The Great White Hope

The Great White Hope is a 1970 biographical romantic drama film written and adapted from the Howard Sackler play of the same name. The film was directed by Martin Ritt, starring James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook, Beah Richards and Moses Gunn. Jones and Alexander, who also appeared in the same roles in the stage versions, both received Best Actor and Actress Academy Award nominations for their performances. The film and play is based on the true story of Jack Johnson and his first wife, Etta Terry Duryea and the controversy over their marriage and Duryea's death by suicide in 1912.