Main Cast: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Tamu, David Kruger
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 92 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
Claudine (Diahann Carroll) is an impoverished African-American Harlem resident. Unmarried, Claudine supports herself and her six children by working as a maid--albeit secretly, so she can still qualify for welfare. Garbageman James Earl Jones falls in love with Claudine, and after strenuous effort manages to win the affections of her suspicious kids. Just when it seems as though there's a marriage in the offing, Jones runs off. Claudine's kids hunt him down and shame him into returning to their mother. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The early '70s are remembered for the flowering of the so-called blaxploitation films, the action pictures that gave urban audiences a new set of screen heroes to cheer for. But there were also more serious films produced at the time about African-Americans, too -- Lady Sings the Blues, Sounder, and this heartfelt drama about a single mother finding romance with a burly garbage man. Roop (James Earl Jones) is no knight in shining armor, however. He is supporting wives and children from two previous marriages, and his motives for romancing Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll) don't run to commitment and further responsibilities. Claudine hides her employment as a domestic, plus Roop's presence and presents, from her welfare worker, knowing that discovery of any of them will reduce her payments. The film also tries to deal with oldest son Charles' (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) growing political militancy and oldest daughter Charlene's (Tamu) budding adolescence. Although it's unclear what Charles and his cohorts are fighting for, Charlene's personal (and predictable) crisis precipitates one of the film's strongest scenes, a violent confrontation with her mother. The subtext here is the return to American filmmaking of blacklisted director John Berry. The subject of minorities struggling for a sense of dignity is clearly one that would engage his sympathies, but he is saddled with a script that is by turns repetitious and sketchy, and the film's hasty wrap-up looks like the filmmakers either ran out of money or time. However, both leads are strong and believable, and as Charles, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs has some memorably brooding moments. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
Yvette Curtis - Patrice; Carolyn Adams - Dance Teacher; Terry Alexander - Teddy; Bernard Barrow - Mr. Winograd; David Blackwell - Delivery Boy; Bill Bressant - Cop #2; Art Evans - Young Brother; Stefan Gierasch - Sanitation Foreman; Mordecai Lawner - Process Server; Bob Scarantino - Cop; Socorro Stephens - Lurlene; Adam Wade - Owen; Ralph Wilcox - Young Brother; Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs - Charles; Eric Jones - Francis; Roxie Roker - Mrs. Winston; Joan Kaye - Mrs. Winograd; Lee Dupree - Young Brother; Sandi Franklin - Prostitute; Elisa Loti - Miss Kabak; Tim Pelt - Cool Cat; C. Harrison Avery - Minister; Lil Henderson - Bus Woman #3; Charles Cleveland - Dice Man; Reverend Carlton Coleman - Gospel Leader; Judy Mills - Bus Woman #1; Yvonne Sutherland - Bus Woman #4; Jay Van Leer - Bar Woman; Alyce Webb - Bus Woman #2
Credit
Ben Kasazkow - Art Director, Bernard Johnson - Costume Designer, Burt Bluestein - First Assistant Director, John Berry - Director, Luis San Andres - Editor, Curtis Mayfield - Composer (Music Score), Ted Haworth - Production Designer, Gayne Rescher - Cinematographer, Hannah Weinstein - Producer, Edward S. Haworth - Set Designer, Paul Vogt - Set Designer, Al Gramaglia - Sound/Sound Designer, Tina Pine - Screenwriter, Les Pine - Screenwriter
Claudine is a 1974 American 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.
The film tells the story of Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll), a single BlackHarlem 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.
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 BillboardPop Singles Chart in 1974.
The final shot of Claudine and her family walking together with Roop was filmed several weeks after principal photography.
Actor Ivan Dixon of Hogan's Heroes and Car Wash fame can be seen toward the end of the film in the crowd that follows Claudine as she hops into the police truck. He is wearing a red shirt. Dixon was a long time friend of Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones.
