*The upcoming feature documentary “Teddy Pendergrass – If You Don’t Know Me” offers “a comprehensive and engrossing” narrative that adds dimension to the life of the late soul legend.
The doc will premiere at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Friday then go out on Showtime in the U.S. and Sky Arts and the BBC in the U.K., where Moviehouse will also handle a theatrical release, per Variety.
Producer and director Olivia Lichtenstein was inspired to make the film after she watched Mike Myers’ movie “Supermensch,” about Hollywood power player Shep Gordon, who was also Pendergrass’ manager.
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“I called Shep and said, ‘People don’t remember Teddy the way they ought to, and I have to make this film,’ and Shep said, ‘Let’s do it,’” Lichtenstein recalled, adding that if all you remember about Pendergrass, who was born in 1950, is that he was an artist whose life was cut short by a 1982 auto accident, you’re missing the full picture of his inspiring story.
“I don’t think people remember Teddy as well as they should. He was such an amazing singer, and that’s a huge part of his legacy. But the more you know about him, the more his story resonates, and on so many levels. He was a complicated man, with a lot of compartments, and as a filmmaker that’s what you want. You want to be able to peel back all of those layers,” she said.
via Daily News Philly:
If You Don’t Know Me revisits the execution-style murder in April 1974 of his first manager, Taaz Lang, a case that was never solved, though the film recounts speculation that the crime was linked to organized crime elements operating on the margins of the music industry.
When Gordon, who is featured prominently, took over management of Pendergrass’ career, he sought and received FBI protection for the singer. He also accented Pendergrass’ sex appeal, arranging a series of ladies-only concert tours that cemented the singer’s status as a major star. There is insight into Pendergrass’ musical style from Gordon, Gamble, Huff, and also Questlove.
“What’s great about Questlove, apart from the fact that he’s a gifted talker, which is great for me, is that he is part of the story, too, as so many people are in the film. He’s not just a commentator, but a witness,” Lichtenstein said.
Watch the trailer below:
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