BEFORE: We made it past the holiday weekend and ALL the bombing going on outside our window - sorry, you call it "fireworks" and I treat it like there are home-grown terrorists with explosives right outside. It's a fine line. We also had a heat wave and a celebrity wedding here in NYC, let's just say it's been a good week to stay indoors. Today I'll have to leave the house and not just to get milk - but first let's watch another documentary and get to know another U.S. state. Diana Ross was seen in yesterday's film, presenting a Grammy to Roberta Flack, so this one's easy, Diana Ross carries over.
She was born in Detroit, and was a hit with the Supremes on the Motown label, which of course is based in Detroit, so Michigan would be the no-brainer choice here BUT I need Michigan for another famous person coming up, so today I'm profiling ALABAMA. When she was seven, Diana's mother got sick and she was sent to live with family in Bessemer, Alabama for a time, and she learned, like I did, that nobody famous ever came from Alabama, so when her mother recovered she went back to Detroit, home of all that famous music and neighbors like Smokey Robinson. Smart.
Date admitted to the U.S.: December 14, 1819 (the 22nd state)
Claim to fame: Ground zero in the battle for Civil Rights, all those marches from Selma to Montgomery that I've seen in just about every documentary.
Nickname: "The Heart of Dixie"
Prevalent language: Alibamu, which is a Muskogean dialect, and I'm not kidding
State Motto: Audemus jura nostra defendere, which means "We dare defend our rights" - you know what, just keep driving, I hear Georgia is nice.
State Flower: Camellia
State Fruit: Blackberry (oh, how ironic)
State Fruit: Blackberry (oh, how ironic)
State Reptile: Alabama red-bellied turtle
State Bird: Yellowhammer
State Vegetable: Sweet potato, that tracks
State Mammal: American black bear (again, just saying...)
State Nut: Pecan, well who doesn't love pie?
State Legume: Peanut - why am I not surprised there's a state nut AND legume?
Notable Sports Teams: "Roll Tide"
Fun Fact: Cotton plantations, slave labor, Jim Crow laws, really, what's not to hate? They also have Alabama "white sauce" on their barbecue, which should be avoided at all costs. I mean, I know what it made of, but I also know what it looks like it's made of. This is the first state profiled that I have NOT been to, so my record is 5-1.
THE PLOT: From being the queen of Motown to taking on the world stage, this "Supreme" diva has sold over 100 million records worldwide. Her career has spanned decades, attracting generation after generation of loyal fans.
AFTER: So the short path to success in the music industry for Diana Ross seems to have been - Step 1, move back to Detroit. Step 2, live next door to Smokey Robinson and befriend him. Step 3, start a secret relationship with the head of Motown Records. Look, I'm not saying she didn't work hard, and that as one of the Primettes she didn't show up at the Motown recording sessions for other artists, willing to sing back-up or just clap her hands on their records, I'm just saying it's clear that some shortcuts were taken. You know, it was a different time - like if you found out that somebody like Sabrina Carpenter or Ariana Grande was in a relationship with an older man with six kids who was also the CEO of her record label, questions would be asked, there might even be an investigation. But back in the 1960's that was just something people did if they wanted to get ahead. Why and how did The Supremes become "Diana Ross and the Supremes", hmmm?
This is one of those "stockumentaries" that was made entirely out of licensed footage, and the attempts to land famous people to weigh in on Diana's career and legacy were minimal at best. Who the heck is Bonnie Greer? Apparently she's a writer who's also served as Chancellor of Kingston University in the U.K. - OK, so she's African-American and grew up in Chicago, but what part of her background gives her the right to comment on someone in the music industry? The Beyonce interview that took place around the time of "Dreamgirls" was clearly filmed by someone else, and that's it, no stars were inconvenienced at all during filming.
This film runs 45 min. max, which makes it great for filling up an hour on Fuse Music or AXS, once you add a bunch of commercials. Well, it sure won't take up a lot of your time to watch it, you can probably just fit it in while you're channel surfing and looking for something better listed in your on-screen guide. Look, we already KNOW that Florence Ballard got cut from the Supremes and was replaced by Cindy Birdsongs - there were probably a dozen women total who worked as Supremes from time to time, Motow tried to keep the group going for a while after Diana Ross went solo, but the writing was really on the wall by that point.
