://www.lsb3.com/2011/07/pulp-fiction-meets-requiem-for-dream.html#more
and this for more too:
http://www.lsb3.com/search/label/Book%20Review
Peace!
Ah, I should have searched the archive before I posted that. Sorry.
Organized crime had a deep hold on the recording industry in the sixties. A good read is Tommy James' book "Me, the Mob and Music". James was with Roulette Records, whose owner Morris Levy, was an associate of the Genovese crime family. If you are a Sopranos fan, the character Hesch was based on Levy.
Bobby Fuller's record company, Del-Fi, was owned by Bob Keane, also allegedly mob connected. It is interesting that Keane's three biggest talents (Fuller, Sam Cooke & Richie Valens) all died a premature death. Sam Cooke's death was just as suspicious as Fuller's.
According to Tommy Jame's account, he would be kept happy with cars, drugs and women, but received nowhere near the money that he should have been making in royalties. The intimidation factor kept him from complaining too much. There are some interviews with James discussing the mob on you tube, like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnwPh6nOzXU
No problem, Leigh. Just making sure you know what all is out there.
Jeff, great points...sounds like a good read and I will try to get to it soon. But how was Sam Cooke's death suspicious? I've always thought it was fairly clear cut.
Hey Starship, The official LAPD version of Cooke's death was that he picked up a young lady in a nightclub, took her to a sleazy motel and tried to rape her. The young lady escaped when Cooke went into the bathroom. An enraged Cooke went to the motel office looking for the girl and got into an altercation with the manager (a frail 55 yr old woman). The manager shot Cooke in self defense. The LAPD accepted this version of events, called it justifiable and did no further investigation.
Turns out, the young lady had rap sheet for prostitution. The manager was a known madam with a criminal record. Many think the two were working a scam to rob johns. Cooke was out with friends when he met the young lady at the bar. They said he was flashing a big roll of cash that night. That money was never recovered. Those friends also contradict the young lady's version of events that night.
The great blues singer, Etta James, was a friend of Cooke's. She states in her autobiography that she went to the funereal home to view his body. She said he was so beaten that his head was almost separated from his right shoulder, his face was smashed in and his hands were crushed. This beating was obviously not done by a frail 55 yr old woman. So now some speculate that this murder was a hit, set up with the help of the two women involved.
Sam Cooke was shot dead by the manager of the Hacienda Motel in LA on Dec. 11, 1964. For whatever reason, (and many have been speculated), Cooke apparently ran into the office of the manager, Bertha Franklin, without any pants or underwear on. He was in a rage and wanted to know where the woman was that accompanied him to the motel.
Franklin grappled with him, and eventually shot him once in the torso.
Wikipedia says that Cooke was inebriated, and Franklin passed a lie detector.
A somewhat graphic pic of Sam Cooke's body in what appears to be the motel office can be seen HERE.
Patty tried to read Dead Circus but couldn't get any traction. If Starship says it's worth a read, then by golly she will try again.
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