With its final film festival screening in San Luis Obispo this month, Voices: The Danny Gans Story returns to where his legacy first took root—Cal Poly SLO.
The film, the directorial debut of Danny’s son Andrew Gans, follows the life of the Las Vegas singer, actor, and impressionist through his son’s perspective.
After nearly nine months on the festival circuit, it will close its run at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.
Not a traditional biographical film, Voices follows a dual narrative: one the story of Danny Gans’ career, and the other the filmmaker’s own process of learning about his father.
A decade after his father’s death, Andrew finds himself reflecting on a life and career he felt had begun to fade from public memory. “I was kind of disappointed and frustrated with how he wasn’t remembered or recognized for his accomplishments,” he says.
That motivation shaped his approach to the film. He structured it to mirror the rhythm of his father’s performances, introducing questions early, then gradually answering them as the story unfolds.
“I wanted the whole experience of watching the film to feel like you were in a theatre watching this guy’s performance, and then his life story just happened to be told at the same time,” he says.
Performance clips throughout the film highlight Danny’s talent while also connecting to emotional moments in his life and the filmmaking process.
The project evolved significantly over time. Production delays, including setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, extended the timeline and reshaped the film’s direction.
“Had it all gone according to plan from the time that I actually started, a lot of the stuff that makes the film great would not have been in there,” Andrew says. During that period, he became a father himself, an experience he describes as transformative and one that is incorporated into the film.
At a turning point, Andrew is shown grappling with how much of his father’s story to tell. He ultimately chooses to present it in full, leading to a deeper exploration of Danny’s health challenges and the physical demands of his career.
“I knew I had to do all or nothing,” he says. “If I did it halfway, I would always regret it.”
That decision also reflects a shift in how he came to understand his father. He says he once saw him as an almost unattainable figure, someone who appeared perfect in every aspect of life. But after his father’s death, which coincided with a career-ending baseball injury of his own, that image became difficult to reconcile.
“It was honestly very intimidating,” he says, recalling the pressure he felt to live up to that standard of perfection.
The film highlights the family relationships that shaped Danny’s legacy as well, including how he met his wife while they were students at Cal Poly. Andrew says they first noticed each other in passing, in hallways and around campus, before his father finally worked up the courage to introduce himself.
“For whatever reason, he just couldn’t get the courage to go up and talk to her,” Andrew says. That changed when Danny invited her to one of his baseball games, where he didn’t play well. He invited her again, and that time, he delivered.
“I think he hit like two home runs,” Andrew says.
Their relationship continued to grow, including a moment when they danced outside her dorm under a streetlight. “She was totally head over heels after that,” according to Andrew.
He says his father’s time at Cal Poly also hinted at the performer he would become, entertaining teammates with impressions and jokes on bus rides to games. Those early moments on campus, on the field and within his family helped shape the career depicted in Voices.
Through making the film, Andrew began to see his father more fully, not just as a performer, but as a person shaped by struggle, responsibility and resilience.
“I admire him even more so than the perfect image that I had of him, because of his flaws and the things that he had to overcome.” He hopes audiences walk away with that same understanding.
“I hope that his legacy is not just an incredible performer, but someone who was a family man . . . who prioritized hard work over the easy way.”
Editor’s Note: Read Lillian Dolph’s review of Voices: The Danny Gans Story, which screens at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival this month.