WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE?

US, 1998, 116 minutes, Colour.
Larenz Tate, Halle Berry, Viveca A. Fox, Lela Rochon, Paul Mazursky, Pamela Reed, Alexis Cruz, Lane Smith, Ben Vereen.
Directed by Gregory Nava.

Why Do Fools Fall In Love is a study-biography of songwriter Frankie Lymon. It was directed by Gregory Nava, director of such serious films as El Norte and Mi Familia as well as the portrait of the Hispanic singer, Serena, with Jennifer Lopez.

The film is not a straightforward narrative about the life and career of Frankie Lymon. Rather, it focuses on three women who claim to be his wives. They give initial interviews. They make claims on the royalties for his successful record, Why Do Fools Fall In Love. The structure of the film is the court case and the hearings about who has the rightful claim. Within this context, there are flashbacks illustrating Frankie’s life. However, Frankie is portrayed as described from the perspective of each of the three women.

The three women are Halle Berry as singer Zola Taylor, Viveca A. Fox as Elizabeth Waters the shoplifter whom he helps and with whom he lives for many years, and Lela Rochon as the Georgia schoolteacher whom he marries shortly before his death. Larenz Tate is good as Frankie Lymon, full of Lymon’s vitality. However, his difficulty is that he has to portray Lymon as perceived by the women. Pamela Reed is the sardonic judge and Paul Mazursky appears as the entrepreneur Morris Levy.

Along with films like the Tina Turna biography, What’s Love Got To Do With It, this is a portrait of an influential singer of the late 50s and early 60s. However, as with so many of the singers, his life and career collapse and he becomes the victim of drug addiction.

1. The impact of the film as biography, as portrait of a career singer? Of a failed life and career?

2. The 50s and 60s settings? Los Angeles, New York? Affluence, the poorer neighbourhoods? The agencies? The theatres for the concerts? The contrast with Georgia? The 1980s courtroom?

3. The music, the era of rock ‘n roll? Frankie Lymon and Why Do Fools Fall In Love? The glimpses of his talent, the group, the Teenagers? Their songs? The Platters and other artists? Diana Ross? The concerts and the fans in the theatres? The clubs? The range of songs – and the final glimpse of Frankie Lymon and real footage during the final credits?

4. The title, its irony in connection with Frankie’s life, the women in his life?

5. The structure, the initial talking heads of the three women? Their stances and attitudes? The presentation of the court case, the flashbacks and the memories of each woman from her perspective? The cumulative portrait of Frankie Lymon? Morris Levy and his reminiscences? The flashbacks to Frankie’s childhood? The presentation of Frankie in the 50s and 60s? His death?

6. Larenz Tate as Frankie Lymon? The cinematic style and hand-held camera for the childhood sequences? Their insertion, Frankie as a child, his relationship with family, poverty, neighbourhood, friends? The Teenagers and their songs? The founder, Frankie as lead singer, their subsequent falling out? Concerts, the fans? On tour? Frankie dancing with the white girl on television and the executive’s reaction? The tours, with Little Richard? The friendship with Little Richard? The arrival in the Ohio town, segregation, the waitress and her recognising them and giving them everything they wanted? The records, Frankie alone? His relationship with Zola Taylor, her admiration for his work, the liaison? The encounter with Elizabeth, seeing her in the shop and shoplifting? Pretending to be her husband? Their time together? His addiction, growing dependence? Elizabeth and her having to go out as a prostitute to get the money? Their falling out? His anger at her? The visit to Los Angeles, Zola’s house, Elizabeth’s memory of this encounter? Elizabeth and Zola re-entering his life? His up-and-down career? His collapse on stage? His going to Georgia, military, meeting Emira, courtship, poetry, dancing, gardening? The postman and his recognition of him, his going to see Morris Levy, his rejection, taking drugs? Death? Morris Levy paying for his burial?

7. The three women: Zola, her talent as a singer, with The Platters, on tour, her glamour? Her disregard of Frankie, admiring his performance? Their time together? Her presence in the 1980s, tougher, harsher? Her evidence about the marriages in Mexico – but no documents? Her continued career, Frankie coming to see her, her affluence? Elizabeth: slatternly in the 80s, tough? The shoplifting, going home with Frankie, going to the club, seeing him sing, the common-law marriage? The time with him, ups and downs, the hardships for her to get the money? The visit to Zola’s house? The separation? Emira: refined, the schoolteacher, bringing a book to lunch, meeting Frankie, swept off her feet, the choir in the church, his teaching her to dance in the garden, the gardening, the poetry? Allowing him to go for his career, her grief at his death?

8. The three women in the court, their squabbles, Elizabeth’s deal with Zola, having to cut Emira in after giving her the alcohol? The final verdict, the judge’s summing up, each of their claims, the complexities of law? Elizabeth winning and cutting them out? Her comment, Zola and her being tired of the whole affair? Emira and her pursuing the case in the courts, appeals, her getting only fifteen thousand dollars?

9. Morris Levy, the managers and agents of the period? Getting their names on the records as composers? Common practice? His promotion of Frankie, getting him to go solo? In the office, Frankie’s later appeal to him, his rejection of him as an addict and unreliable? His paying for the funeral, in the court case, his attempts at explanation?

10. The judge, her listening to the performances, her sardonic attitude, her summing up and the clarity of the claims?

11. The three lawyers for the women, their place in the court, the cross-examinations? Their interactions with their clients?

12. Little Richard, portraying himself, his performance in the court? Seeing him in his young days – and the same style?

13. The world of rock 'n roll, concerts, fans, television performances? Records and sales? The fragility of careers?

14. The world of drugs, the effect on celebrities, their dependence, habits, having to get money? Their deaths?