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Sunday in Paris (1991)
Character: Vernetta Chase
A pilot for an unsold NBC series. A single woman with three children realizes that her family has lost sight of their values and gives up her career as a daytime-drama actress in New York to move back with her extended family on their Texas farm.
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TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
Character: (archive footage)
Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the medium's first half-century. Actors, writers and historians discuss the image of black America on television from Amos and Andy to the present day. The interviews accompany clips from groundbreaking shows and performances by entertainment pioneers that create a timeline of the portrayal of African Americans throughout TV history.
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Small Steps, Big Strides: The Black Experience in Hollywood (1998)
Character: Self
Louis Gossett Jr. takes viewers through a special documentary celebration of the groundbreaking achievements of African-American performers and their contributions to Hollywood filmmaking. Spectacular film clips, rare behind-the-scenes footage, archival photographs and fascinating interviews chronicle nearly a century of tribulation and triumph. Gazing at the outstanding range of African-American stars on today's movie screens, it is hard to imagine a time when there were no black leading men or women, a time when all of the roles available for people of color were considerably less heroic than they are now. Social progress came in small steps on the silver screen, film by film, for equal visibility and dignity on the silver screen; now it is possible to honor their struggles, their talent and their sacrifices.
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The Best of Broadway (1985)
Character: Herself
Tom Bosley hosts a tribute to the American musical theater taped before a live audience featuring dozens of stars recreating their original performances. Among the show-stoppers are Chita Rivera's Spanish Rose dance in "Bye, Bye, Bireie," Ray Walston as the Devil in "Damn Yankees," Nell Carter singing the Fats Waller classic "Cash for Trash" from "Ain't Misbehavin," Glynis Johns with "Send in the Clowns" from "A Little Night Music," Barry Bostwick from "Grease," and many more.
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Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000)
Character: Betty Hemings
Epic television miniseries exploring the complicated relationship of Thomas Jefferson and slave Sally Hemings, who conducted a 38 year love affair, spanning an ocean, ultimately producing children, grandchildren, and lots of controversy.
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979)
Character: Vivian
Based on writer Maya Angelou's eloquent reminiscences of her days as a gifted youngster growing up in the South during the Depression years where she and her older brother were raised by their grandmother after the divorce of their parents.
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One More Time (1974)
Character: Self
Musical comedy stars of the past and present bridge the musical generation gap as they perform their particular specialties and re-create some memorable moments in show business. Highlights include Broadway's two great "Dollies", Pearl Bailey and Carol Channing, performing the top songs from "Hello Dolly!"; Patti Andrews of the Andrews Sisters joining the Pointer Sisters in the runaway hit of 1937, "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon"; the musical blending of the Mills Brothers and the Jackson Five.
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Light Girls (2015)
Character: Self
From the creator and director of the critically acclaimed documentary Dark Girls, award-winning filmmaker Bill Duke continues the conversation on colorism with Light Girls. Sharing the untold stories and experiences of lighter-skinned women, Light Girls dives deep into the discussion of skin color, preference, privilege, pain and prejudice. The documentary features interviews with Russell Simmons, Soledad O'Brien, Diahann Carroll, India Arie, Iyanla Vanzant, Michaela Angela Davis, Kym Whitley, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and more.
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Sing Your Song (2012)
Character: Self
Most people know the lasting legacy of Harry Belafonte, the entertainer. This film unearths his significant contribution to and his leadership in the civil rights movement in America and to social justice globally.
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Martin Luther King and the March on Washington (2013)
Character: Self
Documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. The film tells the story of how the march for jobs and freedom began, speaking to the people who organised and participated in it. Using rarely seen archive footage the film reveals the background stories surrounding the build up to the march as well as the fierce opposition it faced from the JFK administration, J Edgar Hoover's FBI and widespread claims that it would incite racial violence, chaos and disturbance. The film follows the unfolding drama as the march reaches its ultimate triumphs, gaining acceptance from the state, successfully raising funds and in the end, organised and executed peacefully.
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Starfest: The Stars Salute Public Television 1983 (1983)
Character: N/A
Filmed in 1983 at Las Vegas's Tropicana Hotel and hosted by Diahann Carroll and Richard Kiley, this variety special features a star-studded cast. Performers include Kiley, who sings his show-stopping rendition of "The Impossible Dream," and Tony Award winner Patti LuPone, who belts out "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Roberta Peters, impressionist Rich Little and mime duo Shields & Yarnell also make appearances.
