Post by kalisa2 on Oct 25, 2003 9:12:53 GMT -5
I just found this while on the way to looking for other things. It was posted by an obvious non-Temptaholic who didn't follow the path of learning everything they could about the group after seeing the mini-series/movie.
Casualities are abundant in "The Temptations" (an ABC production, I believe). The whole movie is filled with tragedy after tragedy, a tiring premise. It's told from the perspective of Otis Williams, who is, conveniently, one of the producers, and the only living original member. And, rest assured, we don't need to see their demises to know who was running things here.
Actually, Otis Williams was probably the least important group member, vocally and otherwise. He is also the least interesting, even while he is setting himself up as the wise savior of the group. Anyway, he makes himself out to be the founder of the group, when just about any other group member could make that assertion of himself. I, myself, would probably give that credit to the bass singer, whose name I can't remember. (But I can obviously remember all-important Otis.)
The whole thing is full of statements like "There Smokey! And he's with Mr. Gordy!" And naturally, Martha Reeves pops up at Motown's reception desk. The film manages to document the group's rise to the top, while simutaneously trashing the reputation of every group member, with the exception of Otis and that bass guy, who's instead portrayed as a spineless follower.
David Ruffin gets the worst of it, by far. Ruffin is probably the most famous member. He sang the lead on such hits as "My Girl" and "Ain't to Proud to Beg" before being thrown out by Otis and his hanger-on, the bass guy. Apparently, he had a drug problem and was a glory hog. He was becoming the ultimate evil: "bigger than the group." Well, I say, so what? He's the one packing houses and exciting the crowd. He should be bigger than the group. As he himself says, without him, "the Temptations are just a group in search of a David Ruffin." And I can't help agreeing with him. You think anyone would miss Otis if he left? He seems to think the other group members are that easy to dispose of, though.
I also can't help thinking that many of these "conflicts" arose mainly because of Otis' jealousy of people like David Ruffin, who were more important than him. Well, there was a reason for that. They were more talented and more popular, so he had to hold them down. Who says "no one's bigger than the group"? Ever heard of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles? All groups have these issues. Look at the Beatles. Who was stupid old Otis, anyway? I'll tell you what he was: a back-up singer. He was a measly back-up singer and that's it, that's all he'd ever be, no matter who he got rid off or replaced.
One by one, the other group members are portrayed as alcoholics, drug addicts, glory hogs, uncooperative, uninterested, not willing to work, etc. Of course, Otis can do no wrong. He casually glosses over the fact that he is an adulterer, which caused his divorce. He practically blames the incident on his wife, who wouldn't take him back (gee, I wonder why?) after he cheated on her.
He even villainizes the remaining original group members for "daring to show up" at their induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Why get upset at that? They deserve it more than him anyway.
But, the most self-glorified scene is by far one at the end, where the bass singer's mother tells Otis that he was the one who kept the group together. It was all due to him. It was all Otis. Yeah, that seems to be the moral here. For someone who preached so vehemently against "being bigger than the group," who's doing just that with this movie?
Casualities are abundant in "The Temptations" (an ABC production, I believe). The whole movie is filled with tragedy after tragedy, a tiring premise. It's told from the perspective of Otis Williams, who is, conveniently, one of the producers, and the only living original member. And, rest assured, we don't need to see their demises to know who was running things here.
Actually, Otis Williams was probably the least important group member, vocally and otherwise. He is also the least interesting, even while he is setting himself up as the wise savior of the group. Anyway, he makes himself out to be the founder of the group, when just about any other group member could make that assertion of himself. I, myself, would probably give that credit to the bass singer, whose name I can't remember. (But I can obviously remember all-important Otis.)
The whole thing is full of statements like "There Smokey! And he's with Mr. Gordy!" And naturally, Martha Reeves pops up at Motown's reception desk. The film manages to document the group's rise to the top, while simutaneously trashing the reputation of every group member, with the exception of Otis and that bass guy, who's instead portrayed as a spineless follower.
David Ruffin gets the worst of it, by far. Ruffin is probably the most famous member. He sang the lead on such hits as "My Girl" and "Ain't to Proud to Beg" before being thrown out by Otis and his hanger-on, the bass guy. Apparently, he had a drug problem and was a glory hog. He was becoming the ultimate evil: "bigger than the group." Well, I say, so what? He's the one packing houses and exciting the crowd. He should be bigger than the group. As he himself says, without him, "the Temptations are just a group in search of a David Ruffin." And I can't help agreeing with him. You think anyone would miss Otis if he left? He seems to think the other group members are that easy to dispose of, though.
I also can't help thinking that many of these "conflicts" arose mainly because of Otis' jealousy of people like David Ruffin, who were more important than him. Well, there was a reason for that. They were more talented and more popular, so he had to hold them down. Who says "no one's bigger than the group"? Ever heard of Diana Ross and the Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles? All groups have these issues. Look at the Beatles. Who was stupid old Otis, anyway? I'll tell you what he was: a back-up singer. He was a measly back-up singer and that's it, that's all he'd ever be, no matter who he got rid off or replaced.
One by one, the other group members are portrayed as alcoholics, drug addicts, glory hogs, uncooperative, uninterested, not willing to work, etc. Of course, Otis can do no wrong. He casually glosses over the fact that he is an adulterer, which caused his divorce. He practically blames the incident on his wife, who wouldn't take him back (gee, I wonder why?) after he cheated on her.
He even villainizes the remaining original group members for "daring to show up" at their induction into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Why get upset at that? They deserve it more than him anyway.
But, the most self-glorified scene is by far one at the end, where the bass singer's mother tells Otis that he was the one who kept the group together. It was all due to him. It was all Otis. Yeah, that seems to be the moral here. For someone who preached so vehemently against "being bigger than the group," who's doing just that with this movie?
. 
