Gone Are the Days! (1963)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Nicholas Webster

Writers:

Ossie Davis (play)
Ossie Davis (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 September 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A young, idealistic man returns home to the plantation where he grew up in servitude. With him, he brings his fiance...

Plot Keywords:

Plantation | Impersonation | Sheriff | Church | Servant

Cast

Ossie Davis	...	Reverend Purlie Victorious Judson
Ruby Dee	...	Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
Godfrey Cambridge	...	Gitlow Judson
Hilda Haynes	...	Missy Judson
Beah Richards	...	Idella Landy
Alan Alda	...	Charlie Cotchipee
Charles Welch	...	Sheriff
Ralph Roberts	...	Deputy
Sorrell Booke	...	Ol' Cap', Stonewall Jackson Cotchipee

Also Known As:

Purlie Victorious
The Man from C.O.T.T.O.N. (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Hammer Film Productions

Trivia:

Based upon the play "Purlie Victorious" by Ossie Davis, which ran on Broadway from 28 September 1961 to 12 May 1962 (261 performances). All actors in the play, except Hilda Haynes recreated their roles for this movie. A musical version entitled "Purlie!" later appeared.

Quotes:

Charlie Cotchipee: Idella, sometimes I think I oughta run away from home.
Idella Landy: I know, but you already tried that, honey.

Movie Connections:

Version of Purlie (1981) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Happy as the Day is Long

An Unqualified Classic!!!!

Actually, I have yet to see a live version with Ossie & Ruby but read the play years ago. I can't wait to see it realized especially with the original author, Ossie Davis, playing Purlie. I did see a version with Melba Moore playing Lutiebelle which was quite good - but Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee are, as far as I'm concerned, the quintessential First Couple in African-American theatre - any chance to see them perform together is always a treat. Even as a read, the play is quite hilarious and it works all the more imagining such talent as Ossie & Ruby realizing the roles. As a matter of fact, I read "Purlie Victorious" and 'Day of Absence" by Douglas Turner Ward, another excellent example of black theatre, together - they complement each other quite well as shining examples of black comedy satirizing existing racial attitudes then (hmmmm..and now..) The play is timeless, is not at ALL archaic by todays standards as many of the same issues tackled in Purlie as well as Day of Absence still exist, alas, in 2007.

But on a lighter note, owning a copy of "Purlie Victorious" performed by its auspicious author, the incomparable Ossie Davis, is simply a must for your collection.