June Softly

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Who is Harry Nilsson?












Harry Nilsson "Without you" 1972



Harry Nilsson "Everybody's Talkin" 1969



Harry Nilsson "One" 1968




interview with David Leaf who produced a Harry Nilsson Documentary
"Who is Harry Nilsson (and why is everybody talkin' about him)?




 
Life and career
Early years

Nilsson was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York, in 1941. His paternal grandparents were Swedish circus performers and dancers, especially known for their "aerial ballet" (which is the title of one of Nilsson's albums). His father, Harry Edward Nilsson, Jr., abandoned the family three years later. An autobiographical reference to this is found in the opening to Nilsson's song "1941":

Well, in 1941, the happy father had a son
And in 1944, the father walked right out the door

Nilsson's "Daddy's Song", and "Cuddly Toy" recorded by The Monkees, also refer to this period. Read more



"1941"


"Daddy's Song"


Cuddly Toy








Harry Nilsson was also featured in the opening scene of Midnight Cowboy a 1969 movie about
A naive male prostitute and his sickly friend struggle to survive on the streets of New York City.
 Starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight


Opening Scene of Midnight Cowboy 
Schlesinger chose the song Everybody's Talkin'
(written by Fred Neil and performed by Harry Nilsson)
as its theme, and the song underscores the entire first act of the film.
This film won 3 Academy Awards.  Read More

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Harry Nilsson also played in a movie with Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, John Bonham and Peter Frampton.
Son of Dracula (1974) 
Plot Summary
Due to be crowned King of the Netherworld by his mentor Merlin the Magician at a monster's convention Count Downe, the son of Count Dracula, falls in love with the beautiful but human Amber and finds himself in conflict with Baron Frankenstein who is vying for the same honorary title.  More at IMDb




Showings over the years have been limited to midnight movies and similar outlets, no official home video release has ever been made  Read More




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