“Jersey Boys” …. a trip down memory lane!!

~~July 13, 2014~~

I think I’m giving my age away. Doesn’t matter because if you have been following this blog, you know how old I am.

Anyway, I just saw this wonderful movie today. The story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I have already seen the play and wondered how the movie version would come out. 

Not disappointed at all. It was excellent, awesome … a definite trip down memory lane. If you like music and this is your era, I highly recommend it.

Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of the 1960s rock ‘n roll group The Four Seasons.

The musical is structured as four “seasons”, each narrated by a different member of the band who gives his own perspective on its history and music. Songs include “Big Girls Don’t Cry“, “Sherry“, “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)“, “My Eyes Adored You“, “Stay“, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You“, “Working My Way Back to You” and “Rag Doll“, among others. The title refers to the fact that the members of The Four Seasons are from New Jersey.

The musical opened on Broadway in 2005 and has since had two North American National Tours and productions in London’s West End, Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, Melbourne and other Australian cities, Singapore, South Africa, The Netherlands and elsewhere. Jersey Boys won four 2006 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the 2009 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical.

~Movie Info~

Clint Eastwood’s big screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of the four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic `60s rock group The Four Seasons. Their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the hit songs that influenced a generation, and are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical.(c) Warner Bros.

Jersey Boys is a 2014 American biographical musical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood based on the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name. The film tells the story of the musical group The Four Seasons. It was released on June 20, 2014 to mixed reviews.

~~SOURCES~~

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jersey_boys/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Boys_(film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Boys

~~Plot~~

In 1951, in Belleville, New Jersey, Tommy DeVito, narrating the story, introduces the audience to himself, Frankie Valli, Tommy’s brother Nicky, and their friend Nick Massi. The young men perform together as The Variety Trio. Frankie, already well known in the neighborhood for his singing voice, gains greater recognition for his abilities, including the admiration of gangster Gyp DeCarlo, who promises to help Valli out with any problems he may have.

One night, after a performance, the group is arrested for the attempted robbery of a safe. At court, Tommy is sentenced to six months in prison. After he is released, the group rejoins. At a performance, Frankie is entranced by a woman named Mary Delgado. He takes her to dinner, and they are soon married.

The group, now called “The Four Lovers“, find themselves in need of a songwriter after Nicky leaves. Tommy sends his friend Joe Pesci to approach singer-songwriter Bob Gaudio and invite him to hear the group perform. Gaudio, now narrating, is impressed with Valli’s vocals and agrees to join.

The band, having recorded several demos, attempt to send them to publishers, with very little success. Eventually, producer Bob Crewe signs them to a contract. However, they quickly realize that it only allowed them to perform back-up vocals for other groups. Crewe says that the group does not have a distinctive image or sound yet. Inspired by a bowling alley sign, the group rename themselves “The Four Seasons“, and sing a new song, Sherry to Crewe. Impressed, Crewe agrees to record it.

“Sherry” quickly becomes a major hit, followed by two more, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man. However, before an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, Valli is approached by loan shark Norman Waxman, who claims that Tommy owes him 150,000 dollars. Angered, the group approaches DeCarlo for advice.

DeCarlo gets Waxman to allow Valli to pay the debt, if Tommy will hide in Las Vegas until it is payed. Nick, irritated by the irresponsibility of Tommy, suddenly announces his intention to leave the group and leaves. After this breakdown, Frankie hires a set of studio musicians and continues to tour as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, with Gaudio acting as songwriter and producer.

Valli learns from his now ex-wife Mary that his daughter, Francine, now a drug addict, has run away from home. Valli tracks her down and admits that he regrets not acting as a better father for her when she was growing up. He also arranges for Gaudio to give her singing lessons.

A few years later, the group has finally paid off Tommy’s debt. Sadly, this coincides with the news of Francine’s death by drug overdose. Frankie and Mary both grieve for their daughter.

Not long after, Bob has composed a new piece for Frankie to sing, his first as a solo artist. Frankie is at first hesitant, as he is still in mourning, but eventually agrees. The piece, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You“, becomes a commercial success.

In 1990, the original Four Seasons are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bob Crewe formally inducts the group, and the quartet performs “Rag Doll” onstage, their first performance together in over twenty years.

The music fades as the four men take turns addressing the audience. Tommy, in an ironic twist, now works for Joe Pesci, who has gone on to become an Oscar-winning actor. Nick assures the audience that he has no regrets about leaving the group all those years ago and is now at his happiest, enjoying the time he spends with his family. Bob has retired to Nashville, Tennessee and lives there with his wife and children.

Lastly, Frankie finally takes over the narration, stating that the best time he had during his time with the Four Seasons was before their success, “when everything was still ahead of us and it was just four guys singing under a street lamp.”

~~Jersey Boys – Movie Trailer~~

Official Warner Bros. 

~~Published on Apr 17, 2014~~

Official first trailer for “Jersey Boys”

From director Clint Eastwood comes the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.”

The film tells the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons. The story of their trials and triumphs are accompanied by the songs that influenced a generation, including “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Dawn,” “Rag Doll,” “Bye Bye Baby,” “Who Loves You,” and many more.

These classic hits are now being embraced by a new generation of fans through the stage musical, which has been running on Broadway for more than eight years and has also enjoyed successful tours around the globe.

Starring in the film, John Lloyd Young reprises his Tony Award-winning portrayal of the legendary lead singer of The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli. Erich Bergen stars as Bob Gaudio, who wrote or co-wrote all of the group’s biggest hits. Michael Lomenda and Vincent Piazza star respectively as Nick Massi and Tommy DeVito, two original members of The Four Seasons. Oscar® winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter”) stars as mobster Gyp DeCarlo.

Oscar® winner Eastwood (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Unforgiven”) directed “Jersey Boys” from a screenplay and musical book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, song music by Bob Gaudio and lyrics by Bob Crewe.

The film is produced by Eastwood, Graham King and Robert Lorenz, with Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tim Moore, Tim Headington, Brett Ratner, James Packer and Steven Mnuchin serving as executive producers.

~~MEMORIES~~ 

~The Four Season & Frankie Valli hits live Sherry, Rag doll, Walk~

~Published on Aug 19, 2013~

The Four Seasons perform a medley of their hits on an American Tv series in the mid sixties including Sherry, Walk like a man, Big girls Don’t cry, Dawn, Rag doll.

We ALL are ONE!!