GEORGE + BRENDA: More from "Cotton Candy" (1978)

I'm having a little trouble with this entry's film, "Cotton Candy" (1978). With Charles Martin Smith featured in almost every scene playing the main character, high school rock band leader George Smalley, there ends up being too much captivating cuteness and heartbreaking hotness to be contained in just one post. Despite the reputation the film has for being squeaky-clean and innocently naïve, there are surprising undercurrents of sexuality that occasionally come bursting out at unexpected moments (see last entry's strip poker scene). This leaves me with much to say and many screen caps to share. 

I've already admitted several times how much I love the sight of CMS holding a guitar, and you might have noticed the plentiful images of him and his instrument to be found here. But there's more to my enjoyment of this movie than just CMS and anything appealing he brings to his part. It's true, the film is somewhat dated and the dialogue is occasionally cheesy (amusingly so). But at it's core is a compelling and entertaining piece of storytelling that vividly and engrossingly details a high school misfit's efforts to find his place in the world and have his meaningful moment of musical merriment. I don't understand why director/co-writer Ron Howard would not be proud to have "Cotton Candy" seen today, but it's rumored he's intentionally keeping it locked away and off the market. Gosh, if Howard can stand behind an unwatchable misfire like "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000), then he can certainly embrace this charming cult classic.

It's fun seeing CMS in a romantic role again, something I've only seen him do so far in "American Graffiti" (1973). Like Candy Clark in that film, Leslie King is lovely and likable. And like that hit film's pairing, it just feels good to watch the two of them share a scene together. Let's rejoin George Smalley (CMS) and Brenda Matthews (King), shall we? Brenda approaches George at school as he sits on some steps working on new Cotton Candy songs. After chatting a bit about their classes, she asks if he's free before the next band practice to help her work out some of the harmonies she's struggling with. How about 8:30 tonight, after he's through at work? Awww... it's so cute watching them take these tentative little steps towards dating.

That night, after a pleasant evening together talking and harmonizing, George (with some gentle nudging from Brenda) gets up the nerve to ask her out for dinner and a movie. Of course she's interested. How could she not be falling for this adorable guy? After they agree on next week Friday for their date,  George leans in and gives Brenda a little kiss. Awww! Such cuteness goin' on! As he rolls off into the night on his bicycle, a sweet instrumental melody starts to play on the soundtrack. We'll later hear it's a tune that George has been writing to play for Brenda.

We next see the budding lovebirds on Date Night, leaving a movie theatre together. What did they go to see? I'm not sure, because an unseen staff member is in the process of removing the title from the marquee as the scene begins. All that remains of the date movie's name is the letters KY. Hmmm... Should I read anything into that? Maybe it is an intentional lubricant reference, since there seems to be more subliminal messages planted in the scene by director Ron Howard. As George and Brenda walk down an alleyway running along the side of the theatre discussing the film they just watched, we see a series of movie posters on the wall next to them. The first poster we see is for "The Goodbye Girl" (1977), which would seem to reference Brenda's eventual departure to attend MIT in the fall. The last poster they pass (and George even bumps into it, before he stops and leans against the wall) is for "High Anxiety" (1977), mirroring George's nervousness about the date in progress (or perhaps his concern about how the band is doing). 

Brenda is criticizing the movie they watched for being unconvincing, pointing out how it's unrealistic for the main character to be such a loser then turn around and be a big success at the end. This seems to strike a nerve with George, who not only seems to have identified with the character in question, but also possibly feels like they could just as easily be talking about him. "It's kind of nice to be able to think that even if it's a long shot that a guy who isn't doing so hot can turn it around," he say to her (at the moment he bumps into the "High Anxiety" poster). "I mean... I don't know," he continues awkwardly. "What... Like our band," he adds, starting to sound a little more confident. "We're long shots. But what if we actually won that 'Battle of the Bands'? I'd like to think that stuff like that can happen. And I do. I do think that." They both smile hopefully and put their arms around each other as they continue down the alley to Brenda's car.

