Claudine

Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones (a close up in the promotional photo of the film)

Directed by
John Berry

Produced by
Hannah Weinstein

Written by
Lester Pine
Tina Pine

Starring
Diahann Carroll
James Earl Jones
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
Tamu Blackwell
David Kruger
Yvette Curtis
Socorro Stephens
Eric Jones
Adam Wade
Roxie Roker

Music by
Curtis Mayfield

Cinematography
Gayne Rescher

Editing by
Louis San Andres

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release date(s)
April 22, 1974 (U.S.)
October 15, 1974 (UK)
November 28, 1977 West Germany

Running time
92 mins

Country
USA

Language
English

Budget
$14 million

Gross revenue
$79 million

Claudine is a notable 1974 feature film produced by Third World Films and released to theatres by 20th Century Fox. Starring Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and King Coleman, Claudine was written by Lester Pine and Tina Pine, and directed by John Berry. It is noted for being one of the few mainstream films featuring a predominantly African-American cast that was not a blaxploitation film. The film was released on April 22, 1974, breaking the box office with a total of $79 million in its opening week.

Contents

• 1 Plot
• 2 Soundtrack
• 3 Awards
• 4 Cast
• 5 See also
• 6 External links

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Plot

The film tells the story of Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll), a single Black Harlem mother, living on welfare with six children, who finds love with a garbage collector, Rupert Marshall (James Earl Jones), who she calls “Roop”. The pair’s relationship becomes complicated because of a number of factors. Among these are that the couple do not want to marry because they would not be able to support the children without welfare, and that the kids themselves, particularly eldest son Charles (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), are apprehensive of Rupert, and believe that he will leave their mother just like her previous husbands and boyfriends.

Diahann Carroll portrays a welfare mother with six children in the 1974 film Claudine.

Soundtrack

Curtis Mayfield wrote and produced the film’s score and soundtrack, the vocals for which are performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips. The Claudine soundtrack was released on the group’s record label, Buddah Records, and the film’s theme song, “On & On”, was a #5 hit for Knight and the Pips on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart in 1974.

Awards

For her role in the film, Diahann Carroll was nominated for the Golden Globe award for Best Actress, and also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 1975 Academy Awards. The movie was nominated for the Writers Guild of America award for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen.

Cast

Actor
Role

Diahann Carroll
Claudine Price

James Earl Jones
Rupert “Roop” B. Marshall

Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
Charles Price (as Lawrence Hilton-Jacques)

Tamu Blackwell
Charlene Price

David Kruger
Paul Price

Yvette Curtis
Patrice Price

Eric Jones
Francis Price

Socorro Stephens
Lurlene Price

Adam Wade
Owen

Elisa Loti
Miss Kabak

Roxie Roker
Mrs. Winston

See also

Claudine (album) – soundtrack album with songs performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield

External links

• Claudine at the Internet Movie Database

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudine_(film)”
Categories: 1970s drama films | 1970s films | 1974 films | African American films | American films | Drama films | English-language films | Romance films