Little Richard (2000)

Directed by

Robert Townsend

Genre

drama film, biographical film

Country

United States

Rated

PG-13

Rating

6.6 of 10 from 15 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A biographical TV film about the rise of musician Little Richard from a poor childhood in Georgia to rock and roll stardom. It shows his struggle between his religious faith and his secular music career.

biographicaldramaticinspirationalemotionalconflictedfast-pacednostalgicuplifting

What happens

Little Richard is a 2000 American biographical television film written by Bill Kerby and Daniel Taplitz and directed by Robert Townsend. The film premiered on NBC on February 20, 2000. Based on the 1984 book, Quasar of Rock: The Life and Times of Little Richard, it chronicles the rise of American musical icon Little Richard from his poor upbringing in Macon, Georgia to achieving superstardom as one of the pioneers of rock and roll music and his conflicts between his religion and secular lifestyle, which leads to an early retirement following a 1957 tour of Australia, and later a comeback to secular performing during a concert in London in 1962. The cast includes Leon as Little Richard Penniman, Jenifer Lewis as Richard's mother Leva Mae, or as she's listed in the movie credits, Muh Penniman, Carl Lumbly as Richard's stern father, Charles "Bud" Penniman, Tamala Jones as Richard's girlfriend Lucille (actually Audrey Robinson), Garrett Morris as Richard's preacher Carl Rainey and Mel Jackson as producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell. For his role as Penniman, Leon earned nominations for Best Actor in the Black Reel Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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