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The Wrecking Crew: 5 of 5 stars

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Sentinel Staff Writer

Carol Kaye trots out her bass guitar and demonstrates finding the opening hook on Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes On.” Hal Blaine recalls using his bass drum to count down time so that The Tijuana Brass could join in on “A Taste of Honey.” Plas Johnson rips off the signature sax solo for “The Pink Panther Theme,” or the flute solo that launches “Rockin’ Robin.”

And Tommy Tedesco tears through one virtuoso guitar lick after another -- pop tunes with The Everly Brothers and Elvis, TV and movie themes (Bonanza, Green Acres), all in Tommy’s son Danny’s terrific documentary, The Wrecking Crew. It’s about that loose aggregation of 20 or so of the best session musicians in Los Angeles, men and women called in when time was tight and their touch was needed to turn a simple song into a classic -- “That Lovin’ Feeling,” “California Girls,” “Be My Baby,” “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’” -- the tunes that emerged from “The Wall of Sound” or The Monkees. Loving testimonials from Cher, Brian Wilson and Roger McGuinn pepper the movie in between anecdotes and songs.

You will be amazed and amused. These folks (Glen Campbell is the most famous alumnus) are as funny as they are self-effacing about their contributions to popular music of the 1960s.

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Screening at: 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, Regal; 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 4, Regal.

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