The Piano Lesson (1995) (TV)

Director:

Lloyd Richards

Writers (WGA):

August Wilson (play)
August Wilson (teleplay)

Release Date:

5 February 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

To their family, it meant more than a piano... it was their legacy and their future.

Plot:

1930's Pittsburgh, a brother comes home to claim "my half of the piano", a family heirloom; but his sister is not wanting to part with it...

Plot Keywords:

Piano | African American | 1930s | Scream | Argument

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Charles S. Dutton	...	Boy Willie (as Charles Dutton)
Alfre Woodard	...	Berniece Charles
Carl Gordon	...	Doaker
Tommy Hollis	...	Avery
Lou Myers	...	Wining Boy
Courtney B. Vance	...	Lymon
Zelda Harris	...	Maretha
Rosalyn Coleman	...	Grace
Tommy Lafitte	...	Ace
Lynne Innerst	...	Miss Ophelia
Harold Surratt	...	Papa Willie Boy
Elva Branson	...	Mama Berniece
Tim Hartman	...	Sutter
Ben Tatar	...	Watermelon Man
Alice Eisner	...	Watermelon Lady (as Alice Gerber Eisner)
Bob Tracey	...	Nolander
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John W. Iwanonkiw	...	Electrician Helper (uncredited)
Jackson Nunn	...	Jail Visitor (uncredited)

Directed by
Lloyd Richards

Writing credits (WGA)
August Wilson		(play)
August Wilson		(teleplay)

Produced by
Craig Anderson	....	executive producer
Robert Huddleston	....	line producer
Brent Shields	....	co-producer
Richard Welsh	....	executive producer
August Wilson	....	producer

Original Music by
Dwight Douglas Andrews
Stephen James Taylor

Cinematography by
Paul Elliott

Film Editing by
Jim Oliver

Casting by
Olivia Harris
Phyllis Huffman
Canice Kennedy

Production Design by
James William Newport

Art Direction by
Tim Saternow

Set Decoration by
Diana Stoughton

Costume Design by
Vicki Sánchez

Makeup Department
Sterfon Demings	....	hair stylist: Alfre Woodard
Ellie Winslow	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Robert Bennett Steinhauer	....	unit production manager
Karen Mayeda Vranek	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marty Eli Schwartz	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Robert Buncher	....	carpenter
Darien N. D'Alfonso	....	scenic painter
Smith Harper Hutchings	....	on-set dresser
Smith Harper Hutchings	....	set dresser
Eva Kamienska-Carter	....	set designer
Kenneth J. Kellers	....	lead man
Buster Pile	....	construction coordinator
Eugene Pope	....	carpenter
Gregory Puchalski	....	scenic artist
Paul Bucciarelli	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Skip Adams	....	sound editor
John Asman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jessy Bender	....	boom operator
Sam Black	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles Bruce	....	sound effects editor
David E. Fluhr	....	sound re-recording mixer (as David Fluhr)
Stephen Grubbs	....	supervising sound editor
Michael C. Moore	....	sound mixer
Eric A. Norris	....	sound effects editor
Klint Macro	....	voiceover recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Bender	....	grip
Pat Dames	....	grip
Bob Greene	....	still photographer
George T. Kalinski	....	grip
Ed Letteri	....	gaffer
Frank McGough	....	best boy electric
John S. Moyer	....	Steadicam day player
Jean-Pierre Nutini	....	electrician

Casting Department
Mary Beth Boyle	....	extras casting agent

Editorial Department
Chad Mochrie	....	post-production coordinator

Transportation Department
Marc Scott	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Elloise Dover	....	assistant: Mr. Dutton
Diana Osberg	....	set production assistant
Matthew Sirianni	....	production assistant
Gene Starzenski	....	set paramedic

Production Companies

• Craig Anderson Productions
• Signboard Hill Productions
• Hearst Entertainment
• Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1995) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Republic Pictures (1995) (USA) (TV)

MPAA:

Rated PG for thematic elements.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:PG

Company:

Craig Anderson Productions

Trivia:

The original Braodway production of "The Piano Lesson" by August Wilson opened at the Walter Kerr Theater on April 16, 1990, ran for 328 performances and was nominated for the 1990 Tony Award for the Best Play. Charles S. Dutton, Carl Gordon, Tommy Hollis and Lou Myers recreated their stage roles in this filmed production.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Doaker, Wining Boy, Boy Willie and Lymon are sitting at the kitchen table drinking and singing, the level of alcohol rises in their glasses and the bottles between shots.

A family's past or its future - which is more important?

This play is not as simple as it first appears. There is great complexity in all of the major characters, especially in Bernice. And the use of the 'jazz set' model instead of the traditional Aristotelian'plot graph' makes all the difference! The language of the play is music itself, and eventually erupts into song. This is a wonderful debate on the importance of the past and the future in the lives of these characters, symbolized by the piano which has been passed down through the family. A cast full of excellent actors brings it to life. Loved it! I hope 'The Piano Lesson' and the other plays in Wilson's ten-play cycle will soon be available on film.