It's only natural that Sam Cooke's wife and family would question the police investigation of the murder, refusing to acknowledge his aberrant behavior on the night he was killed. Both Franklin and Carr passed a polygraph test on their version of events. Franklin was on the phone with the hotel's manager, Evelyn Carr, who heard the intrusion and the following gunshot on the phone. Following an argumentative confrontation with Cooke, hotel clerk Bertha Franklin shot him with a gun kept in the office. When Boyer fled his hotel room with his clothes, the naked Cooke wearing only a sport jacket and one shoe, ran to the manager's office and demanded to know her whereabouts. For one, Cooke had picked up a woman named Elisa Boyer, unknown to him to be a prostitute, and took her to the seedy Hacienda Hotel in Los Angeles. However the events on the night of December 11th, 1964 would have required an impossible confluence of coincidences to occur for his killing to have been planned and staged. Yes, Sam had his enemies in the music and political world, and the figure of Allen Klein taking advantage of Cooke offers an intriguing hook into what might be considered a motive for murder. In that regard, the extremely well researched Guralnik book delves into Cooke's death with a dispassionate approach that explores both sides. Where the documentary goes off the rails for me is in it's conspiratorial tone regarding the death, some would say murder, of Sam Cooke. His association with such disparate personalities as Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), Malcolm X, and Jim Brown helped pave the way for tolerance among the races, while forging an immensely popular body of work that appealed to both black and white audiences. They all acknowledge Sam's contribution to pop music while advocating for civil rights during an era that was still predominantly racist in certain parts of the country. SAM COOKE DOCUMENTARY PROWe hear from contemporaries who knew and loved Cooke, including figures like Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Quincy Jones, Lloyd Price, Billy Davis and pro football great Jim Brown. For the first forty five minutes or so, the film deftly handles the inspirational rise of Sam Cooke from his early days with The Soul Stirrers, his agonizing decision to venture into the world of pop music, and the accolades accorded him as he eventually rose to the top of the music charts along side Elvis Presley. I can't help contrasting this documentary with the brilliant book written by Peter Guralnik - "Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke". Not the greatest documentary - it prods you to think some things - but I recommend it. He was a great singer and a great man, if flawed. The viewers can draw their own conclusions about what happened in that motel that night, but let's not forget Cooke's activism. The title refers to the murder, and the recording companies' subsequent efforts to suppress Cooke's political stances so as to make him palatable to white audiences. Netflix's "ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke" looks at this. His murder in a motel led to theories that it was an assassination to prevent him from leading a movement. He also addressed political issues of the era, and befriended Muhammad Ali. But he wasn't just the melodious voice singing "nice" songs. Cooke was behind some of the songs that defined the early '60s. SAM COOKE DOCUMENTARY MOVIEProbably the most obvious place is a certain movie scene where John Belushi's slovenly student is stuffing himself in a cafeteria. You might not know the name Sam Cooke but you've probably heard at least one of his songs.
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