# How accurate is the movie La Bamba?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [August 26, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675 "2003-08-26T03:26:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675/1 "2003-08-26T03:26:32Z")

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I saw this on television recently for the first time. I know almost nothing about Ritchie Valens except for his three hit songs and the fact he won a coin toss with Waylon Jennings for the seat on the fatal plane. I know it’s impossible to make an interesting biography without a few liberties, but generally is it reliable? Does anybody know whatever happened to Bob Morales (the half-brother played by Esai Morales in the movie)?

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**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675/2 "2003-08-26T03:45:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Although not 100% historically accurate, La Bamba is much more accurate than 1978s The Buddy Holly Story. The feature turned a new generation on to the influential Tex-Mex rock that was an inspiration to such later rockers as The Bobby Fuller Four as well as Los Lobos.

(from [here](http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/movie/details/0,7286,VID-V++++27857,00.html))

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675/3 "2003-08-26T04:18:43Z")

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Ritchie Valens’ brother was still alive at the time the movie was released (he may still be now, I haven’t bothered to check), and gave numerous interviews. He seemed fairly pleased with the movie, but indicated that

1. The real-life “Donna” had only a casual relationship with Ritchie… whereas the movie showed them on the verge of marriage.

2. Ritchie was basically a good kid, but NOT the innocent the movie made him out to be (i.e. when Bob and Ritchie went to a bordello, Ritchie may have done a LITTLE more than play the guitar!).

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**Author:** ![hightechburrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@hightechburrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hightechburrito)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675/4 "2003-08-26T05:33:20Z")

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Speaking of La Bamba, can anyone tell me what the song played during the funeral scene is called? I saw it a while ago and found myself whistling it for a few days.

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**Author:** ![arachnidlove](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@arachnidlove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arachnidlove)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2003, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-movie-la-bamba/197675/5 "2003-08-26T06:19:58Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by hightechburrito \*  
> \*\*Speaking of La Bamba, can anyone tell me what the song played during the funeral scene is called? I saw it a while ago and found myself whistling it for a few days. \*\*

Sleepwalk by Santo and Johnny ??