Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

Born: April 4, 1928
Died: May 28, 2014
in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.

Movies for Maya Angelou...

Why Is We Americans?
Title: Why Is We Americans?
Character: Self
Released: January 14, 2022
Type: Movie
The story focuses on Newark's Baraka family and its involvement in social activism, poetry, music, art and politics.
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A Song for Cesar: Beware a Movement That Sings
Title: A Song for Cesar: Beware a Movement That Sings
Character: Self
Released: October 14, 2021
Type: Movie
Song for Cesar is a documentary film with a unique view of the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez and the farmworker movement. The film tells a previously untold story about the musicians and artists who dedicated their time, creativity and even reputations to peacefully advance Cesar Chavez's movement to gain equality and justice for America's suffering farmworkers.
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Minha Bateria Está Fraca e Está Ficando Tarde
Title: Minha Bateria Está Fraca e Está Ficando Tarde
Character: herself
Released: December 3, 2020
Type: Movie
As the Sars-Covid 19 pandemic increased, Rubiane Maia was in Folkestone, England, and Tom Nobrega in Tarapoto, in the Peruvian Amazon. Both were surprised by the sudden need to cancel planned trips to Brazil, their homeland. The closed borders brought unusual situations and an unknown feeling of exile. As news from Brazil reaches the distance like rocks breaking their computer screens, blurring the line between what is personal and what is collective, the pair of friends share their bewilderment and try to find some resonance amid the overwhelming amount of information that floats the virtual space.
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Becky and the Birds
Title: Becky and the Birds
Character: Self (voice) (archive footage) (uncredited)
Released: July 5, 2018
Type: Movie
A short film based on the self-titled extended play album “Becky and the Birds” by Becky and the Birds (Thea Gustafsson).
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Words Are Things
Title: Words Are Things
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: June 20, 2018
Type: Movie
Some day we’ll be able to measure the power of words but in the meantime let’s be careful about the words we use.
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Mr. SOUL!
Title: Mr. SOUL!
Character: Self (archival footage)
Released: April 27, 2018
Type: Movie
On the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, one fearless black pioneer reconceived a Harlem Renaissance for a new era, ushering giants and rising stars of black American culture onto the national television stage. He was hip. He was smart. He was innovative, political, and gay. In his personal fight for social equality, this man ensured the Revolution would be televised. The man was Ellis Haizlip. The Revolution was soul!
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Title: The Nineties
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: July 9, 2017
Type: TV
Hit rewind and explore the most iconic moments and influential people of The Nineties, the decade that gave us the Internet, DVDs, and other cultural and political milestones.
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Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Title: Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Character: Herself (archive footage)
Released: October 14, 2016
Type: Movie
A celebration of Dr. Maya Angelou by weaving her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining civil rights moments. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her swinging soirees with Malcolm X in Ghana to her inaugural speech for President Bill Clinton, we are given special access to interviews with Dr. Angelou whose indelible charm and quick wit make it easy to love her.
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I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song
Title: I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song
Character: Self
Released: November 26, 2015
Type: Movie
I HOPE YOU DANCE: the power and spirit of song is the first full length documentary film to explore how one extraordinary song has transformed people's lives in profound, meaningful and sometimes startling ways. It is a film about hope, faith, optimism and the power of music to inspire and heal. The film highlights true stories of Love, Inspiration, Second Chances, Forgiveness and Miracles: A father who honors his daughter's memory by saving four lives through organ donation; a homeless shelter that teaches ballroom dancing, literally getting people back on their feet; a woman who miraculously recovers from a devastating spinal cord injury that should have killed her instantly; a couple who overcome the pain of their respective pasts to find love and redemption; two Nashville songwriters whose life experiences combine to create breathtaking piece of music for the ages.
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The Power of the Heart
Title: The Power of the Heart
Character: Self
Released: October 7, 2014
Type: Movie
From the director of ‘THE SECRET’ comes this unparalleled and life-changing film about the astonishing power and intelligence of your heart. Featuring some of the most inspiring and influential icons of our age including Paulo Coelho, Maya Angelou, Deepak Chopra, Isabel Allende, and Eckhart Tolle, ‘THE POWER OF THE HEART’ – which ties into a book of the same name – is an experience that will lead you to uncover... and rediscover... the treasure in your chest.
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Paul Simon: Under African Skies
Title: Paul Simon: Under African Skies
Character: Self
Released: May 11, 2012
Type: Movie
Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime. On the 25th anniversary of Paul Simon's GRACELAND, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger offers a glimpse at the controversy surrounding the decision to record the album in South Africa despite a UN boycott of the nation, which was aimed at ending apartheid. In the run-up to an eagerly anticipated reunion concert, Simon, Quincy Jones, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne, Harry Belafonte, Paul McCartney and others reflect on the decision to record with local artists in South Africa, and the cultural impact of the album that delivered such hits as "I Know What I Know" and "You Can Call Me Al."
