Still Weaving
In 1981, an absolutely wonderful documentary, Wasn’t That a Time, was released about a reunion concert at Carnegie Hall a few years before of the renowned folk music group The Weavers, which had gotten blacklisted in the 1950s. I thought it should have contended for a Best Documentary Oscar, but because of rules and timing logistics, it didn’t even get nominated, but it’s nonetheless a gem.
It’s more than a Carnegie Hall reunion concert. It starts when Pete Seeger invites his three other Weavers (Fred Hellerman, Ronnie Gilbert and Lee Hays) to his home where they plan to have a small reunion at a sort of local party on his grounds. And documentarian Jim Brown is there to film it all. But it went so well that they begin to talk about doing a full-fledged reunion concert, and all their rehearsals are filmed – filled with history of their career. And then it culminates with the concert at Carnegie Hall – which sold out so fast that they added a second performance.
(By the way, the concert was put together by their former manager Harold Leventhal, whose character has a small presence in the current movie about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown. Among the many legends he managed were Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Alan Arkin, Judy Collins, Theodore Bikel, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Mary Travers, Tom Paxton and many others.)
This is one scene from the documentary, at the Carnegie Hall reunion. Lee Hays is sort of the host for the evening, and his witty narration sparkles throughout the film, despite not being in the best of health (due to diabetes, both his legs had been amputated). This segment opens the concert, so we get his welcoming commentary, and then a fun song, “Get Up and Go.” What stands out is how in strong voice The Weavers are, although Hays for his health is a raspy.
If you get a chance to come across the full documentary, it’s so terrific.
Comments