Debbie Allen Movies
African American actress/dancer Debbie Allen had built up a solid reputation as a Broadway choreographer by the time she made her screen debut in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). In 1980, she created the role of demanding dance instructor Lydia Grant in Fame (1980), a role she carried over into the long-running TV series of the same name. Each and every episode of this five-season series began with Debbie addressing a roomful of students: "You want fame?...Well, fame costs. And the price is sweat." Practicing what she preached, Debbie not only co-starred in the series but directed several episodes and handled the choreography, winning a brace of Emmies in the process. She went on to be nominated for a Tony award for the 1986 Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. The older sister of Cosby Show co-star Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen has herself remained active on the small screen, in the early '90s mapping out the production numbers of the annual Academy Awards telecast and in the mid-'90s co-starring with rapper LL Cool J on the weekly NBC sitcom In the House. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Battle Night: The Krump Wars features serious dance battles between enterprising young dancers. The video includes appearances by celebrities like MC Lyte, Tony Rock, and Norm Nixon. Debbie Allen lends her dancing expertise to the proceedings. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2005
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Experience the performances that made Broadway history in this release that compiles twenty-three unforgettable musical performances from the Tony Award broadcast archives. Featuring such stars as Harvey Fierstein, Robert Goulet, and Carol Channing in performances from Show Boat, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady and many more, this release brings the magic of the stage directly into your living room. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Track the rise and fall of fictional action superstar Frank Sledge in this rapid-fire mockumentary featuring special appearances by Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Richard Lewis, Sean Young, Ernie Hudson, Kelly Hu, and more. Laugh along as filmmakers parody some of the most popular action films ever, and Hollywood's brightest stars reflect on the career of the ass-kicking icon who, despite all his power and influence, couldn't prevent his own career from going up in flames. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Leitch, Holmes Osborne, (more)
When an inner-city basketball team is faced with the sudden prospect of elimination, the girls who have using their skills on the court to build a better life find their determination to preserver put to the ultimate test. Being a winner on the court and coming out on top in life take the same kind of passion and determination, and when these girls learn that their team may not make it to the end of the season they quickly rally behind their coach to fight for the future and build a history that they can look back on with pride. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The romantic comedy All About You features Renee Elise Goldsberry as Nicole Taylor, a woman who decides to alter her life plans in order to stay with her boyfriend, Robbie (Adam Lazarre-White). After things fall through with Mr. Wonderful, Nicole ends up staying with her best friend, Lisa (LisaRaye). She ends up being forced to share living space with Brian (Terron Brooks), who she begins to fall in love with even though he is Robbie's brother. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renee Elise Goldsberry, Terron Brooks, (more)
- 2003
The original movie and TV-series versions of Fame were fictionalized accounts of life in a professional training school, patterned after New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Debbie Allen starred in both the film and series as the school's demanding but compassionate dance teacher, Lydia Grant. Although Allen was still on hand for NBC's 2003 revival of Fame, the new series bore little resemblance to its predecessors. In place of a weekly drama with actors pretending to be students, this incarnation of Fame was a reality series in which 24 show-business hopefuls, age 16 and up, were trained and groomed for a grand prize as bestowed by a panel of celebrity judges. Allen's mission was to train these aspirants in singing and dancing: "My job is to take them apart and put them back together." During the series' ten weeks, the original 24 semifinalists were narrowed down to a single winner, ostensibly a star of the future. Hosted by *NSYNC's Joey Fatone, the "reality" version of Fame premiered on May 28, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Fatone, Debbie Allen, (more)
- 2001
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1940s serves as the backdrop for this small-screen adaptation of John Henry Redwood's play as directed by Debbie Allen. The aptly-named Husband (Bumper Robinson) has come to New York City from down South to find his old flame Lou Bessie (Crystal R. Fox), who has thrown off the shackles of her old life in favor of the pace and excitement of the city. Needing a place to stay, Husband boards with Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad) and Quilly (Allen), two sisters from the South with family trauma in their past. As he realizes that Lou Bessie no longer has any use for her old life, Husband starts up a May-December romance with Elizabeth, much to the consternation of Quilly. The Old Settler was brought to director Allen's attention by her sister Rashad, who optioned the play and signed on as executive producer. It premiered as part of PBS' Hollywood Presents series in 2001. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, (more)
Matthew Miele directs this tale about a mysterious homeless guy. Jake (Ernie Hudson) lives relatively contently in his homeless routine -- he wakes in the morning, plays the bongos for change, and collects dog feces. Everything seems hunky-dory, as it were, until he encounters Cameron, who is attempting suicide. Jake takes the guy under his wing and shows him the ropes of life on streets. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Doug E. Doug, (more)
- 1998
