Lady Sings the Blues (1972)

Diana Ross is Billie Holiday. Diana Ross sings Billie Holiday. And a superstar is born.

Chronicles the rise and fall of legendary blues singer Billie Holiday, beginning with her traumatic youth. The story depicts her early attempts at a singing career and her eventual rise to stardom, as well as her difficult relationship with Louis McKay, her boyfriend and manager. Casting a shadow over even Holiday's brightest moments is the vocalist's severe drug addiction, which threatens to end both her career and her life.

Directed by: Sidney J. Furie

Written by: Suzanne de Passe, Chris Clark, Terence McCloy

Music by: Michel Legrand

Starring: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan, Paul Hampton, Sid Melton, Virginia Capers, Yvonne Fair, Isabel Sanford, Tracee Lyles

Genre: Drama, Music

Released: 1972-10-12

Runtime: 144 minutes

Rate, review and log Lady Sings the Blues on Film Reality, see where to watch it, its soundtrack and what everyone else thought.

Lady Sings the Blues (1972): trivia & fun facts

Fun facts

• The film earned an estimated $9,050,000 in North American rentals in 1973.
• Variety wrote, "For the bulk of general audiences, the film serves as a very good screen debut vehicle for Diana Ross, supported strongly by excellent casting, handsome '30s physical values, and a script which is far better in dialog than structure."
• The film was also screened at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, but was not entered into the main competition.
• Diana Ross, in her feature film debut, portrays Holiday, alongside a cast that includes Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan and Scatman Crothers.

Source: Wikipedia

Play 10 questions. Test yourself on Lady Sings the Blues and see how everyone else answered.