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. In 1997 she was one of the producer's of Steven Spielberg's period drama Amistad. Four years later she directed and starred in the made-for-TV drama The Old Settler opposite her sister. She played herself in the remake of the TV show Fame. She continued directing for television including episodes of That's So Raven, and the Lifetime movie biopic The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In 2009 she returned to her roots yet again by playing the principal of the high school for performing arts that is the setting for the 2009 big-screen remake of Fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In the first episode of a two-part story, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) announces his intention of marrying his new girlfriend, Diana (Debbie Allen). Both sets of parents express strong and noisy objections to this impending union. What no one realizes during this turmoil is that Diana is harboring a disturbing secret: She is addicted to drugs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In the conclusion of a two-part story, J.J. (Jimmie Walker) and his girlfriend, Diana (Debbie Allen), override the objections of their parents and elope to Indiana. Meanwhile, the Evans family stumbles upon evidence that Diana is a drug addict. As both sets of parents search for their runaway children, the strung-out Diana takes drastic, desperate action. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
The seemingly lighthearted title of this made-for-TV movie obscures the film's somber overtones. Good Times star Jimmie Walker was past 30 when he starred as teenaged athlete Morris Bird III in The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened. Stricken with leukemia, Morris nonetheless intends to play in an upcoming basketball tournament. His own personal tragedy is compounded by the surprisingly aloof behavior of his father (James Earl Jones). Set during the 1950s, the film admirably evokes its time-frame without hitting the audience over the head with its attention to period detail. Based on a novel by Don Robertson, The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened was first aired October 26, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
- PG
The "fish" in the title of this picture refers to the astrological sign Pisces. Not all of Pittsburgh is due to be saved, but the members of a third-rate NBA basketball team could sure use some salvation. When all the team members except for Moses Guthrie (Julius Erving) quit, astrologer Mona Mondieu (Stockard Channing) and streetwise Tyrone Millman (James Bond III) come to the rescue. The supporting cast includes Jonathan Winters in a dual role, as well as real-life basketball champs Meadowlark Lemon and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Jonathan Winters, (more)
The phenomenal success of the 1977 ABC miniseries Roots all but demanded a sequel to writer Alex Haley's epic story of his African and African-American forebears. Debuting February 18, 1979, Roots: The Next Generations picked up where its predecessor left off, with Haley's slave ancestors winning their freedom in the aftermath of the Civil War. Even so, life for black Americans was wrought with hardship and oppression thanks to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the staunch refusal of the white power structure to pass anti-lynching laws, and the formation of the dreaded Jim Crow laws which legalized racial segregation in the South (and much of the North). Covering the period from 1882 to the mid-1970s, the miniseries first focuses on blacksmith Tom Harvey (Georg Stanford Brown), great-grandson of Kunta Kinte (the protagonist of the original Roots), and his family. Meanwhile, reacting to the marriage of his son to a black woman, anal-retentive Southern colonel Warner (Henry Fonda) begins setting the legal wheels in motion to deny blacks like Tom the right to vote and to hold "white" jobs. A few decades later, Tom's son-in-law encourages his fellow blacks to stand firm against the KKK's reign of terror. His labors on behalf of his race are rewarded when his daughter Bertha (Irene Cara) becomes the first descendant of Kunta Kinte to receive a college education. It is Bertha Palmer who weds the equally ambitious Simon Haley (Dorian Harewood), who goes on to serve in WWI and to organize farmers and sharecroppers during the Depression. Simon's son Alex (played at various ages by Kristoff St. John, Damon Evans, and finally James Earl Jones) is just as determined to succeed in a white man's world as his father, and to that end becomes a professional writer after his own service stint in the Coast Guard during WWII. At the height of his professional success (largely due to his having ghost-written the autobiography of Muslim activist Malcolm X), Alex Haley pays a visit to his boyhood hometown -- where, almost by accident, he receives the first clue to his heritage, a clue that will lead him on an odyssey of self-discovery, arriving full circle at Kunta Kinte's birthplace in Africa. Although the miniseries' "money scene" was Haley's nervous interview with American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell (Marlon Brando in a superb cameo turn), the climactic episode, in which Haley tearfully embraces the living African descendants of Kunta Kinte, is one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of network television. Running 12 episodes and 14 hours, Roots: The Next Generations concluded on February 25, 1979, playing to huge ratings all along the way and ultimately garnering several Emmy nominations (and one win). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Georg Stanford Brown, Olivia de Havilland, (more)
