...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

The Temptations

88 statements
15 feature instances
2 referencing feature instances

The Temptations	type	TVTItem
The Temptations	label	The Temptations
The Temptations	page	TheTemptations
The Temptations	comment	The Temptations is a Miniseries broadcast on NBC in 1998, divided into two-hour halves and based on the story of the soul/R&B legends of the same name. The series was based on the book Temptations, by sole original member Otis Williams (with Patricia Romanowski).This series is narrated through the eyes of Williams, as he documents the group's history from 1958-59, when Otis formed Temptations predecessor Otis Williams and the Siberians and first met future Tempts bass singer Melvin Franklin, all the way through 1995, when Franklin tragically passed away. The first half focuses on the Tempts' origins and their "Classic Five" lineup (also including Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, and David Ruffin), while the second half is devoted to their later history, where Dennis Edwards replaces the troublesome Ruffin as lead vocalist, Paul Williams struggles with alcoholism, and the hits start drying up following 1972's number one single "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". The deaths of all the Classic Five members except Otis are also explored here, same with the Tempts' short-lived reunions featuring the classic lineup's members instead of their less-heralded replacements.The miniseries stars Charles Malik Whitfield as Otis Williams, D.B. Woodside as Melvin Franklin, Christian Payton as Paul Williams, Terron Brooks as Eddie Kendricks, and Leon as David Ruffin.
The Temptations	fetched	2023-07-19T09:30:45Z
The Temptations	parsed	2023-07-19T09:30:45Z
The Temptations	processingComment	Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Temptations	processingComment	Dropped link to TheDeterminator: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Temptations	processingComment	Dropped link to TheNarrator: Not a Feature - UNKNOWN
The Temptations	processingUnknown	TheDeterminator
The Temptations	processingUnknown	TheNarrator
The Temptations	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Temptations / int_33d5b7f2	type	Adapted Out
The Temptations / int_33d5b7f2	comment	Adapted Out: Despite the series taking place across the decades and ending in the 90s, with the exception of Al Bryant, Richard Street, and Dennis Edwards, the non-Classic Five Tempts (and there are many of them) are hardly present in the miniseries. For example, Eddie Kendricks' replacement Damon Harris is shown singing with the band, but he is never referenced by name.
The Temptations / int_33d5b7f2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_33d5b7f2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_33d5b7f2
The Temptations / int_3d2d0d5c	type	Feeling Their Age
The Temptations / int_3d2d0d5c	comment	Feeling Their Age: Joked about when the group gets together for Reunion. David tries to show off his signature spin move only to grimace when it hurts him more than it used to.
The Temptations / int_3d2d0d5c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_3d2d0d5c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_3d2d0d5c
The Temptations / int_3f45f1e6	type	Adaptational Heroism
The Temptations / int_3f45f1e6	comment	Adaptational Heroism: The Temptations autobiography doesn't paint Dennis Edwards in a positive light, but in the miniseries, he's "a lot less trouble than David had been". There is little focus given to Dennis apart from his anger at producer Norman Whitfield including the line "it was the third of September" in "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", as that was the day his father had supposedly died.
The Temptations / int_3f45f1e6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_3f45f1e6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_3f45f1e6
The Temptations / int_56515a39	type	Artistic License â€“ History
The Temptations / int_56515a39	comment	Artistic License – History: In the miniseries, Melvin tells Otis that ex-Primes Paul and Eddie want to join their group, which is still known as The Distants. Otis is reluctant to have them join, while Paul and Eddie awkwardly deny wanting to join the Distants. In real life, it was Otis who offered Eddie a chance to sing for the then-Distants, and when Eddie said he'll only accept if Paul could also join the group, Otis was happy to have the two ex-rivals team up with him and Melvin. In the miniseries, David crashes a Temptations concert months after his firing and tries to browbeat the rest of the band into taking him back. In real life, he did crash several Temptations shows (much to the delight of the crowds and consternation of the group), but not because he wanted back in. He crashed the shows because Motown had him under contract but was refusing to allow him to record music or perform publicly, and he was running out of money. His show-crashing was designed to force Motown's hand, and it worked: in exchange for his promising to not crash any future Temptations shows, Motown agreed to allow him to record and tour as a solo artist. The miniseries references the legend that Dennis Edwards (see above) was uncomfortable singing "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" because his father also died on the third of September. In reality, his dad died on the third of October. While David, Eddie and Dennis jointly toured for several years separately from the "real" Temptations, they did so in the 1980s, not 70s. David Ruffin's death. In the miniseries, he was dumped near a hospital and not identified for about a week, seemingly destitute at that point. In real life, he was brought to the hospital by his chauffeur after what would turn out to be a fatal drug overdose. Melvin Franklin, in real life, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In the miniseries, he dies while getting food in the kitchen of his mother's home.
The Temptations / int_56515a39	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_56515a39	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_56515a39