This TV comedy-drama series takes place at Linc's, a Washington, D.C., bar and grill where blacks gather to talk about issues they face in a society dominated by whites. Widower Russell A. "Linc" Lincoln (Steven Williams) runs the tavern, host to a diverse Capitol Hill gang of customers. In the one-hour pilot episode, children's rights activist Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop (Pam Grier), who's married to a white man, and dynamic lobbyist Johnnie B. Goode (Georg Stanford Brown) discuss a bill she's trying to get through Congress, while Linc is startled by some revelations after his Army daughter Rosalee Lincoln (Tisha Campbell) comes home from Fort Bragg. Other regulars include sharp-tongued waitress CeCe Jennings (Golden Brooks); token white Harlan Hubbard IV (Joe Inscoe), who heads a pedophile senator's staff; Nigerian cabdriver Winston Iwelu (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); and earthy Eartha (Daphne Maxwell-Reid), a prostitute privy to D.C. dirt when Washington elite unveil secrets in the bedroom. Filmed in Petersburg, Virginia, this series premiered August 1, 1998 on Showtime with a one-hour pilot kicking off the half-hour series. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pam Grier, Steven Williams, (more)
- 1996
This documentary explores the accomplishments and inspirations of African-American women and examines some of the issues they face in contemporary society. The program, hosted by actresses Queen Latifah and Halle Berry, discusses women's efforts to balance work and family, deal with economic stress, health matters, and interpersonal relationships. Also featured are interviews with Nobel laureate Maya Angelou, Academy Award-winning actress Esther Rolle, choreographer Debbie Allen, economist Juliane Malveaux, violence prevention expert Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, and Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. This is one volume in the four-part series, Images & Realities, which examines contemporary concerns and issues faced by African-American people, and discusses how solutions can be found through nurturing, shared values, and a sense of community. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Monica (Roma Downey) assumes the guise of a journalist, assigned to interview teenage death-row inmate Luther (DeAundre Dixon) while Tess (Della Reese) provides moral support to Luther's mother Valerie (Debbie Allen) and brother Sam (Robert Ri'chard). Through her visit with Luther, Monica is harrassed by another condemned prisoner named Willis (Carl Lumbly)--who turns out to be Luther's father! With time running out, Monica must find a way to melt Willis' hardened heart. . .and Tess, who had previously failed with Willis, must prevent young Sam from following in his father's and brother's footsteps. Former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden appears as an inner-city pastor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
A wife finds herself highly expendable as her husband and his lover continually bungle their attempts at murder in this black comedy. Mona, the wife, is a woman of substance who is forever trying to coerce her husband Eddie, a selfish, shallow creep, into making love to her. He refuses. She goes to the hospital for liposuction. While she is gone, Eddie saves the life of a woman attempting suicide. She is the beautiful Rachel. They become lovers. When Mona returns, Eddie lies and tells her that Rachel will be her nurse. Realizing that Mona will figure it out soon, the two lovers decide to murder her first. They try burying her in the sand, tossing her into the garbage, towing her out to sea, but nothing works. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Sägebrecht, Uwe Ochsenknecht, (more)
- 1993
- 1993
To cut down on costs, Lena (Jada Pinkett, Gina (Ajai Sanders), Charmaine (Karen Malina White), Dorian (Bumper Robinson) and Terrell (Patrick Y. Malone) all move into the same apartment. Almost immediately, they clash with their landlord Langston Paige (Billy Dee Williams), who turns out to be a former big-league baseball star. Gradually the kids grow to like Paige, and even encourage him to enroll in college--where he is reunited with his ex-girlfriend, Professor Redding (Leslie Uggams). Elsewhere, Gina's abusive former boyfriend Dion (Edafe Blackmon) breaks the rules of his probations in a desperate effort to win her back. Originally scheduled to air July 1, 1993 as the pilot for a spinoff series starring Billy Dee Williams, this final episode of A Different World was not shown on NBC, though it was included in the syndication package. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Having spent everything he has (and then some) to open his own club, Ron (Darryl M. Bell) panics when the band he has booked walks out on him. Fortunately, Ron's partner Mr. Gaines (Lou Myers) has four country-bumpkin grandnieces whom he believes are pretty fair singers. Indeed they are: the rustic foursome is portrayed by the popular girl group En Vogue, who perform their hit song "Free Your Mind". This was the final Different World episode to air in the series' traditional Thursday-night timeslot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Taking on a temporary teaching assignment at a very tough junior-high remedial class, Whitley (Jasmine Guy) discovers that her students have been deliberately failing because of peer pressure. Never one to back down from a challenge, Whitley is determined to help the youngsters succeed, even if it means relying on her own inner resources rather than the school's antiquated textbooks. Elsewhere, Dorian (Bumper Robinson) finally asks Lena (Jada Pinkett) out--with a surprise revelation attached. Featured as two of Whitley's hardcase students are Marques Houston and Jerome Jones, late of the R&B group Immature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) lands a lucrative job with the Kineshawa company--one that will force him and Whitley (Jasmine Guy) to move to Japan. En route to her new home, Whitley delivers her baby, somewhat to the surprise of her friends, who hadn't even been informed that she was pregnant. Back at Hillman, Ron (Darryl M. Bell) prepares to sue Dwayne for copyright infringement, thereby alienating Freddie (Cree Summer); and Kim (Charnele Brown) and Spencer (Michael Ralph) announce their engagement. Though intended as the series finale for A Different World, this episode was ultimately followed by seven "leftover" episodes, two of which did not air until the series left NBC and entered syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Led to believe that Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) can't afford to give her a surprise birthday party, Whitley (Jasmine Guy) manipulates Kim (Charnele Brown) into planning the festivities (a plotline taken from an actual experience in the life of episode scriptwriter Thomas Perry Dance). Elsewhere, Charmaine (Karen Malina White) and Terrell (Patrick Y. Malone) balk at being tutored by Gina (Ajai Sanders) for their French exam, but they aren't above planting a "bug" on Gina to get the right answers. In this episode, we finally learn the name of Col. Taylor's new daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
