Looking for Help with a New Documentary: "Stay All Night" - Judy's Carnegie Hall Concert

[philcrosby]

Posted: 7/9/10 at 5:55pm

I know this is not strictly on-topic, but I think it will be of interest to a lot of the people I know who frequent this board.

A friend of mine is directing an exciting new project – a documentary entitled “Stay All Night”.

Steven Lippman is an accomplished film director, having directed short and long-form films for music stars such as Bette Midler, Carly Simon, Dolly Parton, David Bowie and Roseanne Cash. He has long been fascinated with the cultural power of Judy Garland’s fabled Carnegie Hall concert.

“Stay All Night” will not be about the concert itself, but about the effect it had on the people who were there. Steven describes it like this:

“’Stay All Night’ is an expressive documentary film of converging lives, and of New York City in a time of social change, seen through the prism of the legendary Judy Garland Carnegie Hall concert on April 23rd, 1961 - a historic evening preserved only as a live recording and in the memories of those who were there.

“Departing from the traditional narrative structure, "Stay All Night" will be guided by newly-captured remembrances from an engaging group of audience members. Unfolding in a mosaic of intimate conversations, music, and evocative imagery, the film chronicles in both tiny and sweeping details the day and night of the landmark concert. But this is more than just a show-business recollection.

“’Stay All Night’ will transport audiences into an era and a city, mixing past and present to weave a tapestry of personal journeys and unexpected tales. The cumulative experience will be imbued with the texture of film, the texture of life.

“For this one night, in one luminous city, in one famous concert hall, a diverse group came together and shared the unique, precious experience and communal fervor of Judy Garland at her peak. It’s the shared experience that binds these people - and us - together forever.”

It’s a fascinating conceit and will produce, I think, a fascinating result. I am hoping my friends on this list might be willing to help in these ways:

1. In this age of social media buzz, of course “Stay the Night” already has a web site (www.stayallnightthemovie.com) and a Facebook page. Take a look and see what you think – and spread the word if you like what you see.
   
   
2. Help Steven find people who were actually there. The celebrities who were there are fairly well documented, and Steven has done a dutiful job at tracking down those who are known to have been there (Carol Channing, Julie Andrews, Phyllis Newman, Mike Nichols, Jerry Herman, Terrence McNally, Anna Maria Alberghetti, Lauren Bacall) and who are still around. But the reminiscences of the non-celebs are probably even more compelling … so if you know of someone who was there, you can let Steven know by clicking a link on his web site.
   

Whether you have something to contribute or not, I think the film itself will be of interest to most of you! Thanks in advance for any help you can lend!

Phil
Stay All Night

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 7/9/10 at 8:19pm

If there's one live event that I wish I could go back in time and see, THIS would have been it.