They pull up to George's house, and there's some more awkwardness as George wants to kiss her, but instead he's nervously chattering in a joking manner. Brenda puts a stop to it, taking the initiative and planting a wet one on his lips. Oh, romance.... They begin to tenderly make out, and the scene fades to the exterior of the parked car, the steamed windows obscuring any activity that may be happening inside. How long are the two of them at it, and how far do they take it? The movie never reveals (there's no Brenda-gets-pregnant plot line or anything like that later), but it is easy to assume that they went all the way together. Maybe I'm just projecting myself into the situation, because I would definitely give it up to George Smalley on the first date.

I would have thought the film would save the Battle of the Bands for the finale, but halfway through the movie we are already at the event. It's being held at the Town East Mall in Mesquite (on the edge of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex), in a large open area in the center of the building (complete with a revolving stage). Cotton Candy are moments away from performing, and George does what he can to calm the tense band before they go on, as he struggles with his own mix of nervousness and excitement.

I complained last entry that a lot of the YouTube clips for "Cotton Candy" have been recently removed. The entire "Battle of the Bands" sequence used to be on there for all the world to enjoy, but is no longer. However, there is a piece of the scene: Cotton Candy performing the song "She Rolls" (which seems to be a fan favorite among the lucky few who have seen this rare cult classic). It is one of their better songs, with George apparently singing about that date night with Brenda. Possibly even about hooking up with her... or at least the pleasures of being horny (that lyric "When she holds me I start to quiver" tells me something orgasmic may have been involved). Check out the clip and see for yourself before it too is inevitably removed for copyright violation.

After the applause dies down, Cotton Candy launch into a second song (a repeat of one heard earlier during the band practice montage, "Not Gonna Hold Me Down"). The scene fades to the next group of performers going on as George and his group celebrate their success backstage. When the announcement is made naming the 4 bands selected to compete in the final round later that night, of course Cotton Candy is one of them. The bandmates cheer in delight as they hoist George up on their shoulders and pump their fists in the air! Woo hoo! 

Since rival band Rapid Fire won the Battle last year, they automatically skipped the preliminary round and were also included in the final four. Their arrival that night is a big circus of screaming girls as leader Torbin Bequette (Mark Wheeler), dressed like some 1970s version of a 1930s gangster, stands on a moving electric cart chased by his adoring fans. As he heads backstage with his entourage, Torbin steps up to Cotton Candy (who have just finished setting up for their next performance) and looks George right in the eye. "You turkeys made the finals?" he smirks. "I can't believe it, competition's really slim!" And off he strides with his gaggle of groupies. But George doesn't let that smarmy little douchebag rattle him. You show 'em who's best, Smalley!

I mentioned last entry how I didn't know the official names of the Cotton Candy songs performed in the film, since the end credits are missing from the bootleg copy I ended up getting my hands on (and there's no soundtrack album). Cotton Candy starts their set with a new song, which I am going to guess is called "Making My Music" (which is a sweet and sincere little ditty about the pleasures of musical creation). As with the other Cotton Candy tunes, I think it's fun and catchy, and CMS gives a charmingly energetic joyfulness to the presentation.

Some sample lyrics from "Making My Music": "I get high just making my music / I get fine behind a rock-and-roll band / And when I'm old and grey / I just want to sing and play-ay-ay yeah / Making my own music just as loud as I can." Sing it, Charlie!

The film fades to an instrumental jam session starting with an impressive bit of drum playing from Brenda followed by an intense little guitar solo from George. The audience eats it up and responds eagerly and loudly, much to the irritation of Torbin Bequette. I'm responding to the performance too, but a lot of that probably has to do with how hot I think CMS looks with guitar-in-hand. 

We get to hear one more fragment of a Cotton Candy song, admittedly the silliest one of the bunch (but not without it's charms). This one is called "Starship" (which, this being the post-"Star Wars" world of 1978, is probably a nod to the sci-fi trend taking over pop culture at the time). It's another entertaining feel-good hit with the audience... and I must admit I like it too, despite the absurd goofiness of the lyrics. Gosh, I sure wish there was an official soundtrack album out there. I wonder what the hot pic of Charlie adorning the cover would have been like if such a record existed? 