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The Strolling '20s (1966)
Character: Self
Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier travel down memory lane to see what life was like back in the 1920s. Harry Belafonte introduces this musical, written by poet and playwright Langston Hughes, which pays tribute to Harlem in the 1920's. Sidney Poitier provides commentary on the era throughout the program, and George Kirby and Nipsey Russell portray various Harlem characters. Program highlights include: Gloria Lynne singing "Good Ol' Wagon"; Brownie McGhee singing "Let the Deal Go Down"; Diahann Carroll singing "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"; Sammy Davis, Jr., singing and tap dancing to "Doin' the New Low Down"; Joe Williams singing "Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning"; and Duke Ellington performing "Sophisticated Lady" with a sextet.
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Telly... Who Loves Ya, Baby? (1976)
Character: Self
At the height of his KOJAK TV series fame, Telly Savalas starred in this variety special that was sponsored by Kraft Foods and shown without commercial interruption. Barbara Eden, Cloris Leachman, Diahann Carroll and others appear and join in the singing and dancing and mugging.
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Jirimpimbira: An African Folk Tale (1995)
Character: Narrator
A brave boy named Temba ventures to find food and water for his drought-striken village. But when he is given a set of magical bones, he uses them to gain riches for himself instead of sharing with his friends.
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Night of 100 Stars (1982)
Character: Self
The most glittering, expensive, and exhausting videotaping session in television history took place Friday February 19, 1982 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event, for which ticket-buyers paid up to $1,000 a seat (tax-deductible as a contribution to the Actors' Fund) was billed as "The Night of 100 Stars" but, actually, around 230 stars took part. And most of the audience of 5,800 had no idea in advance that they were paying to see a TV taping, complete with long waits for set and costume changes, tape rewinding, and the like. Executive producer Alexander Cohen estimated that the 5,800 Radio City Music Hall seats sold out at prices ranging from $25 to $1,000. The show itself cost about $4 million to produce and was expected to yield around $2 million for the new addition to the Actors Fund retirement home in Englewood, N. J. ABC is reputed to have paid more than $5 million for the television rights.
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Night of 100 Stars II (1985)
Character: Self
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a seven-hour live entertainment marathon that was taped February 17, 1985, at New York's Radio City Music Hall, this sequel to the 1982 "Night of 100 Stars" special features 288 celebrities.
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The Split (1968)
Character: Ellen "Ellie" Kennedy
A group of thieves attempt a daring robbery of a football stadium.
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The Sweetest Gift (1998)
Character: Mrs. Wilson
Two neighboring families in Florida, one black and one white, struggle with the problems of race, poverty, prejudice, and absent fathers, as their children become friends over the course of one summer and fall.
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Hurry Sundown (1967)
Character: Vivian Thurlow
A ruthless Southern opportunist tries to buy his cousin's land, and when thwarted, brings several tragedies to the lives of his loved ones.
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The Five Heartbeats (1991)
Character: Eleanor Potter
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.
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At Risk (2010)
Character: Nana
Detective Win Garano is asked to reopen a twenty-year-old murder case, and soon finds himself endangered by the political ambitions of a district attorney.
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Color Adjustment (1992)
Character: Self
From Amos 'n' Andy to Nat King Cole, from Roots to The Cosby Show, black people have played many roles on primetime television. Brilliantly weaving clips from classic TV shows with commentary from TV producers, black actors and scholars, Marlon Riggs blends humor, insight, and thoughtful analysis to explore the evolution of black/white relations as reflected by America's favorite addiction.
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Livin' for Love: The Natalie Cole Story (2000)
Character: Maria Cole
The true life story of famed singer Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat 'King' Cole. Gripping drama of her struggle with addiction and living in her father's shadow while still maintaining her own celebrity status.
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Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)
Character: Sadie Delany
Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.
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How It Feels to Be Free (2021)
Character: Self (archival footage)
Tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.
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Goodbye Again (1961)
Character: Nightclub Singer
Middle-aged businesswoman Paula Tessier rejects the advances of her client's amusing 25-year-old son, Philip Van der Besh, but reconsiders when her longtime philandering partner begins yet another casual affair with a younger woman. She soon learns that May-December romances with older women are frowned upon in society.
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Sister, Sister (1982)
Character: Carolyne Lovejoy
Heated confrontations and revelations result when a divorcee returns with her young son to the home of her two sisters.
