By: Kimberly Grant
What do you get when you mix adult children writing a love letter to their deceased father while paying homage to the music of the 1960s and 1970s? You get movie gold in Spinning Gold.
Spinning Gold is now in theaters.
For the Record
Spinning is written and directed by Timothy Scott Bogart. Bogart tells the story of his father, Neil Bogart (played by Jeremy Jordan), who was responsible for signing some great artists and having an independent record company, Casablanca Records, that sold over 200 million records during its six-year existence. Timothy isn’t alone in paying homage to his father, though. He and his siblings Brad Bogart, Evan “Kidd” Bogart, as well as their mother Joyce Bogart Trabulus also produced the film.
This family affair of a film is told from the perspective of the late Neil Bogart himself as he recounts the two decades it took for him to go from joke of a music producer with an ear for raw talent to a well-respected record label owner with an ear for raw talent. One of the best parts of this movie is not just that we get to hear Neil’s side of the story, but we get to understand the man who was responsible for quite a few great acts of musical entertainment, but audiences never knew his name.
Hence why Spinning Gold is a love letter to Neil. It doesn’t shy away from the good, the bad, and ugly of Neil’s life. Neil was a heavy gambler who played at the poker tables and gambled on unknown artists with talent. He had a loyal team of individuals who stood by his side in good and bad, which included his cocaine use.
Golden Boy
Another way this film is a love letter to Neil Bogart, who changed his name multiple times while he was finding his way in the entertainment industry. One of those names was Wayne Robert, which was his stage name when he did soft core porn in order to buy his first wife, Beth’s (Michelle Monaghan), engagement ring.
The film not only shows Neil’s rise to fame. It shows you the kind of man he was. There are moments in the film when Neil is speaking to a young artist about their artistry and the culture of racism during that time period or how they have an opportunity to make something of themselves despite their humble beginnings. And it was easy for Neil to have these conversations because he as a kid from the Glenwood Projects of Brooklyn, New York. His father as a postal worker with a gambling problem and ended up being the cautionary tale that Neil always sought to avoid.
In the film, Neil isn’t just a record label owner who sought raw talent. He was also a good listener and able to understand his artists from an emotional level. They weren’t just a name on a roster. They were like family. Without spoiling the ending, it’s refreshing to see this type of narration in a film. The story flows with Jordan as Neil. He brings a certain respect to the character that strikes a delicate cord between judging him for his bad decisions and understanding that Neil’s heart was always in the right place; even when he was getting into trouble.
Turntables of Cameos
Spinning Gold, while a love letter to Neil Bogart, is also a love letter to the artists who were able to reach fame with Neil. These stars are portrayed in the movie by actors who are stars in their own right. The cameos include newcomer Tayla Parx as Donna Summer, Jay Pharoah as Neil’s righthand man Cecil Holmes, Jason Derulo as Ron Isley, Doron Bell as Rudolph Isley, Wiz Khalifa as George Clinton, George Nicholas K as Steven Tyler, Ledisi as Gladys Knight, Pink Sweat$ as Bill Withers, and KISS band members Casey Likes as Gene Simmons, Sam Nelson Harris as Paul Stanley, and Alex Gaskarth as Peter Criss
And, yes, Neil was responsible for putting these performers on the map before they were uber famous. His Casablanca Records was also responsible for the Village People. Did you know that for the real Village People, only the cop was a singer? Everyone else just danced around.
Spinning Entertainment Memories
The basis of this movie is to show the man behind the music Generation X and the Silent Generation came to love in the 1960s and 1970s. The moral of the story being that despite not knowing Neil’s name, you can easily recognize the artists he took under his wing to make them stars. And, that’s something no one should forget.
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