Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker in her only directed featured film. Written by Allan Carr and Bronté Woodard, the film is a pseudo-biography of the 1970s disco group the Village People loosely based on the actual story of how the group formed. The film also stars Valerie Perrine, Caitlyn Jenner in her film debut, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Sand, Tammy Grimes, June Havoc, Barbara Rush, Altovise Davis, Marilyn Sokol, and The Ritchie Family in their only film.
Produced by Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment (formerly EMI Films), distributed by independent distributor Associated Film Distribution (AFD), the film was released after disco's peak.Eric's Bad Movies: Can't Stop the Music (1980) - MTV It received largely negative reviews from critics and was a box office bomb. Alongside Xanadu, Can't Stop the Music is known for inspiring the creation of the Golden Raspberry Awards, winning the first Razzies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards.
Plot Songwriter Jack Morella reference to Village People creator Jacques Morali quits his job at a local record store to escape his tough-minded boss and gets a break DJing at a disco called Saddle Tramps. His roommate Samantha "Sam" Simpson, a retired model, attends the disco one night. While avoiding advances from the sleazy owner Benny Murray, the crowd's response to a song that he composed for her ("Samantha") convinces her to help him obtain a record deal. Her ex-boyfriend Steve Waits, president of Marrakech Records,a reference to Village People record label Casablanca Records is more interested in rekindling their romantic relationship than in Jack's music but listens to a demo.
Deeming Jack's vocals inadequate, Sam recruits neighbor and Saddle Tramps waiter/go-go boy Felipe Rose (the Indian), fellow model David "Scar" Hodo (the construction worker, who daydreams of stardom in the solo number "I Love You to Death"), and Randy Jones (the cowboy) on the streets of Greenwich Village, offering dinner to obtain their participation. Sam's former agent Sydney Channing orders her long-suffering Girl Friday Lulu Brecht to attend, hoping to lure back the star. Ron White, a lawyer from St. Louis, is mugged by an elderly woman while delivering a cake from Sam's sister. Brecht gives Jack drugs, which unnerves him when her friend, fellow model and dancer Alicia Edwards, brings singing cop Ray Simpson (the policeman), but Jack records the quartet on "Magic Night". Ron, pawed all night by the man-hungry Brecht, is overwhelmed by culture shock and leaves.
Ron apologizes to Sam the next day, attributing it to being a Gemini. They spend the night together. Newly interested in helping, Ron offers his Wall Street office to hold auditions. There, Glenn M. Hughes (the leatherman) performs "Danny Boy" atop a piano; he and Alex Briley (the G.I.), a stagehand at a theater where Sam's friend Alicia Edwards works, join the group, now a sextet. Ron's boss, Richard Montgomery, overwhelmed by the carnival atmosphere, insists that the firm not represent the group, and Ron quits.
Ron suggests a new location for rehearsal space at the YMCA and the group cuts a demo ("Liberation") for Marrakech. Steve sees limited appeal and Sam refuses his paltry contract. Reluctant to use her own savings, they decide to self-finance by throwing a pay-party.
To bankroll the party, Sam acquiesces to Channing's plea to return for a TV advertising campaign for milk, provided the Village People are featured. The lavish number "Milkshake" begins as Sam pours milk for six little boys in the archetypal costumes with the promise they'll grow up to be the Village People. The advertisers reject the spot. Norma then invites the group to debut at her charity fundraiser in San Francisco. When Sam lures Steve by falsely promising him a romantic weekend, Ron objects and Sam ends their romantic relationship. Jack and his former chorus girl mother Helen negotiate with Steve, who is charmed by her kreplach, and they discuss T-shirt merchandising for the Japanese market.
In their San Francisco dressing room before the show, Ron proposes to Sam. Montgomery appears, seeking to rehire Ron as a junior partner representing the group. Following a set by The Ritchie Family ("Give Me a Break"), the Village People triumphantly debut before a cheering crowd ("Can't Stop the Music").
Cast
Steve Guttenberg as Jack Morell Valerie Perrine as Samantha "Sam" Simpson Caitlyn Jenner as Ron White Paul Sand as Steve Waits Tammy Grimes as Sydney Channing Village People: Alex Briley as Alex the G.I. David Hodo as David the Construction Worker Glenn Hughes as Glenn the Leatherman Randy Jones as Randy the Cowboy Felipe Rose as Felipe the Indian Ray Simpson as Ray the Policeman June Havoc as Helen Morell Barbara Rush as Norma White Altovise Davis as Alicia Edwards Marilyn Sokol as Lulu Brecht Russell Nype as Richard Montgomery Jack Weston as Benny Murray Leigh Taylor-Young as Claudia Walters Dick Patterson as the Record store manager
Production Development Originally titled Discoland... Where the Music Never Ends, Can't Stop the Music was a fictionalized account of the formation of the Village People. Allan Carr announced the film in June 1979, describing it as "Singing in the Rain for the disco crowd" and stating that the film would star the Village People, Valerie Perrine, Tammy Grimes, Chita Rivera, Barbara Rush, Pat Ast and Caitlyn Jenner. It was to be the first in a three picture slate from Carr, the others including Chicago and The Josephine Baker Story starring Diana Ross. Filming was to start on August 20 of that year and was financed by EMI, then under the aegis of Barry Spikings. When asked why EMI were making a film about disco so long after Saturday Night Fever, Spikings said, "I hope it is different. The film breaks new ground."
