| The Temptations | |
| Directed by | Allan Arkush |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Jay Benson |
| Written by | Robert Johnson Kevin Arkadie |
| Starring | Charles Malik Whitfield D.B. Woodside Terron Brooks Christian Payton Tina Lifford Jenifer Lewis Gina Ravera Obba Babatunde J. August Richards Vanessa Bell Calloway Christopher Reid Mel Jackson Smokey Robinson Alan Rosenberg Leon Robinson |
| Music by | Smokey Robinson |
| Distributed by | NBC |
| Release date(s) | November 1, 1998 |
| Running time | 240 min. |
| Language | English |
The Temptations is a four-hour television miniseries broadcast in two-hour halves on NBC, based upon the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts, The Temptations. Executive produced by former Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, produced by Otis Williams and Temptations manager Shelley Berger, and based upon Williams’ Temptations autobiography, the miniseries was originally broadcast on November 1 and November 2, 1998. Allan Arkush was the miniseries’ director.
Contents |
Overview
The miniseries starred Charles Malik Whitfield as Otis Williams, Leon Robinson as David Ruffin, D. B. Woodside as Melvin Franklin, Terron Brooks as Eddie Kendricks, and Christian Payton as Paul Williams. Also featured were Charles Ley as Dennis Edwards, J. August Richards as Richard Street, Obba Babatunde as Berry Gordy, Vanessa Bell Calloway as Johnnie Mae Matthews, and Mel Jackson as Norman Whitfield.
As the miniseries was based upon Otis Williams’ book, it came from his perspective: the focus of the story tended to be on Williams and his best friend Melvin Franklin, with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks seen as antagonists for much of the second half (although Kendricks was still given a more sympathetic portrayal than Ruffin - Kendricks was even shown scolding Ruffin and later joking with the other Temptations about Ruffin's chronic lateness when they were preparing for their reunion tour, only to be surprised when he showed up early). Dennis Edwards was not heavily focused upon, nor was much said of the problems he later had with Otis Williams. In fact, the voice-over narration that introduced Edwards flatteringly stated that Edwards was much less trouble than Ruffin had been, although his infamous angry reaction to the first verse of "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" was featured. Nevertheless, the miniseries gave a general overview of both the history of the group and that of Motown, and, thanks to de Passe's connection, the film was able to use authentic props and locations.
A number of liberties were taken with factual events for dramatization purposes. For example, in the film, Melvin Franklin apparently dies in the kitchen of his mother's house. In reality, he died in the hospital after a long bout with diabetes and other diseases. As Franklin's death was still fresh in the minds of the miniseries’ creators (he died in 1995), it was decided that the miniseries would not present Franklin's death as it actually occurred. Also, David Ruffin was not found dead in the middle of a random street. Instead, he had died from a drug overdose and was taken to a hospital by his cheuffer.
Plot
The story begins with Otis Williams introducing himself along with the time and setting of the movie, around 1959 in Detroit, Michigan. After this he attends a concert with Elbridge "Al" Bryant.
Afterwards
The miniseries was a ratings success, and Arkush won a 1998 Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie. The miniseries has been subsequently rerun on the VH-1 cable television network and released to VHS and DVD. The VHS release notably omitted a few scenes which had previously aired on the television premiere. One such scene includes David Ruffin, clearly under the influence of drugs and his ego, becoming belligerent during a picnic celebration with the other members of the group. The removal of this scene is possibly due to the ensuing suit.
Otis Williams’ ex-wife Josephine, Melvin Franklin's mother Rose Franklin, and, on David Ruffin's behalf, the Ruffin family, filed suit against Williams, Motown, De Passe Entertainment, Hallmark Entertainment, and NBC for use of their likenesses in the film, defamation of character, and emotional distress because of the inaccurate depictions of events. They also alleged that the miniseries misportrayed them and/or their relatives and twisted facts. The judges ruled in favor of the defendants, and the ruling was upheld when the plaintiffs appealed in 2001. Otis Williams later claimed that while his book was the source material for the film, he did not have a great deal of control over how the material was presented.
