Take a Giant Step

Last updated
Take a Giant Step
Directed by Philip Leacock
Screenplay by Louis S. Peterson
Julius J. Epstein
Based onTake a Giant Step
1953 play
by Louis S. Peterson
Produced byJulius J. Epstein
Starring Johnny Nash
Estelle Hemsley
Ruby Dee
Frederick O'Neal
Beah Richards
Ellen Holly
Cinematography Arthur E. Arling
Edited byFrank Gross
Music by Jack Marshall
Production
company
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • December 1, 1959 (1959-12-01)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000

Take a Giant Step is a 1959 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Philip Leacock.

Contents

The plot concerns a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of racism are beginning to affect his life more directly and pointedly than they had in his childhood. Adapted from the Broadway play by Louis S. Peterson, the film stars Johnny Nash — who would ultimately become more well known for his singing career, including the hit song "I Can See Clearly Now" — as the lead character, Spencer "Spence" Scott. Co-stars included Ruby Dee as the Scott family's housekeeper, Estelle Hemsley as Grandma Martin (Hemsley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress), and Beah Richards as Spence's mother. The movie's executive producer was Burt Lancaster through his Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company. [1]

Plot

Spencer "Spence" Scott (Johnny Nash) is a 17-year-old black high school senior who has lived his entire life in a middle-class white neighborhood of an unnamed city in the northern United States. Having been raised with a sense of self-respect, he is starting to become frustrated by the effects of racism. When his history teacher speaks ill of the intellect of black slaves during the American Civil War, he objects, and when the teacher dismisses the objection, he storms angrily out of the classroom and slips into the bathroom to calm down by smoking a cigar. He is discovered there and is suspended from school. At the same time, his white friends are beginning to exclude him from their activities because they want to include girls, and none of the girls' parents approve of their daughters socializing in circles that include a black boy.

Spence confides in "Gram" (Estelle Hemsley), his ailing but wise grandmother, but he cannot face the prospect of telling his parents (Frederick O'Neal, Beah Richards) what has happened, so he decides to leave home, catching a bus into a black neighborhood. His time on his own is short-lived, however, as he is socially unprepared for an adult world. Although he is intelligent and well-read, he finds that his academic knowledge doesn't carry him far as he approaches an attractive older woman in a bar (Ellen Holly), presenting to her a very logical case as to why he'd be a good boyfriend, and assuring her that he'd be willing to marry if they were to fall in love. He is disillusioned to discover that the woman is unhappily married and wants only to find a man in the bar who has some money and a nice car, so that she can have a one-night fling with him to temporarily escape from her troubles.

Upon returning home, Spence's parents berate him for not having stayed "in his place" when dealing with white people, as they have learned to do. Spence tells them that he ashamed of them for that attitude and Gram comes to Spence's defense, chiding the couple for not supporting him in his stance against his teacher's racism. She notes that they moved to the middle-class neighborhood to help instill in Spence a sense of self-respect that he might not have attained if he'd grown up in a slum, but they are now angry at him for displaying that very self-respect. She also criticizes their emphasis on providing him material comforts, as opposed to spending time with him, as evidenced by the fact that they are completely unaware of his having recently become something of an outcast among his peers.

After Gram dies, Spence turns to Christine (Ruby Dee), the Scotts' housekeeper. He confesses to her both his sexual frustration and his overall loneliness. He proposes that, because Christine is lonely also — she is a widow, her only child was stillborn, and she is probably over 1,000 miles removed from any of her family — they might find some happiness together for a short time, even if their age difference precludes a long-term relationship. To her own surprise, Christine finds that she is considering the idea, but the decision is made for her when she is terminated from the household. Spence's mother reasons that with the family no longer needing anyone to look after Gram, a housekeeper is unnecessary. She is also perceptive enough to be wary of a possible romantic relationship developing between Spence and Christine.

Frustrated by his mother's decision and the fact that she has asked his friends to come over and spend time with him, Spence grows very angry at her over the idea of his having to beg people to be friends with him. His mother grows just as angry in return, insisting he will learn that having to swallow such humiliations is just part of being black in a white-dominated world. Unable to discern any course of action that will alleviate his current unhappiness, Spence ultimately decides simply to persevere and focus upon building a brighter future for himself. He politely tells his friends that he will not have time to see them anymore, later explaining to his mother that he "said goodbye to them before they say it to me" because he had accepted that they were only his friends "up to a point". His mother still does not believe that that was the right course of action, but says that she only wants him to be happy and the film ends with the two affirming their love for one another.

Cast

Production

Prior to his selection as the lead in Take a Giant Step, Johnny Nash had made a name for himself as a singer, appearing on The Arthur Godfrey Show . Nash said that he was told that Burt Lancaster saw him on television, thought he would be right for the part and had him brought in to audition. Nash acknowledged that the story sounded like it might be "a press agent's dream", but said that he liked the story so much, he preferred to just accept it, rather than ever ask Lancaster whether it was true. [2] Frederick O'Neal, Beah Richards and Estelle Hemsley had all performed in the stage version of Take a Giant Step, prior to being cast in the film.

Reception

Once the film wrapped, United Artists had difficulty distributing it due to objections over its content. The film's full release was delayed into the middle of 1960, and it was re-edited and censored. [3] Once released, the film was negatively reviewed by The New York Times as an "unworthy film" that handled the lead character's problems "in a clumsy, shoddy fashion". The review credited Nash with an "earnest" performance, but stated that he lacked "poignancy". Supporting actress Ruby Dee was praised as "sensible and sympathetic". Aside from these points, the review was sharply critical of the script, directing, and acting performances. [4] However, Hemsley received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance.

Related Research Articles

Johnny Nash American singer-songwriter

John Lester Nash Jr. was an American singer-songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now". Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston.

LisaGay Hamilton American actress

LisaGay Hamilton is an American actress who has portrayed roles in films, television, and on stage. She is best known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice (1997–2003). She also portrayed Melissa Thoreau on the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age (2009-2011), Celia Jones on the Netflix series House of Cards (2016), Suzanne Simms on the Hulu series Chance (2016), and Kayla Price on the Hulu series The First (2018).

Ossie Davis American actor, director, writer, and activist

Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame; were awarded the National Medal of Arts and were recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. He was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994.

<i>Purlie</i> Broadway musical

Purlie is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis's 1961 play Purlie Victorious, which was later made into the 1963 film Gone Are the Days! and which included many of the original Broadway cast, including Davis, Ruby Dee, Alan Alda, Beah Richards, Godfrey Cambridge, and Sorrell Booke.

Ruby Dee American actress

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. She originated the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun (1961). Her other notable film roles include The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) and Do the Right Thing (1989).

Beah Richards American writer

Beulah Elizabeth Richardson, known professionally as Beah Richards, was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was also a poet, playwright, author and activist.

<i>No Way Out</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

No Way Out is a 1950 American film noir directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and starring Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Sidney Poitier and Stephen McNally, who portrays a doctor tending to slum residents whose ethics are tested when confronted with racism, personified by Widmark as the hateful robber Ray Biddle.

Ruby Allen Fictional character from EastEnders

Ruby Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Louisa Lytton from 18 March 2005 to 23 November 2006, and then again from 18 September 2018 to 17 September 2021. The character and casting were announced in February 2005, and Ruby was introduced in March that year by producer Kathleen Hutchison. She was featured in storylines surrounding her gangland father Johnny Allen, with whom she shared a problematic relationship with due to his criminal lifestyle. Other storylines included a close friendship with Stacey Slater, and an engagement to Stacey's brother Sean - which affected their friendship. In July 2006, Lytton was axed from the show due to limited possibilities for the character following her on-screen father's departure, and Ruby departed on 23 November 2006.

<i>Back in Black</i> (novel)

Back in Black is the fifth novel in the A-List series by Zoey Dean. It was released in 2005 through Megan Tingley Publishers.

<i>As Summers Die</i>

As Summers Die is a 1986 American made-for-television drama film starring Scott Glenn, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bette Davis and Beah Richards, directed by Jean-Claude Tramont. The film is loosely based on Winston Groom's 1980 novel of the same name about greed, bigotry and justice in late 1950s segregationist southern Louisiana. It was filmed in Quitman, Georgia and premiered on HBO on May 18, 1986. This is last television film produced by HBO Premiere Films before folden into HBO Pictures, the next HBO Premiere Films' should be Apology. It was later released on VHS by HBO/Cannon Video.

