Take a Giant Step

Continuing the reviews of African-Americans in film in chronological order for Black History Month, we're once again at 1959 when an 18-year-old Johnny Nash played a frustrated black teenager in a mostly white neighborhood who gets expelled from school because of troubles with his history teacher and smoking in the rest room. When he comes home he tells his "Gram" (Estelle Hemsley) what happened and decides to run away than face his parents Lem (Frederick O'Neal) and May (Beah Richards). I'll stop there and just say what a revelation it is, having previously known Nash as just the singer of the hit song "I Can See Clearly Now" from the early '70s, to see him here acting up a storm with so many of his veteran supporting cast. Of them, Ms. Hemsley, O'Neal, and Ms. Richards convincingly convey the struggles they all experienced moving from a poor neighborhood to the middle class one they now inhabit with Ms. Hemsley especially showing what a wise and outspoken woman she can be. She's definitely one you wouldn't want to mess with, that's for sure! Other worthy performances worth noting include Ruby Dee as the maid Christine when she opens up to Spence (Nash's character) about her background and Paulene Myers as the prostitute Violet who didn't realize how young he was when she invited him to her place. So in summary, Take a Giant Step is well worth seeing. P.S. Other people of color that appeared here include: Frances Foster, Royce Wallace, Bernie Hamilton, Smoki Whitfield, Ellen Holly in another good turn as barfly Carol, Roy Glenn as a minister, and Bill Walker as Frank the bartender. The last one would eventually have lasting fame as the Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird when he told the daughter of Atticus Finch, "Jean Louise, stand up. Your father is passing." Oh, and since I always like citing any performer with a connection to my current home state of Louisiana, Ms. Richards was a graduate of New Orleans' Dillard University.

Restless black kid in a mostly-white small town wrestles with the values he's been taught by his working parents, whose kowtowing to the whites has left their son combative and surly (add to this a normal siege of hormones for a 17-year old boy, and the picture nearly becomes a race-reversal variation of "Rebel Without a Cause"). Handsome, clean-cut Johnny Nash is very good as the troubled youngster who, in a silent pantomime, stands up to his teacher over lessons involving the Civil War; however, the dialogue from screenwriters Julius J. Epstein and Louis S. Peterson, adapting Peterson's play, alternates between frank and occasionally very awkward. The writers get the action off to a false start with an argument between the kid and his dying grandmother (nothing substantial gets said because the characters keep answering each other's questions with more questions). After Nash chats up some prostitutes and returns home with beer on his breath, the film takes on the shape of any number of teens-in-trouble co-features. The fact that race is the central issue doesn't exactly make the film more relevant or even an anomaly--it's more of a novelty. ** from ****

I wanted to like this movie, as I'm becoming aware of the many Hollywood movies which were ahead of their time. In a large respect, this movie did so when exploring the many problems a black family would have in a predominately white neighborhood in the 50's. However, when portraying Johnny Nash as a teenager exploring the underbelly of the city, the dialogue bogged down and it wasn't believable. So mine is a blended rating

What a delightful movie about some of the issues facing Black Americans (adults as well as youth) in American society. This landmark film not only tells the story of Spence (portrayed by popular era crooner Johnny Nash) and his family as they strive to maintain or advance in a racially turbulent 1950's era America but, tells bits and pieces of our own stories as well.

Nash's portrayal of Spence, being pulled in various directions was insightful and brilliant. It brought back memories for me (some not so fond) and had me reflecting on similar dilemmas of my youth (social role confusion or ambiguity, self concept and identity, the true meaning of friendship, integrity and the price we pay for standing up for what was right, the concept of "the mask," and the challenge of walking between two worlds).

This movie was also a coming of age story for Spence as he tried to navigate "head on" through complex socio-sexual and racial issues that the adults around him routinely sought to ignore, downplay, or tolerate. At the same time, he was grappling with issues of manhood (while not knowing exactly what that meant).

Interestingly enough, the major black adult characters held an almost child-like status within this racially charged society. It was clear that the social imprint made its mark. These characters knew exactly how to smile in order to keep the peace, take insults with grace, and grin in order not to offend even though they were hurting inside. They knew exactly where their "place" was and warned Spence to stay in his.

Despite this posture, it becomes clear that the black adults in his life were just as conflicted, angry, lost and perplexed as Spence was but dare not show it. "Grandma," was a delightful exception and departure from this social stance. I found her rebellious nature refreshing. Moreover, these supporting characters were slightly less developed in the story-line than Spence.

The movie surprised me when it addressed the sexual tension between Spence and the female housemaid (portrayed to perfection by Ruby Dee). The issue of a sexual relationship between a young black man and an older black woman was clearly taboo for the time period when this film originally aired. Of course, the movie could have never gone as far as "How Stella got her Groove Back." However, it did introduce this topic area and subsequently, handled it "diplomatically." It was clear that those two would be together at some point in the film (again, somewhat risqué for the times). It was refreshing to see that it at least did not shy away from this controversy.

I found this movie to be a fascinating "Tour de France" through the rapidly unpredictable twists and turns of socio-sexuality and racial expectations, power concepts, and self-identity which many within minority communities still grapple with today.

I view this as a "thinking man's movie" in that it leaves you with things to ponder. I appreciate that in a film. It is clearly rare among today's films. To me, this movie looms as a refreshing reminder, a confirmation that, with very few exceptions and under current conditions, the very best of nearly everything: the arts, TV, literature, cinema and music is behind us. This movie earns TEN stars...

I agree this was a similar story to "Rebel Without a Cause" in that as a disaffected and displaced teen, Nash is angry but doesn't know at what, specifically.

The scenes with the grandmother are nice, as when he pours her a glass of beer. Their relationship could have been more elaborated for the audience.

The scenes where he is in a bar, meets some call girls, and actually visits one in her apartment then borrowing $2.00 for bus fare. It is about his curiosity, boredom with middle class life. He lives in, at that time an all white neighborhood, and finds the lifestyle predictable and boring.

Look for Beah Richards, and Ruby Dee is excellent. Overall worth viewing, Original and refreshing presentation. 9/10.