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"Roots" (1977)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
23 January 1977 (USA) morePlot:
A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendents' liberation. full summaryAwards:
Won Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 35 nominations moreUser Comments:
I understand it now that I'm older moreCast
(Series Cast Summary - 35 of 66)| Olivia Cole | ... | Mathilda (5 episodes, 1977) | |
| LeVar Burton | ... | Kunta Kinte / ... (4 episodes, 1977) | |
| Ben Vereen | ... | 'Chicken' George Moore (4 episodes, 1977) | |
| Vic Morrow | ... | Ames (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) | |
| John Amos | ... | Toby (3 episodes, 1977) | |
| Madge Sinclair | ... | Bell Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977) | |
| Leslie Uggams | ... | Kizzy Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977) | |
| Carolyn Jones | ... | Mrs. Moore (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) | |
| Chuck Connors | ... | Tom Moore (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) | |
| Ren Woods | ... | Fanta (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Louis Gossett Jr. | ... | Fiddler (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Lorne Greene | ... | John Reynolds (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Scatman Crothers | ... | Mingo (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| George Hamilton | ... | Stephen Bennett (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Richard Roundtree | ... | Sam Bennett (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Richard McKenzie | ... | Sam Harvey (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| John Quade | ... | Sheriff Biggs (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Cicely Tyson | ... | Binta (2 episodes, 1977) | |
| Ernest Thomas | ... | Kailuba (2 episodes, 1977) |
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Additional Details
Runtime:
573 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoFilming Locations:
Administration Building, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA moreMOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The show was programmed by ABC to air on several consecutive nights in prime time. It was considered a revolutionary approach to programming a mini-series, since most minis were aired once or twice a week over several weeks' time. It was revealed years later that the reason the network did this was so that they get the show "out of the way" in a hurry because they felt, nobody would watch the story if it aired over a longer period of time. moreGoofs:
Factual errors: The ship "Lord Ligonier" is flying a White Ensign flag even though this is a merchant ship. The White Ensign is only flown by ships of the Royal Navy. Merchant ships fly the Red Ensign. moreQuotes:
Kunta Kinti: I'm a Mandinka warrior!Fiddler: [turns to stable horse] Horse! I hear tell that you ain't a horse at all. I hear tell that you think you a mighty crow! I hear tell that you fly from here 'bouts all the way to Annapolis and back again. Now horse... you look mighty like a horse to me. And you sure SMELLS mighty like a horse. So I'm saying to you, that you... is... a horse! What you think you is don't matter a damn bit.
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| "Roots: The Next Generations" | Mandingo | Glory | "North and South" | Gone with the Wind |
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In 1977 I was 10 years old, and all I remember is the majority of the city where I live was watching Roots each day for a week. I recently bought the video and watched it with my now 10 year old son, who is Black and I show him the importance of getting an education because our ancestors weren't allowed such luxuries. At his age everything is rosy just like it was when I was 10, but hopefully he can reflect back on this movie to motivate him in the future.
Great cast of characters-even though I didn't realize that O.J. Simpson was in it! John Amos was the best and the funniest especially when he kept losing his character's African accent and sounding more like "James" on Good Times! Overall the movie is very touching and will have you experiencing mixed emotions if you're of the Black race, and have compassion if you're of other races that haven't experienced such things. I highly recommend this film and a book called the Miseducation of the Negro as Black family heirlooms-or for anyone who wants to be enlightened concerning a portion of Black history.