I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story, on Lifetime

She won the first and only Grammy for best disco song in 1979. The following year, disco died and so did the award category. Yet, her hit was a fitting winner, because it might be the most enduring disco recording of all time. If you go to a wedding, party, or club tonight, there is a strong chance you will hear the DJ spin it. She endured hard times to, but, yes, she survived to see her story become a Lifetime movie, Alicia K. Harris’s I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story, “Presented by Robin Roberts,” which premieres tonight on the network.

Gaynor’s mother had an unshakable faith that helped sustain the future super-star and her younger sister Irma, after their matriarch’s untimely death. Music was always the way she earned their keep, but her first real (but admittedly crooked manager) guided her to her breakout hit record, an early disco cover of “Never Can Say Goodbye.” Unfortunately, she had to leave her Jersey band behind.

Eventually, she leaves her exploitative manager too, but she replaces him with her future husband, Linwood Simon, who presumably did not cooperate with this production. To be fair, he helps Gaynor’s comeback, as she recovers from an on-stage accident. Her new label wanted her for a tune she did not dig, but she insisted on the B-side: “I Will Survive.” Obviously, it soon became the A-side.

It was a great year, but success changes Gaynor’s manager-husband. He books grinding tours, while making dubious career decisions on her behalf. He also seems a little too familiar with the temptations found on the party scene.

It is rather frustrating how closely Gaynor’s biography parallels those of other musical greats. Indeed, there are considerable similarities with Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story, including bad management, the wrong man, and serious health challenges, but I Will Survive is a much better-looking production. It also appeals to both disco and gospel listeners, giving substantial time to the uplifting direction she took late in her career.

Joaquina Kalukango is nicely cast as Gaynor, acquitting herself well in both the dramatic and musical scenes. Lance Gross also portrays Simon with admirable restraint and a fair degree of charisma, so we can believe Gaynor stayed with him for as long as she did. Irma Proctor nee Fowles spends most of the telefilm talking to Gaynor on the phone, but Pendo Muema brings a good deal of warmth to the role.

If you are a Gaynor fan, you should be reasonably satisfied with I Will Survive. It is not as strong as Lifetime/Roberts’ Mahalia, but it is considerably more polished than Can You Feel the Beat. Recommended for fans of disco and gospel, I Will Survive: The Gloria Gaynor Story airs tonight (2/8) on Lifetime.