Liberace: Behind the Music (1988)

Victor Garber, Maureen Stapleton, Saul Rubinek, Michael Dolan, Michael Wikes ... see more  , George Touliatos , Susan Almgren , Pat Crawford Brown , Macha Grenon , Dianne Heatherington , Daniel Nalbach , Andrew Nichols , Linda Smith , Philip Spensley , Michelle Sweeney , Kenneth Welsh , Richard Zeman , Paul Hipp , Frances Hyland , Joan Heney , Gayle Garfinkle , Shirley Merovitz , Philip Pretten , Shaun Levy , Jane Stapleton , Gloria Estefan , M.C. Hammer , Milli Vanilli

This was the "unofficial" Liberace biopic, as opposed to the error-ridden "official" Liberace (telecast one week earlier in October of 1988). The star of Liberace: Behind the Music is Broadway actor V... read more ictor Garber, who later scored a personal triumph as the devilish Mr. Applegate in the revival of Damn Yankees. Behind the Music is an unauthorized TV movie based on the recollections of the pianist's business manager, giving scriptwriter Gavin Lambert far more leeway in delineating the title character, warts and all. The closing sequences delve much deeper into the AIDS question than was possible in the family-approved Liberace starring Andrew Robinson (who, to be fair, looks more like the real entertainer than does Victor Garber). Liberace: Behind the Music could have descended into tabloidism ("Behind the rumors and the secrets" read the advertising copy), but emerges as a work of conspicuous dignity and (reasonably) good taste. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi