Whitman Mayo Movies

In 1955, an African-American woman named Rosa Parks dared to take an empty seat in the "Whites Only" section on a city bus in Montomery, AL, and sparked one of the first major battles in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, thus bringing the work of Martin Luther King to the attention of many Americans for the first time. Boycott is a made-for-TV movie that dramatizes the events of the Montomery bus boycott, weaving vintage newsreel footage with scenes depicting the public and private dramas involved in the protests. Boycott stars Jeffrey Wright as Martin Luther King, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta Scott King, and Terrence Dashon Howard as Ralph Abernathy; CCH Pounder, Reg E. Cathey, and Shawn Michael Howard highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman dealing with a family crisis learns about faith and an elderly man learns about tolerance and forgiveness in this Christian drama. Tyree Battle (April Grace) is a single mother trying to raise her 11-year-old son Thaniel (Cordereau Dye) on her own in a rough-and-tumble neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Thaniel, like many of his friends, has fallen under the influence of a violent street gang, and, against his better judgment, he becomes involved in a robbery attempt on a local store. Shopkeeper Eli Zeal (Burt Reynolds), a Jewish immigrant who settled into the neighborhood years ago and refuses to leave, won't cooperate with the would-be thieves, and in the confusion, Thaniel shoots him. Eli is seriously wounded and unable to care for himself; hoping Eli won't turn her son into the police, and thinking it's best that they both stay away from the police and the gangs for a while, Tyree brings the wounded shopkeeper along as she and her son pay a visit to her family in Waterproof, LA. As Grandpa Sugar (Whitman Mayo) helps look after Eli and Thaniel gets to know his Uncle Big (Anthony Lee) and Cousin Natty (Orlando Jones), Tyree tries to mend her strained relationship with her mother (Ja'net DuBois), and learns about the faith that has helped keep her family together. Waterproof was the first feature film directed by former screenwriter Barry Berman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Donny B. Lord and Victor Love share the title role in Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story. The film traces the true story of young Gathers, played by Lord as a child and Love as an adult. Rising from his inner-city origins to become a basketball star at Loyola Marymount, Gathers' career is suddenly, and tragically, cut short. Co-starring are Nell Carter as Hank's supportive mother and George Kennedy as the inspirational neighborhood priest. Made for television, Final Shot was first seen in syndication during the week of March 29-April 4, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director John Singleton's debut chronicles the trials and tribulations of three young African-American males growing up in South Central Los Angeles. When young Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a bright underachiever, begins to show signs of trouble, his struggling professional mother (Angela Basset) sends him to live with his father (Lawrence Fishburne), a hard-nosed, no-nonsense disciplinarian. There he befriends Ricky (Morris Chestnut), a burgeoning football star, and Doughboy (Ice Cube, in a standout performance), a would-be gang banger. Over the years, each chooses his own path: Tre seems bound for college; Ricky is a blue-chip running back with his pick of schools; Doughboy is a dope dealer and bona fide gangster who drifts in and out of the county juvenile facility. All is well until, without warning, a rival gang chases down Tre and Ricky with tragic results. Doughboy immediately prepares for revenge, forcing Tre to decide whether to jeopardize his future and, perhaps, his life for the price of revenge and self-respect. Sometimes riveting, Boyz'N the Hood is not without its problems. The film tries to cram every single issue facing the black community into an hour and a half of screen time, making the film seem at times forced. The symbolism seems forced as well, and the film is often unbearably heavy-handed. Also, the characterization often relies on cardboard cut-outs; every white character in the film is a one-dimensional bigot, and the black police officer with whom Tre and his father deal is even worse than his Caucasian counterparts. Still, the unevenness of the film is redeemed by some moments of true brilliance. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

When an ex-con takes up a new life as a priest in an inner-city ghetto parish, he works hard to keep it free of crime. ~ All Movie Guide

This TV movie adaptation of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men was a labor of love for producer-star Robert Blake, who utilized the screenplay from the 1939 Hollywood version as his guide--a screenplay personally presented to Blake by the original film's director, Lewis Milestone. Blake and Randy Quaid play George and Lennie, a pair of itinerant workers who share a dream of saving up enough money for their own ranch. George is smart, resourceful and slight-statured; Lennie has the mind of a child and the strength of Hercules. The two lifelong friends are hired on as hands at a large Salinas Valley spread. Their "best laid schemes" for a place of their own dissolve into a tragic denouement, sparked by the boss' pugnacious son Curley (Ted Neeley) and Curley's bored, faithless wife Mae (Cassie Yates). The 1939 Of Mice and Men is regarded as a masterpiece, though it suffers from the censorship restrictions of the time; curiously, this 1981 film, adapted for television by E. Nick Alexander, makes no attempt to restore the "chancy" elements that had been excised from the earlier film. Of Mice and Men was first telecast on November 29, 1981; a third filmization of the Steinbeck work, starring Gary Sinise and John Malkovich, was released theatrically in 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neal attempt to recapture the screwball spark of What's Up, Doc? in the labored farce The Main Event. Streisand plays Hillary Kramer, a bankrupt perfume executive who discovers that one of her tax write-offs from more prosperous times was the ownership of prizefighter Kid Natural (Ryan O' Neal). Kid Natural is now a driving instructor who wants nothing to do with boxing, but Hillary is determined to resurrect the Kid's less-than-spectacular boxing career. She installs herself as the Kid's manager and tries to get him in shape to go the distance. Along the way, the two fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

A young pickpocket who works in a major airline terminal is found brutally murdered. Undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) can't understand why anyone would have reason to bump off a two-bit thief. But he intends to find out, and to do that he poses as an experienced "dip." Sanford and Son regular Whitman Mayo appears in a key supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fred (Redd Foxx) wins the Watts Businessman-of-the-Year award, but his bad back may prevent him from walking to the podium. Before long, Fred has a pain in other portions of his anatomy, thanks to the plethora of "home remedies" offered by his friends and family. The limit comes when son Lamont (Demond Wilson) suggests that Fred undergo acupuncture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sanford and Son regular Whitman Mayo guest stars as John Rich, a ghetto father whose son is "on the junk." Witnessing the murder of the dope pusher who hooked his son, John takes credit for the killing, thereby becoming a neighborhood hero. He also becomes the next target of the pusher's real killers, obliging undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) to come to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this opening episode of Sanford and Son's fifth season, a team of Russian scientists announce that a seismic fault runs smack in the middle of the Sanfords' house. A series of small earthquakes subsequently sets Fred Sanford (Redd Foxx) a-tremble in more ways than one. Certain he will meet his doom in the inevitable "Big One," Fred packs his bags and heads off to Las Vegas -- where, of course, he runs smack-dab into an aggregation of celebrities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Surprised that he and his son Lamont (Demond Wilson) have not had an argument for days, Fred (Redd Foxx) concludes that Lamont must be in love -- again. Sure enough, Lamont is head over heels over a woman named Grace (Kim Hamilton), who happens to be several years older than he. To teach Lamont a lesson about dating older women, Fred starts squiring Grady's cousin's grandmother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide