Bear Mann's video: TunePlay - TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM 1988 Joe Jackson

As controversial a figure in industrial history as Thomas Edison or Henry Ford, flamboyant inventor / auto manufacturer, Preston Tucker, burst upon the corporate stage of post-WW2 boomtown America with a dream to build "the car of tomorrow ... today!". Loaded with revolutionary new features which would eventually become automotive standards (among them disc brakes and seat belts), Tucker's dream of the "dream machine" began with promise as stock holders and the public anticipated the first run of 1948 "Torpedo" Sedans off the assembly line. But the vision soon skidded into heartbreak as the independent "man who would be automotive king" was slapped with stock fraud allegations by the U.S. Government, internal sabotage within his own company, and the inability to acquire production material, much of the controversy believed to be by the manipulative hands of the "big three" automakers of the day, fearful of independent competition from the upstart innovator. Harboring a life-long fascination withTucker, Francis Ford Coppola began laying the groundwork of a film bio in 1973 while filming THE GODFATHER PT. II. He'd even secured for the lead his GODFATHER star Marlon Brando. His first vision of TUCKER was as a CITIZEN-KANE-meets-Bertolt-Brecht "dark musical". But after the failures of both ONE FROM THE HEART - '82 and THE COTTON CLUB - '84 he was forced to put his own "dream machine" project on the back burner until revived by good friend and cinematic "little brother" George Lucas. Equally fascinated by the story, Lucas signed on as executive producer, then gave Coppola reign of his LucasFilm and Industrial Light & Magic facilities to realize his vision. Only, he convinced Coppola to abandon the "musical" aspects in favor of a Capra-esque tale of "a David taking on the government & corporate Goliath". As Brando was now too old for the lead, it would pass to Jeff Bridges, backed by a powerhouse cast including Joan Allen, Fredric Forrest, Mako, Christian Slater, Dean Stockwell (as an eerie Howard Hughes), Lloyd Bridges as an adversarial Senator; and Martin Landau in a moving performance as Tucker's New York financier. While now more linear, TUCKER would maintain links to it's surreal musical origins via stylized "in camera" FXs (including "cutaway" sets allowing actors a foot from one another to appear as if engaged in conversations miles away), theatrical production and costume design (both Oscar nominated), and, most notably, in it's music score composed by Joe Jackson. Born in 1954, the multi-Grammy nominated Jackson is best known for his"Top 40" pop hit "Steppin' Out" -'84. His passion however has always been in the (unfortunately) less commercial jazz-big band/classical-hybrid vein, evidenced in 1981's "JUMPIN' JIVE" (with renditions of tunes by Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong), 1984's BODY AND SOUL and 1994's NIGHT MUSIC. Even the 1982's pop smash NIGHT AND DAY (from which "Steppin' Out" is the stand alone single) is a tribute to lyricist Cole Porter. As pop music of the day very much influenced film composition (for better and worse) it's no surprise Jackson would be tapped for cinematic duties. What WAS surprising to many however was the depth of his filmic sensibilities. After contributing songs and instrumentals to 1983's MIKE'S MURDER (most of those instrumentals replaced by material by John Barry), Jackson was hired to compose what today remains his tantamount film achievement - the score to Coppola's TUCKER. A labor of love, tracks such as "No Chance Blues" are obviously Calloway inspired; every bit as much as the epic "The Trial" doffs it's musical brim to Ellington's "Sophisticated Ladies". But the rhythmic execution is quintessentially Jackson. For proof check out the bad-assed timpani percussion solo segment of "Speedway" (beginning at 3:19), as well as the energetic vocal stylings of the film's signature tune (and End Title) "Rhythm Delivery" - courtesy of Jackson himself. Our TunePlay music suite of music from TUCKER is taken from an analog LP source. CEJ 1) The Car of Tomorrow - Today! (0:00 of 14:23) 2) Speedway (1:33 of 14:23) 3) The Trial (4:14 of 14:23) 4) Rhythm Delivery - End Title "swing-jazz" vocal (11:00 of 14:23) For more "TunePlay" mini movie music suites go to http://www.gullcottageonline.com/TunePlay-ClarkeApril_12.html "Bear Mann" is the YouTube channel of The GullCottage/Sandlot, a film blog and growing reference library "Celebrating The Art of Cinema, ... And Cinema As Art" Visit us at: http://www.gullcottageonline.com All rights held by copyright owner. Presented here for educational and criticism purposes only.