Smile ‘Til It Hurts: The Up With People Story

NEW DOCS

Ever wondered about Up With People, the preternaturally perky, wholesome singing group who seemed to be everywhere on TV in the sixties and seventies? Morphing from a post-World War II Christian evangelical organization called Moral Rearmament, UWP recruited idealistic, neatly dressed young people as an alternative to the unwashed hippie hordes who seemed to define a generation’s youth. Clean-cut youngsters want world peace, too! Sinister cult, or “the yeast that built and preserved freedom”? Riveting interviews with participants who interpret the culture of UWP and their experiences in different ways, fascinating archival footage, and all the upbeat, saccharine music you could possibly desire.  LB

Director

Lee Storey

Producers

Lee Storey, Bari Pearlman

Editor

Penelope Falk

Cinematographer

Ezra Bookstein

Release Year

2009

Festival Year

2009

Country

United States

Run Time

81 minutes