Bookin'

Unbeknownst to us when we were making our dance film at the famous Earnestine & Hazel’s bar, we later found out that Bookin’ was serendipitously touching on a true life story of an interracial (dancing) couple who resurrected that haunted old juke joint. Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps the brothel ghosts were inspiring us. Perhaps it was just a tale that needed to be told…so I wrote our intertwining story as a musical.

Logline

In 1993, an interracial couple resurrected Earnestine & Hazel’s (“E&H”)—an old juke joint and haunted brothel in downtown Memphis, made famous in the 50s and 60s—and turned it into a popular dive bar. Despite racial prejudices and debilitating greed working against them, their passion for dancing and love for E&H drew them together and forged a lasting love. Then this sweet Southern fairy tale met a tragic end. But did it have to?

Concept [click on links for more]

Based on a true story, Raggedy But Right (“RBR”) is a musical feature that tells the passionate yet tragic interracial love story of Russell, a suave white “soul man,” who loved blues, soul and R&B music and the black dance styles of that soulful era, and Vivian, a beautiful and vivacious black lady, who was his match in every way. Together, they brought the spirit of E&H and its Memphis music history back to life in the 1990s.

RBR features a variety of musical numbers that are filled with dancing and set to both Russell and Vivian’s favorite songs from the 50s and 60s as well as original tracks. As a famous old juke joint and brothel that’s filled with a rich musical history and later, after  they resurrected it, notoriously haunted by brothel ghosts, E&H proves quite the saucy setting—and a defining influence on Russell and Vivian’s romance. As such, the musical is quite fantastical at times with the sexy brothel ghosts playing a prominent role in their tale. Also featured are fiery flashbacks to the juke joint’s heyday when it was the hangout for some of the most famous black musicians of the day, like B.B. King, Tina Turner and Ray Charles. 

What’s more, the true and chilling story of how my debut as a filmmaker led me to unintentionally telling their tale is woven into RBR, adding to its wondrous nature. As fate would have it, I filmed a dance short at E&H called Bookin’ (trailer). After watching Bookin’s dance duet between Dylan, a passionate white ballet dancer, and LaShonte, a sexy black urban dancer, Russell told me, “You need to do a film about my life,” which turned out to be a dying wish. After Russell’s death, I felt compelled to learn more about his story and discovered Vivian, who, upon seeing that same duet, gasped: “Oh my God! That’s us!” That’s when I first learned that Vivian and Russell had in fact been lovers and two of the best dancers in town. “You’re already telling our story and  you didn’t even know it,” Vivian mused. “That’s why Russell asked you!”

Characters and Story Summary [brought to life through documentary clips via links]

Act I: “Wishes Fulfilled” 

The story begins at Earnestine & Hazels (“E&H”) with the filming of Bookin’, prompting Russell to reminisce about both his and E&H’s glory days. Later he tells John, Bookin’s  director, “You need to do a film about my life.” That evening, Russell tragically dies—seemingly a robbery gone wrong. With Russell having left him with what’s now a dying wish, John heads to E&H, where a shrine for Russell has been created at the bar’s front door. Inside is a gathering of Russell’s friends and family. John joins them and tells Karen, Russell’s long-time bartender, of his predicament. “You need to call Vivian,” she says. Who? “You’ll find out,” she teases.

John meets Vivian, and she tells their story.

Russell and Vivian’s love for dancing and the soulful black music of the 50s and 60s is what first brought them together. “Russell had soul. He could do all the black dances,” Vivian exclaims. She couldn’t believe a “white man” could dance just like James Brown. And “all the ladies loved them some Russell George,” recalls Vivian. “He was a gigolo, you know.” Indeed, Russell was the ladies man until he met the vivacious Vivian: “I’m enough woman for any man!” They certainly met their match and made quite the first impression upon meeting each other at The Temptations concert in Memphis in 1990.

But they weren’t off to the races just yet, despite Russell relentlessly chasing after her. Vivian was hesitant to date a white man. Even after Vivian crossed the racial divide, their problems only grew with familial, societal and religious pressures given the general disapproval of interracial relationships in the Deep South at the time as well as their decision to live together outside of wedlock.  

Act II: “Soul, Spirits & Soulmates” 

Despite such personal risk and overwhelming pressures, their interracial relationship flourished behind both their love of dancing and their journey of resurrecting E&H into one of the best dive bars in the country. Together, they were “dancing fools” and fell in love like never before.

Act III: “The Last Dance” 

Then one day, after 10 years of bliss, Russell started pushing  Vivian away—to her confusion since he didn’t tell her about his health and money issues. Though they parted ways, their love for each other endured up until his tragic death years later. 

The story ends as it begins at E&H on that fateful night, but from Russell’s vantage point . . . taking his own life on a stormy Monday. Did it really need to end this way? As Vivian reflects on their love, they get one last dance together, reminiscent of Bookin’s duet. 

Theme

At its spiritual core, Raggedy But Right is about true love among soulmates, whose coming together created magic, fun and fulfillment for them and all those around them while it lasted—not unlike the past rock and soul music that was created in Memphis by its black and white musicians during the city’s golden age in the mid-20th century. 

Their 10-year love journey at E&H proved to be pure bliss and the ride of their lives. But outsider greed, health issues, religious restrictions and the societal (and familial) racial pressures of the deep South back then increasingly put their loving bond to the test and, ultimately, led to both a tragic end to their relationship and a fatal one for Russell. But this sweet-and-sour Southern fairy tale might have ended differently had they both known more about each other and their true circumstances.

Please contact us if you’re interested in reading the screenplay for Raggedy But Right and learning more.