7.7/10
223
4 user

The Marva Collins Story (1981)

Not Rated | | Biography, Drama | TV Movie 1 December 1981
The Marva Collins Story Poster
In this touching story, a dedicated African-American teacher in an inner-city school in the midwestern United States facing tough odds helps ghetto children to succeed. Meanwhile, she faces... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Levin

Writer:

Clifford Campion

Stars:

Cicely Tyson, Morgan Freeman, Rodrick F. Wimberly | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win. See more awards »

Photos

Add Image
See all 2 photos »
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cicely Tyson ... Marva Collins
Morgan Freeman ... Clarence Collins
Rodrick F. Wimberly ... Martin Luther Jones (as Rodrick Wimberly)
Mashaune Hardy Mashaune Hardy ... Cindy Collins
Brett Bouldin Brett Bouldin ... Patrick Collins
Samuel Muhammad Jr. Samuel Muhammad Jr. ... Eric Collins
Dianne Kirksey ... Cynthia Rawls
Frankie Hill Frankie Hill ... Ida Banbower
Charlie Brown Charlie Brown ... Chester Boland
Marsha Warfield ... Lela Boland
Ce Ce Thompson Ce Ce Thompson ... Louise Jones
Jimmie F. Skaggs ... Zay Smith
Mike Genovese ... Mardesich
Kelly Crosby Kelly Crosby ... Tina Boland
Tonda Leavy Tonda Leavy ... Clarissa Lester
See full cast »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (TV Movie 1974)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

Story of a black woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Director: John Korty
Stars: Cicely Tyson, Eric Brown, Richard Dysart
Next »
A Woman Called Moses (TV Series 1978)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A film about the life and career of the African American abolitionist and slave escape leader, Harriet Tubman.

Stars: Jason Bernard, Clifford David, Judyann Elder
Next »
King (1978)
Biography | Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.9/10 X  

The story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., stretching from his days as a Southern Baptist minister up to his assassination in Memphis in 1968.

Stars: Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson, Tony Bennett
Next »
The Rosa Parks Story (TV Movie 2002)
Biography | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.4/10 X  

A seamstress recalls events leading to her act of peaceful defiance that prompted the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama.

Director: Julie Dash
Stars: Angela Bassett, Peter Francis James, Tonea Stewart
Next »
Death of a Prophet (TV Movie 1981)
Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.7/10 X  

After breaking ties with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a man marked for death...and it was just a matter of time before his enemies closed in. Despite death threats and intimidation... See full summary »

Director: Woodie King Jr.
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Yolanda King, Mansoor Najee-ullah
Next »
Attica (TV Movie 1980)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

The behind the scenes of the 1971 prisoners revolt at the Attica prison.

Director: Marvin J. Chomsky
Stars: Henry Darrow, Charles Durning, Joel Fabiani
Next »
Resting Place (TV Movie 1986)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

The mysterious death of an army officer comes under investigation by Major Kendall Laird as the young soldier's parents seek an honorable burial place, out of respect for their son. The ... See full summary »

Director: John Korty
Stars: John Lithgow, Richard Bradford, Morgan Freeman
Next »
227 (1985–1990)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

This series took place in an apartment building numbered 227. The cast would frequently be sitting outside on a large set of stone stairs, involved in some discussion that would unfold into the weekly plotline.

Stars: Helen Martin, Marla Gibbs, Hal Williams
Next »
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (TV Movie 1978)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.8/10 X  

With the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart. Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year- the year of the night ... See full summary »

Director: Jack Smight
Stars: Claudia McNeil, Janet MacLachlan, Robert Christian
Next »
Coriolanus (Video 1979)
Drama | History
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.

Director: Wilford Leach
Stars: Frank Adu, Bimbo, Thomas Martell Brimm
Next »
Three's Company (1976–1984)
Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

The misadventures of two women and one man living in one apartment and their neighbors.

Stars: John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers
Next »
Blood Money (TV Movie 1988)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.9/10 X  

Clinton is desperate to find his brother's murderer. To do so, he enlists the aid of Nadine, an expensive call girl. Clinton and Nadine get sucked into a plot to smuggle guns to the Contra forces in Nicaragua.

Director: Jerry Schatzberg
Stars: Andy Garcia, Ellen Barkin, Morgan Freeman
Edit

Storyline

In this touching story, a dedicated African-American teacher in an inner-city school in the midwestern United States facing tough odds helps ghetto children to succeed. Meanwhile, she faces an adversarial colleague and a principal who disapproves of her teaching methods. To top it off, a youth regularly messes up the classroom after school to tick the teacher off. Written by Thomas McWilliams <tgm@netcom.com>, bentley3461@hotmail.com

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

strong female protagonist | character name as title | four word title | marva collins character | teacher | See All (7) »

Genres:

Biography | Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Did You Know?

Goofs

Shortly after 1:05 minutes, she cites "Muy bien" as being French for "Very good", when, in fact, it is Spanish. See more »

Connections

Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951) See more »

User Reviews

 
Love
8 January 2007 | by ivyawe – See all my reviews

Saw the Movie years ago and what I remember was "Love".

Previous comment wrote they remember one scene...

"My favorite part is when the girl told Marva I hate you then Marva said I love you." I THINK that is what the difference was between Marva Collins and her school and the Public School system. In her own school she was able to give those "classified retarded" kids the Love she could not give them in the Public school system.

That situation is obviously worse today. I heard about one Public School employee, a middle aged gentleman, who was fired for giving a female student an encouraging hug in the hallway between classes.

So, saying "I Love You" to a student in the Public School system today would surely result in the same thing, a termination.

Amore!
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 4 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1981 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Marva Collins Story (#31.1) See more »

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions, NRW Features, Warner Bros. Television See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Free Movies and TV Shows You Can Watch Now

On IMDb TV, you can catch Hollywood hits and popular TV series at no cost. Select any poster below to play the movie, totally free!

A League of Their Own
Airplane!
The NeverEnding Story
Little Women
Midnight in Paris

Browse free movies and TV series


Clear your history

Recently Viewed