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Lackawanna Blues
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Synopsis
A young boy grows up among a makeshift family of oddballs and dreamers in this adaptation of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's acclaimed one-man show. Ruben Junior (Marcus Carl Franklin) is a young boy who was born in the late '40s into a family that started crumbling not long after he was born. Ruben Junior's parents were from Lackawanna, a city in Upstate New York, and were living in a rooming house run by Nanny Crosby (S. Epatha Merkerson), whose place was a hub for the local African-American community. When Ruben Junior's parents split up, he and his mother return to Lackawanna and Nanny's rooming house; with mother overworked physically and in sad shape emotionally, Nanny takes Ruben Junior under her wing, and offers him the sort of nurturing she gives all her boarders. Nanny's house is full of people struggling for a fresh start in life, ranging from former convicts to recovering drug addicts, and she opens both her doors and her heart to them as they strive to make themselves better people. Ruben Junior finds a loving home amidst the colorful eccentrics in Nanny's circle of friends, but as America changes over the course of the 1950s and '60s, so does the neighborhood where Nanny and her tenants live -- and not for the better. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, Lackawanna Blues features a stellar supporting cast, including Delroy Lindo, Louis Gossett Jr., Rosie Perez, Jimmy Smits, Jeffrey Wright, Mos Def, and Ernie Hudson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast

Julie Benz Laura
Robert A. Bradley Otis McClanahan
Kathleen Chalfant Mrs. Carmichael
Louis Gossett, Jr. Old Lem Taylor
Terrence Howard Bill Crosby
Ernie Hudson Dick Barrymore
Delroy Lindo Mr. Lucious
S. Epatha Merkerson Rachel 'Nanny' Crosby
Adina Porter Ricky
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Freddie Cobbs
Jimmy Smits Ruben Santiago Sr.
Jimmy Smits Ruben Santiago, Sr.
Patricia Wettig Laura's Mom
Jeffrey Wright Small Paul
Rosie Perez Bertha
Carmen Ejogo Alean
Lou Myers Ol' Po' Carl
Liev Schreiber Ulyses Fold
Barry "Shabaka" Henley Shakey Winfield
Thomas Jefferson Byrd Numb Finger Pete
Hill Harper Ruben Jr. (grown up)
Hill Harper Ruben Santiago, Jr. (as adult)
Charlayne Woodard Miss Jadie
Saul Williams Sweet Tooth Sam
Mos Def The Bandleader
Henry Simmons Jesse
Macy Gray Pauline
Michael Kenneth Williams Jimmy Lee
Marcus Carl Franklin Ruben
Marcus Carl Franklin Ruben Santiago, Jr. (as a boy)
Terrence Dashon Howard Bill Crosby

Production Crew

John Papsidera Casting
Ivan Strasburg Cinematographer
Me'Shell NdegéOcello Composer (Music Score)
George C. Wolfe Director
Brian A. Kates Editor
Halle Berry Executive Producer
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Executive Producer
Shelby Stone Executive Producer
Vincent Cirrincione Executive Producer
Evyen Klean Musical Direction/Supervision
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Play Author
Nellie Nugiel Producer
Richard Hoover Production Designer
Ruben Santiago-Hudson Screenwriter
Year: 2005
Runtime: 94
Country: USA
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature

Genre
Drama

Produced by
Bellah Films
Good Shepherd Productions
HBO Films

Awards
2005 - Best Film or Mini-Series Made for Cable TV - National Board of Review
2005 - Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for TV - Golden Globe