Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something Celebrates a Life Worth Celebrating

By Kim Hughes

Rating: B-

It’s laudatory almost to the point of banality. Yet as the documentary Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something makes clear, Harry Chapin was kind of exquisite, accomplishing more in his tragically fleet 38 years than most do in twice that amount of time without, apparently, offending a soul.

Really, if champion do-gooders like Bob Geldof and Pete Seeger are singing your altruistic praises, you probably did something right.

As we learn from director Rick Korn’s knock-kneed ode to the “Cat’s in the Cradle” and “Taxi” singer/songwriter, Chapin was inspired on rarely seen levels, seemingly fueled by an optimism and pluck that could make a man rich if he could bottle it.

To wit: when his own musician brothers decided they no longer wanted him in their band despite having achieved some modest success with Chapin in the fold, Chapin essentially said, “OK” and struck out on his own. No harm, no foul. The rest is, well, you know how it goes.

But despite his immediate and extraordinary musical fame — the film handily demonstrates how “Cat’s in the Cradle” became shorthand for absentee parenting, worming its way into the vernacular and seeping into pop culture — it was Chapin’s philanthropy that distinguished him most.

Chapin was deeply offended by poverty, and he did something about it, co-founding what became the not-for-profit organization WhyHunger in 1975 with radio personality Bill Ayres and then playing any fundraiser that would have him, often undermining his own ticketed concerts (and doubtless leading to the introduction of proximity clauses in modern tour contracts).

It seems likely had Chapin not died in a car crash in 1981, he would have entered politics or at least found a broader and more vocal platform for his evolved views about, and charitable efforts on behalf of, marginalized and disadvantaged Americans. It is absolutely certain the world would have been better with him in it. (He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work in 1987).

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Still, Chapin left an amazing legacy, one his wife, children, brothers, and musical contemporaries including Geldof, Billy Joel, Kenny Rogers, Pat Benatar, and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, to name a few, queue up here to praise. He also seemed like the nicest guy in the world, perennially smiling, adored by his five kids, eager to engage thoughtfully with those who questioned his point on view.

And so, while sticking close to the tried-and-true talking head documentary format, Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something — the title inspired by Chapin’s maxim in life and oft-uttered motto — succeeds in celebrating a life truly worth celebrating. Count us in.

Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something. Directed by Rick Korn. With Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Peter Seeger, Sir Bob Geldof, Kenny Rogers, Graham Nash, Pat Benatar, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Harry Belafonte. Available December 7 on VOD/Digital.