Fifty years ago, Gimme Shelter, the film, was released.
Usually this time of year I am posting how the Rolling Stones didn’t hire the Hell’s Angels but that was validated in last years Washington Post Altamont anniversary article. Now my next challenge–I read a lot of articles that allude to Gimme Shelter being a planned tour movie. D.A. Pennebaker said he turned down the film at the start of the tour and recommended Maysles. Unfortunately for D.A., not true, memory deceives. The film was a right time, right place, right people occurrence. The only film planned was a four song promo shot to be filmed at Madison Garden. The Maysles’ wanted to go to Muscle Shoals to film the Rolling Stones recording and Altamont. On a flight back, Maysles and I decided we might have a film and then the film deal was done. After the tour!