Unfortunately, Rapid Fire has already got an established fan base in attendance whose screaming adoration nearly drowns out their wretched cover version of "I Shot the Sheriff" (which seems to be the only song the band knows). George and his bandmates laugh at Rapid Fire's awfulness, but most of the people in attendance go crazy for it. So who wins the title? Is it popular choice Rapid Fire? Or is it the clearly more-talented Cotton Candy that gets the grand prize? I'm not sayin'. I've been bad enough about the spoilers as it is. You can look somewhere else for the answer, buddy.

There is one more scene in the film I want to mention before I  bring this entry to an end. It's really one of the highlights of the movie for me. Brenda visits George at his evening job working at a taco stand, and discovers he has a little surprise for her. He asks her to meet him out back behind the kitchen in a few minutes, then he shouts to his manager that he is going on break for a little bit.

George walks out the backdoor to find Brenda waiting for him. He steps towards her, his guitar in one hand, a boxed gift in the other. See, George worked it out and figured that today marked their two month anniversary (I'm not sure what he's using as the starting point, though). Brenda opens the present (a diamond pendant) and of course she loves it, but the best part is yet to come.

"I've got this song," he says to her. "It's just this little tune that I'm working on, and I've never really written anything like it before. Let me play it for you, OK?" And he sits her down by a stack of milk crates and begins to play a sweet little love song, one that I assume would be named "I'm the Kind of Guy Who Loves You" (or maybe just "I'm the Kind of Guy"). Of course, I am a huge sucker for this particular bit of music, which is one of two favorites I have in this film.

This video here is admittedly not a good-quality presentation of the song in question (I'm generally not a fan of those "point your cam at the TV" clips), but it's one of the last remaining "Cotton Candy"   scenes left on YouTube, and at least it will give you some idea of what it sounds like. I really think Charles sounds fantastic here, his vocal delivery seeming to display a touch of Buddy Holly influence that must have rubbed off from that previous stint playing in "The Buddy Holly Story" (1978). And you know what? Every time I hear CMS sing this, I  start to cry. Every single time.

When he's finished, George looks pretty happy with his heartfelt display of the true feelings he has for Brenda. And if I were in her shoes, I'd just throw my arms around him and be grateful to have found the greatest guy on earth at such a tender young age. Being such a huge fan of CMS, and having my own feelings of admiration and attraction to the guy, the chance to see him play such a wonderfully romantic scene really appeals to me. And I gotta say: this sequence here ranks among my all-time favorite CMS moments I have had the pleasure of watching since I started this whole immersion in Mr. Smith's filmography.

So... what is Brenda's response to George's sincere showing of songmanship? Like a few other things in this movie, the plot doesn't go the predictable route and unfold the way you'd expect it to. There's still way more sexy CMS moments ahead, many more compelling moments of humor and drama, and there's even another great Cotton Candy tune ("Born Rich", which would be my other favorite song in the movie besides "I'm the Kind of Guy"). In any case, I've opted to refrain from spoiling the last chunk of the storyline. If you go through all the effort to obtain a copy, you deserve an unspoiled ending. Right now, options for seeing the movie are sadly limited. It's possible you'll track down a bootleg copy like I ended up doing, or perhaps you'll find a used copy of the novelization to read and savor ("8 pages of photos!" Woo hoo!). Who knows? This particularly rare piece of '70s TV may finally find it's way into general release on disc or download (ideally, with a behind the scenes documentary and audio commentary with the Howard brothers, CMS and Leslie King). Maybe one day... and then the whole world can enjoy the wonderfulness that is "Cotton Candy" in all it's splendor. In the hopeful words of George Smalley himself: "I'd like to think that stuff like that can happen. And I do. I do think that."

I'll leave you with one final clip: an absolutely incredible tribute to "Cotton Candy" created by an extremely creative super-fan of the film. It's a song composed ENTIRELY of dialogue taken directly from the movie, strung together in an amazing arrangement of awesomeness! Bravo, buddy! Very nice work! Take a look and prepare to be entertained.

