Go Man Go (film)

Go, Man, Go! is a 1954 American 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!
1954 Theatrical Poster
Directed byJames Wong Howe
Written byAlfred Palca
Produced byAlfred Palca
StarringDane Clark
Sidney Poitier
Ruby Dee
The Harlem Globetrotters
Patricia Breslin
CinematographyWilliam O. Steiner
Edited byFaith Elliott
Music byAlex North
Production
company
Sirod Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • January 27, 1954 (1954-01-27)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$300,000[1]
Box office$800,000 (domestic rental estimate)[1]

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.[2] The friendship between Saperstein and Jackson, and their wives, is an important storyline.[3]

Cast

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 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.[4]

In 1997, a ceremony at the Academy Theatre honored blacklisted Hollywood writers and directors and restored Palca's writing credit for the film.[5]

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."[6]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

See also

References
  1. "Rialto drops sexsational policy". Variety. 24 February 1954. p. 20.
  2. 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.
  3. Brennan, Sandra. "Go, Man, Go!". Allmovie. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  4. Weber, Bruce (August 20, 1997). "Four Decades After He Was Blacklisted, A Writer-Producer Finally Gets Credit". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
  5. Smith, Dinitia (22 June 1998). "Alfred Palca, 78, Screenwriter Blacklisted After Basketball Film". The New York Times.
  6. "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 31 March 2022.
  7. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers Nominees" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2016-08-14.


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