Go Man Go (film)

Go, Man, Go!
Go, Man, Go!
	1954 Theatrical Poster
Directed by	James Wong Howe
Written by	Alfred Palca
Produced by	Alfred Palca
Starring	Dane Clark; Sidney Poitier; Ruby Dee; The Harlem Globetrotters; Patricia Breslin
Cinematography	William O. Steiner
Edited by	Faith Elliott
Music by	Alex North
Production; company	Sirod Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	January 27, 1954;
Running time	82 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$300,000
Box office	$800,000 (US/Canada rental estimate)

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. Gaillard plays himself.

Plot

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

Dane Clark as Abe Saperstein
Patricia Breslin as Sylvia Franklin Saperstein
Sidney Poitier as Inman Jackson
Anatol Winogradoff as Papa Saperstein
Celia Brodkin as Mama Saperstein
Carol Sinclair as Fay Saperstein
Ellsworth Wright as Sam
Slim Gaillard as Himself
Frieda Altman as Ticket Seller
Mort Marshall as Master of Ceremonies
Jean Shore as Secretary
Reece 'Goose' Tatum as Himself, Harlem Globetrotter
'Sweetwater' Clifton as Himself, Harlem Globetrotter
Marques Haynes as Himself, Harlem Globetrotter
Bill Stern as Himself
Marty Glickman as Himself
Ruby Dee as Irma Jackson

Production

The film was cinematographer Howe's directorial debut. It was filmed at the Fox Movietone Studios and at Madison Square Garden in New York in 20 days.^[4]

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.^[5]

In 1997, a ceremony at the Academy Theatre honored blacklisted Hollywood writers and directors and restored Palca's writing credit for the film.^[6]

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."^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b "Rialto drops sexsational policy". Variety. 24 February 1954. p. 20.
^ ^a ^b 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.
^ "2 Factors Held Back Howe in N.Y. Filming of 'Go, Man, Go', 20-Day Biopic". Variety. August 19, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^ Weber, Bruce (August 20, 1997). "Four Decades After He Was Blacklisted, A Writer-Producer Finally Gets Credit". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
^ Smith, Dinitia (22 June 1998). "Alfred Palca, 78, Screenwriter Blacklisted After Basketball Film". The New York Times.

External links

Go, Man, Go! at IMDb
Go, Man, Go! at the TCM Movie Database
Go, Man, Go! at AllMovie

This article about a sports-related film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[var-1] "Rialto drops sexsational policy". Variety. 24 February 1954. p. 20.

[NY_Times_review-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] "2 Factors Held Back Howe in N.Y. Filming of 'Go, Man, Go', 20-Day Biopic". Variety. August 19, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved March 17, 2024 – via Internet Archive.

[5] Weber, Bruce (August 20, 1997). "Four Decades After He Was Blacklisted, A Writer-Producer Finally Gets Credit". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-04.

[6] Smith, Dinitia (22 June 1998). "Alfred Palca, 78, Screenwriter Blacklisted After Basketball Film". The New York Times.

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