TERRY THE TOAD: "American Graffiti" (1973) and the early work of CMS

It's time to get to what this blog is all about: enjoying and discussing the work of Charles Martin Smith. Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Following the IMDb listing for Charles (or Charlie, as he is credited in his early roles), I've been slowly working my way through his filmography. With the exception of an episode of "Room 222" (broadcast in November 1972) that I couldn't find, I've seen everything from that  initial 2 year period leading up to his breakthrough performance in "American Graffiti" (1973).

The first acting appearance listed is one scene in a 3rd season episode of "The Brady Bunch". First broadcast on ABC on October 8th, 1971, "The Wheeler-Dealer" is the one where Greg (Barry Williams) is stuck with a piece-of-junk car that he's trying to get rid of. Charlie plays Ronnie, the "friend" he tries to sucker into buying it. It's fun to watch CMS getting his start here. He brought an adorable awkwardness to the part, playing the first of several shy & nerdy roles to come. The episode was also directed by 50's sci-fi king Jack Arnold! How cool is that?

Charlie's big-screen debut was in "The Culpepper Cattle Co." from 1972. Normally I'm not a big fan of westerns, but I thought this one was pretty good. It has a bit of a "Little House on the Prarie" vibe to it, focusing on the more mundane and less glamorous aspects of life in the wild west of yesteryear. After the credits finish, Charlie appears right at the beginning as he shouts out the film's opening line, "Kiss my ass, Ben Mockridge!" He plays Tim Slater, who in the opening sequence engages in a horsecart race with his friend Ben (Gary Grimes). At first it looks like Tim is going to be the winner, but he is ultimately defeated.

Tim and Ben then share an ever-so-slightly homoerotic moment as Ben shows off the new gun he just acquired. While Ben displays his pistol proudly, Tim smiles and admires it. "It looks like a nice one," he gushes. Probably not the first time these two characters have shown their "pistols" to each other, I would imagine. Unfortunately, there is no more Tim Slater for the rest of the movie.

"Fuzz" (1972) features Charlie's next movie role. Once again, it's a bit part in only 2 scenes (he only has one line). He plays Baby, who wanders the Boston back alleys with his friend Jimmy (Gary Morgan) dousing passed-out street bums with lighter fluid and catching them on fire! Damn!

When Detective Steve Carella (Burt Reynolds) finally catches them near the end of the film, it's revealed they were only trying to do their part in cleaning up the neighborhood by getting rid of the drunken bums that had been such a nuisance. Gosh, what rotten little shits.

There are even more bad kids to be found in the next CMS movie I watched: the 1973 TV adaptation of the popular teen drug confessional novel, "Go Ask Alice" (first broadcast January 24th on ABC). Charlie plays Jim, one of the many students who put the "high" in high school. He appears in one scene where he asks Alice (Jamie Smith-Jackson) if she has any drugs for sale, but she's trying to get clean so she's not holding. Aww, what a bummer.

Released a few months before "American Graffiti", Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid" (1973) contains one scene near the beginning with Charlie. He plays Bowdre, a young cowpoke staying in a shack with Billy the Kid (Kris Kristopherson) and a bearded 3rd friend. It's noon and they're still sleeping, but they slowly drag themselves out of bed. While the other 2 make fun of Bowdre for adjusting his morning wood a little too vigorously ("I was just scratching," he sheepishly replies), Pat Garrett (James Coburn) and his posse gather outside, weapons ready to fire.

When Bowdre steps outside to tend the horses, he gets several bullets in the stomach! Damn! Doomed from the start! The poor guy drags himself back inside. His scene in the cabin is really quite good, slowly dying in his companion's arms as he cries out in pain, "Sweet Mary's ass!" As they make their escape, the other two running off in opposite directions, poor Bowdre goes down in a hail of bullets.

CMS has died frequently enough in his films to have inspired a thread on his IMDb page devoted to listing his death scenes. It's pretty cool that for his first of many he would perform, he gets to go out with a bloody bang "Wild Bunch"-style under the direction of the great Mr. Peckinpah. It's also worth noting that almost 40 years later, CMS would cast co-star Kristopherson in a key supporting role in his recent hit film, "Dolphin Tale 3-D" (2011).

