Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > The Five Heartbeats (1991)
The Five Heartbeats
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Five Heartbeats (1991) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 15 | slideshow) Videos
The Five Heartbeats (1991) -- The story of the rise and fall of an African American vocal group.

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,038 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 33% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Townsend
Writers (WGA):
Robert Townsend (written by) &
Keenen Ivory Wayans (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Five Heartbeats on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 March 1991 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Music more
Plot:
The story of the rise and fall of an African American vocal group. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Answer About Racism more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Robert Townsend ... Duck

Michael Wright ... Eddie
Leon ... J.T.

Harry Lennix ... Dresser
Tico Wells ... Choirboy
Diahann Carroll ... Eleanor Potter
Harold Nicholas ... Sarge

Tressa Thomas ... Duck's Baby Sister
John Canada Terrell ... Michael 'Flash' Turner
Chuck Patterson ... Jimmy Potter

Hawthorne James ... Big Red

Roy Fegan ... Bird

Troy Beyer ... Baby Doll

Carla Brothers ... Tanya Sawyer
Deborah Lacey ... Rose
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
121 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Certification:
USA:R

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The scene where Big Red beats up and dangles a singer out of a window over royalties is alleged to have actually happened to Jackie Wilson. more
Goofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the talent show, as Choir Boy is returning to the stage (after being booed off), both JT and Duck stop singing and momentarily turn to him. Although their lips have clearly stopped moving, the song continues (it wasn't Dresser and Eddie doing the chorus, since Dresser is singing bass and Eddie is doing lead). more
Quotes:
Eddie: Cain't nobody sang like Eddie Caine Jr! more
Movie Connections:
References The Wise Little Hen (1934) more
Soundtrack:
Carry On more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 13 people found the following comment useful:-
Answer About Racism, 18 September 2004
Author: wynell-jenkins from Houston, TX

The movie was not intended to create an atmosphere of racism, but rather keep the movie in prospective given the era of it's setting. Many artist in those days were subjected to unfair treatment by the mainstream record labels in those days. Here are a few examples:

1. Frankie Lyman and The Teenagers were a group that was comprised of numerous ethnicities. One member of the group who Chris Montes (who was latino), was cut from the group by the label's producer because he was too ethnic. Chris Montes did later go on to record a few hits of his own such "Do You Want To Dance".

2. American Bandstand which first in 1952 played mostly Rock and Roll which, was pioneered and played by mostly black artist. However, it wasn't until 1957 that Johnny Nash, Jackie Wilson, and other African American singers performed on the show.

3. The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Dells, and many other such groups were restricted to playing all black venues during the 50's and early 60's in the south. This gave rise to would later become know as "The Chitterling Circuit", as the venues were mostly nightclubs, and juke-joints. These artist received harrassment from local law enforcement agencies, and townspeople on a regular basis whenever they came to the highly segregated south.

As far the scene where the record company brings a white group called The Four Horsemen, that's not really a stretch. Most of the time what would happen is that a black group would write or even release a song to the black audience, while the record company would have that same song "covered" by a white group to be released to the "mainstream" audience. The covered version of these songs were the ones that normally got air play from disc jockeys. The best example I can give of that is the 1955 hit by The Platters "Only You (And You Alone)". This song was released on Mercury Records, while one of their subsidiary labels Dot Records released a covered version of the same song by a group called The Hilltopper's who hailed from Western Kentucky College (all white school...segregation you know.) The Hilltopper's version of Only You hit number eight on the pop charts six weeks after the release of the Platters version. The Platters version however reached number on the R&B charts, and crossed over to the pop charts were it number five. A few months later in 1956 The Platters hit #1 on the pop charts with The Great Pretender, which was covered by Stan Freberg in the same year without the same success.

All of that is to say that the movie has its facts straight about what black artist went through in those days, but it's about much more than that. It's about the rise, fall, and resurrection of a talented group, and the proof that love and friendship can withstand all of life's ups and downs.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Five Heartbeats (1991)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A Few Things I Learned From The Five Heartbeats thurmanatorx
WHO else thought... alyxwrites
BIG RED DexNoble
Why was not 'The Five Heart Beats not selected for a 1991 ' Oscar rglh1950
'WE RAP COUNTRY AND WESTERN!' lol acrawley-1
This movie should be made into a play kadeem1990-2
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Ray Dreamgirls I'm Not There. Jungle Fever The Gene Krupa Story
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Drama section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.