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Lorraine Hansberry’s immortal A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a black woman to be performed on Broadway. Two years later, the production came to the screen, directed by Daniel Petrie. The original stars—including Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee—reprise their roles as members of an African American family living in a cramped Chicago apartment, in this deeply resonant tale of dreams deferred. The Youngers await a life-insurance check they hope will change their circumstances, but tensions arise over how to use the money. Vividly rendering Hansberry’s sharp observations on generational conflict and housing discrimination, Petrie’s film captures the high stakes, shifting currents, and varieties of experience within black life in midcentury America.
Original Release
05/18/1961
US Release
05/28/1961
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Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Sidney Poitier | Walter Lee Younger |
Claudia McNeil | Lena Younger |
Ruby Dee | Ruth Younger |
Diana Sands | Beneatha Younger |
Ivan Dixon | Asagai / Joseph Asagai |
John Fiedler | Mark Lindner |
Louis Gossett Jr. | George Murchison |
Steven Perry | Travis Younger |
Joel Fluellen | Bobo |
Louis Terrel | Herman |
Directors
Writers
Cast
Name | Character |
---|
Sidney Poitier | Walter Lee Younger |
Claudia McNeil | Lena Younger |
Ruby Dee | Ruth Younger |
Diana Sands | Beneatha Younger |
Ivan Dixon | Asagai / Joseph Asagai |
John Fiedler | Mark Lindner |
Louis Gossett Jr. | George Murchison |
Steven Perry | Travis Younger |
Joel Fluellen | Bobo |
Louis Terrel | Herman |
Roy Glenn | Willie Harris |
George DeNormand | Employer |
Thomas D. Jones | Chauffeur |
Rudolph Monroe | Taxi Driver |
Ray Stubbs | Bartender |
David Susskind | On-screen Trailer Narrator |
Bob Sweeney | Insurance Company Agent |
Producers
Name | Role |
---|
Stephen Shalom | Executive Producer |
David Susskind | Producer |
Ronald H. Gilbert | Producer |
Philip Rose | Producer |
Editors
Year | Type | Category | Won |
---|
1962 | Golden Globe | Best Actress - Drama | Nominated |
1962 | Golden Globe | Best Actor - Drama | Nominated |