Then there's "American Graffiti" (1973). Charlie landed a major role in George Lucas's nostalgia-drenched snapshot of more innocent times, and he's been busy working hard and going strong ever since. Surprisingly, it's a film that I hadn't actually seen until just a few years ago (when my CMS obsession kicked in), although I grew up in the pop-cultural fallout after it's release, as interest was revived in late 50s/early 60s culture throughout the 70s (the "Happy Days" TV series and the "Grease" movie being the most obvious examples I can remember).

It's a film I still have some mixed feelings about. Technically, I think George Lucas created something very impressive on many levels. It captures the details of the era very vividly and convincingly. The late-night look of the film created with the assistance of famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler is fantastic. The wall-to-wall pop song soundtrack reworked into a beautiful sound montage by Walter Murch is incredible. All achieved on a budget under a million dollars too!

But a major component of the era (cars! cars! cars!) is something I have never been able to relate to. I'm not terribly fond of some of the main characters, in particular wishy-washy aspiring writer Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss) and his friend Steve Bollander (Ron Howard). I find Curt annoying and Steve is a bit of a douchebag. I understand the emotional turmoil Curt's sister/Steve's girlfriend Laurie Henderson (Cindy Williams) goes through, but after a while her overwrought histrionics just irritate me. Their drama forms two of the four story threads that intertwine and separate throughout the film. More likable are drag-racing badboy John Milner (Paul Le Mat) and pre-teen Carol Morrison ("Go Ask Alice" co-star Mackenzie Phillips), whose plotline is amusing and kind of sweet. However, in my opinion, the best moments in the movie belong to Debbie Dunham (Candy Clark) and Terry "The Toad" Fields (CMS).

The film starts one night in Modesto, CA in the summer of '62. As the credits roll and the period pop tunes kick in, the sun sets figuratively on an era and literally on a Mel's Drive-In restaurant. Charlie's character grabs the first shot (as he pulls up and gently crashes his motor scooter into a wall) and the first line ("Hey, what do you say, Curt? Last night in town. You guys gonna have a little bash before you leave?"). Before the other characters go their separate ways and have their separate adventures, Steve loans his flashy '58 Impala to Terry, who takes off to cruise the strip alone, looking for fun.

Unfortunately, Terry finds mostly humiliation as he rides around. Just when he might give in to despair, he spots cute blonde Debbie walking down the street. He calls out the window, striking up a conversation and getting her attention. What do you know? She's impressed by his car's "tuck-and-roll" upholstery. Horny and excited, Terry blurts out "I'll let you feel it... the upholstery I mean." Aww, you're so adorable, Terry.

Debbie's a little kooky but she's fun, as she and Terry head out into the night for their own string of mishaps and teenage thrills. Last time around, I was giving a full-on plot rundown of their adventures together, a sea of spoilers as far as the eye can see. This time around, I'm not gonna do that. I'd rather urge you to see and enjoy the film for yourself, especially if you haven't seen it already. Plot descriptions don't really give you the full sense of the many pleasures to be found in this carefully and lovingly constructed film.

I really love the pairing of Candy Clark and CMS. They have great chemistry together, and their performances are a total joy to watch. Here's a highlight, as Terry and Debbie retreat to Lover's Lane to get a little more familiar with each other. I can't help but chuckle at Terry's bear stories (woof!)...

Initially I wasn't so fond of this movie, preferring George Lucas's sci-fi films instead, but I have to admit the film has grown on me quite a bit, and I think there is much to savor and enjoy in it besides CMS's iconic performance as the quintessential adorable nerd. He had a few more years to go before I would say he was full-on sexy, and a decade before he would reach the supreme hotness of his part in "Never Cry Wolf". But I think he is hella cute in this. Can you believe Pauline Kael called Terry "repulsive" in her "American Graffiti" review at the time of the film's release? What a fucking bitch.

Speaking of George Lucas and his sci-fi films, I wanted to share this clip of CMS screen testing for the part of Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars" (1977). Imagine how different the film would have been if he got the part instead of Mark Hamill!