The starting point for any serious analysis of Cooke's
untimely death and its aftermath is Peter Guralnick,
Drum Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (New York: Little, Brown, 2005), 609-51. Mr. Guralnick does not appear in this film, nor is there any mention of him.
Nor is there any discussion of Cooke's intoxication
on the evening in question, or the fact that both the
manager (Ms. Franklin) and the female companion
(Ms. Boyer) passed voluntary lie detector tests prior
to taking the witness stand, which in turn influenced
the jury to acquit Ms. Franklin. Moreover, the owner
of the motel (Ms. Card) claimed that she was on the
'phone with Ms. Franklin throughout her altercation
with Cooke, and therefore "overheard" everything
that occurred. While that "happy coincidence"
(Guralnick, 628) was remarkably convenient, it
has never been challenged or contradicted by
any other evidence. Cooke was no stranger
to the area where his fatal assignation occurred,
not far from the Manchester exit off the (I-110)
Harbor Freeway. Conversely, Ms. Boyer, who
fled from the room and (apparently) hid in an
alley, was unfamiliar with those surroundings;
she called the police from a pay 'phone in the
immediate vicinity, then waited until a squad
car found her there. None of this is brought
up in the film, either, which is just as well,
since it is replete with errors of omission
and commission, respectively. Last but
not least, Sam Cooke and his wife Barbara
had a troubled relationship. Soon after he
died, she remarried, then divested herself
of most of her late husband's corporate and
financial assets, which accounts for the rise
in Allen Klein's fortunes, without resorting to
gratuitous accusations against him. In fact,
Klein ordered an inquiry into Cooke's death,
precisely because he did not believe it was
either an accident or the result of a romantic
entanglement. He spent considerable sums
of money on private investigators, but called
it off when they discovered unsavory things
about his client that would have ruined the
late singer's reputation, had they been made
public. Neither he nor Barbara Cooke (now
Barbara Womack) wanted that to happen--
Klein to protect his business interests, and
Ms. Cooke-Womack to protect her children.
You will not learn that from this poor excuse
for a documentary film, nor will you discover
anything else worth knowing. However, the
cinematography is excellent, especially the
scenes of Bronzeville, on the South Side of
Chicago, which evoke the atmosphere and
sublimity of the neighborhood where Cook
grew up, while the narration is hypnotic or
seductive by turns--as compelling in tone
and rhythm as it is fatuous and devoid of
content. Sam Cooke was a great singer,
an exemplary performer and a deeply
flawed human being. He deserves to
be treated with utmost respect, rather
than to be exploited in this way. The
Hacienda Motel was sleazy, but this
is a travesty, both of art and of truth.
Lady You Shot Me: Life and Death of Sam Cooke
2017
Action / Documentary
Lady You Shot Me: Life and Death of Sam Cooke
2017
Action / Documentary
Plot summary
Sam Cooke died at the age of 33 on December 11, 1964, at the Hacienda Motel, at 9137 South Figueroa Street, in Los Angeles, California. Answering separate reports of a shooting and of a kidnapping at the motel, police found Cooke's body, clad only in a sports jacket and shoes but no shirt, pants or underwear. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, which was later determined to have pierced his heart. The motel's manager, Bertha Franklin, said she had shot Cooke in self-defense after he broke into her office residence and attacked her. Her account was immediately questioned and disputed by acquaintances.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
March 22, 2021 at 11:50 AM
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A Poor Excuse for a Documentary
Speculation, Not Documentation
Another speculative film passed off as a "documentary" trying to restore the tarnished reputation of an American icon. The filmmakers and Cooke's living relatives just can't accept the fact that our icons sometimes have feet of clay. "Maybe the police did it." "His manager was probably involved." "He was set up." Don't come to us with allegations you can't prove and expect us to buy in. Don't watch this film if you want to know about Sam Cooke. He was a superstar who was caught with his pants down in a seedy motel. 'Nuf said.
Best movie I have ever seen
U idiots think that u can rate this beautiful work of art as a 6.600. U ARE A FOOL... PUNK.