Diana Ross Movies
African-American musical superstar Diana Ross may well be a by-product of the almost crippling shyness she has suffered since childhood. Reportedly, it took a lot out of young Ross to work up the courage to sing in her church choir; but once she decided that music was to be her bread and butter, there was no stopping her. With Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson, Ross formed the now-legendary R&B "girl group" the Supremes, which was elevated from a local Detroit attraction to international renown by Motown Records maven Berry Gordy. When Florence Ballard was replaced by Cindy Birdsong in 1967, the group's name was changed to Diana Ross and the Supremes (which it had essentially been all along). Ross struck out on her own in 1969; within 12 months, her popularity was such that she was voted Entertainer of the Year by the NAACP. In 1972, she made her long-anticipated film debut in Lady Sings the Blues, delivering a bravura performance as blues great Billie Holliday. Nominated for an Oscar, Ross lost the statuette to Liza Minnelli, but did take home a Golden Globe Award. Her follow-up attempts at film stardom were major disappointments: Mahogany (1975) was utterly forgettable save for its signature tune "Do You Know Where You're Going To," while The Wiz (1978) suffered from bad casting decisions and an utter lack of a consistent style. Despite her failures on the big screen, Ross continued to excel as a recording artist. She floundered a bit when she left Motown in 1980, but was back on top the following year after signing with RCA. In 1977, Diana won a Tony Award for her starring Broadway revue, and in 1988 she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Diana Ross showed no signs of slowing down in the 1990s: in 1993, she wrote a book titled Secrets of a Sparrow; in 1994, she made her TV-movie acting debut, playing a paranoid schizophrenic in the commendable Out of Darkness; and in 1996, she was center of attention in what was arguably one of the most spectacular Super Bowl half-time shows ever conceived. She would try her hand at acting again in 1999's Double Platinum, acting as executive producer on that project as well. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 2011
Taped live on The Ed Sullivan Show between 1964 and 1971, these collection of classic Motown hits includes powerhouse performances from Diana Ross & the Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, and many more. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, The Jackson 5, (more)
- 2003
This program takes a look at the fascinating musical journey of legendary Motown girl group the Supremes, tracing their roots from housing projects in Detroit, to the height of international fame. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- The Supremes, Diana Ross, (more)
Two generations of R&B superstars -- legendary Motown diva Diana Ross and teen hitmaker (and star of the TV series Moesha) Brandy -- share top billing in this made-for-TV drama about the troubled relationship between a mother and daughter. Olivia King (played by Diana Ross) is an aspiring vocalist who gives up her only child in the pursuit of her career. Years later, Olivia is a major star in pop music, and the daughter she left behind, Kayla (Brandy), is a gifted young singer on the rise. Can Olivia win back the daughter she left behind years ago, and can Kayla find it in her heart to forgive her mother? The supporting cast includes Allen Payne, Christine Ebersole and former Yo! MTV Raps host Ed Lover. Produced for ABC Television, Double Platinum was first aired in May of 1999, and was released on home video two months later. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Brandy, (more)
- 1998
Diana Ross hosts this four-hour TV special tracing the rise of Berry Gordy's Detroit-based Motown record label during the '60s. Clips were compiled from a variety of sources, including such TV shows as Teen Town, Where the Action Is and It's What's Happening Baby. The history covers the label's leading acts (Temptations, Supremes, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, Mary Wells, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye) and explores the talents who created the Motown style -- songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland and Norman Whitfield, choreographer Cholly Atkins, finishing-school director Maxine Powell, arranger Maurice King, and the rhythm section (pianist Earl van Dyke, drummer Ben Benjamin, and bassist James Jamerson). With background on Gordy, the story moves forward into Motown's film/TV production, the solo career of Diana Ross, the Commodores, Teena Marie, Rick James, and many others. Interviews include Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Branford Marsalis, Clive Davis, Jesse Jackson, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, George Schlatter, Julian Bond, Diahann Carroll, RuPaul, and Rod Stewart. The special premiered as a two-parter (February 15th and 19th, 1998) on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, (more)
- 1994
In this drama, a woman attempts to recover following a bout of schizophrenia. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Diana Ross, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras are backed on stage by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in this Christmas concert captured live at the Vienna Rathaus in December 1992. Featured songs include "The Gift of Love," "Ave Maria," "If We Hold on Together," and "Mille Cherubini in Coro." ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1992
