“Two’s company, Harry’s a crowd.” These are the words of Tom Chapin describing his brother Harry. A force of nature, Harry Chapin packed a lot into his 38 years of life. The documentary, “When in Doubt, Do Something,” (available for purchase from Amazon and HarryChapinMusic.com, and streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Pluto TV, tubi TV, and perhaps elsewhere) recounts his early days growing up in a family of artists, musicians, and intellectuals; tells of his filmmaking and forays into the songwriting and performing arenas; and highlights the social activism and advocacy – primarily around the issue of food insecurity – that consumed him. All of this is underscored in the film by excerpts from his numerous memorable songs such as “Taxi,” “Cat’s in the Cradle,” “W*O*L*D*,” “I Wanna Learn a Love Song,” “Circle,” and others.
Inspired
by the folk group The Weavers, Harry and his brothers Tom and Steve formed
their own band, sometimes backed up by their father, drummer Jim Chapin. After a six-month journey to Ethiopia to work
on a film about famine in that country, Harry returned to find that his
brothers changed the makeup of the group and there no longer was room for
Harry. After lack of success as a solo
act, Harry added three other musicians and his star began to rise.
Story
songs became the stock in trade for Harry, with many of his songs considered
too lengthy for radio play. His
popularity grew, however, to the point that his eleven albums resulted in sales
of sixteen million records, Grammy and other industry awards, and a grueling concert
schedule.
Along
the way, Harry lived into his personal credo, “When in doubt, do something,”
not only by performing as many as half of his concerts as benefits for
charities (a point of contention with his fellow band members), singing at
backyard barbecues to raise funds for local food banks and other non-profits, establishing
organizations dedicated to education and action related to hunger, and attending
a White House meeting at which he pressured Jimmy Carter to establish a
Presidential Commission on World Hunger.
According to the film, after
Harry presented his case to Carter, and Carter bought into the idea, Harry
continued to push the issue until the president finally said Harry could stop,
that he was sold. According to the
person telling the story, Harry did not want President Carter to simply accept
the idea, he wanted a commitment to it.
As
co-founder of World Hunger Year, Harry led the group in a hands-on way, and in
fact told the board members, regarding the group’s budget, “Give it, get it, or
get off (the board).” Harry’s own
generosity was summed up by his wife Sandy, who said, "Harry was
supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations, and 82 charities.
Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,'
so he gave it away." Subsequently, upon Harry’s death in 1981, Sandy and
her five children, two with Harry and three from a previous marriage, were left
with little in terms of financial resources.
In
recognition of his humanitarian efforts, Harry Chapin received numerous awards,
including the rarely given
Congressional Gold Medal, presented on what would
have been his 45th birthday.
Near his Long Island home, a number of sites and buildings were renamed
in his honor, as well.
The documentary “When in Doubt, Do Something” is, in my estimation, worthwhile viewing. The story is inspirational, and the music is pretty good, as well.
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