Liberace: Behind the Music
Encyclopedia
Liberace: Behind the Music is a 1988 Kushner-Locke Company
television production. It is an "unofficial" biopic drama on the life and death of Wladziu Valentino Liberace, who went from a humble working-class background to become a famous American pianist and vocalist. Known simply as "Liberace", he became the highest paid entertainer in the world, while embracing a lifestyle of flamboyant excess. The film first aired less than two years after his death.
The modest-length production (97 minutes) traces Liberace's life, as played by Canadian actor Victor Garber
, from his humble beginnings in a Milwaukee suburb, through his major life highs and lows culminating with the highly-publicized palimony
lawsuit filed against him by his former limo driver and alleged live-in boyfriend of five years, Scott Thorson
played by Michael Dolan
, and his failing health ending with his death at age 67 on February 4, 1987, from AIDS
complications.
Noted for the early casting appearance of then 20-year-old Shawn Levy
, Real Steel
(2011), Canadian-American actor, director and producer, as Glenn, a post-Thorson acquaintance of Liberace through his final days.
A TV film of noteworthy production value. Film clips from Liberace's actual stage appearances are interspersed in the storyline. Directed by Emmy Award
-winning David Greene
, Rich Man, Poor Man
(1976) and Roots
(1977). Credit for technical advisor is given to long-time Liberace friend and agent Seymour Heller
who is portrayed in the film by Saul Rubinek
.
Liberace: Behind the Music was broadcast one week after the ABC biopic production Liberace (1988), a version starring Andrew Robinson in the lead with a script holding to a point of view that Liberace was heterosexual.
An obscure and rarely seen title, the film debuted in the United States as a CBS
Sunday Movie.
at the age of 17.
Through a variety of his highs and lows, chaptered in TV-style format, Liberace's life from his early years through his death are chronicled.
has agreed to star as Liberace and Matt Damon
will portray Scott Thorson in a motion picture that is scheduled to film during the summer of 2012. HBO has agreed to the film Behind the Candelabra, to air on its network, centering on the relationship the two shared and its aftermath. The film is to be directed by Steven Soderbergh
with screenplay by Richard LaGravenese
based on Thorson's book Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace. The score will be by Marvin Hamlisch
.
from Kushner-Locke distributed through Tango Entertainment.
The Kushner-Locke Company
The Kushner-Locke Company is an American independent motion picture/television production company founded in 1983, it is named after its founders Donald Kushner and Peter Locke....
television production. It is an "unofficial" biopic drama on the life and death of Wladziu Valentino Liberace, who went from a humble working-class background to become a famous American pianist and vocalist. Known simply as "Liberace", he became the highest paid entertainer in the world, while embracing a lifestyle of flamboyant excess. The film first aired less than two years after his death.
The modest-length production (97 minutes) traces Liberace's life, as played by Canadian actor Victor Garber
Victor Garber
Victor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is...
, from his humble beginnings in a Milwaukee suburb, through his major life highs and lows culminating with the highly-publicized palimony
Palimony
Palimony is a popular term used to describe the division of financial assets and real property on the termination of a personal live-in relationship wherein the parties are not legally married. The term is a portmanteau of the words pal and alimony...
lawsuit filed against him by his former limo driver and alleged live-in boyfriend of five years, Scott Thorson
Scott Thorson
Scott Thorson became famous for his relationship with and lawsuit against entertainer Liberace and his testimony against gangster Eddie Nash.-Relationship with Liberace:...
played by Michael Dolan
Michael Dolan
Michael Dolan, born June 21, 1965, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is an American theatre and film actor, director and educator.-Acting career:...
, and his failing health ending with his death at age 67 on February 4, 1987, from AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
complications.
Noted for the early casting appearance of then 20-year-old Shawn Levy
Shawn Levy
Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer who directed the comedy films Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum, Date Night, and the sci-fi movie Real Steel...
, Real Steel
Real Steel
Real Steel is a 2011 American science fiction film starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy. The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, though Levy placed the film in U.S. state fairs and other "old-fashioned" Americana settings. Real Steel was in...
(2011), Canadian-American actor, director and producer, as Glenn, a post-Thorson acquaintance of Liberace through his final days.
A TV film of noteworthy production value. Film clips from Liberace's actual stage appearances are interspersed in the storyline. Directed by Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning David Greene
David Greene
David Norman Greene is a former American football quarterback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia....
, Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man (TV miniseries)
Rich Man, Poor Man was a 1976 American television miniseries that aired on ABC in one-hour episodes at 10:00pm ET/PT on Monday night for twelve weeks, beginning February 1. It was produced by Universal Television and was the second time programming of this nature had been attempted. The first TV...
(1976) and Roots
Roots (TV miniseries)
Roots is a 1977 American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's fictional novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Roots received 36 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine. It also won a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. It received unprecedented Nielsen ratings with the finale still...
(1977). Credit for technical advisor is given to long-time Liberace friend and agent Seymour Heller
Seymour Heller
Seymour Heller was an American talent agent and artist's manager for over 60 years. He specialized in musical variety entertainers...
who is portrayed in the film by Saul Rubinek
Saul Rubinek
Saul Rubinek is a Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright, known for his work in TV, film and the stage.-Early life:...
.
Liberace: Behind the Music was broadcast one week after the ABC biopic production Liberace (1988), a version starring Andrew Robinson in the lead with a script holding to a point of view that Liberace was heterosexual.
An obscure and rarely seen title, the film debuted in the United States as a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Sunday Movie.
Plot
A gifted classical pianist, fueled by poverty, Wladiziu Valentino Liberace was already playing with the Chicago Symphony OrchestraChicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
at the age of 17.
Through a variety of his highs and lows, chaptered in TV-style format, Liberace's life from his early years through his death are chronicled.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Victor Garber Victor Garber Victor Joseph Garber is a Canadian film, stage and television actor and singer. Garber is known for playing Jesus in Godspell, Jack Bristow in the television series Alias, Max in Lend Me a Tenor, and Thomas Andrews in James Cameron's Titanic.-Early life:Born in London, Ontario, Canada, Garber is... |
Liberace Liberace Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned... |
| Saul Rubinek Saul Rubinek Saul Rubinek is a Canadian actor, director, producer and playwright, known for his work in TV, film and the stage.-Early life:... |
Seymour Heller Seymour Heller Seymour Heller was an American talent agent and artist's manager for over 60 years. He specialized in musical variety entertainers... |
| Michael Dolan Michael Dolan Michael Dolan, born June 21, 1965, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, is an American theatre and film actor, director and educator.-Acting career:... |
Scott Thorson Scott Thorson Scott Thorson became famous for his relationship with and lawsuit against entertainer Liberace and his testimony against gangster Eddie Nash.-Relationship with Liberace:... |
| Maureen Stapleton Maureen Stapleton Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family... |
Frances Liberace |
| Shawn Levy Shawn Levy Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian-American actor, director and producer who directed the comedy films Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, The Pink Panther, Night at the Museum, Date Night, and the sci-fi movie Real Steel... |
Glenn |
| Michael Wilkes | George Liberace George Liberace George Liberace was an American musician and television performer.Born in Menasha, Wisconsin, he was the elder brother and business partner of famed US entertainer Liberace... |
| Macha Grenon | Joanne |
| George Touliatos | Salvatore Liberace |
| Joan Heney | Serious Lady |
| Andrew Nichols | Teenager |
| Paul Hipp Paul Hipp -Early years:Paul Hipp was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hipp left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, starting his career playing for tips on the streets of Greenwich Village while studying acting with Mira Rostova and at HB Studio with... |
Elvis Presley Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King".... |
| Frances Hyland Frances Hyland Frances Hyland, OC was a well-known Canadian theatre actress.Hyland studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making her professional debut in London as Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire, opposite John Gielgud. In 1954, she returned to Canada, becoming a regular at the Stratford Festival in... |
Florence Bettray Kelly |
| Stephen Watts | Jimmy |
| Rochelle Bruneau | George's Girl |
Pending Hollywood remake
Michael DouglasMichael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
has agreed to star as Liberace and Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
will portray Scott Thorson in a motion picture that is scheduled to film during the summer of 2012. HBO has agreed to the film Behind the Candelabra, to air on its network, centering on the relationship the two shared and its aftermath. The film is to be directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
with screenplay by Richard LaGravenese
Richard LaGravenese
Richard LaGravenese is an American screenwriter and occasional film director. He is best known as the writer of The Fisher King.-Personal life:...
based on Thorson's book Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace. The score will be by Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
.
Home media
Liberace: Behind the Music is presently available on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
from Kushner-Locke distributed through Tango Entertainment.