King (miniseries)

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King
King(1978).jpg
DVD cover
Written by Abby Mann
Directed by Abby Mann
Starring Paul Winfield
Cicely Tyson
Music by Billy Goldenberg
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer Paul Maslansky
Cinematography Michael Chapman
EditorsDavid Berlatsky
Byron Brandt
Richard C. Meyer
Running time300 minutes
Release
Original releaseFebruary 12 (1978-02-12) 
February 14, 1978 (1978-02-14)

King is a 1978 American television miniseries based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights leader. It aired for three consecutive nights on NBC from February 12 through 14, 1978.

Contents

Production

Several real-life figures from the Civil Rights Movement had minor roles in the production, including then-Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, King's sister Christine King Farris, his niece Alveda King, and his four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice. Donzaleigh Abernathy, Tony Bennett, Julian Bond and Ramsey Clark each portrayed themselves.

Reception

The miniseries earned nine Emmy Award nominations, including nominations for actors Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson and Ossie Davis.

Though heavily promoted, the series met with controversy and was a huge ratings disappointment. The first installment was the lowest rated of all 64 prime time programs for the week of its debut. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Cast

Annazette Chase was considered to portray Coretta Scott King. [8]

Home media

The miniseries was released on DVD on January 11, 2005.

See also

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Paul Edward Winfield was an American stage, film and television actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder (1972), which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 television miniseries King, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Winfield was also known for his roles in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Terminator, L.A. Law, and 24 episodes of the sitcom 227. He received four Emmy nominations overall, winning in 1995 for his 1994 guest role in Picket Fences.

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References

  1. (16 February 1978). ABC Tops in Ratings, Desert Sun
  2. (20 April 1978). 'Holocaust' Sweeps TV Ratings, Santa Cruz Sentinel ("NBC suffered disastrous ratings on 'King'") (Associated Press story)
  3. Fuller, Jennifer. Dangerous fictions: race, history, and King, in Cinema Journal (Vol 49, Issue 2) (Winter 2010)
  4. Cameron, Chris (4 January 2015). King of (Media) Kings, African American Intellectual History Society (AAIHS)
  5. Winfrey, Carey (16 February 1978). $5 Million TV Documentary Show Is Regarded as a Rating Disaster, The New York Times , p. C19.
  6. Wilkins, Roger (16 February 1978). Controversy on Film's Accuracy Flares Up Among Black Activists, The New York Times , p. C19.
  7. Waring is a fictitious character. In real life, his actions as depicted in the miniseries were performed by C. T. Vivian.
  8. Kleiner, Dick (3 May 1977). "Beauty a Handicap, Miss Raffin Finds". Pittsburgh Press . Retrieved 25 April 2016.