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On the Shoulders of Giants
Title: On the Shoulders of Giants
Released: February 11, 2011
Type: Movie
The story of the Harlem Rens: the greatest basketball team you never heard of.
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One Night in Vegas
Title: One Night in Vegas
Character: Self
Released: September 7, 2010
Type: Movie
On the evening of Sept. 7, 1996, Mike Tyson, the WBC heavyweight champion, attempted to take Bruce Seldon’s WBA title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. At this point in his career, Tyson’s fights had become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon, where the ever present hype of the professional boxing scene would come face to face with the worlds of big business, Hollywood, and hip hop. Sitting ringside was controversial rapper Tupac Shakur. Shakur and Tyson were friends, a feeling of kinship linked them as each rose to stardom from poverty only to be thrown in prison. Following Tyson’s victory, Shakur and “Iron Mike” were to celebrate at an after party, but the rap star never arrived. Shakur was brutally gunned down later that night, and the scene in Las Vegas quickly turned from would-be celebratory revelry to ill fated and inopportune tragedy.
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Good Hair
Title: Good Hair
Character: Herself
Released: October 9, 2009
Type: Movie
An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community.
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The Black Candle
Title: The Black Candle
Character: Herself (Narration)
Released: January 4, 2009
Type: Movie
The origins of Kwanzaa and the seven principles upon which the pan-African holiday derives its meaning are explored in this fascinating documentary. Narrated by Maya Angelou.
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Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
Title: Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed
Character: Herself
Released: February 23, 2008
Type: Movie
An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of White sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis's patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of Louis by the IRS for the following 15 years. In his last years, he's a casino greeter, a drug user, and the occasional object of scorn for young Turks like Muhammad Ali. Appreciative comment comes from boxing scholars, Louis's son Joe Jr., friends, and icons like Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Bill Cosby.
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Madea's Family Reunion
Title: Madea's Family Reunion
Character: May
Released: February 24, 2006
Type: Movie
Based upon Tyler Perry's acclaimed stage production, Madea's Family Reunion continues the adventures of Southern matriarch Madea. She has just been court ordered to be in charge of Nikki, a rebellious runaway, her nieces, Lisa and Vanessa, are suffering relationship trouble, and through it all, she has to organize her family reunion.
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Title: Iconoclasts
Character: Self
Released: November 17, 2005
Type: TV
Iconoclasts is a Sundance Channel show. Each episode pairs two "creative visionaries" who discuss their lives, influences, and art, most of whom are longtime friends with the other person featured in the episode. The series premiered on November 17, 2005, and has had six six-episode seasons.
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Title: America Beyond the Color Line
Character: Self
Released: February 3, 2004
Type: TV
Henry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard's chair of Afro-American Studies, travels the length and breadth of the United States to take the temperature of black America at the start of the new century. He explores this rich and diverse landscape, social as well as geographic, and meets the people who are defining black America, from the most famous and influential to those at the grassroots.
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Sisters in Cinema
Title: Sisters in Cinema
Character: Self
Released: May 1, 2003
Type: Movie
Explores the careers of twenty black women working as film directors.
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The Unfinished Journey
Title: The Unfinished Journey
Character: Self
Released: December 31, 1999
Type: Movie
A short about American life and history produced for the millennium New Year's Eve celebration.
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Title: The Early Show
Character: Self
Released: November 1, 1999
Type: TV
The Early Show is an American morning television show which was broadcast by CBS from New York City from 1999 to 2012. The program aired live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday in the Eastern time zone; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones aired the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. The Saturday edition aired live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time as well, but a number of affiliates did not carry it or aired it later on tape-delay. It premiered on November 1, 1999, and was the newest of the major networks' morning shows, although CBS has made several attempts to program in the morning slot since 1954. The show aired as a division of CBS News. The Early Show, like many of its predecessors, traditionally ran last in the ratings to its rivals, NBC's Today and ABC's Good Morning America. Much like NBC's The Today Show and The Tonight Show, the title The Early Show was analogous to that of CBS's late-night talk show, The Late Show. On November 15, 2011, CBS announced that a new morning show would replace The Early Show on January 9, 2012. CBS News chairman Jeff Fager and CBS News president David Rhodes stated that the new show would "redefine the morning television landscape." On December 1, it was announced that the new show would be titled CBS This Morning. The Early Show ended its twelve-year run on January 6, 2012, to make way for the program. Charlie Rose, Gayle King, and Erica Hill were named anchors of the new program.
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Quincy Jones...The First 50 Years
Title: Quincy Jones...The First 50 Years
Character: Self
Released: April 11, 1998
Type: Movie
The composer-arranger-producer is honored in a tribute taped in 1997.