Full Cast
- Charles Malik Whitfield ... Otis Williams
- D.B. Woodside ... Melvin Franklin
- Terron Brooks ... Eddie Kendricks
- Christian Payton ... Paul Williams
- Leon Robinson ... David Ruffin
- Alan Rosenberg ... Shelly Berger
- Tina Lifford ... Haze
- Jenifer Lewis ... Mama Rose
- Gina Ravera ... Josephine
- Obba Babatundé ... Berry Gordy
- Erik Michael Tristan ... Young Smokey Robinson
- J. August Richards ... Richard Street
- Harold Surratt ... Edgar
- Charles Ley ... Dennis Edwards
- Vanessa Bell Calloway ... Johnnie Mae Matthews
- Mel Jackson ... Norman Whitfield
- Rhonda Ross Kendrick ... Maxine
- Vincent A. Ponder ... James 'Pee-Wee' Crawford
- Chaz Lamar Shepherd ... Elbridge 'Al' Bryant
- Stevland Parks ... Lamont, age 12
- Christopher Reid ... Joltin' Joe
- Chrystal Bates ... Mrs. Rogers
- Bianca Lawson ... Diana Ross
- Melissa Mercedes Cardello ... Florence Ballard
- Taifa Harris ... Mary Wilson
- N'Tasha A. Pierre ... Martha Reeves
- Ricky Fante ... Marvin Gaye
- Russell Clark ... Cholly Atkins
- Adam Lazarre-White ... Flynn
- Benjamin J. Cain Jr. ... Glenn Leonard
- Peter Anthony
- Tommy Lafitte ... Drug Dealer
- Lamman Rucker ... Jimmy Ruffin
- Nyjah Moore ... Tammi Terrell
- Jonnie Brown ... Damon Harris
- Ronnie Beasley ... The Voice Masters
- Stephanie Bertoni ... Various characters
- Thomas Martell Brimm ... Barber
- Albridge Bryant ... (archive sound) (also as The Temptations)
- Ezra S. Coles ... The Voice Masters
- Marcel Curges ... The Cadillacs
- Anthony Dixon ... The Cadillacs
- Dennis Edwards ... (archive sound) (also as The Temptations)
- Melvin Franklin ... (archive sound) (also as The Temptations)
- Michael Fullmer
- Shelly Hall ... Grocery Lady
- Shelton Hall ... Allan age 8
- Tony Haris ... Principal Dancer
- Eric Hersh ... Concert Member
- Amanda Iwanonkiw ... Family friend
- Jesse Iwanonkiw ... FAMILY FRIEND
- Eddie Kendricks ... (archive sound)
- Robert Knowles ... The Cadillacs
- Mandell Loman ... The Voice Masters
- Larry John Meyers ... Dr. Klein
- Martha Reeves ... (archive sound)
- Smokey Robinson ... Himself
- Thomas Ross ... The Cadillacs
- David Ruffin ... Man in Coppa Cabana (archive sound) (also as The Temptations)
- Tim Stevens ... Hall of Fame Presenter
- Richard Street ... (archive sound) (also as The Temptations)
- Maurice Walker ... The Voice Masters
- James R. Whittington ... The Cadillacs
- Otis Williams ... (archive sound)
- Paul Williams ... (archive sound)
- Carl Clemons ... Motown family member (uncredited)
- John W. Iwanonkiw ... Singing cop (uncredited)
- Diondre Jones ... Lamont - age 18 (uncredited)
- Jason David McFadden ... Student On Sidewalk (uncredited)
- Aisha Renée Moore ... School girl (uncredited)
- Franklin Westbrooks ... Trumpet player (uncredited)
- John Yost ... Visiting Friend (uncredited)
Awards
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Motion Picture Sound Editors | Won | Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Music | Kevin Crehan (music editor) and Tom Villano (music and scoring editor) (For episode "Night One") |
| Best Sound Editing - Television Mini-Series - Dialogue & ADR | Suzanne Angel, Mark Friedgen, G. Michael Graham, Anton Holden, Kristi Johns, Mark R. La Pointe, Michael Lyle, Scott A. Tinsley, and Tim Terusa (For episode "Night One") | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Television Movie or Mini-Series |
|
||
| Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Allan Arkush |
References
- Cheryl Ruffin-Steinback, et al. v. Suzanne de Passe, et al. Appeal filed September 28, 2001 in United States court of Appeals. Text available here.
- "Drama vs. Reality." Temptsinfo.com
External links
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