Roots (1977– )

A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation.

Stars:

Olivia Cole, Ben Vereen, LeVar Burton

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 15 wins & 35 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Olivia Cole	...	Mathilda (5 episodes, 1977)
Ben Vereen	...	'Chicken' George Moore (5 episodes, 1977)
LeVar Burton	...	Kunta Kinte (4 episodes, 1977)
John Amos	...	Toby (4 episodes, 1977)
Leslie Uggams	...	Kizzy Reynolds (4 episodes, 1977)
Carolyn Jones	...	Mrs. Moore (4 episodes, 1977)
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Fiddler (4 episodes, 1977)
Vic Morrow	...	Ames (4 episodes, 1977)
Chuck Connors	...	Tom Moore (4 episodes, 1977)
Ji-Tu Cumbuka	...	Wrestler (3 episodes, 1977)
Edward Asner	...	Capt. Thomas Davies (3 episodes, 1977)
Ralph Waite	...	Slater (3 episodes, 1977)
Robert Reed	...	Dr. William Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Lynda Day George	...	Mrs. Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Madge Sinclair	...	Bell Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Scatman Crothers	...	Mingo (3 episodes, 1977)
George Hamilton	...	Stephen Bennett (3 episodes, 1977)
Richard Roundtree	...	Sam Bennett (3 episodes, 1977)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Evan Brent (3 episodes, 1977)
Georg Stanford Brown	...	Tom Harvey (3 episodes, 1977)
Brad Davis	...	Ol' George Johnson (3 episodes, 1977)
Hilly Hicks	...	Lewis (3 episodes, 1977)
Lynne Moody	...	Irene Harvey (3 episodes, 1977)
Lane Binkley	...	Martha Johnson (3 episodes, 1977)
Austin Stoker	...	Virgil (3 episodes, 1977)
Sandy Duncan	...	Missy Anne Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Tracey Gold	...	Young missy reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Moses Gunn	...	Kintango (2 episodes, 1977)
Thalmus Rasulala	...	Omoro (2 episodes, 1977)
Hari Rhodes	...	Brima Cesay (2 episodes, 1977)
William Watson	...	Gardner (2 episodes, 1977)
Renn Woods	...	Fanta (2 episodes, 1977)
Lorne Greene	...	John Reynolds (2 episodes, 1977)
Thayer David	...	Harlan (2 episodes, 1977)
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs	...	Noah (2 episodes, 1977)
Roxie Roker	...	Melissa (2 episodes, 1977)
Lillian Randolph	...	Sister Sara (2 episodes, 1977)
Davis Roberts	...	Leonard (2 episodes, 1977)
Maya Angelou	...	Nyo Boto (2 episodes, 1977)
Richard McKenzie	...	Sam Harvey (2 episodes, 1977)
John Quade	...	Sheriff Biggs (2 episodes, 1977)
Doug McClure	...	Jemmy Brent (2 episodes, 1977)
Cicely Tyson	...	Binta (2 episodes, 1977)
Tina Andrews	...	Aurelia (2 episodes, 1977)
Rebecca Bess	...	Girl on Ship (2 episodes, 1977)
Henry Butts	...	Sitafa (2 episodes, 1977)
Joe Dorsey	...	Calvert (2 episodes, 1977)
Kermit Echols	...	Vilars (2 episodes, 1977)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Slave catcher (2 episodes, 1977)
Ronnie Leggett	...	Kalila (2 episodes, 1977)
Rachel Longaker	...	Caroline (2 episodes, 1977)
Ernest Thomas	...	Kailuba (2 episodes, 1977)

Storyline

A saga of African-American life, based on Alex Haley's family history. Kunta Kinte is abducted from his African village, sold into slavery, and taken to America. He makes several escape attempts until he is finally caught and maimed. He marries Bell, his plantation's cook, and they have a daughter, Kizzy, who is eventually sold away from them. Kizzy has a son by her new master, and the boy grows up to become Chicken George, a legendary cock fighter who leads his family into freedom. Throughout the series, the family observes notable events in U.S. history, such as the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, slave uprisings, and emancipation.

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Plot Keywords:

family history | america | african american | slavery | slave | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 January 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Raíces

Filming Locations:

Administration Building, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

David L. Wolper Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (10 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The people playing Kizzy, George, and Tom Harvey were born within three years of each other. Leslie Uggams and Georg Stanford Brown who played Kizzy and Tom were both born in 1943 and Ben Vereen who played George was born in 1946. This means that "Tom" was actually three years older than his "father" and "Kizzy" was three years older than her "son."

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Goofs

When Toby escapes from Mr. Reynolds and wakes to snow, the "snow" looks to be foam, of some sort and drips off onto the blanket. It also sticks to his hands without melting.

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Quotes

John Carrington: Uh, did you have a good voyage, Captain?
Captain Thomas Davies: My First Officer is dead, ten seaman and the ship's boy... more than a third of my crew.

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Connections

Referenced in Go (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Oluwa"
by Quincy Jones

User Reviews

120 years worth crammed in to over 9 hours! Amazing!

There is nothing quite like Roots and i don't think anything will be done like it again. I first saw this about 5 years ago and since then i've seen it all 3 more times. It is a phenomenal achievement!

*SPOILERS*

Roots starts off around 1750 when an African baby is born called Kunta Kinte and follows his life. He gets enslaved by slavers when he's 15 and is taken to a white supremest America where he is sold at a slave market to a Virginian tobacco business man. From there we follow Kunta all the way through to old age and beyond and after he dies we follow his daughter and when she dies as an old lady we follow her son and so on. Basically the main characters die off and then the newish minor characters become main characters as well as there are new characters which are brought in from time to time. All the while though the black people are slaves and treated as 3rd class citizens. We see how they struggle with their hard life and how some of them are happy to be slaves as they've never known anything else and how some dream of freedom. Over the years and generations we see good white people, indifferent white people and very bad white people. It passes quickly through the war of independence but focuses longer on the civil war mainly because this is the beginning of the end of black slavery in America which leads to the KKK part of Roots.

After watching Roots it really does feel like you have watched 120 years of a families generations. From the beginning where Kunta is born all the way to the end where a very old Chicken George leads his family to a new free life. It is quite mind boggling.

I could write a huge review about this mighty saga but i ain't got the time and i doubt anyone would read it anyway. As a white guy i am ashamed at how white people treated black people so badly even though to a lesser extent that still goes on in the world today.

The story is amazing, the acting is award winning and i have no quips with Roots at all apart from one thing. Everyone ages through this except the amazing ageless Mr Moore. Over a span of around 50 years he doesn't age a day. When he is first introduced he looks about 50 and 50 years later he still looks like 50. I think he must be a Highlander or something! LOL

Of course, Roots was made possible by the writer Alex Haley who was a descendant of Kunta Kinte which is explained at the very end. I recommend Roots very highly. It's for people who enjoy history and an engrossing story. You will also get attached to the characters and feel a sense of loss when one of them die. I've only covered the very basics and left a ton of stuff out in this review. Just like Schindler's List you have to watch this because it is an important piece of film making based on a true story. One word....Brilliant! 10/10