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Death Scream (1975)
Character: Betty May
Loosely based on the true story of the killing of Kitty Genovese: A young woman's murder is witnessed by fifteen of her neighbors who do nothing to help and refuse to cooperate with the police.
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King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970)
Character: Self (archive footage)
A presentation of key events in the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. Beginning with the 1955 bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, MLK is followed through major steps in his struggle to promote racial equality. Including footage of King's stirring speeches, it is a fitting tribute to his legacy, and features clips narrated by a wide range of celebrities, including Harry Belafonte, Paul Newman Charlton Heston, Ruby Dee, Burt Lancaster, Anthony Quinn, Walter Matthau, Ben Gazzara, Clarence Williams III, Joanne Woodward, and James Earl Jones.
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Eve's Bayou (1997)
Character: Elzora
Summer heats up in rural Louisiana beside Eve’s Bayou, 1962, as the Batiste family tries to survive the secrets they’ve kept and the betrayals they’ve endured.
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Diary of a Single Mom (2009)
Character: Therapist
Ocean a 27-year-old highly-motivated mother has found her calling in managing a neighborhood apartment building along with the residents and the problems found within. As she struggles with a new job, a new home, her own children, a difficult niece, and the issues of other tenants, all within learn something about taking action and using compassion in their own lives.
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Porgy and Bess (1959)
Character: Clara
In the early 1900s, the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina serves as home to a black fishing community. Crippled beggar Porgy, who travels about in a goat-drawn cart, loves the drug-addicted Bess, who lives with stevedore Crown, the local bully.
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From the Dead of Night (1989)
Character: Maggie
After having a near death experience Joanna finds her life in constant danger. She begins to believe that certain forces are trying to bring her back into the world of the dead. Her boyfriend Glen thinks she's crazy so Joanna turns to her ex-boyfriend, Peter. It just so happens that Peter is a strong believer in the supernatural and even teaches a course on it at a local college. Together they must confront the "walkers" so that Joanna can live to see another day.
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Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing (1968)
Character: Self - Singer
Having established himself as a household name after his previous A Man and His Music specials, Frank Sinatra made a bold statement in 1968 by starring in an NBC television special celebrating black music and its cultural impact in the midst of the Civil Rights struggle. Featuring special guests Diahann Carroll and The 5th Dimension.
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Peeples (2013)
Character: Nana Peeples
Hoping to propose to his upper-crust girlfriend, Wade Walker crashes her family's annual reunion and lands in a face-off with her dad.
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Carmen Jones (1954)
Character: Myrt
In this musical set in an all-Black army camp, civilian parachute maker and "hot bundle" Carmen Jones is desired by many of the men. Naturally, she wants Joe, who's engaged to sweet Cindy Lou and about to go into pilot training for the Korean War.
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Sidney (2022)
Character: Self (archive footage)
This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.
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Paris Blues (1961)
Character: Connie Lampson
During the 1960s, two American jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls and must decide between music and love.
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Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker (1991)
Character: Vivian Thurlow (archive footage) (uncredited)
This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s. Interviews with actors Frank Sinatra, Vincent Price, James Stewart, Michael Caine, and others who worked with the flamboyant and sometimes control-obsessed director add information and insight to the story.
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The Front (2010)
Character: Nana
A detective uncovers a sinister conspiracy when he is sent to research a disintegrating neighborhood for a public relations campaign.
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The Courage to Love (2000)
Character: Pouponne
In 19th century New Orleans, creole Henriette must choose between love and devotion to the church. Neither choice is going to be easy, as there is great opposition to her ideas of breaking traditions.
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The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
Character: Mermeia
Luke Skywalker and Han Solo battle evil Imperial forces to help Chewbacca reach his imperiled family on the Wookiee planet - in time for Life Day, their most important day of the year!
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Claudine (1974)
Character: Claudine Price
Claudine is a single mother in New York City who endures an exhausting commute to the suburbs where she works as a maid for wealthy families. In one carefully tended white community, she meets Roop, a charismatic but irresponsible garbage collector. Romance quickly ensues, but Claudine doubts that their relationship is good for her six children, and Rupert, despite his good nature, is reluctant to take on fatherhood.
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The Masked Saint (2016)
Character: Ms. Edna
The journey of a professional wrestler who becomes a small town pastor and moonlights as a masked vigilante fighting injustice. While facing crises at home and at the church, the Pastor must evade the police and somehow reconcile his violent secret identity with his calling as a pastor.
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Jackie's Back! (1999)
Character: Diahann Carroll
A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.
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