The Beach Boys: An American Family
Encyclopedia
The Beach Boys: An American Family is a 2000 television film written by Kirk Ellis and directed by Jeff Bleckner
. It is a dramatization of the early years of The Beach Boys
, from their formation in the early 1960s to their peak of popularity as musical innovators, through their late-60s decline (and Brian Wilson
's beginning battle with mental illness), to their re-emergence in 1974 as a nostalgia
and "goodtime" act.
The movie was shown in two parts on ABC Television
, and featured a good deal of original studio and session material by the band, which forms the backdrop to the story. Music that couldn't be licensed for the production, but was important to the story (such as the Smile
album sessions, and music by criminal Charles Manson
, who had collaborated with Dennis Wilson
), was filled in for with sound-alike
s, reminiscent of the original recordings.
The film won three out of those 8 categories that it was nominated in. Listed below is the categories that the movie was nominated in as well as for what award:
Jeff Bleckner
Jeff Bleckner is an American theatre and television director.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bleckner made his directorial debut off-Broadway with The Unseen Hand/Forensic and the Navigators, an evening of one-act plays by Sam Shepard, in 1970...
. It is a dramatization of the early years of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, from their formation in the early 1960s to their peak of popularity as musical innovators, through their late-60s decline (and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
's beginning battle with mental illness), to their re-emergence in 1974 as a nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
and "goodtime" act.
The movie was shown in two parts on ABC Television
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, and featured a good deal of original studio and session material by the band, which forms the backdrop to the story. Music that couldn't be licensed for the production, but was important to the story (such as the Smile
Smile (The Beach Boys album)
Smile is a previously unreleased album by The Beach Boys recorded throughout 1966 and 1967. The project was intended by its creator Brian Wilson as the follow-up to Pet Sounds, but was never completed in its original form...
album sessions, and music by criminal Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
, who had collaborated with Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
), was filled in for with sound-alike
Sound-alike
A sound-alike is a recording intended to imitate the sound of a popular record, the style of a popular recording artist, or a current musical trend; the term also refers to the artists who perform on such recordings. In the voice-over world, it may also refer to those who recreate the voice and...
s, reminiscent of the original recordings.
Cast
- Kevin DunnKevin DunnKevin Dunn is an American actor who has appeared in supporting roles in a number of films since the 1980s. His roles include Colonel Hicks in the 1998 version of Godzilla, Sam Witwicky's father in Transformers, and Oscar Galvin, the primary antagonist in the 2010 action thriller...
- Murry WilsonMurry WilsonMurry Gage Wilson was an American musician and record producer, best remembered as the father of The Beach Boys members Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson, uncle of bandmate Mike Love, and the husband of Audree Wilson... - Fred WellerFred WellerFrederick Weller is an American actor.- Personal life :Weller was born in New Orleans and is a cousin of actor Peter Weller. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School, a Catholic all-boys high school in New Orleans, and the University of North Carolina. He married Ali Marsh on September 6, 2003...
- Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group... - Alley MillsAlley MillsAlley Mills is an American actress best known for her role as Norma Arnold, the mother in the coming-of-age series The Wonder Years.-Life and career:...
- Audree Wilson - Nick StabileNick StabileNick Stabile is an American television actor. He played Gabe Capshaw on the show, Saints and Sinners. He is well known for playing the role of Jesse in the slasher film Bride of Chucky...
- Dennis WilsonDennis WilsonDennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983... - Emmanuelle VaugierEmmanuelle VaugierEmmanuelle Vaugier is a Canadian film actress, singer, songwriter and television actress who has had recurring roles as Detective Jessica Angell on CSI: NY, Mia on Two and a Half Men, Dr. Helen Bryce on Smallville, and FBI Special Agent Emma Barnes on Human Target...
- Suzanne Love - Ryan NorthcottRyan NorthcottRyan Northcott is a Canadian actor, in the film Mystery, Alaska and several other TV movies. He played Carl Wilson in the 2000 miniseries The Beach Boys: An American Family...
- Carl WilsonCarl WilsonCarl Dean Wilson was an American rock and roll singer and guitarist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist of The Beach Boys... - Matt LetscherMatt LetscherMatthew Letscher is an American actor.-Biography:Letscher was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He attended college at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI where he was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity....
- Mike LoveMike LoveMichael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day... - Ned VaughnNed VaughnNed Vaughn is an American actor known for his television work. He attended Lee High School in Huntsville, AL and Birmingham-Southern College.-Filmography:*The Rescue, 1988 - Shawn Howard...
- Al JardineAl JardineAlan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:... - Dublin James - David MarksDavid Marks (musician)David Marks is an American songwriter and musician. He is best known as being a member of The Beach Boys from February 1962 to October 1963. Marks was part of the Beach Boys line-up, at age 13, when they signed with Capitol Records on July 16, 1962...
- Jesse Caron - Bruce JohnstonBruce JohnstonBruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
- Amy Van Horne - Marilyn RovellMarilyn RovellMarilyn Wilson-Rutherford, née Rovell, is an American singer. She was a member of groups The Honeys and Spring with her sister Diane Rovell...
- Jad Mager - Nick VenetNick VenetNick Venet was an American record producer who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz...
- Eric MathenyEric MathenyEric Matheny is an actor, screenwriter and co-founder of The Acting Center LA.Raised in Los Angeles and Atlanta, Matheny started his career as a child actor appearing in national television commercials. As a teenager, he landed a starring role opposite Roger Mosely in the Southern Emmy...
- Chuck BritzChuck BritzCharles "Chuck" Dean Britz was a recording engineer who most famously worked with Jan and Dean, Brian Wilson, and The Beach Boys on numerous albums between 1962 and 1967.... - Harris Laskaway - Voyle Gilmore
- Clay Wilcox - Tommy Schaeffer
- Anthony RappAnthony RappAnthony Deane Rapp is an American stage and film actor and singer best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway production of Rent in 1996 and later for reprising the role in the film version and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
- Van Dyke ParksVan Dyke ParksVan Dyke Parks is an American composer, arranger, producer, musician, singer, author and actor. Parks is perhaps best known for his contributions as a lyricist on the Beach Boys album Smile.... - Erik Passoja - Charles MansonCharles MansonCharles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
- David Polcyn - Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
- Tera Hendrickson - Carol KayeCarol KayeCarol Kaye is an American musician, best known as one of the most prolific and widely heard bass guitarists in history, playing on an estimated 10,000 recording sessions in a 55 year career....
- James IntveldJames IntveldJames Intveld is a Los Angeles rockabilly musician, actor, composer, director. Intveld provided the vocals for the eponymous title character in John Waters' Cry-Baby, and sung "Let's Go Sexin'" in Waters' 2004 movie, A Dirty Shame.-Early work:...
- Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and... - Jessica Shannon - Concert Girl
- Elliot Kendall - Glen Campbell
- Jim Laspesa - Larry Knechtel
- Steve Stanley - Barney Kessel
- Trevor St. JohnTrevor St. JohnTrevor Marshall St. John is an American actor. He portrayed Todd Manning/Victor Lord Jr. on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live, and has starred in various prime time shows and film.-Career:...
- Jan Berry - Jacob YoungJacob YoungJacob Wayne Young is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his role as JR Chandler on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children...
- Dean Torrence
Awards
The Beach Boys: An American Family was nominated in nine individual categories at different award ceremonies.The film won three out of those 8 categories that it was nominated in. Listed below is the categories that the movie was nominated in as well as for what award:
- 2000
- Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s- Outstanding Mini-series
- Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Mini-series, Movie Or A Special
- Single-Camera Sound Mixing For A Mini-series Or A Movie
- Artios Awards
- Best Casting For TV Mini-Series
- Emmy Award
- 2001
- Eddie Awards
- Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Commercial Television (won)
- Excellence In Production Design Awards
- Best Television Movie or Mini-Series
- C.A.S. Awards
- Outstanding Achievement In Sound Mixing For A Television Movie-of-the-Week, Mini-Series (won)
- DGA AwardsDirectors Guild of America AwardsThe Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D.W. Griffith....
- Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Movies For Television (won)
- Golden Satellite AwardsSatellite AwardsThe Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama...
- Best Mini-series
- Eddie Awards