Watermelon man movie 1970

An extremely bigoted white man finds out the hard and somewhat humorous way what its like being a black man, firsthand. Watermelon man 1970 directed by melvin van peebles. Watermelon man 1970 a white insurance salesman, jeff gerber godfrey cambridge, gets the surprise of his life when he wakes up and discovers that his skin now resembles a black man s. When racist white insurance agent jeff gerber wakes up one morning to discover that his skin has turned black, he experiences bigotry first. Watermelon man 1970 stream and watch online moviefone.

Jeff gerber, a racist insurance agent and fitness freak, lives in a typical suburban neighborhood. Written by herman raucher, it stars godfrey cambridge a pioneering black standup comic as jeff gerber, an obnoxious and bigoted white insurance salesman who wakes up one morning to find that he has become black. Watermelon man 1970 trailers and clips a white insurance salesman, jeff gerber godfrey cambridge, gets the surprise of his life when he wakes up and discovers that his skin now resembles a. Encouraged by his boss, gerber godfrey cambridge decides to confront his suddenblackness headon, making a date a discriminating club for lunch, in director mario van peebles watermelon man, 1970. A former san francisco cable car gripman by way of a degree in literature at ohio wesleyan university and. May 28, 1970 godfrey cambridges watermelon man arrives at 2 houses. Van peebles wrote the music to watermelon man himself, in order to have creative control. How to eat your watermelon in white company and enjoy it mpaa rating. Watermelon man 1970 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.

Watermelon man offers extraordinarily frank insights into the causes and effects of white prejudice, even among seemingly. Watermelon man is a jazz standard written by herbie hancock for his debut album, takin off 1962. Jeff gerber godfrey cambridge is a middleclass white man whose views are somewhat sexist and racist. Jeff gerber, an insurance agent, lives in a typical suburban neighborhood. Melvin van peebles watermelon man 1970 isnt considered a seminal blaxploitation title and shouldnt be. His doctor suggests he might be more comfortable with a black doctor, his. The single was mentioned as a top pick in billboard magazines oct 31, 1970 issue. But jeffs bigoted world of taunting and harassing black people on and off the. Cuban percussionist mongo santamaria released the tune as a. Starring godfrey cambridge, estelle parsons, durville martin, mantan moreland, howard caine, kay kimberly, kay e. The premise for the film was inspired by franz kafkas the metamorphosis and john howard. Cambridge does an interesting lob playing a white man turned into a black man, but van peebles. Watermelon man 1970 a white insurance salesman, jeff gerber godfrey cambridge, gets the surprise of his life when he wakes up and discovers that his skin now resembles a black mans.

Melvins directorial career is undistinguished outside of watermelon man, his one other film of note is the subsequent sweet sweetbacks baadasssss song 1971. A soundtrack album was released in 1970, and love, thats america, a song from the film and soundtrack, was released as a single in the same year. Watermelon man 1970 movie clip no wonder negroes riot. Buy watermelon man movie posters from movie poster shop. Godfrey cambridge stars as a bigoted white middle class family man named jeff gerber whos luck and perfect white sterile life is about to change.

Watermelon man 1970 and tolerance in films youtube. Trailer for melvin van peebles watermelon man 1970. Watermelon man, 1970 for all the world to see umbc. Melvin is the father of mario and has a minor career as an actor and a director. The film also originally featured an upbeat ending in which the salesmans stint as an oppressed minority is merely a dream, albeit the kind designed to teach rod serlingapproved values of tolerance and. Hancocks first version was released as a grooving hard bop record, and featured improvisations by freddie hubbard and dexter gordon. Were your movie poster source for new releases and vintage movie posters. Watermelon man is melvin van peebles 1970 comedic satire about the state. Watermelon man sometimes ran with the tag line it wont happen to you, so you can laugh. Display as images display as list make and model make and year year category importancerole date added new ones first episode appearance ep. Watermelon man is melvin van peebles 1970 comedic satire about the state of race relations in america. Watermelon man 1970 directed by melvin van peebles genres comedy drama subgenres comedy of manners, message movie, satire release date may 27, 1970 usa unknown run time 97 min. With godfrey cambridge, estelle parsons, howard caine, durville martin. Watermelon man is a film directed by melvin van peebles with godfrey cambridge, estelle parsons, howard caine, durville martin, year.

How to eat your watermelon in white company and enjoy it. Having turned black, gerber godfrey cambridge grabs a cab to the drug store to buy skin treatments, getting help from wife althea estelle parsons in director mario van peebles watermelon man, 1970. In an early scene in whiteface, gerber godfrey cambridge reveals his bigoted views to counterman joe mantan moreland and the gang at work, in director mario van peebles watermelon man, 1970. Watermelon man 1970 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. Watermelon man 1970 nude scenes watermelon man movie posters from movie poster shop. Watermelon man the 1970 movie, trailers, videos and more at yidio. Watermelon man is a 1970 american comedy film directed by melvin van peebles and starring. Kathie lee, tom hanks, sean connery, burt reynolds snl duration. As jeff tries to come to terms with this unexplained phenomenon that has befallen him, he soon becomes the victim himself, when all of his. A former san francisco cable car gripman by way of a degree in literature at ohio wesleyan university and service in the united states air force with a. Herman raucher born april, 1928 is an american author and screenwriter. Melvin van peebless sardonic comedy is one of the most incisive artistic explorations of the. Watermelon man photos view all photos 5 movie info.

An extremely bigoted white man finds out the hard and somewhat. Released 1970, watermelon man stars godfrey cambridge, estelle parsons, howard caine, durville martin the r movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 37 min, and received a score of out of 100 on. Watermelon man is a 1970 american comedy film directed by melvin van peebles and starring godfrey cambridge, estelle parsons, howard caine, durville martin, kay kimberley, mantan moreland, and erin moran. A clear shot movie mario van peebles, mandela van peebles, jessica meza. Directed by melvin van peebles 35 mm color film 100 minutes columbia pictures. But jeffs bigoted world of taunting and harassing black people on and off the job is turned upside down when his skin inexplicably turns dark overnight. Watermelon man 1970 movie clip take this elevator to. See the article in its original context from may 28, 1970, page 0. Watermelon man, movie, 1970 internet movie cars database. Van peebles 1970 comedy was one of incendiary and subversive films made within the studio system watermelon man predates blaxploitation, but its a vital bridge between that genres bold statements and an earlier era of lax studio restrictions and vibrant experimentation, and its impressive accomplishments deserve far more recognition. Watermelon man offers extraordinarily frank insights into the causes and effects of white prejudice, even among seemingly progressive americans. Godfrey cambridges watermelon man arrives at 2 houses. While progress has been made since this film was made, the film still is relevant today if you can look past the horrible styles and occasionally over the top dialogue and lingo.

Wikimedia commons has media related to films of the united states, 1970. The story of a smug white insurance salesman who wakes up one day with black skin, 1970s watermelon man was originally planned as a vehicle for a white actor like jack lemmon or alan arkin. When racist white insurance agent jeff gerber wakes up one morning to discover that his skin has turned black, he experiences. Watermelon man 1970 is a comedic and thought provoking film by melvin van peebles. Watch your purchase on movies anywhere supported devices. He described the movie, asking members of the discussion board for help figuring out the name of this curio film. Watermelon man 1970 melvin van peebles cast and crew. Per van peebles he only filmed the current ending of the movie, forgetting to shoot the it was all a dream ending by accident.