Leroy (GENE ANTHONY RAY) openly challenges the school system with his antagonistic attitudes to all academics. Confronted with losing control of the class as well as her inability to reach Leroy as a student, Ms. Sherwood (CAROL MAYO JENKINS) discovers a shattering secret when she attempts to contact his parents before the situation reaches a crisis stage.Student-teacher differences also arise between Bruno (LEE CURRERI) and his mentor, Shorofsky (ALBERT HAGUE) when the lure of a recording contract momentarily detracts from studies which promise a more rewarding musical career. watch
Bruno's (LEE CURRERI) fear of performing before an audience clashes with Coco's (ERICA GIMPEL) intense desire to audition their band for the Seventh Annual School of the Arts Benefit. Sidestepping his refusal to play, Coco auditions a tape of the group for the Acceptance Committee and wins a spot in the show. Confronted with this fait accompli, Bruno still refuses to play, but does agree to lend his equipment. On the night of the show, a power failure plunges the rented stage into darkness. Sensing his responsibility to his fellow students, Bruno abandons his fears and plays acoustic piano while the dancers execute a stunning number by candlelight. Confidence is instilled in him when applause greets him when the lights come back up. watch
Question: I remember watching the show Fame as a kid and really liking it. I know it was based on a movie, but was that movie based on a real school? Thanks.
Answer: That it was, Alma, but exactly how much the movie and, to an even greater extent, the show, were "real" certainly depended on whom you asked. The basics aren't in dispute: The 1980 film and series, which lived on NBC from January 1982 to August 1983 before jumping to first-run syndication for another four years, were set in New York City's real-life School of Performing Arts, better known to its students, faculty and such alumni as Al Pacino and Liza Minnelli as "P.A." (In 1984 the school moved with the High School of Music & Art into a new facility and the two merged to become the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.) But according to read more
