Go Man Go (film)
Go, Man, Go! is a 1954 sports film directed by James Wong Howe, starring Dane Clark, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Patricia Breslin, The Harlem Globetrotters and Slim Gaillard. Clark plays Abe Saperstein, the organizer of the Globetrotters. Poitier's character is Inman Jackson, the team's showboating center. Breslin plays Sylvia Saperstein, the love interest, and Abe's daughter. Gaillard plays himself.
Go, Man, Go! | |
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1954 Theatrical Poster | |
Directed by | James Wong Howe |
Produced by | Alfred Palca |
Written by | Alfred Palca |
Starring | Dane Clark Sidney Poitier Ruby Dee The Harlem Globetrotters Patricia Breslin |
Music by | Alex North |
Cinematography | William O. Steiner |
Edited by | Faith Elliott |
Production company | Sirod Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film tracks the Globetrotters from humble beginnings through a triumph over a major-league basketball team, as they struggle to overcome racial discrimination. Actual Harlem Globetrotter players portray the team in basketball action throughout the picture.[1] The friendship between Saperstein and Jackson, and their wives, is an important storyline.[2]
Hollywood blacklist
Screenwriter and producer Alfred Palca was accused by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1953 of being a Communist. He refused to cooperate with their investigations. No distributor was willing to release the film with his name credited, so he gave the producing credit to his brother-in-law, Anton M. Leader, and the screenwriting credit to his cousin, Arnold Becker, a pediatrician. He never worked in the film industry again. According to Palca, the F.B.I. saw his casting of Poitier as further evidence of his Communism.[3]
Reception
Bosley Crowther, reviewing the film for The New York Times, observed, "This is the second little picture in which the Globetrotters have been starred. The encore is not excessive. They still give an entertaining show."[4]
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2006: AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers – Nominated[5]
References
- Crowther, Bosley (March 10, 1954). "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; Harlem Globetrotters Perform in a Sports Romance, 'Go, Man, Go!' at the Globe". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- Brennan, Sandra. "Go, Man, Go!". Allmovie. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- Weber, Bruce (August 20, 1997). "Four Decades After He Was Blacklisted, A Writer-Producer Finally Gets Credit". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
- https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A01E2DE1738E23BBC4852DFB566838F649EDE
- "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-08-14.