Music Stephen James Taylor. Its a mark of how shallow Fools is that even as gifted an actor as Tate (excellent in Menace II Society and Dead Presidents) cant turn Lymon into anything more than a cipher. The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. Frankie Lymon had been on his record label for most of his career, and Levy knew much more about the singer than Emira, who had only been with him for a year. He was inducted into the Army in December 1966, and sent to Fort Gordon, Ga. By the time Pvt. Emira refused their counter offer. It makes him not only a good soldier, but a better individual. Their affair continued off and on for several years. There may be further delays, though, while that executive faces federal extortion charges. When trading Miss Thing"-type insults doesnt clear the air, a lawsuit to determine the identity of the true widow and heir to Lymons royalties becomes inevitable. Ms. She told the judge that Frankie Lymon was a charmer. And that was that, the last of the hits. The sum, he said, "might have been $1,500. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. Back in the 1950s, when a star-struck group like the Teenagers finally got to audition for the head of a record company, such matters as copyright barely figured in the conversation. Final briefs are due next week, with a decision expected later this spring. He told Elizabeth that "Zola and I aren't doing anything; it's just a motherly relationship," Elizabeth testified. "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. And that led to his 1955 smash hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," singing for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium and performing in nightclubs and theaters worldwide. Zola has been unable to locate records documenting their Mexican wedding, or documenting her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). Elizabeth Lymon says she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and bore him a daughter the following year. Lymon is always short of money, no childhood, and, in most descriptions, lacks calmness, but when a small star appears on the stage, he always steals the limelight. When Frankie Lymon died from a heroin overdose in 1968, he was broke and trying again for a comeback that he never achieved. She did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965. Elizabeth went on to testify that she also saw Frankie the day before he took his last, fatal dose of heroin. Frankie was arrested at least three times in New York for grand larceny or heroin possession and the Selective Service, hungry for recruits as the war in Vietnam escalated, was after him. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emiras family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. Watch a performance of "Little Boy And Girl" by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodakshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. Unfortunately, shes also involved in the films least convincing area, the jarring sections that deal with the troubles brought on by Lymons habit. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. Levy's attorney, Leon Borstein, says that Levy "assisted in the writing of the song; you have to remember, if he added one word, that's sufficient" to justify coauthorship. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. "Emira's Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum," Pomeroy says. He (Frankie) sort of changed my life, she told the judge. Friday, November 06 2020. Id have killed him, I was so angry, Zola told Span. Others still do, however. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. No one could have foreseen that the people who grew up with the music would refuse to relinquish it, and the songs would be repeatedly recycled into movie soundtracks and albums, cover versions, oldies compilations, and television commercials. At one point, Levy owned more than 90 companies that employed 900 people.These included record pressing plants, tape-duplicating plants, a distribution company, a prominent New England chain of record stores, and numerous record labels. Absent the kind of star performance Jennifer Lopez gave in Selena (and that films cleaner, more direct story line), cornball dramaturgy can take audiences only so far and not one note further. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. They became lovers, Zola testified, one night in Bangor, Maine, when Frankie had won $1,700 gambling with Clyde McPhatter and she had gotten "a little loaded drinking scotch and water." I feel sorry for him, most of all," echoed Zola. He also represented several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" (just before the song starred in a wine cooler ad), and represents several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. Her divorce from Phillips was not finalized until 1965. Frankie had a very bad year in 1966. The film travels back and forth in time to explore their relationship with the singer. Back in New Jersey, Ronnie Italiano and the UGHA had adhered to Emiras aforementioned wishes and held off on moving forward with their project to acquire and place a memorial tombstone on Frankie Lymons grave until her lawsuit was settled. That case can now proceed, their attorney says. When she and Frankie fought about it, Elizabeth said in court, he pulled a gun on her and she fled. He then was a private in the Army taking basic infantry training at Fort Gordon and assigned to Company D, 16th Battalion, 2nd Training Brigade. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. Most record buyers did not become aware of this latest change until the Happenings recorded a cover version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in 1967 with Levy's name listed on the label. When she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965, she says, she left Frankie living in her hillside house with instructions to pay the bills out of an allowance forwarded by her attorney. Taylor, of Los Angeles, a singer with the Platters, contends she married Lymon in 1965 in Tijuana, Mexico. "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. "He sort of changed my life for me," Elizabeth says. Im sure it probably would bring back some good memories, she said of the show that was being staged at the Imperial. She's going to call it "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?". became part of the "American Graffiti" sound track and album, was a No. Span reported that Zolas secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding, and that her attorneys argued that California law made her a putative (believed to be) spouse entitled to share in Frankie Lymons property. Both Elizabeth's and Zola's attorneys say Emira offered their clients 20 percent (for Elizabeth) and 5 percent (for Zola) of the estate. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. She testified that she and Frankie had started living together shortly after they met. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. It was not, for long, a happy one. He was characterized as The Octopus by Varietymagazine for his far-reaching control and power in the record industry and his connections to organized crime. Back in 1956, the hit song had first been credited to Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago, and George Goldner - head of Gee Records. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. And if Zola wins she's also decided to record an album of Frankie's hits -- "I Want You to Be My Girl," "I Promise to Remember," all the big ones. Also a plus is the entertainment value of the films infectious classic rock soundtrack, which (besides the Teenagers hits sung by Lymon) includes songs like The Great Pretender, Try a Little Tenderness and Heat Wave., Hampering this on the negative side, besides the films awkwardness with its dark moments, is an inability to provide more than the most superficial look at anything. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. None of the three women in court, all of whom he deceived and betrayed, seemed willing to condemn him. Emira came to New York to arrange for Frankies funeral mass and burial. A decision was reached in November, but the case would not end there. Emiras attorneys argued that Elizabeth and Frankie separated in mid-1965 and never lived together as man and wife thereafter, invalidating her claim to a common-law marriage. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. "If you have any kind of heart at all," she says, "you know that he went through hell.". 507 residents | Coed by wing | Single and double rooms. "She was speechless, actually unable to talk," reported the attorney, Dwight Peterson. She also stole the hearts of many people and led to a five-year legal battle to answer which of the three women who claimed to be married to the star was the real Mrs. Frankie Lemmon . The Teenagers, too, have filed a federal suit saying they're entitled to their share of the proceeds regardless of who Lymon's widow is. Unfortunately for Zola, she was unable to locate records documenting her Mexican wedding to Frankie, or documentation of her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). A pop record seemed disposable then, before the rise of the nostalgia industry. When the Emiras case just started, Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the proxy court, claiming that she was the widow of Frankie Lymon and that Zola Taylor was also Objected, claiming to be Lemmons legal widow. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. So Lymon was already a 20-year-old has-been when he met Elizabeth Waters backstage at the Audubon Ballroom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. He was energetic; dynamic; charismatic. Although most of Rubin's cases don't wind up in court, the allegations Emira made are not unusual. For Frankie had helped himself to hers. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. Elizabeth, now 46, says she's been born again, but she still strives for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. November 2, 1988 NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools. NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose -- has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. It makes him not only a good soldier, but a better individual. Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a prime example, and its publishing rights may have earned a lot of money by 1984, according to Chuck Rubin of Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. Rubin established his organization in 1981 to represent artists who he believed had been deprived of their earnings by their record companies. The opinion dismisses the claims of Taylor, who was unable to produce "credible proof" of her marriage to Lymon or her divorce from her previous husband, both of which she said occurred in Mexico. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. Producers Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth. Lymon signed with both 20th Century Fox Records and Columbia Records, but both deals were short-lived. She and Frankie began living together in 1962, she testified. 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Phils 2023-24 season lineup celebrates the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cardi B changes tune on community service, calls it best thing, spiritual journey, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. Frankie Lymon died in New York. ", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was part of the American Graffiti film soundtrack and album, a big pop hit single and album for Diana Ross in 1981, and had been used in a greeting card commercial. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. Leon Borstein, Levy's attorney, said that Levy "assisted in the writing of the song; you have to remember, if he added one word, that's sufficient" to justify co-authorship. Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers (Sherman Garnes, the inventive bass, and Joe Negroni were the others), say they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Though Navas soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the films unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities. The elephant in the room was the large sum of money that would be awarded to whoever was determined to be the songwriters of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love. It was copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy. Frankie, by 1965, had pretty much been reduced to lip-synching at record hops on the East Coast. In 1986, the women, who were never divorced from Lymon, filed copyright claims in federal court in New York for Lymons songs. During 1965, the copyright for Why Do Fools Fall In Love was changed. An act could rise and fall with astonishing swiftness then. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. It is copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, an independent label that bought out the Gee label, which originally released the record. Waters provides convenient access to libraries, the . Left-Wing Meloni: Italys Attempt to Replicate Giorgia Meloni, Europe is dumping its migrants in Africa in exchange of money, Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies, David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books, Uplift Suasion: the notion to change racism, Mexicos constitutional crisis has its roots in Washington, The EU-Mercosur Deal: Macrons Duplicity Unveiled, Paraguay declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. Undisputed, however, was the song's impact. 1200 Observatory Drive | Madison, WI 53706-1212 | Map. Emira's attorneys have alleged that the other two widows "acted in concert" with Levy, and point to contracts that Zola and Elizabeth each signed with Levy's publishing business, Big Seven Music Corp. Each assigned the song's copyright to Big Seven in exchange for an advance ($10,000 in Elizabeth's case, $7,500 in Zola's) against her share of future royalties. It was held on Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 - February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group The Teenagers.The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid-teens. According to Paula Spans story, he was arrested a least three times in New York for grand larceny or heroin possession, and the Selective Service, hungry for recruits as the war in Vietnam escalated, was after him. "He was honest, completely honest," Elizabeth insisted, "Up to a point." Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. The court found that "the decedent and Elizabeth {Waters} have satisfied the requirements of common law marriage in the State of Pennsylvania." Elizabeth Waters is currently single. His attorney called the charges complete speculation claimed and that there was absolutely no proof of Levy's guilt. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. Instead, he has posthumously provoked a trial that will determine which of the three women he is said to have married -- without ever scrupling to divorce any of them -- is really his widow and heir. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. Waters bore Lymon's only known child, a daughter who died shortly after birth. She plays Lemmons second wife. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. Zola's attorneys argue that California law makes her a "putative spouse" entitled to share in Lymon's property. Also Read Inside Data and Cyber Security issue in Barbados Europe plays chess with Wagner's African moves, imposes sanctions And that song, which he wrote or helped to write and which will bear his boyish vocal signature forever. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. No one foresaw that the people who grew up with the music would refuse to relinquish it, repeatedly recycling it into movie sound tracks and albums, cover versions, oldies compilations and TV commercials. None of whom had ever divorced, was his legal widow and heiress. That suit was suspended while Lambert determined which woman was Lymon's widow. When a touring musical about Lymon's life came to the Imperial Theater in May of 2013, the cast invited Bryant to be the honored guest with her family and took photos with her after the show. 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