The Five Heartbeats, one of the greatest films of all time, was released in the movie theater on March 29, 1991. Twenty years later, the film still holds up as a classic, not just for African-American cinema, but for all cinema. A young Robert Townsend, off the heels of his hugely successful independent hit, Hollywood Shuffle, brought together his crew to create a masterpiece that will last well beyond the twenty years.
From the opening song “Nothing But Love” to the emotional ending with “I Feel Like Going On,” The Five Heartbeats delivers a musical journey that rivals no other.
GlobalGrind celebrates the 20th anniversary of this amazing flick by catching up with some of the most important and memorable actors from the film. Take your time, kick back, and read the exclusive interviews from Duck aka Robert Townsend, JT aka Leon, Eddie Kane Jr. aka Michael Wright, Duck’s little sister aka Tressa Thomas and Bird aka Roy Fegan. Enjoy….
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Robert Townsend as Donald “Duck” Matthews: Duck hails from a poor family. He is The Five Heartbeats’ co-founder and brother of fellow Heartbeat’s member J.T Matthews, and originally was only the composer and musician for the group. He is a permanent vocalist after Bobby disappears. He serves as the movie’s narrator, with the film beginning as he reminisces about the group’s career.
GG: How did the whole thing come about?
Robert Townsend: Well, It really started in my childhood. I’m a big fan of the Temptations and when they broke up, I didn’t understand it as a kid. I was just like, they are the most powerful group, they’re incredible. What do you mean they broke up? You know, and David Ruffin and all of that. So, part of that stayed in my head and I always loved singing groups. And I guess the question that I always had was, they sing about love songs, but do they have love in their real lives? And that was kind of the genesis of the idea. After I became a filmmaker and did Hollywood Shuffle, then the next film that I wanted to make was about a singing group and about the struggles and what that was all about. And it just stayed in my head since I was a kid. And then I talked with Keenan and I said, ‘’Hey man, the next story that we should tell is about a singing group.’’
GG: Tell us about some of the issues making the film.
Mr. Townsend: Nobody wanted to make the film. You know, that was the one thing. Nobody really, you know, because they were like how are you going to make it funny and dramatic and the music? I grew up on the Motown sound and the Dells and all of that. So, we only got into problems with the studio later on because it was my first big movie studio picture. And I ran out of money because I was taking too much time. And you know, I was being a perfectionist. And I think that it was only later on in the film when we ran out of money and then you know, like the black and white sequence when Sarge is teaching us how to dance and all that stuff in his black and white stills. That is the point we had ran out of money. (laughs) It forces creativity sometimes when you have limitations, so it kind of forced my creative radar to go up higher.
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GG: What was your most memorable moment from making the movie?
Mr. Townsend: There’s so many. On one hand, I look at the movie now and I go, ‘’damn, I did all of that.’’ There are different scenes. For example, I knew the studio was not crazy about my idea of the little girl and me doing the song together with the piece of papers. And they were going to cut that and they said you only have two hours to do it. And so, I had to shoot that whole scenes in two and a half hours and make it work. I just remember like, ‘’I’m going to do this.’’ (laughs)
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GG: Is there a memorable moment in twenty years of a fan that sort of touched you?
Mr. Townsend: There was this guy that stopped me in Baltimore when I was having lunch there. And he came up, really loud brother and he was just all in my…Robert Townsend man, you the one n*%#a I want to meet, Robert Townsend. And he was just going off. And he goes, man ‘’The Five Heartbeats,” man you should have won an Oscar for that and he went on and on. And he says, you know the reason I really love that movie? I saw that movie when I strung out on Heroin and I’m in the theater and I’m high and I’m watching the movie and then all of a sudden I thought Eddie King was dead because they said on the radio he got killed. And then when he showed up in the church, he says first I thought it was your brother and then he was like, If God can work in his life, I knew God can work in my life. And he says, that is the day I got off of heroin.
GG: How important was this film to your career?
Mr. Townsend: I think on a level, you know, it was very important because it was my first studio picture. And I think that on one hand it became a classic to everybody who saw it, but then we did not make any money. So it’s kind of like the staying power twenty years later that the movie is still on heavy rotation on television like it came out yesterday. So, on a level it has always been a beautiful calling card of people saying Robert’s touch and his talent you get to see it in a capsule in that movie.
GG: What is the proudest moment for you when you think of the Five Heartbeats?
Mr. Townsend: You know, the proudest thing about that is that everyone that worked on that film, we are still friends. Like Leon is my brother, Michael is my brother, Harry, Tico. You know what Im saying? It’s like 20 years later we still like each other, we still love each other.[pagebreak]
Leon as J.T. Matthews: J.T. is the older brother of Duck.
GG: What was your most memorable moment making the movie?
Leon: Wow. Ehh, so many. I don’t know, I mean, when we were rehearsing for the Five Heartbeats we were like a real group. And you know there were like clashes of ego’s and people arguing and fights in rehearsals. I think at that moment when we were rehearsing before we even shot the film is when I realized there was something special there because I was saying, ‘’What’s going on here? I mean, we really are calling each other by our character names only and we’re getting into fights that only a group would get into. And this is before we started shooting, so I think it was that moment before we even started shooting that I realized that this was going to be something special.
GG: What is your favorite song from the movie?
Leon: Wow. Favorite song? Probably, ‘’Just In Case.’’
GG: What is one of the craziest or most memorable moments with a fan over the 20 years that you’ve met?
Leon: Stuff happened during the film. I remembered we had to have security guards stationed outside my trailer because I walked into my trailer in between scenes and a girl was lying on my couch butt naked.
GG: The shy brother routine, I think has been used by many men over the years. Have you used that since?
Leon: (laughs) No, but people say it to me all the time. They’re like, ‘’let’s go play shy brother.’’ They say it to me, right?! There is not even a girl in sight. Who are you playing shy brother with? What are you talking about? (laughs)
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GG: What did this film mean to your career?
Leon: Well, for me, you know, I’m very proud of this movie, mainly because it represents what it’s all about for me which is the audience. I’m a story teller, which is the reason why I got into this business. When you can tell a story that people just love over and over and over again. They love to tell the story, they love to watch the story and pass it on to their kids. That’s what it’s all about. It’s been tremendous for me and we had to get over the disappointment of a movie that tested higher than Home Alone for 20th Century Fox. And we did all this press and to have the theatrical release go so bad and then not be successful. But yet, twenty years later to be talking about it and people just loving this film as though it just came out yesterday.
GG: What is your most proudest moment for your performance in that movie?
Leon: Wow. You know, being someone who really just cares about the story more than anything. I think that watching the movie, at the end of the movie and when Robert’s character goes back to get his guys together after he see’s the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine, ‘’Where Are They Now’’? And I think seeing his brother and not a word being said between them, but just hearing his brother call out to his son. His name is Duck. He promised him that he would name his son after him. Even though they had not talked or anything since what happened. I watched the audience’s reaction, you know, when that happened. And for me, it was a very complete feeling because for me as a character you want that character to be able to tell that story fully from the beginning of the story until the end. And when the audience got that, to me, they got the essence of JT and Duck. How their relationship was throughout the course of the movie and how important it was.
GG: Did you keep any sort of memorabilia from the film for yourself?
Leon: Yeah. A trophy from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Michael Wright as Eddie King, Jr. : (Because of a thick southern drawl, this is often heard as Eddie Kane) Eddie comes from an area that features predominantly poor individuals, his own father believing his attempts to start a career in the music industry will be unsuccessful. Similar to David Ruffin (The Temptations), Eddie is the lead vocalist of the band and falls into a life of drugs that eventually leads to his expulsion from the group as well as emotional trauma. Eddie is one of the founding members of The Heartbeats and serves as the crowd pleaser whose voice leads to success in many of their performances.
GG: Looking back 20 years, what was your most memorable moment of making the movie?
Michael Wright: The preparation number one was an amazing process for me. I took four weeks or so to try and create the character and research him and to make him real, Eddie King Jr. It’s amazing how iconic the fellow had become in turns of African-American cinema. But of course there are those iconic scenes that people remember, that are unforgettable. For instance the scene in the ally when Eddie comes back and says “Nobody can sing like Eddie can,” and says he still has the pipes and all that. And the scene in Big Red’s office and all that sort of stuff.
GG: How important was that film to your career?
Mr. Wright: The film was extraordinarily important to my career. Film actors in general are fortunate if, in the life of their career, in the stand of their career, that they can one, two or three iconic films which they are identify with. It happens very rarely, but it’s what we live for. You look at Brando and he has “On The Waterfront” and “The Godfather,” that’s what you remember him for. You look at De Niro he has “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas.” Had I not ever made any other film other than “The Five Heartbeats” I would have never had to make another film again in order to be remember as a film actor.
GG: What’s your favorite song from the movie?
Mr. Wright: (singing) Nights like this I wish, raindrops would fall (end singing.) I mean of course it would be the one I sang in the ally way. “Nights like this I wish raindrops would fall.” The intro was one of the most amazing kinds of intros that an actor could ever hope to have, running from a bad poker game. Running down the street being shot at, breaking into a door, knocking over a dummy out of Eddie Griffin’s hands, sliding on the floor, screaming and sing “nothing but love.” It’s amazing. (singing) I got nothing for love for you baby. (end singing)
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GG: Was there a night in your own personal life that you wish raindrops would fall?
