Today’s movie is a biographical drama with a scene that
happens today – February 3. I hope you
enjoy this film and watch it tonight.
LA BAMBA
Ritchie Valenzuela, a rock-n-roll loving Chicano and
his family leave the migrant work camps in California and move to LA. There he
meets Donna Ludwig and joins a band, while his brother, who has gotten
Ritchie’s ex-girlfriend pregnant, dreams of being a cartoonist, but smuggles
pot on the side. Ritchie has nightmares about a plane crash that took place at
his old school. His family helps him start performing. Donna listens to her
father and ends her relationship with Ritchie. Bob Keane signs Ritchie to a
recording contract and changes his last name to “Valens”. “Let’s Go” becomes a
hit and after he writes “Donna” Ritchie gets back together with Donna. His
brother takes him to Tijuana and thus misses his baby being born. Ritchie starts
touring, while his brother’s marriage falls apart. Ritchie is on American
Bandstand. He uses some of the money he is making to buy his Mom a house. At an Alan Freed show with Eddie Cochran he
plays “La Bamba”. He goes on the “Winter Dance Party” tour with Buddy Holly and
the “Big Bopper”. When the bus breaks down in Clear Lake, Iowa, Holly hires a
plane to fly them to the next tour stop. Ritchie wins the toss to get a seat.
The plane takes off in the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, but crashes,
killing everyone on board. Ritchie’s family is devastated. [1:39:45 to 1:44:00]
A good, if somewhat fictionalized biopic. Phillips is very
good as Ritchie. The movie is almost as much about his brother, Bob. The music
is great.
Waterkeyn, Xavier. Air and Space Disasters of the World.
London, New Holland Publishers, 2007. This book at page 212 gives the date of
the crash.
Director - Luis Valdez
Runtime - 1 hour 48 minutes
Released - July 24, 1987
Starring -
Lou Diamond Phillips as Ritchie Valens
Esai Morales as Bob Morales
Rosanna DeSoto as Connie Valenzuela
Elizabeth Peña as Rosie Morales-Valenzuela
Danielle von Zerneck as Donna Ludwig
Joe Pantoliano as Bob Keane
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