Where should I start.... Sam Cooke was the best at what he did and nobody did it better. So he had children out of wedlock didn't we all was that any reason to kill him. Alan Klein stole Sam's whole catalog by listing Sam as an employee and leaving ownership blank ( for a later date) where Alan would list himself as owner. Alan Klein was a protege of a Mr Morris Levy to find out who Morris Levy was just look up Frankie Lymon and the teenagers also Mr. Levy was connected to the Genovese crime family. Sure Alan had forged Sam's name on some documents and had changed the name of Sam's company from Tracy (Sam's daughter) to Abkco What I wanted to know is how was Alan aloud to get away with this and still be allowed to keep the material he stole isn't that theft by deception. Ask Mick Jagger and the Stones how they feel about Alan Klein or why didn't somebody from Sam's family put a bullet in this mans head. Alan Klein stole a lot of material from a lot of artists and I believe 100 percent he had Sam Cooke murdered
6 Reviews
Barely interesting, one sided version of Cooke's death
Musicianmagic24 September 2019
This was not a biography of Sam Cooke's life. His life is covered in less than five minutes. Its all about the singer's death & what mystery surrounds it. Instead of being an investigative piece, this movie presents only one side. Interviews are with relatives (that were children at the time), friends, co-workers & a fan with Sam Cook's image tattooed on his arm. Anyone that might have a differing opinion either was not interviewed or was not included in this movie.
That is my #1 complaint. Falsely trying to present an investigative piece when its not. #2 is they show things that are irrelevant. Pictures of buildings (like a taco stand several times) that did not exist in 1964, and isn't even the same address (I looked it up) as locations being mentioned. They interview extensively someone that credit as Sam Cooke's producer that later states himself as being the Engineer on 90% of his recordings. Producer & Engineer are two different jobs and functions. Things like these question most of this movie and its legitimacy.
Skip this movie and go enjoy some Sam Cooke music instead.
Lacking FACTS - do NOT recommend.
The_Boxing_Cat20 November 2019
Sam Cooke was amazing, but this film is full of half truths and speculation.
They should have shown some respect for the guy- or are they too riding on his coattails???
I was anticipating a REAL documentary about Sam, instead of gossip and HERESAY. You will NOT hear any of his music! Nothing, nada, none!
They had a paralegal (who had Sam Cooke's picture tattooed all over his body) touting his so-called expertise in all things legal. The guy is a loon and doesn't seem to have any knowledge of how corporations are structured He used an OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPPING to compare with legal documents,--NOT credible source material! As far as Sam being listed as "employee", is not unusual, it's structured as such to provide a means for Sam to collect a salary and pay taxes, ect. Wow, that dude had absolutely no comprehension of these types legal matters.
Boyer (the woman he allegedly kidnapped & attempted to rape) later sued Cooke's estate and was awarded $30,000.00.
Franklin, the manager (who shot him) was on the phone with Carr, (the owner of motel) during the attack. Carr was the one who called the police.
Tests from his autopsy proved Sam was inebriated, which explains a lot.
Both Boyer and Franklin PASSED Polygraph tests with flying colors.
It was mentioned that Sam, because he was successful, would not have gone to a seedy hotel with a prostitute, however it happens time and time again. One example is Hugh Grant - he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
They fail to talk about Sam's life (like 3 other children he had out of wedlock).
I was anticipating a REAL documentary about Sam, instead of gossip and HERESAY. You will NOT hear any of his music! Nothing, nada, none!
They had a paralegal (who had Sam Cooke's picture tattooed all over his body) touting his so-called expertise in all things legal. The guy is a loon and doesn't seem to have any knowledge of how corporations are structured He used an OLD NEWSPAPER CLIPPING to compare with legal documents,--NOT credible source material! As far as Sam being listed as "employee", is not unusual, it's structured as such to provide a means for Sam to collect a salary and pay taxes, ect. Wow, that dude had absolutely no comprehension of these types legal matters.
Boyer (the woman he allegedly kidnapped & attempted to rape) later sued Cooke's estate and was awarded $30,000.00.
Franklin, the manager (who shot him) was on the phone with Carr, (the owner of motel) during the attack. Carr was the one who called the police.
Tests from his autopsy proved Sam was inebriated, which explains a lot.
Both Boyer and Franklin PASSED Polygraph tests with flying colors.
It was mentioned that Sam, because he was successful, would not have gone to a seedy hotel with a prostitute, however it happens time and time again. One example is Hugh Grant - he was arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
They fail to talk about Sam's life (like 3 other children he had out of wedlock).
Speculation, Not Documentation
tomtpcarpe29 August 2021
Another speculative film passed off as a "documentary" trying to restore the tarnished reputation of an American icon. The filmmakers and Cooke's living relatives just can't accept the fact that our icons sometimes have feet of clay. "Maybe the police did it." "His manager was probably involved." "He was set up." Don't come to us with allegations you can't prove and expect us to buy in. Don't watch this film if you want to know about Sam Cooke. He was a superstar who was caught with his pants down in a seedy motel. 'Nuf said.