They did have hits, starting in the spring of 1964 with "Where Did Our Love Go", which hit number and surprised everyone, including the Supremes themselves. Then came "Baby Love" (which is really the same song with new lyrics, I'm pretty sure) and "Come See About Me", and "Stop! In the Name of Love". But to me this is all kind of tainted, if Diana Ross had to cheat to get there, I'm again reminded that Spielberg was never hired at Universal, he just walked in and set himself up in an office and everyone assumed he belonged there. He did not work as hard as he should have had to in order to get what he got. And it's much easier to score a home run if you steal second and third base, it turns out. Is this the message we want to send out to our kids, just fake it till you make it, or when you get that audition with the record company, be sure to have sex with the man in charge?
But I guess that's America, we're a nation of people who see what they want and then make plans to get it, by any means necessary. Eff the rules, right? If we need to harvest cotton cheaply, let's just take some people in another country away from their homes and call them our property, so they'll pick the cotton for no pay. If we need more land, we'll just take it from the Native Americans and call it a new state. Where's the harm? In the case of Diana Ross getting the spotlight, the pressure from Berry Gordy to succeed caused her to have anxiety and anorexia, which is not mentioned in this doc, of course, because there's just no time.
Ross spent the 1970's making solo albums, and also appearing in films, "Lady Sings the Blues", "Mahogany" and of course, "The Wiz". The film version of that all-black musical based on "The Wizard of Oz" had to change Dorothy from a school girl to a school teacher, in order to shoehorn the adult Diana Ross into the role. Playing opposite her fellow Motown artist Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, the adaptation was both a visual marvel and also the most expensive film musical ever made. Really, there was no way the film could be profitable, but it did become a cult classic. She wrapped up the decade with some TV specials, disco hits like "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down" before leaving Motown Records for RCA, and (presumably) Berry Gordy for a new sugar daddy.
A few more concert specials (the one filmed in Central Park was directed by the guy who made the infamous "Star Wars" holiday special, remember, everything is connected) and in 1982 she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, then popped up on "Soul Train". Gee, it sure seemed like she'd take any gig, like she had something to prove. By 1985 there was clearly a struggle to stay relevant, appearing on the "We Are the World" single helped, but that won't make up for a stinker song like "Chain Reaction" or "Eaten Alive", which had a music video that was modeled after "The Island of Dr. Moreau" - even without seeing the video, I can tell you that was a horrible idea.
What's weird is that there's so much more to Diana Ross's story, but the documentary doesn't seem to discuss anything after 1985. You can literally learn more about her career by reading her Wiki page that you can from watching "Supreme Sensation". And it was made in 2023, so that's like 38 years of her career that the doc doesn't even want to mention. I mean, sure, there was rehab and a couple comeback tours, also a DUI, in the interest of fairness, I think we have to discuss all the ups and downs of someone's life in order to get a clear picture. Otherwise we're just making propaganda films, is that what we're doing here? Jesus Christmas, we're not even going to mention she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? This is some sloppy, sloppy work, man.
Directed by Oliver Elphick
Also starring Beyonce Knowles-Carter (last seen in "Earth, Wind & Fire"), Bonnie Greer, Adam Mattera, Krysta Wallrauch
with archive footage of Frankie Avalon (last seen in "Pee-Wee as Himself"), Florence Ballard, Bette Davis (last seen in "Faye"), Marvin Gaye (last seen in "Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary"), Smokey Robinson (ditto), Berry Gordy (last seen in "Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over"), Jean Harlow (last seen in "The Public Enemy"), George Harrison (last seen in "Here"), Paul McCartney (ditto), Ringo Starr (ditto), Audrey Hepburn (last seen in "Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames"), Billie Holiday (last seen in "Billie"), Janet Jackson (last seen in "Listening to Kenny G"), Michael Jackson (also last seen in "Earth, Wind & Fire"), Jacqueline Kennedy (last seen in "Killing John Lennon"), John Lennon (also carrying over from "Roberta"), Frankie Lymon, Betty McGlown, Nile Rodgers (last seen in "Luther: Never Too Much"), Ted Ross, Rupaul Charles (last heard in "Nimona"), Nipsey Russell (last seen in "The One and Only Dick Gregory"), Twiggy, Mary Wilson (last seen in "Hitsville: The Making of Motown"),
RATING: 3 out of 10 appearances on The Ed Sullivan SHow
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