Fillmore
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Richard T. Heffron
Bill Graham
Lamb
Cold Blood
Boz Scaggs
Hot Tuna
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
After six years as the producer and mastermind behind the San Francisco rock music hall Fillmore West, Bill Graham decides to close the music venue. This documentary follows the brutally honest and unyielding producer as he gathers top San Francisco bands to play the final week. Interspersed with Bill's phone calls, backstage talks and reminiscing, the film captures rousing performances and rehearsals by the numerous bands that fill the stage that last week. Although most musicians need little encouragement to play the famous auditorium, several more successful bands make demands that try Graham's patience as his final night at the Fillmore approaches. Based in an office at the Fillmore, Bill brusquely negotiates with singer Boz Scaggs, who is upset that the band Cold Blood has received first billing on the marquee and in advertisements. Although Bill tries to appease Scaggs by changing the publicity to give him first billing, the singer threatens to quit the show because of the insult. Meanwhile, just outside, hundreds gather to buy tickets to the show, oblivious to Bill's hard work. Soon after, Bill is confronted by a San Francisco musician who demands that his band be considered for the final week, but when he replies "fuck you" to the producer's refusal, Bill escorts him out of the office. Although highly agitated by disrespectful artists with grandiose, last-minute requests, Bill often jokes about the confrontations among his employees and colleagues in quieter moments. In the final week, Cold Blood plays "You Got Me Humming," among other songs and, despite his earlier reservations, Scaggs performs. Back at the office, Bill recounts that as a young man he wanted to be a character actor. Working at office jobs during the day, Bill took evening acting classes but had little luck getting significant acting roles. Soon after becoming an actor and manager with the radical theatre group, the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Bill has repeated with the director. Also frustrated by the group being denied performance permits because of their use of obscenity at public venues, Bill left the Mime Troupe in February 1966 to start Fillmore West. Familiar with the San Francisco creative scene, Bill adapted to what he considered artists' and musicians' "crazy" personalities and began booking bands. On each Tuesday he held a casual audition night open to the public, showcasing three unknown bands. In the present, Bill complains that he is "not dealing with normal species" when The Grateful Dead organizers refuse to play unless they can replace the lighting designer Bill has arranged. Frustrated by groups that have become too authoritarian because of their success, Bill is ready to leave the business but is disappointed to see that his audience, the experimental, cavalier and freedom-seeking generation of the 1960s that flourished in San Francisco, has become disenchanted. Bill recounts that among the artists he had featured, Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead captured the spirit of the times and was among the most dedicated musicians with whom he has worked. In trying to understand his reasons for quitting, Bill briefly reminisces about his childhood as a Jewish refugee fleeing Europe in the 1940s and growing up in a Jewish foster home in the Bronx. Back in the office, Bill continues to have difficulties with Santana, who, fearing that a bootleg recording of the concert might be made during the concert, refuses to play the final night. With every other night's program set, Bill speaks with the band every day, reminding them that their selfishness is disappointing both to their audience and to him. Finally Santana agrees to play and closes the Fillmore with a long set.
Director
Richard T. Heffron
Cast
Bill Graham
Lamb
Cold Blood
Boz Scaggs
Hot Tuna
The Rowan Brothers
Quicksilver Messenger Service
The Jefferson Airplane
The New Riders Of The Purple Sage
The Grateful Dead
It's A Beautiful Day
The Elvin Bishop Group
Santana
John L. Wasserman
David Graham
Crew
Chuck Berry
Eli F. Bleich
Eli F. Bleich
Gregory Burke
Alan Capps
Richard Carroll
Howard Chesley
Richard Clarke
John Curl
Gary Davis
Herbert F. Decker
Mike Evje
Jameson C. Goldner
Bud Grenzbach
Daniel Halas
Richard T. Heffron
David Himmelstein
Claude Jarman
Paul Kantner
Al Kihn
Keeva Kristal
David G. Laflamme
Linda Laflamme
Paul Lohmann
Sara Martin
Barbara Mauritz
Murray Mintz
Murray Mintz
Jak Newman
Eddie Newton
Nigel Noble
Nigel Noble
Steve Pinsky
Bob Primes
Robert Primes
Lisa Rich
Mark Richardson
Eric Saarinen
William R. Scaggs
T. Lawrence Seibert
Claire Shers
Norman Snyder
Mike Strong
Alma Taylor
William E. Taylor
Charles Titone
Dino Valenti
Tim Warziniak
Coulter Watt
Clarence Williams
Tim Young
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Although Fillmore was not copyrighted at the time of its release, Medion, Inc. registered the film on May 5, 1981 under the number PA-106-898. During the opening credits, the camera follows Fillmore West producer and owner Bill Graham as he walks to his office through a long crowd waiting to enter the music hall. Richard T. Heffron's onscreen credit reads: "conceived and directed by Richard T. Heffron." Many of the closing credits, including numerous additional photography crew, were illegible on the viewed print. According to Filmfacts, the filmmakers hired a photography crew consisting of over forty people to ensure that they recorded the many hours of performances and Graham's negotiations with bands during the closing week at Fillmore West. A split screen effect is used throughout the film, especially during concert footage. As noted in several reviews, Graham's young son David is seen in the film. In a June 16, 1971 San Francisco Chronicle review, critic John L. Wasserman wrote that he was featured briefly in a backstage discussion with Graham. In the closing credits special thanks is given to James A. Carter.
Fillmore recorded the final week of performances at the Fillmore West auditorium featuring San Francisco-based bands and footage of Graham. The promoter had nurtured many of the bands from Fillmore West's beginnings in 1966 and at his New York music hall, Fillmore East, which he also closed in 1971. According to a July 15, 1972 Saturday Review (of Literature) article, Heffron and producers Herbert F. Decker and Claude Jarman of Medion, Inc. approached Graham about shooting the last days at the Fillmore West on Thursday, June 24, 1971. They only received permission to begin shooting on Monday, 28 Jun, the first day of the final week. Having no prior release forms from the bands, the filmmakers scrambled to sign bands during shooting and in the year following. Among those who played that week but did not appear in the film were Creedence Clearwater Revival, who, according to the San Francisco Chronicle review, declined to sign the form.
A soundtrack album was released of performances held during the final week at the Fillmore West, which included band performances seen in the film and additional bands and songs. Most of the songs in the film are heard in their entirety. Each band's name is seen onscreen briefly during their performance. Among the dozens of band members identifiable onscreen were Lydia Pense of Cold Blood, Barbara Mauritz of Lamb, Jerry Garcia and Bob Wier of The Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana of Santana. In addition, rehearsal scenes are shown of The New Riders of the Purple Sage and The Rowan Brothers. According to the Saturday Review (of Literature) review, footage of Jefferson Airplane is older footage, not shot during the final week at the Fillmore.
According to the July 11, 1972 Los Angeles Times review, Fillmore was rated R because of Graham's occasional use of profanity in the film. According to a May 22, 1972 Box Office article, Fox disputed the rating and postponed the premiere awaiting a decision from the MPAA, which denied the appeal, according to a June 15, 1972 Daily Variety article. Most San Francisco and New York theaters ignored the rating and opened to theater to all audiences.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1972
Released in United States 1972
