![]() You know the story, but in service of the journalistic convention that requires me to summarize it briefly anyway, here goes: Ebeneezer Scrooge is a wealthy-but-miserly jerk who gleefully opposes and eschews charitable giving, all while underpaying and overworking his devoted employee Bob Cratchit. Being released in theaters on April 23, 2021.’Tis the season to rehash one of the most famous medical mysteries of canonical literature, plucked from the pages of what must be one of the most lucrative pieces of noncopyrighted source material of all time: the tragic life and death (and, ultimately, redemptive resurrection) of Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. How can so much sadness come from a man who entertained so many? We are reminded of the song, "Tears of a Clown", yet when one's goal is fame, the piper must be paid. This was the year before his death, and we see the clips of his time on stage as he has a heart attack, and just prior to his final collapse a couple of months later. In 1995, he married lifelong fan Susan Gardner. Sure, there's the photo by Diane Arbus, but there's also the mob control and gigs with the traveling circus. Director von Sydow pulls much of the story from the biography, "Eternal Troubadour: The Improbable Life of Tiny Tim", by Justin Martell and Alanna Wray Mcdonald. Of course the thing about fame is that it's often fleeting. Carrying a shopping bag on stage and pulling out a ukulele, Tiny Tim crafted a stage persona that took over his life. ![]() Born in New York as Herbert Butros Khaury, he was focused at an early age on being famous - on making an impact. In December 1969, Tiny Tim married 17 year old Miss Vicki Budinger live on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson", and 45 million viewers tuned in. His first album, "God Bless Tiny Tim", was released in 1968, but it was the following year that caused the biggest splash. allowing him to be billed as "The Human Canary" early on. From the diary we learn, "God told me to sing the sissy way", and that was evidently his motivation for using the falsetto. Yankovic reads passages from Tiny Tim's diary, and we gain perspective on what it's like to go through life as a "freak". "Tiptoe through the Tulips" was actually a hit song from 1929, and Tiny Tim reinvented it as a novelty song - and we see the clip of him performing it in 1968 for a national audience on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In". Weird Al Yankovic is the narrator that guides us through the story, and there are interviews with Tiny Tim's widow Susan, his daughter Tulip (yep), and personality Wavy Gravy (best known for the WOODSTOCK movie), as well as friends, musicians, directors, and others who provide insight into the man and his life and career. It's likely a jarring opening for those unfamiliar with him, but it captures his unique style and stage presence. Filmmaker Johan von Sydow opens with a clip of Tiny Tim singing "I've Got You Babe", a hit song for Sonny and Cher. Perhaps they recall a mention of his most popular song "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" in one of the Harry Potter books, or remember hearing the song in the 2010 horror film INSIDIOUS but if they happen to recognize his name, I expect very few in that age group understand the cultural phenomenon that was Tiny Tim. I'm not sure how many people under age 50 even know who Tiny Tim was. ![]()
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