The film's director, Nancy Walker, a theater, film, and television star since the 1940s, had been nominated for two Tony Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and eight Emmy Awards. Walker had guest starred as Rhoda Morgenstern (Valerie Harper)'s mother Ida Morgenstern in several episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and continued that role in its spin-off Rhoda. After establishing the character, Walker directed some episodes of both series, along with episodes of other sitcoms. Can't Stop the Music was her lone effort at theatrical film direction.
Casting The film's supporting cast includes Tammy Grimes, Russell Nype, June Havoc, Altovise Davis, Jack Weston and Leigh Taylor-Young. Chita Rivera and Pat Ast were initially cast but dropped out of the film's production.
Can't Stop the Music was Caitlyn Jenner's film debut (as Bruce Jenner), after becoming famous for three world record-setting performances in the Decathlon, and a Gold medal win at the 1976 Olympic Games. Jenner's record stood from 1975 until shortly before this film's 1980 release. Jenner did not appear in another film until Adam Sandler's Jack and Jill (2011), which, like Can't Stop the Music, won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture. Carr said, "Jenner is going to be the Robert Redford of the 80s, and this film will do for Valerie what Carnal Knowledge did for Ann-Margret."
The Village People auditionees depicted in the film included Blackie Lawless (a member of the glam-punk group New York Dolls and heavy metal group W.A.S.P.) and James Marcel (who would later find greater success with the name James Wilder). Background dancers included Perri Lister, girlfriend of Billy Idol and mother to his son Willem Broad, and Peter Tramm, who would go on to appear in dozens of music videos and double for Kevin Bacon in Footloose.
Ray Simpson's role was originally intended for Victor Willis, the original lead singer of the Village People who left the group during pre-production of this film. Morali had hired Willis' then-wife, Phylicia Ayers-Allen, to portray his girlfriend Alicia Edwards. When Willis left the group, Ayers-Allen quit the movie and was replaced by Altovise Davis.
"This movie's a revolution," said Carr. "I mean this movie is launching whole new careers and we need new stars today. Warren and Ryan and Redford - these people are way over 40."
Carr had attempted to cast Olivia Newton-John in this film as Samantha Simpson, but after discussions between her producer, John Farrar, and Morali over who would write Newton-John's numbers, Newton-John instead signed on to play the lead in Xanadu. "It wasn't only money," said Carr, "it was creative control and other demands." Newton-John has said in interviews since, she did not understand Carr's statement, since her only "demand" was that Farrar write two songs for her to sing in the film, which was the same "demand" she made in Grease.
Filming The schedule of the film was 11 weeks: eight in Los Angeles, two in New York and one in San Francisco. A proposed week of filming on Fire Island was scrapped due to fear of the weather. Carr was coming off a massive worldwide hit with the pop musical Grease when shooting took place between May and July 1979 at the height of the disco craze. Carr took a hands-on role with the production, and personally directed and cast the male athlete extras for the "Y.M.C.A." musical sequence.
Shooting took place at MGM Studios in Culver City, California, with location shooting in New York City and San Francisco. Location shooting in New York was somewhat complicated by adjacent protests by gay activists over the William Friedkin film Cruising (starring Al Pacino), which was filming on location nearby. The two productions were mistaken for each other more than once, with protestors disrupting the Can't Stop the Music location shoots when they had intended to halt production of Cruising. A few weeks prior to release, Jenner and Perrine hosted a TV special, Allan Carr's Magic Night, to promote the film.
Tensions between Walker and Perrine rose on the set to the point that Walker would not be present for scenes featuring Perrine, leaving director of cinematography Bill Butler to direct in her place. Additionally, Perrine was reportedly unhappy that a dance number in which she performed was cut from the film.
Carr said he decided to change the title during filming because, as the music score included older ballads and Broadway numbers, it would be inaccurate to call it Discoland. However, the decision was made shortly after Disco Demolition Night, which effectively ended the popularity of the genre.
During filming, sales for the Village People's albums started to decline and disco became increasingly unfashionable. "They'll still be hot," said Carr of the Village People. "If not I will resurrect them." Two of the band's biggest hits, "In the Navy" and "Macho Man," do not appear in the film, though Perrine wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Macho Woman" as she jogs through the men's locker room at the YMCA. Another reference to one of the band's songs, "San Francisco (You've Got Me)," appears in the opening credits, as Jack Morrell (Steve Guttenberg) passes a group of three women with the words "San Francisco" printed on their T-shirts.
The band's silver and white costumes in the "Milkshake" sequence and red costumes in the finale sequences were designed by Theoni V. Aldredge.
Bernard Delfont declared "for the first time ever in a musical, a British choreographer Arlene Phillips has challenged Hollywood on its own ground in creating the dance routines."
After filming, EMI Films announced it was so pleased with Nancy Walker's direction that she had been signed to make three more films, one for Carr, one for EMI and one for both. "She did such a magnificent job on her first film that this is the result," said Barry Spikings. "There aren't many lady directors and probably none that have made a movie of this size. What's more she did it on a budget."