When I was wee little thing I watched 2 movies every Easter.
One was “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”
The other was “Godspell”
I also threw in the usual “Ten Commandments” But breaking commandments is a lot easier than watching such a long film.
I own “Godspell” on Laserdisc..
But for this Easter I splurged and bought it on DVD.. Didn’t wait to see it on TV. It needed to be watched by the little heathen named Maia.
So after the lovely Easter at the inlaws I put the movie in for our movie of the weekend.
Now she had fair warning. She had asked me to take her to see it when it comes to Chicago.. I asked her if she knew what it was out.. Mumbled something about dirty hippies etc.
So the movie started out and she looked confused. What kind of people just drop what they are doing to take off and be with this dude with the fro..
Plus he sank the Titanic.. Didn’t I know that?
(He played the dude that designed it in that crap film from jimmy Cameroon)
This is what I copied off a website about the film:
“Godspell, released in 1973, is the film adaptation of the Off-Broadway musical Godspell created by John-Michael Tebelak.
Set in modern New York City, the film stars Victor Garber as Jesus and David Haskell as John the Baptist/Judas. John-Michael Tebelak is credited as co-writer of the screenplay and served as the creative consultant, although director David Greene said Tebelak did not write the screenplay. It was filmed in New York from August to November 1972.
The structure of the musical is, in large part, retained: a series of parables interspersed with musical numbers. Many of the scenes take advantage of well-known sites around New York City. John the Baptist (David Haskell) gathers a diverse band of youthful disciples to follow and learn from the teachings of Jesus (Victor Garber). These disciples then proceed to form a roving acting troupe that enacts Jesus’s parables through the streets of New York. They often make references to vaudeville schtick.”
So here they are dropping what they are doing to follow the fro guy.
John the Baptist is kinda hot!
I tried to explain to Maia that when you get the calling you go.. But she was all what if you are busy and can’t.. There is no answer to that.
Growing up catholic I kinda dug the film.. As an adult I can see the parallels between belief and non belief.
What if it didn’t happen then and it did happen in new York circa 1973.. Would anyone follow him.. Probably not.
It’s a fun film that doesn’t make you question faith..
You either have faith when you watch it.. Or you don’t and you see the film in the way of the skeptic.. Crazy new Yorkers following a dude with a fro..
Either way…
It went way over Maia’s head and I spent the whole time telling her what every scene meant.. I kinda hate having to defend a movie of my childhood to a kid with no religious aspect at all who wants me to tell her what each scene is in the bible and then wants to argue about hwo today they would be bums and asking for money on corners..
Well no really I think maybe if this happened today people would be too involved in watching TV to notice Jesus and his super cool fro wandering singing down the street.. And if they did notice they wouldn’t care.
And she has a point.. NO ONE would drop what they are doing.
But as an adult I look back to how the film kept a few in belief.. And in reality showed that the Hippie Jesus had no prejudices.
And the music was fricken awesome.. I tried to get my high school to do this when I was a junior.. But we couldn’t do the Jesus thing at school. Public school and all.
Jesus himself was played by the afore mentioned Victor Garbor. Along with Building a Titanic he was Quite the Daddy spy in the TV show “Alias”.. Along with Mrs Ben Affleck..Jennifer Garner. She wasn’t with Ben yet back then..
The only other person who went on to any fame at all was the uber talented Lynne Thigpen..
Unfortunately she passed away a few years ago. @003.. Brain Hemorrhage.. She was one of my favorite actresses to hail from one of my favorite cities in Illinois.. Joliet.
Lynn did many films and TV shows but of course my favorite was that of the lead character in “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego”
According to IMDB she has a school named after her in Joliet.
Katie Hanley went on to be in another one of my favorite films” Xanadu” any film with rollerskating muses is ok with me.
David Haskell who played John/Judas died at age 52 in 2000.. He had a career equal to that of victor Garber and I saw him in a lot of movies and shows.
He died of Brain cancer.. And yes he was still pretty darn hot.. He had been on both “Knots landing” and “Santa Barbara”..
Merrell Jackson although not a Jackson family member grew up right across the state line from the family Jackson from Gary Indiana in Chicago where he went to Calumet high.. Unfortunately he died in 1991 at age 38.
The other three women actresses didn’t really do much after godspell
Jerry Sroka grew up and married Marriette Hartley.. Pretty good for a funny looking Juan Epstein looking guy with a fro. And he still acts.. You’d totally recognize him in stuff.
And unfortunately Jeffrey Mylett also passed away at a young age.36.
He went on to do tons of Broadway stuff after originating the role of Jeffrey in the play and the movie. He was always my favorite in his little raccoon cap.
I know this isn’t the type of film one would associate with me.. But I can honestly say I know the film inside and out.. And when I was younger I’d watch it with hair to counteract the jesus hippies.Which I also can recite beginning to end..
I sometimes say I was born to late.
All the movies I loved as a child came out when I was too small to get them.. Can you imagine had I been a teenager in the sixties and seventies?
I might have been tempted to follow the jesus in the fro..
Or I’d just be old now…
Maybe not as fun.HA!
Maia just came down and said I don’t get why you like that film so much. The costumes are hideous and the music sucks..
BUT
It’s a film that makes me happy.

