Scott Tady: Locally made Titanic film debuts in Sewickley; Lou Christie songs unvaulted

If a true-life account of political interference, greed, conspiracy and a very, very large boat sinking collectively stokes your curiosity, then steer toward Sewickley to see "Unsinkable: Titanic Untold."

The shot-entirely-in-Pittsburgh film, about the aftermath of the Titanic's doomed voyage, launches its national release by screening April 11-18 at The Lindsay Theater (also just added: April 12, 14, 19 and 21 at The Strand in Zelienople.)

Based on "Titanic to All Ships," a play written by Economy resident Eileen Enwright Hodgetts, the storyline centers on Sen. William Alden Smith (Cotter Smith from Netflix's "Mindhunter") and journalist Alaine Ricard (Fiona Dourif from CBS's "The Blacklist") pursuing the truth about why the giant luxury ocean liner sank.

This period drama, also featuring Karen Allen (Indiana Jones' ex-love interest in "Raiders of The Lost Ark"), depicts what happened in the weeks after the 1912 catastrophe, intricately woven with flashbacks to heroism and sacrifice on the deck of the Titanic.

A number of Pittsburgh actors including Pittsburgh Steelers legend Rocky Bleier and former Y108 morning team Brian "Monty" Montgomery and Stoney Richards also appear in the PG film that shot scenes at Ligonier Beach, the Portersville Steam Show in Butler County, and the Grand Concourse restaurant and Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh.

Opening night at The Lindsay, featuring a Q&A with some of the makers, is sold out, but tickets remain for additional screenings, at thelindsaytheater.org.

Pittsburgh singer on the rise

Merce Lemon is the latest Pittsburgh singer to rise to the national ranks.

JamBase, a popular music site, ran a profile of Lemon last week, using the praise "gripping" to describe her brand-new country-shoegaze single, “Will You Do Me A Kindness.”

Lemon said, "It is a song close to my heart, the inescapable loneliness we feel as humans, the little things we notice when we are alone, the fear yet desire to give ourselves wholly to another.”

With tour dates booked in Ohio, Indiana and upstate New York, Lemon returns home for a May 1 show at Bottlerocket, a club in Pittsburgh's Allentown section, then on May 17 headlines Club Cafe on the city's South Side.

Lightnin' Strikes for Lou

Unearthed from the vaults comes "Gypsy Bells," a new compilation of rarely heard 1960s songs from Beaver Valley chart-topper Lou Christie.

"'Gypsy Bells' uncovers a rather confusing and largely buried chunk of the Christie catalog," says the compelling liner notes to a CD released March 1, sharing singles, outtakes and unreleased tracks from the Crescent Township native's fruitless 1967-68 Columbia Records years.

The 24 tracks showcase Christie's towering falsetto, part of his four octave-range recognized as "one of the most exciting and readily identifiable sounds of 1960s pop," according to liner notes biographer Bob Stanley.

Just a few years after his 1961 graduation from Moon High School, Christie notched two radio hits, including 1963's Billboard Top-20 "Two Faces Have I."

After a stint in the military, Christie returned to the music scene triumphantly, topping the Billboard chart in 1966 with the high-note-hitting "Lightnin' Strikes," and going Top-20 with "Rhapsody in The Rain" on the MGM label.

In February 1967, Christie's management arranged a jump to prestigious rival Columbia − Bob Dylan's label.

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Though Christie's crooning on the track "Escape" sounds more like him trying to emulate an earlier Columbia artist, Frank Sinatra.

Listening to "Gypsy Bells," one gets the sense Christie and his team artistically threw everything against the wall to see what would stick; from the wannabe Flower Power anthem "Self Expression" to the torch song "Blue Champagne" to the Motown-influenced "Paper and Paste."

"Standing on My Promises" takes the unusual tact of a man singing about wedding plans as a chorus of girls counters "don't believe him, he's lying."

"I Remember Gina" sounds more in Christie's high-singing, heart-tugging wheelhouse, and became a smash on Alabama radio throughout 1967, credited with many Cotton State girls being named Gina. Though like the rest of his Columbia songs, it never grabbed the national spotlight.

Western Pennsylvania stayed loyal, though, with "Shake Hands and Walk Away Cryin'," "Self Expression" and "I Remember Gina" all getting AM radio spins on Pittsburgh's KQV and KDKA. On March 30, 1967, Christie did a KDKA broadcast live from the Hornes Department Store in downtown Pittsburgh; on Nov. 25 that year, KQV hosted a Thanksgiving weekend concert with Christie and The Young Rascals at the Civic Arena.

Christie already had relocated to Hollywood, though remained a Yinzer at heart, or at least grammatically.

Like a true Western Pennsylvanian, Christie left out the "to be" in the lyric "my heart's ripped and needs sewn" on "The Greatest Show on Earth." The "Gypsy Bell" liner notes gleefully point that out as one of three examples on the CD of Christie's grammatical "Pittsburghese."

Christie's career forged ahead, as he toured with Martha and Vandellas and The Small Faces and played at least one show where his opening act was The Who.

After Columbia dropped him, he'd reach the Billboard Top 10 once more, in 1969, with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine."

Based on his enduring popularity, Christie's career continues to this era, most recently 2023 tour dates when he shared a stage with fellow Pennsylvania singing stars Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

In our 2016 interview, Christie fondly recalled his Beaver Valley upbringing when friends knew him as Luigi Sacco, as he tended to the family's Spring Run Road, Glenwillard farm with chickens, goats and crab apple trees. Christie said he savors memories of Christmas shopping in Ambridge, mandatory 10 a.m. Sunday church at St. Catherine's, and late hours toiling at his dad's South Heights pizza shop, where he developed proathlete-sized biceps by stirring huge vats of flour.

An intriguing time-capsule piece for devoted fans, "Gypsy Bells," is available from Walmart, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and online at acerecords.co.uk.

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Blackhawk student to perform with PSO

Julia Wegman, a Blackhawk High School senior, will perform April 9 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Wegman was chosen for the PSO's Side-by-Side program that gives talented high school students the experience of rehearsing and performing alongside their symphony counterparts. Selected through a competitive application process, Wegman, a bassist, and other students will receive personal coaching from PSO musicians, participate in full orchestra rehearsals and perform with the orchestra at Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. Heinz Hall concert.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Tady: 'Unsinkable: Titanic Untold' debuts at the Lindsay Theater, Sewickley