Speaking of bait and switch, although nominally about movie and music mogul Robert Stigwood, the latest installment in HBO’s Music Box series has little new or enlightening to say about him. There is nothing about his childhood as a gay child in 1950s Australia, and only superficial mentions of his manager Eric Clapton, or producing the original Broadway stagings of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Evita’.
His association with the Bee Gees deserves more attention, but that’s because they were an integral part of “Saturday Night Fever” – the focus of much of “Mr. Saturday Night” and arguably Stigwood’s greatest achievement as a producer. (The new documentary works best as an addendum to the Frank Marshall movie “The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”)
Mostly, director John Maggio covers familiar ground: a quick introduction to disco, Stigwood of choice from writer Nik Cohn’s article about the nightlife in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood, and how John Travolta found his groove, with help from dance coach Deney Terrio .
But even in what it covers, the doc feels rushed and thin, relying mostly on testimonials from former executives of the entrepreneur’s company, while the stars he worked with remain conspicuously absent.
Stigwood also scored with the movie “Grease”, and then it was all over: he got caught up in the disco reaction, lost his golden touch. Maggio ends his story in the early 1980s, even though Stigwood lived until 2016. He thinks small about a man who used to dream big.
mr. Saturday Night
Not judged. Running time: 1 hour 23 minutes. Watch HBO Max.