Lackawanna Blues (film)
| Lackawanna Blues | |
|---|---|
| Composer | Meshell Ndegeocello |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Halle Berry Vincent Cirrincione Ruben Santiago-Hudson Shelby Stone |
| Producer | Nellie Nugiel |
| Cinematography | Ivan Strasburg |
| Editor | Brian A. Kates |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | February 12, 2005 |
Lackawanna Blues is a drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. It aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. It is based on the play of the same name by Santiago-Hudson. Wolfe had commissioned the stage version.[1]
For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006.
Premise
Lackawanna Blues is the true story of Ruben Santiago Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York. He was raised by his father and mother and the neighborhood boarding house lady known as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby. Ruben was born in 1956 to his
Puerto Rican
father Ruben Santiago and his African-American mother Alean Hudson. His mother was too mentally unstable to take good care of him; residing in mental hospitals, Alean disappears and reappears throughout Ruben's life. His father stayed at Nanny's boarding house, but he was frequently not around due to working long hours or out looking for work. Nanny more or less took care of Ruben Jr. as a mother figure. The television movie depicts his life growing up there and the diverse characters that he meets during his and their stays at the boarding house.
Cast
- S. Epatha Merkerson as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby
- Hill Harper as Ruben Santiago Jr. as an adult
- Marcus Carl Franklin as Ruben Santiago Jr. as a boy, ages 7–10
- Jimmy Smits as Ruben Santiago Sr., Ruben's father
- Terrence Howard as Bill Crosby, Nanny's much younger husband
- Mos Defas The Bandleader
- Carmen Ejogo as Alean Hudson, Ruben's mother
- Louis Gossett Jr as Ol'lem Taylor, a retired Negro league baseballplayer
- Macy Gray as Pauline, a resident and Jimmy's girlfriend
- Michael K. Williams as Jimmy, a resident and Pauline's boyfriend
- Ernie Hudson as Dick Barrymore, a cabaret owner
- Delroy Lindo as Mr. Lucious, a resident
- Rosie Perez as Bertha, a hairdresser and resident
- Adina Porter as Ricky, a resident
- Jeffrey Wright as Small Paul
- Barry Shabaka Henley as Shakey Winfield, a resident and Nanny's cousin
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Freddie Cobbs, a World War II veteran
- Saul Williams as Lonnie, a resident and war veteran
- Liev Schreiber as Ulysses Ford, a social worker
- Julie Benz as Laura, an abused wife
- Henry Simmons as Jesse, Laura's abusive husband
- Patricia Wettig as Laura's Mother
- Ron Kellum as Fish Fry guest
- Robert Bradley as Otis McClanahan (credited as "Robert A. Bradley" in some sources)
The blind Detroit street singer Robert Bradley from the band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise appears in the film. He performs on-screen and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with Macy Gray).
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005
|
Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movie of the Week Casting | John Papsidera and Wendy O'Brien | Won | [2] |
| Humanitas Prize | 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Won | [3] | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | [4] | ||
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Marcus Carl Franklin | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Terrence Howard | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Macy Gray | Nominated | |||
| Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | George C. Wolfe | Nominated | |||
| Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Nominated | |||
| Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Won | ||||
| Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Meshell Ndegeocello | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated | ||||
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Shelby Stone, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Nellie Nugiel |
Nominated | [5] | |
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | |||
| Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | George C. Wolfe | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special | John Papsidera | Won | |||
| Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Charles Gregory Ross and Fay Kelly | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic) | Edna Sheen, Denise Pugh-Ruiz, and Karen Westerfield |
Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Susumu Tokunow, Rick Ash, and Adam Jenkins | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated | [6] | ||
| Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | S. Epatha Merkerson | Nominated | |||
| Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Nominated | [7] | ||
| Women's Image Network Awards | Actress in Made-for-TV Movie/Miniseries | S. Epatha Merkerson | Nominated | ||
2006
|
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards | Best TV Movie | Nominated | [8] | |
| American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television | Brian A. Kates | Won | [9] | |
| BET Awards | Best Actor | Terrence Howard | Won | [10] | |
| Black Reel Awards | Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series | Halle Berry and Vincent Cirrincione | Won | [11] | |
| Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series | George C. Wolfe | Won | |||
| Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | |||
| Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series | Terrence Howard | Nominated | |||
| Jeffrey Wright | Won | ||||
| Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series | Carmen Ejogo | Won | |||
| Rosie Perez | Nominated | ||||
| Adina Porter | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Mini-Series | Ruben Santiago-Hudson | Won | |||
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series | Susumu Tokunow, Rick Ash, and Adam Jenkins | Won | [12] | |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series | Hope Hanafin | Nominated | [13] | |
| Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries | George C. Wolfe | Won[a] | [14] | |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film
|
Nominated | [15] | ||
| Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | |||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing in Television Long Form – Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement |
Jon Mete, Michael Hertlein, and Paul Longstaffe | Won | [16] | |
| Gracie Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | [17] | |
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Feature | Nominated | [18] [19] | ||
| Best Female Lead | S. Epatha Merkerson | Nominated | |||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Won | [20] | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Terrence Howard | Won | |||
| Jeffrey Wright | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special | Carmen Ejogo | Won | |||
| Macy Gray | Nominated | ||||
| S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | ||||
| Rosie Perez | Nominated | ||||
| Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie | George C. Wolfe | Nominated | |||
| NAMIC Vision Awards | Best Drama | Won | |||
| Best Dramatic Performance | S. Epatha Merkerson | Nominated | |||
| National Board of Review Awards | Best Film or Mini-Series Made for Cable TV | Won | [21] | ||
| Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Shelby Stone, and Nellie Nugiel |
Nominated | [22] | |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie | S. Epatha Merkerson | Won | [23] | |
| Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Adapted | Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Based on his play | Nominated | [24] | |
Notes
- ^ Tied with Joseph Sargent for Warm Springs.
References
- ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2005-02-06), "Lost and Found In Lackawanna", New York Times
- ^ "2005 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved November 1, 2005.
- ^ "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ "9th Annual TV Awards (2005)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- ^ "Lackawanna Blues". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ "Nominees & Winners – Satellite™ Awards 2005 (10th Annual Satellite™ Awards)". International Press Academy. Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
- ^ "Alphabet tops TCA nominations". Variety. June 2, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Newcott, William R. (March 2006). ""Fifth Annual Movies for Grownups"". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 50–51.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ "Jamie Foxx leads BET nominees". Today. May 17, 2006.
- ^ "Black Reel Awards – Past Winners". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
- ^ "7th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "58th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ "Sound editors sing praise". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ "2006 Gracies Gala Winners". Gracie Awards. 24 October 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
- ^ "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
- ^ ""Brokeback," "Capote," "Crash," "Transamerica" Honored With Spirit Awards". indieWire. 2006-03-05. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
- ^ "Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens JR., and Kevin Frazier Join New Naacp President and Ceo Bruce S. Gordon to Announce the "37th Naacp Image Awards" Nominations". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 10, 2006.
- ^ "2005 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ McNary, Dave (January 22, 2006). "PGA on cowboy trail". Variety. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ "The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2008 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
External links
- Lackawanna Blues at IMDb