A Poor Excuse for a Documentary
drohatyn15 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The starting point for any serious analysis of Cooke's
untimely death and its aftermath is Peter Guralnick,
Drum Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke (New York: Little, Brown, 2005), 609-51. Mr. Guralnick does not appear in this film, nor is there any mention of him.
Nor is there any discussion of Cooke's intoxication on the evening in question, or the fact that both the manager (Ms. Franklin) and the female companion (Ms. Boyer) passed voluntary lie detector tests prior to taking the witness stand, which in turn influenced the jury to acquit Ms. Franklin. Moreover, the owner of the motel (Ms. Card) claimed that she was on the 'phone with Ms. Franklin throughout her altercation with Cooke, and therefore "overheard" everything that occurred. While that "happy coincidence" (Guralnick, 628) was remarkably convenient, it has never been challenged or contradicted by any other evidence. Cooke was no stranger to the area where his fatal assignation occurred, not far from the Manchester exit off the (I-110) Harbor Freeway. Conversely, Ms. Boyer, who fled from the room and (apparently) hid in an alley, was unfamiliar with those surroundings; she called the police from a pay 'phone in the immediate vicinity, then waited until a squad car found her there. None of this is brought up in the film, either, which is just as well, since it is replete with errors of omission and commission, respectively. Last but not least, Sam Cooke and his wife Barbara had a troubled relationship. Soon after he died, she remarried, then divested herself of most of her late husband's corporate and financial assets, which accounts for the rise in Allen Klein's fortunes, without resorting to gratuitous accusations against him. In fact, Klein ordered an inquiry into Cooke's death, precisely because he did not believe it was either an accident or the result of a romantic entanglement. He spent considerable sums of money on private investigators, but called it off when they discovered unsavory things about his client that would have ruined the late singer's reputation, had they been made public. Neither he nor Barbara Cooke (now Barbara Womack) wanted that to happen-- Klein to protect his business interests, and Ms. Cooke-Womack to protect her children.
You will not learn that from this poor excuse for a documentary film, nor will you discover anything else worth knowing. However, the cinematography is excellent, especially the scenes of Bronzeville, on the South Side of Chicago, which evoke the atmosphere and sublimity of the neighborhood where Cook grew up, while the narration is hypnotic or seductive by turns--as compelling in tone and rhythm as it is fatuous and devoid of content. Sam Cooke was a great singer, an exemplary performer and a deeply flawed human being. He deserves to be treated with utmost respect, rather than to be exploited in this way. The Hacienda Motel was sleazy, but this is a travesty, both of art and of truth.
Nor is there any discussion of Cooke's intoxication on the evening in question, or the fact that both the manager (Ms. Franklin) and the female companion (Ms. Boyer) passed voluntary lie detector tests prior to taking the witness stand, which in turn influenced the jury to acquit Ms. Franklin. Moreover, the owner of the motel (Ms. Card) claimed that she was on the 'phone with Ms. Franklin throughout her altercation with Cooke, and therefore "overheard" everything that occurred. While that "happy coincidence" (Guralnick, 628) was remarkably convenient, it has never been challenged or contradicted by any other evidence. Cooke was no stranger to the area where his fatal assignation occurred, not far from the Manchester exit off the (I-110) Harbor Freeway. Conversely, Ms. Boyer, who fled from the room and (apparently) hid in an alley, was unfamiliar with those surroundings; she called the police from a pay 'phone in the immediate vicinity, then waited until a squad car found her there. None of this is brought up in the film, either, which is just as well, since it is replete with errors of omission and commission, respectively. Last but not least, Sam Cooke and his wife Barbara had a troubled relationship. Soon after he died, she remarried, then divested herself of most of her late husband's corporate and financial assets, which accounts for the rise in Allen Klein's fortunes, without resorting to gratuitous accusations against him. In fact, Klein ordered an inquiry into Cooke's death, precisely because he did not believe it was either an accident or the result of a romantic entanglement. He spent considerable sums of money on private investigators, but called it off when they discovered unsavory things about his client that would have ruined the late singer's reputation, had they been made public. Neither he nor Barbara Cooke (now Barbara Womack) wanted that to happen-- Klein to protect his business interests, and Ms. Cooke-Womack to protect her children.
You will not learn that from this poor excuse for a documentary film, nor will you discover anything else worth knowing. However, the cinematography is excellent, especially the scenes of Bronzeville, on the South Side of Chicago, which evoke the atmosphere and sublimity of the neighborhood where Cook grew up, while the narration is hypnotic or seductive by turns--as compelling in tone and rhythm as it is fatuous and devoid of content. Sam Cooke was a great singer, an exemplary performer and a deeply flawed human being. He deserves to be treated with utmost respect, rather than to be exploited in this way. The Hacienda Motel was sleazy, but this is a travesty, both of art and of truth.
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