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Motown diva Diana Ross is joined by an eighteen-piece band of top-flight jazz musicians for this performance video, recorded in 1992, in which she lends her voice to a program of vintage jazz and blues standards. Diana Ross: The Lady Sings ... Jazz and Blues includes "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Fine and Mellow", "The Man I Love", "Good Morning Heartache", "Don't Explain", "Little Girl Blue", and twelve more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1991
- Add The Ed Sullivan Show: A Classic Christmas to Queue Add The Ed Sullivan Show: A Classic Christmas to top of Queue
This video is a Christmas collection of performances from various episodes of the Ed Sullivan Show. Ed Sullivan, the former radio announcer, had a popular variety show during television's early days. Known for his deadpan expression and wooden demeanor, Sullivan nonetheless was a gracious television host with a knack for choosing talent. Included in this production is Bing Crosby, singing "White Christmas," and Johnny Mathis, performing "Sleigh Ride." Jim Henson's reindeer muppets do a snow dance and Topo Gigio the Mouse tells the audience what he wants for Christmas. There are 12 selections to get the viewer in the holiday mood. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi
Diana Ross: Visions of Diana Ross contains a half-dozen music videos/short films that feature the former Supreme. The six songs presented are "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" "Swept Away," "All of You," "Muscles," "Pieces of Ice," and "Missing You," -- a video that contains never-before-seen footage of the great Marvin Gaye. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 1985
This musical performance features the sounds of Diana Ross in this collection of six conceptual music videos. ~ Rovi
- 1980
- R
Claudia Weill's second feature is a romantic look at the humorous and tragic sides of love, starring Jill Clayburgh as Kate Gunzinger, a mathematics professor who lives with perpetually sunny architect Homer (Charles Grodin) in Chicago. But during a trip to New York City, Kate becomes romantically involved with handsome hunk Ben Lewin (Michael Douglas), a recently retired professional baseball player who is trying to adjust to a life outside of professional sports. The son of her father's fiancee, Ben, in spite of uncertainties about his future, actively pursues Kate, and Kate, much to her surprise, willingly permits Ben to make his amorous approaches. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jill Clayburgh, Michael Douglas, (more)
- 1979
Diana Ross turns on the starpower in this concert video, shot during an engagement at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, where Ross performs a set of hits and fan favorites backed by an orchestra and a troupe of dancers. Diana Ross in Concert features ninteen songs, including "Love Hangover", "Touch Me In The Morning", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "The Boss", "Lady Sings The Blues", "Baby Love", and many more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Sidney Lumet's The Wiz is the film version of the popular Broadway musical that retells the events of L. Frank Baum's classic novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through the eyes of a young African-American kindergarten teacher who's "never been below 125th Street." Leaving a large family dinner to chase her dog into a snowstorm, Dorothy (Diana Ross) is swept up by a cyclone and transplanted to the land of Oz -- which looks suspiciously like a skewed version of the run-down Manhattan of the late '70s. Landing on top of the Wicked Witch of the East, the puzzled Dorothy is greeted by munchkins who peel themselves from a graffiti mural and sing to her about the Wiz (Richard Pryor), a powerful wizard living in Emerald City who can help her get home. On her journey down the yellow brick road, she encounters a garbage-stuffed scarecrow (Michael Jackson) in a junkyard, a broken-down tin man (Nipsey Russell) caught in the decay of an old amusement park, and a cowardly lion (Ted Ross) posing as a stone statue outside a museum. The quartet tangles with a subway station that comes to life, a poppy den, and a gaggle of motorcycle henchman on their way to the Wiz -- who orders them to kill the Wicked Witch of the West (a sweatshop tyrant) before he will grant them their wishes. The Wiz has about double the large-scale production numbers of The Wizard of Oz (1939), with songs written and composed by Charlie Smalls. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, (more)
Directed by Berry Gordy, Jr. as a vehicle for his star Diana Ross, Mahogany traces the life of a poor girl who makes it in the fashion world (first as a model, then designer) and deserts her boyfriend (Billy Dee Williams) in the meantime, hooking up instead with a photographer (Anthony Perkins). The song "Do You Know When You're Going To" (Gerry Goffin/Michael Masser) was Oscar-nominated. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
Diana Ross plays the magnificent, tragic song stylist Billie Holiday, who while writhing in a strait jacket in a prison cell, awaiting sentencing on drug charges, reflects on her turbulent life. Raped in her youth by a drunk (Adolph Caesar), then compelled to work as a domestic in a Harlem whorehouse, Holliday is encouraged to try for a singing career by the bordello's pianist (Richard Pryor). She rises as high as it is possible to go in the white-dominated show business world of the 1930s, but can't handle the pressure and turns to narcotics. The film takes several liberties with the 44-year existence of "Lady Day." Among the Billie Holiday standards performed by Ross are "My Man," "I Cried for You," "Lover Man," "Them There Eyes," and the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, (more)
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