Mr. Wright: God I can’t tell you how many. I can’t tell you how many nights I wish raindrops would fall, but I got over them. I had countless nights when I wish raindrops would fall but in the morning the sun was shining.
GG: Was there a moment you remember from an encounter with a fan of the movie from the past 20 years?
Mr. Wright: My friend, I can’t tell you how many people I have encountered who have told me, If I met one I met 1,000 or 2,000 people, who told me they watched that movie everyday or they’ve seen that movie 50 times. That their favorite actor in a movie was Eddie King Jr. or as they often refer to him Eddie “Kang” because that was the inflection I put on it. It is there absolute favorite all time character in a films. If I’m depressed all I need to do is walk out my front door and walk about a block or so. It’s that way. It’s the most extraordinary, most phenomenal thing I have ever witnessed in an acting career.
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Tico Wells as Anthony “Choir Boy” Stone: Stone is given the nickname “Choir Boy” (much to his offense) for his past as a choir boy in his father’s church. Similar to Eddie, Stone’s father does not support his decision to become a music artist fearing rock and jazz are “the devil’s music.”
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Tico Wells: Ahh man, black people on the set making a movie, man (laughs). In front and behind the camera.
GG: What’s your favorite song?
Mr. Wells: Probably a song that’s from the CD that’s not in the movie called Bring “Back the Day.” But “A Heart Is A House For Love” was great because I liked the choreography too.
GG: How important was that film to your career?
Mr. Wells: Well, it’s the most popular thing that I’ve done in terms of in the black community. It’s the most appreciated work I’ve done, you know, the white community doesn’t know me too well, but the black community definitely has an appreciation for what we did. So it gave me some recognizability definitely in the black community.
GG: What are some of the most memorable moments you’ve encountered with a fan over the past 20 years?
Mr. Wells: Well, it’s funny, because everyone at different churches has their own choir boy and they run up to me like, “This is ____ this is ______. He’s the choir boy, we call him choir boy.”(laughs) It’s strange though. Recognizability is a strange thing too because people think they know you but they really don’t. But you just love the fact that they appreciate you and who doesn’t want to be appreciated, you know?
GG: When you guys made the film did you think 20 years later we’d still be talking about this film? Did you feel that you were making a classic when you were making it?
Mr. Wells: Oh yeah, I mean, there was a vibe going on. We were living those roles. We were the “Five Heart Beats” we were just living those roles and everyone looked at us like the “Five Heart Beats.” And it was a dream come true because black folks don’t get that much opportunity in Hollywood and I’m not even gonna go there, I’m not even gonna go there. It was a dream come true period, and Robert did say, you know, “I wanna make a classic.”
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Hawthorne James as Big Red Davis: Corrupt owner of the first record label The Five Heartbeats are signed to.
GG: So what was your greatest memory from making that movie?
Hawthorne James: Well, the night we were doing the hanging out the window sill, we were exhausted because Roy and I were just fighting each other and beating ‘em up and I accidentally kicked him several times. And the whole night was just soreness but it was so much fun. But I had no idea the scene was going to be as infectious as it is, and I’m still just amazed by it.
GG: What’s your favorite song from the movie?
Mr. James: “I Feel Like Going On.”
GG: How did that movie affect your career?
Mr. James: You know, it’s taken me around the world, from Paris to Africa, you know, people known me all over the place. Most of the movies I’ve done – you know, no one had actually seen that movie, so as far as careers has gone along, in Hollywood, it hasn’t really affected my career very much, cause no one had seen it. I mean, I’m friends with Snoop because he knows that movie and he loves it, so I’d just seen Snoop Dogg this past week. But as far as mainstream Hollywood, it hasn’t done anything. But it’s made me feel from the people, especially in the U.S., it’s given me the energy to keep pushing in this business.
GG: Now, I wanted to ask you, is there one moment with a fan you’ll never forget? A memorable enounter?
Mr. James: I was in Houston this past week and I went to a club and there were about 1,500 in this club. And when I walked past the DJ booth the DJ stopped the music, turned the lights on and he made everybody look up at this booth and he said, “Y’all know who this man is?” And 1,500 people in this club started applauding. I mean, how often do you get somebody to turn on the lights, turn off the music and actually make people aware of who’s in the building. And that movie happened twenty years ago, and it still has that affect. I’m fascinated by that.
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Tressa Thomas as Duck’s little sister.
GG: What was one of your favorite memories making the movie?
Tressa Thomas: Definitely the casting call was a huge memory. It was the first casting call I had ever really been to. I wasn’t sure what was exactly expected of me but I knew when I got in front of Robert I wanted him to hear me sing. You have to remember I was 11 years old at the time so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but I knew if I sang for him I would at least get his attention.
Me, my mom and brother, my brother was the DJ at the time, he was the one with the music, went into the casting call and I sang for him and he ended up contacting us later saying he actually had to write the scene into the movie. I was very honored by that.
GG: Besides your song, what’s your favorite song in the movie?
Ms. Thomas: I would have to say “I Feel Like Going On” because I’ve been at so many functions where that song has just lifted the spirits of so many people in attendance. It’s a powerful, powerful gospel song and it has an excellent message and it’s motivational. I mean people have just broken down and cried around me listening to the words of that song. “I Feel Like Going On” is definitely the other song, outside of mine, that I really liked.
GG: How do you feel about Patti Labelle singing the song on the soundtrack and you only coming in half way through the song?
Tressa Thomas- Honestly there have been thousands, literally thousands of people over the past 20 years that have approached me and were angry about that. What I tell them is, I was 12 years old and even I felt that no body could deliver a song better than Patti Labelle at that time. She was just, and still is, the queen of vocals. So I was not upset, I was honored that I would be even allowed to be on a song with the likes of Patti Labelle. As I explain it to people that way they kind of stand back and say “oh yeah she’s a diva and she is the queen,” and I say absolutely. I was in that studio learning from her as she was singing that song. For me it was another confirmation of what I wanted to be when I grew up and how I needed to deliver a song as a ballader.
GG: What’s your favorite fan story of the past 20 years?
Ms. Thomas: I can’t think of one fan, but I can say, what’s been amazing over the course of 20 years people to this day still recognize me in person as the little girl for “The Five Heartbeats” I thought as I approached adulthood that would die down and people would not recognize me as much. It was amazing that the thousands and thousand of people that contacted me on Facebook and say “oh my gosh I remember you, your scene was my favorite. I watched “The Five Heartbeats” every week just to see your scene.” Even after 20 years, people still recognize me as that person so I figured I want to me that little girl till I die.
GG: Are you still singing?
Ms. Thomas: Yes I am I haven’t released an album yet, but I have a single on iTunes called “Thyck Glow.” It’s actually the theme song to my non-profit organization. I’m looking to release an album in the future.
GG: What are you doing now?
Ms. Thomas: I’m actually the CEO of a non-profit organization, it’s called the “Thyck Troupe” it’s an organization for full figured women. It is for women who are more on the curvier side that are models, singers and actresses. it has just exploded here in Chicago and it’s already starting to branch out into other cities. I’m teaching them everything from modeling to film making in this organization and we are working on our first documentary right now.
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Roy Fegan as Bird: Bird is the lead singer of Bird and The Midnight Falcons. Early in the film the character attempts to defeat The Five Heartbeats in a vocal contest. After Big Red orchestrates the murder of Jimmy Potter, Bird joins members of the Heartbeats in testifying against Red and helps to convict him of the murder.
GG: Tell me your most memorable moment of making the movie
Roy Fegan: It has to do with me walking out on stage as Bird with my Midnight Falcons behind me at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown LA with seven hundred to a thousand extras screaming my name “Bird.” For one minute I felt like a rock star. It was such a real feeling because we were rehearsing and setting up the shots, I was in hair and makeup getting ready for the scene. I’ve always wanted to sing. I was so charged up by this that I thought maybe I should quit acting and become a singer because girls were screaming. But then I woke up (laughs).
GG: What ever happened to the girl that fainted in the movie?
Mr. Fagan: That was a great, great moment. I got to know her on the set, but I haven’t seen her since.
GG: How important was this film to your career?
Mr. Fegan: Pivotal. I traveled the world doing radio shows for writing and directing, but that movie literally made me more famous and recognizable than any project I have ever done. It’s like it was everyone’s favorite movie. Nothing has topped it, even today. It has made me legendary and I couldn’t have been more blessed to be part of a classic.
GG: What was your most memorable moment with a fan?
Mr. Fegan: I think I remember giving the feather away that was the key feather in my Bird costume. The extras were so excited and asking for autographs I remember giving the feather to a young lady who said she would cherish it and put it on eBay and never sell it (Laughs).
GG: What’s your favorite song from the movie?
Mr. Fegan: “I Got Nothin’ But Love.” It reminded me of the great song that it is, but also that powerful scene when they are all in the car and the racist police stopped them. They had to sing it in such a sad, morbid way. That scene stuck with me. I know you only asked for one, but “Baby Stop Running Around” is also one.