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The Enchanted Island Madagascar: The Living Edens
Title: The Enchanted Island Madagascar: The Living Edens
Character: Narrator
Released: January 1, 1998
Type: Movie
Travel to the mysterious island that time forgot -- the island of Madagascar. Nestled in the tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Madagascar is an enchanting paradise where for eons nature has been left undisturbed. As you explore this pristine refuge, you'll discover a variety of dazzling plants and animals unique to Madagascar, because it evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. You'll soar over forested mountains, expansive plateaus and lush green rain-forests, encountering delightful leaping lemurs, colorful chameleons, exotic lizards, graceful ibis and breathtakingly beautiful butterflies -- did you know that there are over 3,200 species of butterflies on the island of Madagascar and, of those, over 2,900 can be seen only here? Witness close-up this primeval world's deepest secrets and closely guarded marvels and feel the power of this impressive island as never before.
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Title: The Gregory Hines Show
Character: Self
Released: September 15, 1997
Type: TV
The Gregory Hines Show is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS. The series premiered on Monday, September 15, 1997 before airing on September 19, 1997 as a part of the network's Block Party Friday night lineup. It ended its run on February 27, 1998 with 15 episodes aired, out of the 22 that were produced. It was the only show on the Block Party lineup that was not produced by Miller-Boyett Productions.
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Perfect Moment
Title: Perfect Moment
Character: Herself
Released: March 21, 1997
Type: Movie
In this documentary, artist-filmmaker Nicholas Hondrogen asks people to describe memorable moments of their lives. Some, such as Norman Lear and Indian activist Russell Means, talk about religion, while composer Philip Glass and film-producer Irwin Winkler discuss the births of their children. Pastor Jess Moody recalls WW II deaths of his friends, and artist Janice Blake remembers being raped.
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Sesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas
Title: Sesame Street: Elmo Saves Christmas
Character: Narrator (voice)
Released: December 24, 1996
Type: Movie
Can there be such a thing as too much Christmas? Find out... when a magical Christmas wish is granted and Elmo gets to see what the world would be like if every day were Christmas! You'll enjoy lots of songs and holiday cheer with Elmo and his new friend Lightning, the reindeer, and discover for yourself why Christmas is best kept to one day a year!
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Title: The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Character: Self
Released: June 10, 1996
Type: TV
The Rosie O'Donnell Show was an American daytime television talk show hosted and produced by actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell. It aired for six seasons from 1996 to 2002. Topics often discussed on the show include Broadway, children, extended families and charitable works, people and organizations. The show was based out of Studio 8G at NBC's Rockefeller Center studios in New York City, NY, USA and was produced and syndicated by KidRo Productions, Telepictures Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
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Title: Moesha
Released: January 23, 1996
Type: TV
Moesha was an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. It was originally ordered as a pilot for the CBS network's 1995-1996 television season, who rejected. It was then picked up by UPN, who aired it as a mid-season replacement. It went on to become the biggest success for the nascent network and one of the greatest hits over the course of the network's entire run.
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Angelou on Burns
Title: Angelou on Burns
Released: January 1, 1996
Type: Movie
This award-winning documentary tells the story of the American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou’s journey to Ayrshire to visit the birthplace of fellow poet Robert Burns​. As a child, Angelou read Burns’ work and discovered similarities between her own life and his, which she explores throughout this documentary, filmed at the time of the bicentenary of Burns’ death.
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How to Make an American Quilt
Title: How to Make an American Quilt
Character: Anna
Released: October 6, 1995
Type: Movie
Soon-to-be-wed graduate student Finn Dodd develops cold feet when she suspects her fiancé is cheating on her. In order to clear her head, Finn visits her grandmother, Hy, and great aunt, Glady Joe Cleary, in Grasse, Calif. There, Finn learns that Hy and Glady Joe are members of a group of passionate quilters, and over the course of her visit she is regaled with tales of love and life by women who have collected rich experiences and much wisdom.
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Title: Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
Character: Fairy Godmother (voice)
Released: March 12, 1995
Type: TV
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American anthology animated television series.
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Title: Touched by an Angel
Character: Clarice Mitchell
Released: September 21, 1994
Type: TV
Monica, an angel, is tasked with bringing guidance and messages from God to various people who are at a crossroads in their lives.
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Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Title: Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 18, 1994
Type: Movie
Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! was a 1994 TV special that aired on ABC to celebrate Sesame Street's 25th anniversary. It was originally broadcast on May 18, 1994. The show featured Joe Pesci (as Ronald Grump), Corbin Bernsen (as real estate attorney, Arnie), Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman (as a Worm TV hosts), John Goodman (as Tough Guy Helpline operator), Charles Grodin (as Chaz), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as reporter Kathie Lee Kathie), Rosie O'Donnell (as the Good Hope Fairy), Susan Sarandon (as Bitsy), Barbara Walters (reporting for 25/25), and Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford (as themselves).
