Grace of My Heart (1996) on Netflix
Edna Buxton, a Philadelphia teenager, wins a talent contest and heads to New York City as Denise Waverly. Her own records flop, so producer Joel Millner pairs her with Howard Caszatt.
- Netflix3.7/5
- IMDb6.8/104,247 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes79%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1958, Philadelphia steel heiress Edna Buxton wins a talent contest. A studio producer turns her down, explaining that labels are shedding girl singers rather than signing new ones, but her own songwriting impresses him and he points her to Joel Millner. Joel renames her Denise Waverly, gives her a blue-collar persona, and hands her song to a male doo-wop group, the Stylettes, who turn it into a hit. Denise settles in New York City and joins the Brill Building's songwriting trade. At a party she meets a fellow writer, the arrogant Howard Caszatt, and they begin both a relationship and a writing partnership. For three girlfriends of hers Denise writes a song, and Joel auditions the trio as the girl group the Luminaries.
Cast
- Jennifer Leigh Warrenas Doris Shelley
- Sissy Boydas Dress Saleswoman
- Jill Sobuleas Singing Contestant
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Grace of My Heart (1996)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The story is loosely based on Carole King's career: like Denise Waverly, King wrote songs in the Brill Building for acts such as Aretha Franklin, The Drifters and Little Eva. Producer Joel Milner is a pastiche of Phil Spector and publisher Lester Sill, and Jay Phillips is modeled on Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
- Singer-composer Lesley Gore co-wrote "My Secret Love" for the young singer Kelly Porter but chose not to take a co-writing credit, feeling she had been brought in too late for a real collaboration. She was also left off the guest list for the film's New York City premiere, an oversight Anders regretted.
- Joni Mitchell wrote "Man from Mars" for the film, but the soundtrack's first pressing of 40,000 CDs carried Mitchell's own vocal instead of Kristen Vigard's. The run was recalled and re-released a week later with Vigard restored, and Mitchell later re-recorded the song for her 1998 album Taming the Tiger.
- Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote and recorded a demo in March 1995 for what the article calls "a possible title song" for the film.