- 1979
- PG
A scientist hunted by terrorists receives assistance from an unexpected source: two Las Vegas showgirls and their promoter who pretend to be detectives. ~ Rovi
Fame is set at New York's High School of Performing Arts, where talented teens train for show-business careers. The film concentrates on five of the most gifted students: singer Irene Cara, actors Paul McCrane and Barry Miller, dancer Gene Anthony Ray, and musician Lee Currieri. More so than the subsequent TV series Fame, the film emphasizes the importance of keeping up one's academic achievements in this specialized school. The faculty includes no-nonsense English teacher Ann Meara, erudite musical instructor Albert Hague, and martinet dance teacher Debbie Allen. Of the film's cast, Ray, Currieri, Allen and Hague were carried over to the TV version of Fame, which premiered in 1981. The score for the film version of Fame was honored with an Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Cara, Paul McCrane, (more)
Milos Foreman's cinematic adaptation of E.L. Doctrow's sprawling pop-culture epic Ragtime follows a variety of characters whose lives intertwine during the earliest years of the 20th century. Brad Dourif plays the meek young brother in a wealthy family who ends up helping Coalhouse Walker Jr. (Howard E. Rollins) when the proud black man stands up to the racism that surrounds him with a criminal act that leads to a standoff with a police commissioner (James Cagney - making his return to the big screen after fifteen years away). Secondary characters include a street artist (Mandy Patinkin) who gets his foot in the door of the nascent film business, and a flighty young woman (Elizabeth McGovern) who inspires men who desire her to violence. Randy Newman composed the score, which included a song that earned him his first Oscar nomination. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Brad Dourif, (more)
Meryl Streep stars as Alice in this made-for-TV production of Elizabeth Swados' musical, which was adapted from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Based on the acclaimed New York Shakespeare Festival production by Joseph Papp, Alice at the Palace follows Alice's surreal adventures with The Mad Hatter, The March Hare, The Queen of Hearts, and The Cheshire Cat, among many others. Produced for NBC television, Alice at the Palace also features Debbie Allen, Betty Aberlin, Michael Jeter, and Mark Linn Baker. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
The first season of the musical drama series Fame could boast of several carryovers from the 1980 film favorite of the same name, beginning with Debbie Allen as Lydia Grant, tough-taskmaster dance teacher at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Not only did Allen introduce each episode, but she also choreographed most of the big dance numbers--and won one of the series' four Season One Emmy awards in the process (other winners included director Harry Harris, cinematographer William W. Spencer, costume supervisor Marilyn Matthews, art directors Ira Diamond and Joseph J. Stone). Also repeating their film roles as Albert Hague as the school's music professor Benjamin Shorofsky, still so dedicated to his craft that he doesn't know who Johnny Carson is, nor any other "ethereal" contemporary entertainer; Lee Curreri as arrogant keyboard student Bruno Martelli (Curreiri also contributes most of the original songs heard this season); and Gene Anthony Ray as Leroy Johnson, who hopes that his dancing gifts will enable him to escape his ghetto neighborhood. Among the newcomers to the property are Erica Gimpel as singer-dancer Coco Hernandez, impatient to break free from school and make her professional debut. Carol Mayo Jenkins as martinet English teacher Elizabeth Sherwood, who regards talent as secondary academic achievement; P.R. Paul as drama student Montgomery MacNeil, struggling to emerge from under the shadow of his mother, a famous actress; Valerie Landsburg as Doris Schwartz, who intends to be an actress, a writer, a director or a combination of the above; Carlo Imperato as wannabe standup comic Danny Amatulo; Michael Thoma as drama teacher Mr. Crandall; and last but far from least, Lori Singer as the loner of the bunch, Julie Miller, a cellist from the Midwest. In fact, most of the series' first episode is seen through the eyes of Julie as she begins her first day at the school. While Julie struggles with a sense of displacement, Coco must come to grips with the realities of showbiz in the second episode, when she finds herself competing with her teacher Lydia Grant for a plum professional stage role. In later episodes, Leroy tries to steer his brother away from a street gang and also gets in trouble with the faculty when he attempts to ad-lib his way through a Shakespearian play; Bruno is seized with a sudden attack of stage fright; Doris poses as a hooker to research a writing project; Danny runs into resistance from his dad as he attempts to pursue his comedy career; the icy Miss Sherwood melts a bit as she comes to the rescue of a pair of talented derelicts (played by Ray Walston and Art Carney; and the human side of the imperious Shorofsky is revealed when he is hospitalized with a serious illness. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Erica Gimpel, (more)
Though Fame declared "I'm gonna live forever" in its theme song, the NBC musical drama series barely squeaked through its first season. Fortunately, the network decided to renew the show for a second year in response to the enthusiastic support of millions of teenaged fans. The popularity of "The Kids from 'Fame' amongst their peer group was firmly established when several of the series' regulars went on a worldwide tour--especially when the episode telecast March 3, 1983, "The Kids from 'Fame' Live" (excerpted from their appearance in the UK) posted the second season's best ratings. All of the cast members from Season One are back for Season Two, with the exceptions of P.R. Paul as student Montgomery MacNeil, and Michael Thoma, who had played Mr. Crandall, beloved drama teacher at New York's High School of Performing Arts. Actor Thoma died in September of 1982, a fact reflected in the episode "A Tough Act to Follow", in which the students and faculty members must come to grips with Mr. Crandall's sudden and unexpected demise. Morgan Stevens joins the cast this season as Crandall's replacement, David Reardon. The season opens with the episode "And the Winner Is. . .", in which music student Bruno (David Curreri) is placed in the position of auditioning fellow students for one of his own plays--then gets in trouble by casting himself in the lead. In subsequent episodes, neurotic "Renaissance girl" Doris (Valerie Landsburg) finds herself falling in love with Bruno; the kids champion the cause of school secretary Mrs. Berg (Ann Nolan) when she is replaced with a computer; self-involved school diva Coco (Erica Gimpel) comes out of herself when she befriends a student with a learning disability; and dancing student Leroy (Gene Anthony Ray) is tempted to quit school to accept a professional job. And while the series manages to maintain its fairly realistic veneer, the episode "Not in Kansas Anymore", in which Doris dreams that she and her fellow students have morphed into the characters from "The Wizard of Oz" (with teachers Lydia [Debbie Allen] and Miss Sherwood [Carol Mayo Jenkins] respectively cast as the "Good" and "Bad" witches, serves as a portent for the more exaggerated Fame episodes to come. Among the guest stars showing up this year are Bruno Kirby as Doris' draft-dodging brother, Arte Johnson as a TV commercial actor whom the students accuse of squandering his talent, Jimmy Osmond as a student who (chastely!) sleeps with his tutor Julie (Lori Singer), future Cosby Show regular Malcolm-Jamal Warner as a member of an inner-city boys' choir, and Nancy Cartwright now best known as the voice of Bart Simpson, as a student from an "more academically prestigious" school who falls in love with nerdish tuba-playing scholar Dwight (David Greenlee). Although Fame collected its fifth Emmy this season (for Debbie Allen's choreography), the series was toast as far as NBC was concerned, failing to make a dent in the ratings despite the fervent following of millions of teenaged fans. However, the series was a huge hit abroad, and this more than anything else was the motivating factor for MGM to continue production on the series, not for the NBC network but for off-network syndication beginning in the fall of 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Erica Gimpel, (more)
- 1983
Cancelled by NBC after two seasons in the spring of 1983, the musical drama series Fame was nonetheless extremely popular amongst American teenagers and with fans all over the rest of the world. Accordingly, its producers decided to keep the property alive with a third season 24 new episodes, filmed for off-network syndication. Virtually the entire cast of the NBC Fame was retained for the syndicated version, except for Lori Singer as cello student Julie Miller; it was explained that Julie had decided to leave school to get married. And while the popular Erica Gimpel was seen in the first handful of syndicated episodes as ambitious singer-dancer Coco Hernandez, she too had exited the show by the middle of its third season, her character having dropped out to pursue her professional career (oddly enough, Gimpel continues to receive billing throughout the season). Also, this is Lee Curreri's last year as Bruno Martelli. New to the cast are Cynthia Gibb as energetic drama major Holly Laird, and Billy Hufsey as cocksure dance