The only Tucson screening of Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story takes place at 1 and 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 1, at Crossroads Grand Cinemas, 4811 E. Grant Road. Filmmaker Lee Story will be on hand for a Q&A after the 1 p.m. showing.
Here’s some info about the film:
Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story explores the clean-cut, smile-drenched singing phenomenon Up With People. Since 1965, this peppy youth group has sung to 20 million people worldwide, performed at four Superbowl halftime shows, and been parodied on The Simpsons and South Park. Talent was not required of its members, just a common enthusiastic vision to change the world one squeaky-clean song at a time. But its cheery façade concealed the more complicated reality of an organization founded on conservative American ideals and cult-like utopian ideology.
Up With People was born in response to the liberal counter-culture of the ‘60s by the ultra-conservative religious sect, Moral Re-Armament. Over the years, they were embraced by world leaders from U.S. presidents Nixon, Reagan and George H.W. Bush to King Juan Carlos of Spain, Queen Noor of Jordon and Pope John Paul II. The organization’s access to global dignitaries and developing countries was noticed by corporate giants—-like GM, Exxon, Halliburton and Searle—-who gave millions of dollars to back the popular group.
Artistically cut with kitschy and never-before-seen archival footage, and the honest reflections of former members, Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story reveals what can happen when ideology, money and groupthink converge to co-opt youthful idealism.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 5, 2009.
I spent Saturday photographing Up With People at La Paloma. The charge that UWP is a cult or was, is total horse hockey. These were well adjusted people there by their own volition and permitted to come and go as they please. Total cross section of the population including normal people, dancing people, smiling people and intelligent people. I saw more 30-40 year olds than “young zombies” that some prior pissed off cast member allege to be there. Don’t spend money to encourage these idiot film makers.