Mahogany (1975)

Tracy, an aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world's top designers. Her ambition leads her to Rome spurring ... See full summary »

Directors:

Berry Gordy, Tony Richardson (uncredited)

Writers:

John Byrum (screenplay), Toni Amber (story)

Stars:

Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Perkins

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diana Ross	...	Tracy Chambers
Billy Dee Williams	...	Brian Walker
Anthony Perkins	...	Sean McAvoy
Jean-Pierre Aumont	...	Christian Rosetti
Beah Richards	...	Florence
Nina Foch	...	Miss Evans
Marisa Mell	...	Carlotta Gavina
Lenard Norris	...	Wil
Jerome Arnold	...	Campaign Worker
Pemon Rami	...	Campaign Worker
Obelo	...	Campaign Worker
Ira Rogers	...	Stalker
Kristine Cameron	...	Instructress
Ted Liss	...	Sweatshop Foreman
Bruce Vilanch	...	Dress Manufacturer

Storyline

Tracy, an aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world's top designers. Her ambition leads her to Rome spurring a choice between the man she loves or her newfound success.

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Plot Keywords:

champagne | character name as title | nickname as title | success | fashion | 

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Taglines:

Mahogany - the woman every woman wants to be - and every man wants to have

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

March 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Mahagoni

Filming Locations:

41st Street & Ellis Avenue, Oakland, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$5,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motown Productions, Nikor Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First movie to use Paramount's "Blue Mountain" logo, used until December 1986.

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Goofs

The final shot of the film (an overview of the crowd gathered to hear Brian's speech) shows Tracy rushing up to Brian and madly embracing him, but moments earlier they had already walked up to each other in the middle of that crowd and kissed.

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Quotes

Brian: Let me tell you something, and don't you ever forget it: that success is nothing without someone you love to share it with!

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Connections

Referenced in RuPaul's Drag Race: RuPaullywood or Bust (2013)

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Soundtracks

Eruku
Written by Jermaine Jackson and Don Daniels
Performed by The Temptations

User Reviews

Pretty good, at least at first

Tracy is a secretary and display worker at a large Chicago department store, but she wants to be a fashion designer. Brian is running for alderman hoping he can improve his struggling neighborhood. Photographer Sean thinks Tracy should be a model named Mahogany, and he claims to like her fashions.

I thought Diana Ross did a good job, somewhat charming, very determined to succeed despite obstacles and not willing to let anyone stand in her way. She and Billy Dee Williams were good together. Anthony Perkins started out normal but ended up crazy, which is no surprise considering his most famous role. I liked the theme song and the jazz that was played in some scenes where Sean and Tracy were together. The movie started out good but took a sharp turn downhill about halfway through and showed promise of recovering but didn't really deliver. That's not to say there wasn't quality work, but I just wasn't impressed.

The movie's primary lesson seems to be that success does not always bring happiness. I can say this without a warning because the movie starts with Tracy being a success at something (it's not clear just what) and returns to her days before being 'discovered'.