Is It Cuz We Black? A New Take on Old Movies.

This week we're looking at A Man Called Adam the 1966 American drama musical film directed by Leo Penn and starring Sammy Davis Jr., Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, and Louis Armstrong. A Man Called Adam tells the story of a self-destructive jazz musician, played by Davis, and his tumultuous relationships with the people in his life.

The movie was independently financed and produced through Trace-Mark Productions (Sammy Davis Jr.'s own production company) named after his kids Tracey Davis and Mark Davis. alongside producers Isaac "Ike" Jones and James Waters.

Today's film is Claudine.

Claudine Price is a single Black mother, living on welfare with six children, who finds love with a garbage collector, Rupert "Roop" Marshall.

The film starred Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs. The film was celebrated for providing an alternative to blaxploitation films of the time and was praised by critics and the public. The production budget was $1.1 million and grossed between $6 million and $9.1 million which was considered a hit of the time.

Diahann Carroll was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. James Earl Jones was nominated for a Golden Globe. Both actors won NAACP Image Awards.

Our Next film is A Man Called Adam (1966) a film that follows the tragic downward spiral of Adam Johnson (Sammy Davis Jr.), a brilliant jazz trumpet player tormented by guilt and severe alcoholism. Despite finding brief inspiration through a relationship with civil rights activist Claudia Ferguson, his self-destructive behavior and industry pressures culminate in a fatal collapse on stage….we’re looking for a man named adam to watch the movie and to be on the podcast

Welcome Back! Today we're deep diving into Gone Are The Days AKA Purlie The Victorius

Synopsis: An idealistic young man returns to the plantation where he grew up in servitude. He brings his fiancée Lutiebelle but hopes to convince the plantation owner that she is really his cousin to secure the family inheritance.

Screenplay by Ossie Davis

Cast

• Ossie Davis as Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
• Ruby Dee as Lutiebell Gussie Mae Jenkins
• Sorrell Booke as Ol' Cap'n Cotchipee
• Alan Alda as Charlie Cotchipee
• Godfrey Cambridge as Gitlow Judson
• Beah Richards as Idella Landy

Welcome back to Is It Cuz We Black?

On this episode, we are revisiting the 1943 classic, Cabin in the Sky. Cabin in the Sky tells the story of Lil Joe Jackson a down and out gambler who dies in a bar fight but gets 6 months to save his soul.

The story stars Ethel Waters (Petunia), Eddie "Rochester" Anderson (Little Joe), and Lena Horne (Georgia Brown). It also features performances by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.

The movie was directed by Vincente Minnelli (Liza Minnelli's father) in his feature film directorial debut. Despite being one of Arthur Freed's least expensive musicals for MGM during the 1940s, the movie grossed close to $1.7 million with a profit of about $587,000.

Hi, glad you found us!

We're kicking off our first show with the iconic Mahogany. Mahogany was released in 1975. It stars Diana Ross as Tracy Chambers, Billie Dee Williams as her love interest Brian, Anthony Perkins as Sean the troubled photographer, and Jean-Pierre Aumont as Christian Rosetti as her "benefactor."

Letterboxed description:

"MAHOGANY – THE WOMAN EVERY WOMAN WANTS TO BE – AND EVERY MAN WANTS TO HAVE

An aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world’s top designers. Her ambition leads her to Rome spurring a choice between the man she loves or her newfound success."

Veronica: IG @lifeisluvv

Zoe: iamzoeflowers.com