A.K.A. Doc Pomus (2012)

A.K.A. DOC POMUS  (2012)  ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
    D: William Hechtner, Peter Miller
An engaging, heartfelt documentary about how Jerome Felder, a fat, crippled Jewish kid from Brooklyn, changed his name to Doc Pomus, crashed the New York music scene as a blues singer, and went on to write hundreds of songs, turning out hits for everybody from Elvis to Ray Charles to Andy Williams to Mink DeVille. This guy might be the greatest songwriter you've never heard of, though the odds that you've never heard any of his music are remote. To other musicians and songwriters, he's a legend. Lou Reed, B.B. King, Dr. John, Dion, Shawn Colvin and Marshall Chapman are among those who turn out to pay tribute here, and their affection and respect for the man is obvious. When Bob Dylan comes around and asks you to write some lyrics for his songs, that's saying something, and not many songwriters can make that claim. One who could was Doc Pomus.