<i>Uptight</i> (film) 1968 film

Uptight is a 1968 American drama film directed by Jules Dassin. It was intended as an updated version of John Ford's 1935 film The Informer, based on the book of the same name by Liam O'Flaherty, but the setting was transposed from Dublin to Cleveland. The soundtrack was performed by Booker T. & the MG's. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. is used as a backdrop for the film's fictional narrative.

No Place to Hide is a 1973 American thriller film directed by Robert Allen Schnitzer and starring Sylvester Stallone. The film is about New York in the late 1960s; a politically motivated group of students plans bombings of company offices who do business with dictators in Central American countries. But when they contact a known terrorist and bombing specialist, the FBI gets on their track. The film was re-cut and re-released as Rebel with greater emphasis on Stallone's character after he rose to fame. In 1990, the film was again re-edited, this time as a comedy, and released under the title A Man Called... Rainbo.

Diane OConnor Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Diane Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Fletcher. In 2010, Hollyoaks series producer, Paul Marquess, embarked on the show's rejuvenation and axed a number of cast members. To compensate for the departures, the character of Diane and her family were created and introduced. Fletcher's casting was announced in June 2010 and she began filming her scenes in the same month. The actress said working on the show is practical as she does not have to relocate. She made her first on-screen appearance on 1 September 2010. Diane was introduced with her husband, Rob and stepchildren, Sinead and Finn. The O'Connors were one of three families introduced throughout the year.

Louis S. Peterson American playwright, professor (1922–1998)

Louis Stamford Peterson was an American playwright, actor, screenwriter, and professor. He was an American playwright and the first African-American playwright to have a dramatic play produced on Broadway. He was also one of the first African-American writers to be nominated for an Emmy Award.

<i>Lost Honeymoon</i> 1947 film by Leigh Jason

Lost Honeymoon is a 1947 American screwball comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Franchot Tone, Ann Richards and Tom Conway. The working title of the film was Amy Comes Across.

Estelle Hemsley American actress

Estelle Hemsley was a prominent early African American actress of stage and screen. She appeared in the stage and screen versions of Take a Giant Step, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the 1959 movie directed by Philip Leacock. Her other notable film roles include playing Grandmother Topouzoglou in Elia Kazan's 1963 movie America, America, the role of Cla-Cla in Mel Ferrer's 1959 film Green Mansions, the mother of Ruby Dee in Edge of the City (1957), and Catherine in Robert Mulligan's 1965 movie Baby the Rain Must Fall.

The Scapegoat is a British film adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1957 novel of the same name. The drama is written and directed by Charles Sturridge and stars Matthew Rhys as lookalike characters John Standing and Johnny Spence. It was broadcast on ITV on 9 September 2012.

<i>Hansel & Gretel</i> (2013 film) 2013 film by Anthony C. Ferrante

Hansel & Gretel is a 2013 American horror film produced by The Asylum and directed by Anthony C. Ferrante that stars Dee Wallace, Brent Lydic and Stephanie Greco. While the film is considered a "mockbuster", intended to capitalize on the release of Paramount and MGM's film Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, it is a modern retelling of the Brothers Grimm fairytale of the same name.

"Tiny" is the 13th episode of the second season of the American ABC fantasy/drama television series Once Upon a Time, and the show's 35th episode overall, which aired on February 10, 2013.

Gone Are the Days! is a 1963 American comedy-drama film starring Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee and Godfrey Cambridge. It is based on the 1961 Broadway play Purlie Victorious, which was written by Davis. Davis, Dee, Cambridge, Beah Richards, Alan Alda and Sorrell Booke reprised their roles from the play. This was also Alda's film debut.

References

  1. Reid, Mark A. “Take a Giant Step. A Raisin in the Sun; The U.S. Black Family Film". Jump Cut; A Review of Contemporary Media. No. 36. May 1991. Pages 81-88.
  2. (1960, June 4). "Singing Not Enough for Nash the Actor", The Spokesman-Review
  3. Stern, Harold. (1960, June 4). "Nash Takes 'Giant Step'", The Milwaukee Sentinel
  4. Crowther, Bosley. (1961, March 6). "Confused Hero: Johnny Nash Has Lead in 'Take a Giant Step'", The New York Times