<I>Claudine</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1974
name: label: Directed by
content: John Berry, American, 1917 - 1999
label: Written by
content: Tina Pine, American, 1923 - 1998
label: Written by
content: Lester Pine, American, 1917 - 2001
label: Subject of
content: Diahann Carroll, American, 1935 - 2019
label: Subject of
content: James Earl Jones, American, born 1931
label: Subject of
content: Tamu Blackwell, American, born 1955
label: Subject of
content: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, American, born 1953
label: Subject of
content: Yvette Curtis, American, born 1960
label: Composed by
content: Curtis Mayfield, American, 1942 - 1999
label: Recorded by
content: Gladys Knight & The Pips, American, 1953 - 1989
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: Claudine was the first film produced by Third World Cinema, a production company founded by Ossie Davis, Diana Sands, James Earl Jones, Rita Moreno, and Hannah Weinstein. One of the primary goals of the company was to train and hire people of color in critical technical positions within film production. Directed by John Berry in 1974, Claudine centers a Black mother of six attempting to raise her children and date all the while navigating the highly contestable American welfare system. Set in Harlem, NY the film offers an intimate look into the ways poverty and the American welfare sytem intersect in ways that inform political identity and interpersonal relationships. Diahann Carroll was nominated for Best Actress for her leading role as Claudine.
label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A romantic comedy with the title Claudine. It consists of two reels of 16mm color acetate film with optical sound.
label: Description
content: In the opening scene, Claudine (Diahann Carroll), a single mother of six who, in addition to working as a maid, relies on Welfare to support her family, can be seen walking down the street, accompanied by her children, before she boards a bus and sits with some other women who are seated at the back. One of the women inquires about Claudine’s recent temperament, to which Claudine responds that she hasn’t been sleeping lately.
label: Description
content: The rest of the film chronicles the budding relationship between Claudine and Rupert “Roop” Johnson (James Earl Jones), a garbage collector. The relationship is impacted by their mutual experience of poverty and Claudine’s children’s hostility toward Rupert. The film also features music and lyrics composed and produced by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: New York City, Manhattan, New York, United States, North and Central America
label: Place filmed
content: New York City, Manhattan, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Actors
label: Topic
content: Comedy
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Soul (Music)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.56.1ab
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: feature films
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration (Reel 1): 18 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 650 Feet
label: Dimensions
content: Duration (Reel 2): 37 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 1300 Feet