Acting
American Playhouse is an anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service in the United States.
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.
Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.
Brewster Place is a short lived American drama series which aired on ABC in May 1990. The series was a spinoff of the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place, which was based upon Gloria Naylor's novel of the same name. The series starred talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who also served as co-executive producer.
The Rebels rule the streets of Gary, Indiana. They shoot storekeeper Marvin Bookman for giving the police information about a drive-by shooting they committed. Marvin’s son, former NFL star and Rebel founder John returns to be with his father and, with a little help from some friends, to destroy the gang his way.
A documentary that looks at the obstacles African-American males face when building a career. As the narrator states, "this film is about his chances, about the changes that have been made and the problems still remaining." The film includes interviews with men who are "making it," or who are some of the first African Americans in their field.
A celebration of the life of Zora Neale Hurston, who was born at the turn of the 20th Century and grew to be an important voice with her written portrayals of Black American life in the rural south of the 1930's and 40's, and the stories, songs and folklore that were her heritage and inspiration.
A pilot for an unsold NBC series. A single woman with three children realizes that her family has lost sight of their values and gives up her career as a daytime-drama actress in New York to move back with her extended family on their Texas farm.
An animation (long before there were such things) for Oscar Brown Jr’s track “But I Was Cool”, from his 1961 debut album Sin & Soul. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Two brothers, separated by time and prison bars, reestablish contact. Inspired by James Baldwin's short story, 'Sonny's Blues.'
An American television program of 26 30-minute episodes recorded in 1962, which featured performances by leading jazz musicians of the time. It was produced by Jimmie Baker, directed by Steve Binder, and (except for the first episode) was presented by Oscar Brown Jr.
Richie Bloom, the only white kid on the block, forms an R&B band with his best friend, Kevin. With the help of their mentor, aging sax legend Percy, they pull together a funky supergroup. Despite few resources and heavy losses this resilient group of dedicated musicians, armed only with wit, sleight of hand and outrageous Chicago bravado must come together to finally make their smash debut.
A black teen from a Chicago housing project struggles to find acceptance after he transfers into a suburban high school.
Oscar Brown Jr. amassed quite an impressive career in which he was by turns poet, playwright, singer, jazz musician, TV presenter, radio host and political activist throughout his remarkable life. But by the time he died in 2005, at 78, he was broke and forgotten. With a mix of archival footage, music, interviews and animation, Donnie L. Betts' labor-of-love documentary portrays Brown as a lyrical genius whose work never received its due because of his outspoken Black Power politics.
