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IMDb > "American Playhouse" The Killing Floor (1985)
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"American Playhouse" The Killing Floor (1985)



IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   40 votes
Director:
Writers:
Leslie Lee (writer)
Ron Milner (adaptation)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Killing Floor on IMDbPro.
Original Air Date:
January 1985
Plot:
During World War I, a poor black Southerner travels north to Chicago to get work in the city's slaughterhouses... more | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
User Reviews:
Useful for those studying the black migration during WWI, the race riots in Chicago and the labor movement more (1 total)

Cast

  (Episode Credited cast)
Cynthia Baker ... Emma

Dennis Farina ... Supervisor

Clarence Felder ... Bremer
Moses Gunn ... Heavy Williams
Richard Lavin

Damien Leake ... Frank Custer

Ted Levine ... Policeman
Robert Minkoff ... Extra
Ernest Rayford ... Thomas Joshua
Miklos Simon ... Michora

James Vallo ... Army Man

Alfre Woodard ... Mattie
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Additional Details

Runtime:
USA:118 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

FAQ

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful.
Useful for those studying the black migration during WWI, the race riots in Chicago and the labor movement, 30 May 2003
Author: asphyxiatedagnostic from Aurora, Colorado

Summary: Black workers from the South migrate North during WWI to look for jobs left vacant by people going off to war. They were often relegated to the most undesirable jobs and faced some prejudice. Some of them join the local labor unions and find themselves being paid substantially more than they would have if they had stayed in the South. After the war ends, the labor union loses influence as there are men who want their jobs back that these workers filled. We see employers using race to try to break up the union and there are accurate depictions of the Chicago race riots that occurred in 1919. There were massive strikewaves after WWI when many workers were laid off or had their wages cut. This film is useful to anyone interested in the labor movement.

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