Purlie (1981) (TV)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Rudi Goldman

Writers:

Ossie Davis (play)
Philip Rose (play)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Family

Plot:

In the early days of the civil rights movement, a Southern plantation owner holds his sharecroppers in virtual slavery. Purlie comes home as a preacher who will shake things up and bring freedom to his people. |

Plot Keywords:

Southern | Sharecropper | Cotton | Stage Adaptation | African American

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win

Cast

Robert Guillaume	...	Purlie Victorious Judson
Sherman Hemsley	...	Gitlow Judson
Rhetta Hughes	...	Missy
Melba Moore	...	Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins
Clarice Taylor	...	Idella Landy
Brandon Maggart	...	Stonewall Jackson (Ol' Cap'n)
Don Scardino	...	Charlie Cotchipee
Linda Hopkins	...	Sister Hopkins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Loretta Abbot
Brenda Braxton
P.L. Brown
Olivia Detante
Suzzanne Douglas
Cisco Drayton
Tanya Gibson
Michael Goring
Milt Grayson
Lawrence Hamilton
Clinton King-Keen
Mildred Lane
Judy Leak
Eugene Little
Lou Ann Pickett
Herbert Rawlings
Renee Rose
Ted Ross
Otis Sallid
Henry Shaw
Valerie Smith
Jeffery V. Thompson		(as Jeffery Thompson)
Denessa Tobin
Pauletta Washington		(as Paulette Pearson)
David Weatherspoon

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Lehman College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Purlie" opened at the Broadway Theater in New York on March 15, 1970, ran for 688 performances and was nominated for the 1970 Tony Award for the Best Musical. Sherman Hemsley, Melba Moore {Winner of the 1970 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical) and Linda Hopkins recreated their stage roles in this filmed production.

Quotes:

Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins: [Lutiebelle's just been assaulted by old man Cotchipee] He kissed me!
[points to her cheek]
Lutiebelle Gussie Mae Jenkins: Right here.
Missy: Right where?
Gitlow Judson: Oh, Missy, for Pete's sake!
Purlie Victorious Judson: He kissed my woman, Gitlow. He kissed the woman I love!
Gitlow Judson: So what?
Purlie Victorious Judson: So, what do you mean "so what?" Ain't no man kisses the woman I love and lives!
[Gitlow laughs uproariously at this]
Purlie Victorious Judson: That's right, you go ahead and laugh.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Gone Are the Days! (1963)

Soundtrack:

He Can Do It

Loved it to pieces....literally!

I first saw this on PBS and made a copy,and watched it until the tape broke! Unfortunately, this is not available on DVD, and a VHS copy is incredibly expensive to buy.

Written by the late Ossie Davis, the story takes place a long time ago. Purlie (Robert Guillaume)is determined to get his mother's money from IL' Cap'n (Brandon Maggart) to buy Big Bethel, a church that IL' Cap'n wants gone. Knowing the problem he faces, he uses Lutibelle (Melba Moore)because she's a look-alike to a long-lost relative. With the help of Gitlow (Sherman Hemsley), Purlie manages to get his plan in motion, but not without a few stumbling blocks.

The songs are great and Melba Moore steals the show (And has a great set of pipes, too!)