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Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Title: Malcolm X: Make It Plain
Character: Self
Released: January 26, 1994
Type: Movie
Narrated by actress Alfre Woodard, this trenchant, eye-opening doc traces the radical civil rights leader’s life from his tumultuous childhood, through his rise in the ranks of the Nation of Islam, to his 1965 assassination.
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There Are No Children Here
Title: There Are No Children Here
Character: Lelia Mae
Released: November 28, 1993
Type: Movie
From Publishers Weekly The devastating story of brothers Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers, children of the Chicago ghetto, is powerfully told here by Kotlowitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter who first met the boys in 1985 when they were 10 and seven, respectively. Their family includes a mother, a frequently absent father, an older brother and younger triplets. We witness the horrors of growing up in an ill-maintained housing project tyrannized by drug gangs and where murders and shootings frequently occur.
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Title: Intimate Portrait
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: November 14, 1993
Type: TV
Intimate Portrait is a biographical television series on the Lifetime Television cable network focusing on different celebrities, which includes interviews with each subject. Among the people profiled were Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, Carly Simon, Jackie Kennedy, Katharine Hepburn, Carol Burnett, Tanya Tucker, and Marla Maples.
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Poetic Justice
Title: Poetic Justice
Character: Aunt June
Released: July 23, 1993
Type: Movie
Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to attend a convention because of her broken-down car, Justice gets a lift with her friend, Iesha, and Iesha's postal worker boyfriend, Chicago. Along for the ride is Chicago's co-worker, Lucky, to whom Justice grows close after some initial problems. But is she ready to open her heart again?
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Kindred Spirits: Contemporary African American Artists
Title: Kindred Spirits: Contemporary African American Artists
Character: Anchor
Released: February 3, 1992
Type: Movie
Contemporary African-American artists tell how their art and lives have been affected by African influences and their own experiences living as Black Americans in today's world. Writer/Professor, Maya Angelou expresses the black experience in words and poetry.
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James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Title: James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket
Character: Self
Released: August 14, 1989
Type: Movie
James Baldwin was at once a major 20th century American author, a Civil Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americans, black and white, to confront their shared racial tragedy.
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Aimé Césaire: The Mask of Words
Title: Aimé Césaire: The Mask of Words
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1987
Type: Movie
Aimé Césaire - Le Masque des mots is a portrait of the Martinican writer who calls himself a rebellious negro and for whom the poetic act represents an act of freedom.
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Title: American Masters
Character: Self
Released: June 23, 1986
Type: TV
American Masters is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and others who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the United States.
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Title: The Richard Pryor Show
Released: September 13, 1977
Type: TV
The Richard Pryor Show is an American comedy variety series starring Richard Pryor. It premiered on NBC on Tuesday, September 13, 1977 at 8 p.m. opposite ABC's popular television shows Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. The show was produced by Rocco Urbisci for Burt Sugarman Productions. It was conceived out of a special that Pryor did for NBC in May 1977. Because the special was a major hit, both critically and commercially, Pryor was given a chance to host and star in his own television show. TV Guide included the series in their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".
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The Richard Pryor Special?
Title: The Richard Pryor Special?
Character: Willie's Wife
Released: May 5, 1977
Type: Movie
Richard Pryor wanders around the NBC Studio, encountering various eccentrics. Meanwhile, the Reverend James L. White, the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada and others are taping their own segments.
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Title: Roots
Character: Nyo Boto
Released: January 23, 1977
Type: TV
The epic tale of celebrated Pulitzer-prize winning author Alex Haley's ancestors as portrayed in the acclaimed twelve hour mini-series Roots, was first told in his 1976 bestseller Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The docu-drama covers a period of history that begins in mid-1700s Gambia, West Africa and concludes during post-Civil War United States, over 100 years later. This 1977 miniseries eventually won 9 Emmy awards, a Golden Globe award, and a Peabody award, and still stands as the most watched miniseries in U.S. history.
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Title: Great Performances
Character: Self
Released: January 28, 1971
Type: TV
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
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Porgy and Bess
Title: Porgy and Bess
Character: Dancer
Released: June 24, 1959
Type: Movie
Set in the early 1900s in the fictional Catfish Row section of Charleston, South Carolina, which serves as home to a black fishing community, the story focuses on the titular characters, crippled beggar Porgy, who travels about in a goat-drawn cart, and the drug-addicted Bess, who lives with stevedore Crown, the local bully.
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Calypso Heat Wave
Title: Calypso Heat Wave
Released: September 22, 1957
Type: Movie
A jukebox operator helps promote a calypso craze.
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Title: Hallmark Hall of Fame
Character: Conjure woman
Released: December 24, 1951
Type: TV
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones. The series has received eighty Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes. Once a common practice in American television, it is the last remaining television program such that the title includes the name of the sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.