For Love of Ivy
For Love of Ivy | |
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Palomar Pictures | |
Distributed by | Cinerama Releasing Corporation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2,590,000[1] |
Box office | $7,270,000[1] |
For Love of Ivy is a 1968 American
Plot
Ivy Moore, a 27-year-old African-American woman, has worked as a maid for the department store owning Austin family of
The Austins are desperate to keep her, and the teenagers, Gena and Tim, hatch a scheme to do so. Tim Austin sets up Ivy with Jack Parks, a trucking company executive, to wine and dine Ivy. Tim hopes that the introduction of excitement in her life will dissuade her from leaving the family.
Tim persuades a reluctant Parks to date Ivy, and applies pressure by threatening to reveal his illegal gambling casino, which operates at night in the back of a large, long-distance truck.
Their initial meetings are awkward for the cosmopolitan Parks and the less sophisticated Moore, as they go to a Japanese restaurant and a bohemian nightclub in Manhattan. Eventually, however, romance blossoms, but when Moore learns that Parks was coerced into initially dating her, she breaks up with him.
Parks overcomes his attachment to swinging bachelorhood and asks Moore to leave with him for New York City. She accepts. As they do so, they witness the illegal casino being pulled over and everyone inside arrested after the Austins had called the police.
Cast
- Sidney Poitier as Jack Parks
- Abbey Lincoln as Ivy Moore
- Beau Bridges as Tim Austin
- Nan Martin as Doris Austin
- Lauri Peters as Gena Austin
- Carroll O'Connor as Frank Austin
- Leon Bibb as Billy Talbot
- Hugh Hurd as Jerry
- Lon Satton as Harry
- Jennifer O'Neill as Sandy
- Paul Harris as Dealer
Response
The film opened to positive reviews and was liked by both black and white audiences. Many applauded the performances of Sidney Poitier and Abbey Lincoln, and they were popular romantic leads. Even
Box Office
The movie earned box-office rentals of $5,570,000 in North America[2] with $1.7 million coming from the rest of the world. After distribution fees, prints and advertising, and the negative cost were taken away, the film recorded a profit of $390,000.[1]
The film was released on Region 1 DVD by MGM Home Video January 20, 2004
Musical score and soundtrack
For Love of Ivy | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | March 1968 | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 39:47 | |||
Label | ABC ABCS-OC-7 | |||
Producer | Phil Ramone | |||
Quincy Jones chronology | ||||
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The film score was composed, arranged, and conducted by Quincy Jones, and the soundtrack album was released on the ABC Records label in 1968.[3][4] The title song performed by Shirley Horn, composed by Jones, with lyrics by Bob Russell, was released as a single by ABC Records.
Track listing
All compositions by Quincy Jones
- "Main Title — For Love of Ivy" − 2:50
- "Wheelin' and Dealin'" − 2:45
- "Little Hippy Dippy" − 4:25
- "Soul Motion" − 3:45
- "Somethin' Strange" − 2:59
- "Black Pearl" − 4:15
- "For Love of Ivy" − 2:57
- "You Put It On Me" (Lyrics by Maya Angelou) − 2:45
- "The B. B. Jones" (Lyrics by Maya Angelou) − 2:25
- "Messy But Good" − 2:35
- "My Side of the Sky" (Lyrics by Cashman, Pistilli & West) − 2:43
- "Don't You Believe It" (Lyrics by Cashman, Pistilli & West) − 2:29
- "End Title — For Love of Ivy" (Lyrics by Bob Russell) − 2:54
Personnel
- Unidentified orchestra arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones including
- vocals (tracks 8 and 9), guitar(track 10)
- Shirley Horn − vocals (track 13)
- Terry Cashman, Gene Pistilli & Tommy West − vocals (tracks 11 and 12)
Themes
The rich family will use any manipulation and blackmail to keep their domestic in a subordinate position, tracing significant racial overtones.
See also
References
- ^ a b c "ABC's 5 Years of Film Production Profits & Losses", Variety, 31 May 1973 p 3
- ^ "Big Rental Films of 1968", Variety, 8 January 1969 p 15. Please note this figure is a rental accruing to distributors.
- ^ Soundtrack Collector: album entry accessed January 19, 2018
- ^ Edwards, D. Eyries, P. & Callahan, M. ABC-Paramount Album Discography, Part 14: Soundtrack Series (1964-1970), accessed January 19, 2018