The Temptations / int_663f35c0	type	Only One Name
The Temptations / int_663f35c0	comment	Only One Name: David's driver/bodyguard/drug procurer Flynn. Flynn who? Just Flynn.
The Temptations / int_663f35c0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_663f35c0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_663f35c0
The Temptations / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
The Temptations / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: Depressed at being unable to tour with the Temptations due to his medical condition, and unable to properly deal with his alcoholism, Paul shoots himself in his car, right outside the Motown studios.
The Temptations / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_6d332aea	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_6d332aea
The Temptations / int_72e71249	type	Progressive Era Montage
The Temptations / int_72e71249	comment	Progressive Era Montage: During "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)": We start with the Temptations in the studio, Eddie singing lead. Partway through the song, the scene changes to the group singing live on stage with Richard Street having replaced Paul Williams next to Eddie. By the end of the song, the rest of the Temptations are looking at Eddie's spot which is now empty, Eddie having quit the group.
The Temptations / int_72e71249	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_72e71249	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_72e71249
The Temptations / int_7eebe99c	type	The Alcoholic
The Temptations / int_7eebe99c	comment	The Alcoholic: Al Bryant, whose drinking and bad attitude gets him fired from the group, and later, when the Tempts are already famous, Paul Williams.
The Temptations / int_7eebe99c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_7eebe99c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_7eebe99c
The Temptations / int_87168895	type	Madness Montage
The Temptations / int_87168895	comment	Madness Montage: Paul during "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". It ends with his suicide.
The Temptations / int_87168895	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_87168895	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_87168895
The Temptations / int_919c59b6	type	I Am the Band
The Temptations / int_919c59b6	comment	I Am the Band: As the fame gets to David's head and the coke goes up his nose, he starts seeing himself as more important than the rest of the group. Twice in the series, he suggests that the band should be renamed "David Ruffin and the Temptations". Ironically, after he gets fired from the band, David sees the Tempts as Otis and Melvin's group, and tries to convince Eddie to leave while he still can.
The Temptations / int_919c59b6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_919c59b6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_919c59b6
The Temptations / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Temptations / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: Paul's warning to Otis that there will eventually be "more ex-Temptations than Temptations." In real life, he was right.
The Temptations / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_9d12bbc1
The Temptations / int_c4b0faae	type	Can't Hold His Liquor
The Temptations / int_c4b0faae	comment	Can't Hold His Liquor: Two scenes show Paul's alcoholism at its worst. One scene has him drunkenly singing "For Once in My Life" at a party, and after he stumbles while going over-the-top toward the end of the song, he becomes belligerent and has to be taken out of the house and calmed down by Eddie. The other scene has Paul so wasted at a concert that he's slurring the lyrics to "Psychedelic Shack". For the next number, "I Can't Get Next To You", he's limited to lip-syncing and dancing, while band friend/future member Richard Street does the actual singing backstage.
The Temptations / int_c4b0faae	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_c4b0faae	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_c4b0faae
The Temptations / int_d72164e9	type	Must Have Nicotine
The Temptations / int_d72164e9	comment	Must Have Nicotine: Eddie is frequently seen smoking a cigarette. In real life, Eddie Kendricks was a heavy smoker. This habit eventually damaged his voice and he died of lung cancer in 1992.
The Temptations / int_d72164e9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_d72164e9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_d72164e9
The Temptations / int_de7b7cbf	type	Drugs Are Bad
The Temptations / int_de7b7cbf	comment	Drugs Are Bad: David's cocaine addiction made him extremely unreliable when he teamed up with Eddie for a series of gigs, then with the Classic Five lineup (plus Dennis) after seemingly becoming responsible and humble for the first time since he first joined the group. Eventually, it's that coke addiction that kills David, though the miniseries took Artistic License in depicting his death. Almost played for laughs in a couple of scenes. In one scene, Eddie scolds David for not answering the phone, only for both men to find out that David left it hanging overnight. In another, David tries to trade free tickets to one of the group's shows for more drugs, but the drug dealer angrily points out that the gig was actually the day before. Then viewers are reminded once again of the extent of David's coke addiction when he trades his new Lincoln instead and the dealer is more than happy to accept.
The Temptations / int_de7b7cbf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_de7b7cbf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_de7b7cbf
The Temptations / int_name	type	ItemName
The Temptations / int_name	comment
The Temptations / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Temptations / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Temptations	hasFeature	The Temptations / int_name
The Temptations / int_name	itemName	The Temptations

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

	The Temptations	hasFeature	African-American Media / int_52497af4
	The Temptations	hasFeature	Triumphant Reprise / int_52497af4

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.