student Christopher Donlon; also, chubby tuba player Dwight (David Greenlee), previously a recurring character, is now one of the regulars. And, since it was decided that the series needed a strong adult menace, Ken Swofford was hired to play Quentin Morloch, new vice principal at New York's High School of the Performing Arts. A self-important, anal-retentive "rules are rules" type, Morloch will spend much of his screen time cooking up methods to instill his own brand of discipline on the kids, often denying them the opportunity to show off their talents (which is rather like not allowing students in an industrial arts class to make cabinets!). Episodes like "Hail to the Chief" and "Rules" are prime examples of Morloch's blinkered approach to education; indeed, he would not come to fully understand that his students were uniquely gifted and not just a bunch of noisy kids until he was on the brink of leaving the series two years later. The first of the "syndie" episodes is the two-part "I'm Gonna Learn How to Fly", in which arrogant keyboard student Bruno faces the possibility of leaving school when his dad dies. Later episodes this season include "Consequences" wherein the students are put in charge of the school to teach them a lesson about responsibility; "Break Dance", a contemporary West Side Story in which Christopher mediates a turf battle between two street gangs; "Lisa's Song", a semi-fantasy in which Holly makes contact with the ghost of a disgruntled former student; and "Sheer Will", which finds ebullient would-be comic Danny (Carlo Imperato) coming to grips with the fact that he has been diagnosed with leukemia. Of the series' many guest stars this season, Chorus Line principal Donna McKechnie is cast as Holly's mother in "Stages", impressionist George Kirby is featured as a former nightclub headliner turned wino in "Catch a Falling Star", blind actor-composer Tom Sullivan plays a substitute teacher who falls for dance instructor Lydia (Debbie Allen) in "A Friend in Need"; Melissa Manchester shows up as a once-famous torch singer who is afraid to return to performing in "Home Again", and veteran gangster-movie heavy Lawrence Tierney shows up in "The Deal", which turns out to be nothing more nor less than an old Mickey Rooney "Let's raise money by putting on show!" musical. And as in the previous season, highlights from the real-life musical tours undertaken by the cast members are featured in a brace of special episodes: "The Kids from 'Fame' in Israel" and "'Fame' Looks at Music 83" (with Irene Cara). In addition to accumulating even more local stations and a bigger audience than it had ever enjoyed as a network series, Fame earned yet another Emmy award, this one going to film editor Howard Brock. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Erica Gimpel, (more)
- 1983
In this drama, a crack corps of female prison guards are assigned to watch over the men in the most dangerous cell-block. Mayhem ensues as the physical and emotional pressures the women face begin to take their toll. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1984
Far more popular in syndication than it had ever been on the NBC network, the weekly musical drama series Fame returns with a fourth season of 25 hour-long episodes. New to the student body of New York's High School of the Performing Arts this season are a young, pre-superstardom (and pre-"wardrobe malfunction"!) Janet Jackson as multitalented Cleo Hewitt; Nia Peeples as singer-dancer Nicole Chapman; and Jesse Borego as Jesse Velasquez, ex-street gang member, gifted dancer, and soon to be the protégé of senior student Leroy Johnson (Gene Anthony Ray). This season also introduces a new after-school hangout for the kids: Lou's Lanes, owned and operated by genial Lou Mackie, played by B-picture cult figure Dick Miller. In the season opener, the school's two zaniest students, aspiring playwright Doris (Valerie Landsburg) and would-be comic Danny (Carlo Imperato), begin dating. Later on, stalwart recurring player Ann Nelson is elevated to costar status in the role of ditsy school secretary Mrs. Berg. Also, officious vice principal Morloch (Ken Swofford) continues to mold the school's gifted pupils into his antiquated idea of "perfect" students, most memorably by introduced ROTC classes to the curriculum in the episode "Tomorrow's Children", inasmuch as Joan Baez is guest star on this occasion, and the musical numbers include highlights from "Hair", guess how long ROTC remains on campus! In other episodes, Anthony Newley guests as Doris' childhood idol, TV actor Trevor Kane; the teachers strut their stuff in the obligatory faculty variety show; Jesse is revealed to be an illegal alien, requiring an "instant" marriage to the pliable Doris; chubby tuba student Dwight (David Greenlee) falls hard to Holly; Danny goes the "Cyrano de Bergerac" route with Nicole on behalf of Jesse; Holly has a bout with anorexia due to problems at home; and former series regular Erica Gimpel returns to the role of Coco Hernandez--just long enough to qualify for her diploma in an episode that also features Milton Berle (NOT as one of the students!) As in seasons past, two of the Season Four episodes are comprised of footage from recent live "Kids from 'Fame'" concerts: "Heart of Rock and Roll" and "Heart of Rock and Roll". And with "School is Out", the series' only "clip show" comprise of highlights from past episodes, the fourth season of Fame comes to a close. Oh, and did we mention that the series managed to pick up yet another Emmy award, this one for Jim McElroy's videotape editing? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Carlo Imperato, (more)
