Tally Brown, New York

Tally Brown, New York is a 1979 documentary film directed, written and produced by Rosa von Praunheim, centring around the career of Tally Brown.

Tally Brown, New York
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rosa von Praunheim
Produced by	Rosa von Praunheim Joachim von Mengershausen
Starring	Tally Brown Holly Woodlawn Divine Taylor Mead Ching Ho Cheng Edward Caton
Cinematography	Edvard Lieber Michael Oblowitz Rosa von Praunheim Juliana Wang Lloyd Williams
Edited by	Mike Shephard Rosa von Praunheim, Rosa von Praunheim
Music by	Tally Brown Holly Woodlawn
Release date	4 May 1979 (1979-05-04)
Running time	97 minutes
Countries	United States Germany
Language	English

The film received international attention and was shown, for example, at Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1979.^[1]

Plot

The film follows the singing and acting career of Tally Brown, a classically trained opera and blues singer who became a star of the New York underground scene in the late 1960s. In this documentary, von Praunheim draws on extensive interviews with Brown, in which she shares her collaborations with Andy Warhol, Taylor Mead and other artists, and friendships with Ching Ho Cheng, Holly Woodlawn and Divine. Brown opens the film with a cover of David Bowie's Heroes and closes with Rock 'n' Roll Suicide. The film not only captures Tally Brown's career, but also a certain New York milieu of the 1970s.^[2]

Production notes

The documentary is also notable for being the first of Praunheim's many portraits of women, mostly aging performers, who have become iconic figures in the LGBT community.

Awards

• 1979: German Film Award (for best non-feature film)^[3]
• 1979: Nominated for the Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival^[3]

Reception

The Village Voice wrote: "In its way, Tally Brown, New York is the best documentary about New York since Chantal Akerman's News From Home",^[4] and "a must-see for all those interested in performance and the cultural history of New York in the ’70s."^[5]