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