- 1984
- PG
Tommy Lee Jones plays the title character in The River Rat. Released from prison after 13 years, Jones heads south to meet his hoydenish daughter Martha Plimpton for the first time. The father-daughter relationship flounders until Jones takes the girl on a long, bonding raft trip on the river. Both Jones and Plimpton become fugitives from justice when they run afoul of crooked parole-officer Brian Dennehy. Before the film's allotted 93 minutes have passed, Plimpton has proven time and again to be truly her father's daughter. It's a toss-up as to which is more enjoyable in River Rat, the film itself or the wall-to-wall musical score by Mike Post. Screenwriter Thomas Rickman was underwritten for his directorial debut by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, (more)
- 1985
Still riding high as one of the most-watched dramatic series in off-network syndication, Fame eases into a fifth season on the air, with 25 brand new episodes. Three of the series' longtime favorites have moved on to other things. Doris (Valerie Landsburg) has graduated from New York's High School of the Performing Arts; former dance major Leroy Johnson (Gene Anthony Ray) is now a faculty member; and obstreperous vice-principal Morloch (Ken Swofford) has been transferred to another school, but not before being forced to atone for his past selfish misdeeds in the series' Yuletide episode, which--surprise, surprise--is a rehash of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." Morloch's replacement is Principal Dyrenforth (Graham Jarvis), not nearly as anal-retentive as his predecessor but almost as clueless. Also, Loretta Chandler joins the cast as new student Dusty Tyler. Midway through the season there is another cast turnover, as drama student Holly Laird (Cynthia Gibb) leaves school to take a role in a daytime soap opera; at the same time, a round of auditions yields two more additions to the student body, Reggie Higgins (played by Carrie Hamilton, the daughter of Carol Burnett) and Kate Riley (Page Hannah), the sister of Darryl Hannah). Though Fame was pretty much grounded in reality during its first seasons on the air, the show has gotten to be mighty whimsical by this time. Case in point is the episode "His Majesty Donlon", an outrageous "Prisoner of Zenda" takeoff in which dance student Christopher (Danny Hufsey) switches places with his lookalie, Prince Freddie of Vatonia; and later, Chris overcomes "Stage Fright" with some assistance from the ghost of Elvis Presley (Robert Firth). Then there's "Holmes Sweet Holmes", in which the traditional bump on the head transforms would-be comedian Danny (Carlo Imperato) into celebrated detective Sherlock Holmes. More believable chords are struck as Danny faces the possibility of being forced to change his professional name to get an Equity card in "Leroy and the Kid"; ultra-ethical music professor Shorofsky (Albert Hague) may well have to compromise his values for the sake of his students in "Selling Out"; dance student Jesse (Jesse Borrego) is tempted to rejoin his former street gang in "Savage Streets"; and a staging of "Huckleberry Finn" causes racial friction between Danny and Leroy in "A River to Cross." A number of interesting guest stars dot the landscape of Fame's fifth season, among them stars-to-be Don Cheadle, Bebe Neuwirth, Kathleen Wilhoiteand Dermot Mulroney. Among the better-known guest performers are Russ Tamblyn, making the first of several appearances as a burned-out choreographer; veteran western actors Myron Healey and Leo Gordon, cast respectively as a faded cowboy idol and a disgruntled movie villain; and Kevin McCarthy as a quixotic substitute teacher who sends his students forth on a quest for Absolute Truth. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Carlo Imperato, (more)
- 1986
Although the weekly, one-hour musical drama series Fame was still one of the most popular syndicated series in America as it entered its sixth season, the show's budget was beginning to outstrip its profits, and thus the difficult decision was made to end production once the season wrapped. This, however, didn't stop the producers from continuing to infuse the cast with new blood, nor from staging spectacular singing and dancing numbers, frequently with top guest stars taking part in the proceedings. The season opener "Back to Something New" brings us up to date on two recently departed regulars: Ms. Elizabeth Sherwood, longtime English teacher at New York's High School for the Performing Arts, has become a successful author of racy romantic novels, while dance major Christopher Donlon has