Five on the Black Hand Side
| Five on the Black Hand Side | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Oscar Williams |
| Produced by |
Brock Peters Michael Tolan |
| Starring |
Clarice Taylor Leonard Jackson Virginia Capers Glynn Turman Bonnie Banfield D'Urville Martin |
| Music by | H.B. Barnum |
| Cinematography | Gene Polito |
| Edited by | Michael Economou |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release dates | October 25, 1973 |
Running time | 96 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200,000 |
Five on the Black Hand Side is a 1973 comedy film based on the play by Charlie L. Russell. It was shot in Los Angeles, California. Leonard Jackson appeared as John Henry Brooks.[1] He was cast in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple fifteen years later. Tagline: "You've been coffy-tized, blacula-rized and super-flied - but now you're gonna be glorified, unified and filled-with-pride... when you see Five on the Black Hand Side."
Plot
During the weekend of her daughter's wedding, Mrs. Gladys Ann Brooks, a meek wife (played by Clarice Taylor) and her three children; Gideon Brooks (Glynn Turman), Booker T. Washington-Brooks (D'Urville Martin), and Gail Brooks (Bonnie Banfield) finally decides to stand up to their overbearing husband and father Mr. John Henry Brooks Jr. (Leonard Jackson) who displays retrogressive behavior.
In pop culture
This relationship between the two parents in this movie got parodied in a skit of the same name on the comedy series In Living Color. The film went into limited release in theaters, but helped launch the careers of Glynn Turman and Ja'net DuBois: he did films and TV, landing mostly African-American characters, leading to the role of Bradford Taylor on the TV Show A Different World and she became famous as Willona on the TV hit Good Times.
Cast
- Clarice Taylor - Mrs. Gladys Ann Brooks
- Leonard Jackson - Mr. John Henry Brooks Jr.
- Virginia Capers - Ruby
- Glynn Turman - Gideon Brooks
- D'Urville Martin - Booker T. Washington Brooks
- Dick Anthony Williams - Preston (as Richard Williams)
- Sonny Jim Gaines - Sweetmeat (as Sonny Jim)
- Ja'net DuBois - Stormy Monday
- Bonnie Banfield - Gail Brooks
- Carl Franklin - Marvin
- Dick Anthony Williams - Preston
- Godfrey Cambridge - Himself
External links
- Five on the Black Hand Side at AllMovie
- Five on the Black Hand Side at IMDB
- Five on the Black Hand Side at TCM
References
- ↑ WEILER, A. H. "Movies-Five on the Black Hand Side". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2012.