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The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson

  • TV Movie
  • 1990
  • M
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
245
YOUR RATING
The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)
BiographyDrama

A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army and in particular his court-martial for insubordination regarding segregation.A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army and in particular his court-martial for insubordination regarding segregation.A film about the early life of the baseball star in the army and in particular his court-martial for insubordination regarding segregation.

  • Director
    • Larry Peerce
  • Writers
    • L. Travis Clark
    • Steve Duncan
    • Clayton Frohman
  • Stars
    • Andre Braugher
    • Daniel Stern
    • Ruby Dee
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.9/10
    245
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Larry Peerce
    • Writers
      • L. Travis Clark
      • Steve Duncan
      • Clayton Frohman
    • Stars
      • Andre Braugher
      • Daniel Stern
      • Ruby Dee
    • 7User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 3 nominations total

    Photos

    The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)
    The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)
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    Top cast

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    Andre Braugher
    Andre Braugher
    • Jackie Robinson
    Daniel Stern
    Daniel Stern
    • William Cline
    Ruby Dee
    Ruby Dee
    • Jackie's mother
    Stan Shaw
    Stan Shaw
    • Joe Louis
    Paul Dooley
    Paul Dooley
    • Willy Bailey
    Kasi Lemmons
    Kasi Lemmons
    • Rachel
    J.A. Preston
    J.A. Preston
    • Wendell Smith
    Michael Greene
    Michael Greene
    • Captain Dantley
    Dale Dye
    Dale Dye
    • Colonel Paul L. Bates
    Steven Williams
    Steven Williams
    • Satchel Paige
    Noble Willingham
    Noble Willingham
    Gary Grubbs
    Gary Grubbs
    • Coach
    Bruce Dern
    Bruce Dern
    • Scout Ed Higgins
    Don Hood
    Don Hood
    • Maj. Foley
    Howard French
    • Sgt. McEllroy
    Jim Beaver
    Jim Beaver
    • Maj. Trimble
    Travis Swords
    • Prosecutor
    Russell Curry
    Russell Curry
    • Mack at 21
    • Director
      • Larry Peerce
    • Writers
      • L. Travis Clark
      • Steve Duncan
      • Clayton Frohman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      A Soldier's Story is loosely based on This Story

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Part of the Robinson saga few know about
    Before Jack Roosevelt Robinson made his historical impact as the first African-American to break the color line in Major League Baseball, he made an impact on the United States Army. This made-for-television movie (TNT), while not historically accurate in every minute detail, is an important document and an excellent history lesson.

    While a four-sport star at UCLA (baseball, football, basketball and track), Robinson was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve during WWII. He found and fought racial discrimination at every turn. With the help of an influential fellow soldier, Joe Louis, Robinson became an officer over the objections of the white power structure at Camp Riley (now Ft. Riley), Kansas. He then fought to get equal PX privileges for black soldiers. Branded a troublemaker and sent to Camp Hood (now Ft. Hood), Texas, he was court-martialed on trumped-up charges of insubordination after refusing the order of a civilian bus driver to sit at the back of an Army bus. He won his case, resigned his commission, and joined the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League (see movie "Soul of the Game" for details), where he played with legendary hurler/baseball showman Satchel Paige.

    Andre Braugher was stellar as Robinson. Kasi Lemmons was an excellent physical match as Robinson's future wife, Rachel. Bruce Dern turned in a stunning performance as "Scout Ed Higgins" (in actuality Dodgers scout Clyde Sukeforth) a bigot who nonetheless appreciated Robinson's skills, and Stan Shaw was quite believable as legendary heavyweight champion Joe Louis. J.A. Preston, a marvelous character actor with an unforgettable voice and presence, is the narrator and Robinson's champion as real-life sportswriter Wendell Smith of the Pittsburgh Courier. Noble Willingham had a notable cameo as a two-faced colonel. But the most brilliant bit of casting was the venerable Ruby Dee as Robinson's mother. Forty years earlier in "The Jackie Robinson Story" (1950), a forgettable piece of pablum in which Robinson portrayed himself, Dee transcended an awful film with a bravura performance as wife Rachel Robinson.

    There were a couple of unbelievable scenes. One centered on how Robinson and Louis allegedly met--according to the film, an embittered Robinson was about to blindly throw a punch at Louis, who stopped him short by saying, "I don't think I'm the man you want to hit." Also, it strains the credibility to portray Higgins/Sukeforth and Joe Louis as waiting outside the military courtroom for the outcome of the court martial, although it is plausible that Smith was there on assignment for the Courier. The film did make the point that Robinson had a fiery temper and bristled at the notion of racial injustice, something that he was forced to downplay during his first few years in the big leagues.

    All in all, it was a good film, bordering on excellent, and more historically accurate than most docudramas, showing that there was precedent for Rosa Parks' more celebrated transit troubles, and that Jackie Robinson was a civil rights pioneer before stepping foot on a professional baseball diamond.
    helpful•15
    1
    • johnnyb-10
    • Aug 29, 1999

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • October 15, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Rättegången mot Jackie Robinson
    • Production companies
      • Turner Pictures (I)
      • Von Zerneck-Sertner Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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