graduated and gone on to professional work. New students include brash British-born musician Ian Ware (Michael Cerveris), spunky Maxie (Olivia Barasch), and neurotic Miltie Horowitz (Robert Romanus). Likewise, the faculty is increased by one when Mr. Paul Seeger (Eric Pierpoint), a disillusioned actor turned cab driver, signs on as the new drama teacher. And in one of the season's most surprising and disturbing developments, gifted musical student Nicole Chapman (Nia Peeples) is killed in a car accident. Inarguably the series' most celebrated episode is "Reggie and Rose", in which student Reggie Higgins (Carrie Hamilton) encourages the school's recently laid-off cafeteria lady Rose to enroll as a student. Rose is played by Carol Burnett, real-life mother of Carrie Hamilton, with whom she duets in a rousing rendition of Irving Berlin's "We're a Couple of Swells). And in the series finale "Baby, Remember My Name", several former series regulars are reunited for a gala production number with the current students and faculty members: among these returnees are Erica Gimpel, Cynthia Gibb, Carol Mayo Jenkins, Valerie Landsburg, P.R. Pauland Lee Curreri. And on this high note, Fame comes to a close, but not before collecting its seventh Emmy award, bestowed upon costumer Nanrose Buchman for her contributions to the episode "All Talking, All Singing, All Dancing." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Carlo Imperato, (more)
- 1986
- R
- Add Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling to Queue Add Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling to top of Queue
Popular African-American comedian Jo Jo Dancer is severely burned while free-basing cocaine. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. While hovering between life and death, Dancer flashes back to his childhood, when he grew up in a brothel. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. Dancer decides to become a comic, but has a great many difficulties rising to stardom until he begins making scatological comments about race relations. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists that the movie is not autobiographical. As he rises to fame, Jo Jo has problems controlling his drug addiction and womanizing. Producer/director/writer Richard Pryor insists.....Well, you've caught on by now. If one were able to excise the excruciatingly boring "introspection" scene, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling would stand as an excellent testimonial to Richard Pryor's cutting-edge comic brilliance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Pryor, Debbie Allen, (more)
- 1988
The friendship between Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Ron (Darryl M. Bell) may come to a sudden and ignominious end when they team up to write a philosophy paper. Characteristically, Dwayne ends up doing all the work, while Ron coasts along--a fact made doubly galling to Dwayne because he'd had the chance to team with a far better student. Meanwhile, incoming freshmen Kim (Charnele Brown) and Freddie (Cree Summer) apply for jobs at "The Pit", a popular campus eating place run by the redoubtable Vernon Gaines (Lou Myers in his first series appearance). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) has been avoiding the Hillman dating scene because she has an out-of-town boyfriend. Even so, she agrees to go out with the persistent Walter (Sinbad), but only after making it clear that this isn't really date. Walter agrees: it's isn't really a date. Both Jalessa and Walter insist over and over that it isn't a date. Honest, it's isn't a date. Oh yes, it is. Meanwhile, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Ron (Darryl M. Bell) try to pick up extra money by inagurating a student "wake-up" service, making certain that no one will ever be late for class (yeh, sure). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
Much to his own surprise, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) is attracted to Whitley (Jasmine Guy) at a midterm dance--far too attracted, as it turns out when he makes a crude pass at her. Though Whitley is outraged by Dwayne's behavior, she begins to have erotic dreams about him, providing a rich source of amusement for the taunting Kim (Charnele Brown). Meanwhile, Dwayne is receiving mysterious gifts which he assumes are from Whitley, but are actually being sent by his new "secret admirer"...Freddie (Cree Summer). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
Clair (Phylicia Rashad) hopes to lose several pounds within a handful of days in order to fit into a fancy dress for an upcoming benefit. Thus, she submits herself to the merciless regimen of aerobics instructor Emma Neuhausen--played by dancer-choreographer Debbie Allen, the real-life sister of Phylicia Rashad. Clair must also keep her reducing efforts a secret from Cliff (Bill Cosby), who has a perverse habit of throwing culinary temptation in her path. Watch for a cameo appearance by another member of Phylicia Rashad's family (so to speak). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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