As more fans are having the opportunity to see the final cut of the long-awaited Dick Biondi Documentary, we’re getting all kinds of positive feedback on the film …
Dear Friends,
On Thursday evening, March 23rd, charter
members of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 gathered
at the Joliet Library for a special screening of the Dick Biondi
documentary. It was a magical evening, thanks to founder Ron Romero and
Vice Chair Board of Directors Debyjo Erickson, and an enthusiastic crowd
of music lovers.
The room began filling up as folks drove in from the far north and south
Chicago suburbs, Indiana, Michigan, and some as far away as Tennessee. Just
a few of the folks in attendance were Museum Curator Ron Romero, broadcaster
Tim Larson Dingus, NC6 founder Ray Graffia Jr., Joe Dex of the Cave Dwellers,
WLS Historian Scott Childers, and broadcaster Ted Gordon Smucker. Also on hand were team members
Linda Ulreich, Darwin McBeth Walton, Michelle Geoffroy and Jan Tobusch-Oliver,
as well as VIP sponsors Jim and Tracy Carollo, who called to say they are
making yet another generous donation! (Thank you so much!) My
beautiful daughter Michelle made the night so special, along with
Bruce Mattey of NC6. Some of the others on hand include great folks like VIP
Sponsors Lynn Steffen, Mike Wolstein, and Jack Dresnes of Beverly Records,
comedian Matt Kissane, my finishing editor Tom Desch, and my
son-in-law Ed Geoffroy. (If I missed anyone, please forgive me.)
It was nice to hear nearly all 5-star reviews! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
How incredibly
gratifying to see the response the film is having and to feel the love
people still have for Dick.
Here are a few of the comments. . .
Brought back some great memories, back when radio was everything.
Great story, lots of celebs -- not long enough!
Heartwarming . . . I didn’t expect to cry.
It’s radio history! It needs to be told.
Amazing — laughs — tears — nostalgia — what a story!
Dick is as classic as rock n’ roll itself.
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Hi Kent,
I was at the screening of "The Dick Biondi Film" on Thursday Night at the Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66. It was a fun evening catching up with filmmaker Pam Pulice and WLS historian Scott Childers. I also met the folks from the museum and was invited to join them on their podcast the next morning.
Here is a link to their Facebook Page:
(20+) Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66 | Joliet IL | Facebook
If that doesn't work, here is a direct link to their podcast list. There are lots of good shows to listen to on that webpage.
https://www.roadtorock.org/podcast/
They are an ambitious group, and are doing good things to remember those tremendous artists who contributed to making music and bringing it to the people of Illinois and the Midwest. A big salute to Ron Romero, Debyjo Ericksen, Tim Seeden and the rest of the people at The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum.
Kent,
I also wanted to mention that you looked good in "The Dick Biondi Film." Your insight into who Dick Biondi is and what he means to "our music" was very insightful. I am glad Pam Pulice's project is getting near completion, since she has been working on this for nine years. The film is almost done, but they still need to raise money for licensing fees and some final tweaks in the presentation.
Take care,
Ted Gorden Smucker
WLS/WCFL Rewound Producer
Kent,
Nice seeing you in the film debut last night in Joliet. Thanks for helping Pam so much. Lots of good people in that room last night.
Hope all is well. We are over one year and 40 episodes into our podcast and listeners in 39 states and 16 countries. Crazy.
Hope to see you soon,
Tim
Tim Larson
Co-host
Life’s 3x5s Podcast
I was not prepared for the way the second half of this affected me. It is quite powerfully done. Anyone who has ever heard the name Dick Biondi will love this video.
Pam has done so much to make this happen and she - and all involved - should be applauded.
I think I'll watch it again!
David Lewis
Well, I just finished the video. I am quite astonished by how much is in this video, especially all the teen scenes taken from various places. I think the whole film flowed GREAT! I’m glad he said his best years were the three early years he spent on the air at WLS and that he praised many Chicago bands (many of whom he had nothing to do with their early success, but LOTS to do with their later success).
The film is great. I felt the love and emotion that I never had the chance to experience during the early years. I was only able to hear him on ‘CFL ... but he was a legend like Elvis for me then.
It's a great film and I thank you SOOO much for sending it and I hope it gets out on PBS. So many that REALLY loved Dick will love this. I know that I DID … and I was never the fan that most of the early listeners were.
Clark Besch
A GREAT and very interesting story line about an incredibly unique individual!
I, of course, couldn't help but watch it more through my radio lens as opposed to a fan's perspective recognizing so many radio stations, singers, groups and their hits. My broadcast career-time "playin' the hits" paralleled his from my being a bit younger than he at the time but still a very young, early Junior and Senior high school on-air radio guy as I began my radio travels!
I used to listen to Dick as I was growing up, going to school and being on the radio myself in Rapid City, South Dakota, with my transistor radio on or under MY pillow. As much as I dreamt of leaving town after high school and broadcasting on a Big Station in a Big City, I never even thought that someday I'd be doing MY radio show at the same Big Station in the same Big City in the same Big Time Period as he once did! AND just to add to our "connection," several years later, I "filled in" for him on his show at "Oldies 104-Point-Three" when he was off on vacation!
So, I can't speak from what those who were listeners and fans of his will think, but I can only imagine that they'll be thrilled reliving those great years of his no matter where they listened to him!
All in all, I think the "final-final" will be well received.
Thanks for asking me to be a part of your "Secret Cinema Society" here!
Chuck Buell
Watched it right away and thought it was marvelous! Thanks for including me!
Paul Shaffer
Watched it ... really enjoyed it. Would love to PR a film like that. The thing is, radio-personalities are a tough sell today. Look at Worst to First. It was great, as I lived it; but I felt the education of just what the DJ is/was/ and how important he is, needed to be brought home some more.
Watching the Chi Lites and Brenda Lee was serendipitous too. As you know my father worked for Decca, so I knew exactly who Biondi was and how important he was to the radio industry.
Great capsule of a film and a time that should very definitely not be forgotten.
David Salidor
By the way, you’ll find a great profile of PR-Guru David Salidor in The Glorious Corner this week …
https://t2conline.com/inside-the-pr-brain/
And you can catch The Glorious Corner Review of the film here:
https://t2conline.com/the-glorious-corner-443/
Hope some of you “locals” can make it out to the May 21st screening … would love to see you there! (kk)
