Mahogany (film)

Mahogany
Movie poster by Bill Gold, illustrated by Bob Peak.
Directed by	Berry Gordy
Produced by	Jack Ballard Rob Cohen
Written by	Toni Amber (story) Bob Merrill John Byrum
Starring	Diana Ross Billy Dee Williams Jean-Pierre Aumont Anthony Perkins
Music by	Michael Masser
Cinematography	David Watkin
Editing by	Cutry Zinner Peter Zinner
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	October 8, 1975
Running time	109 min.
Country	United States
Language	English

Mahogany is a 1975 feature film, produced by Motown Productions and released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on October 8, 1975. Directed by Motown founder Berry Gordy (taking over after British director Tony Richardson was dismissed from the film), Mahogany stars Diana Ross as Tracy Chambers, a poor African-American woman who rises to become a popular fashion designer in Rome. Fresh from the success of Lady Sings the Blues, this film served as Ross' follow-up feature film.

Ross plays Tracy Chambers, a sassy industrious young woman living in the projects of Chicago who dreams of becoming a fashion designer. She has worked her way up from salesgirl to secretary and assistant to the head buyer at a luxury department store (modeled after, and filmed at, Marshall Field's on State Street, Chicago).^[1] Her boyfriend Brian Walker, played by Billy Dee Williams, is running unsuccessfully for office in the district. When Brian insists Tracy give up her dreams for his, Tracy flees in the middle of the night for Rome, where she becomes a muse to a former client.

The film performed well at the box office upon its release. The film includes a Ross-sung theme song, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)", which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. It held the number-one spot for one week (January 18–January 24, 1976), replacing "I Write the Songs" by Barry Manilow and replaced by "Love Rollercoaster" by the Ohio Players. "Theme from Mahogany", written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin and produced by Masser, was the best-reviewed element of Mahogany^{[citation needed]} and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song was later covered by Mariah Carey in 1998 and Sony Music labelmate Jennifer Lopez the following year.

Mahogany was released on VHS home video in the 1990s, and was issued on DVD on May 1, 2007._{<citation needed>}

Cast

• Diana Ross as Tracy
• Billy Dee Williams as Brian
• Anthony Perkins as Sean
• Jean-Pierre Aumont as Christian Rosetti
• Beah Richards as Florence
• Nina Foch as Miss Evans
• Marisa Mell as Carlotta Gavina
• Lenard Norris as Wil
• Jerome Arnold as Campaign Worker
• Pemon Rami as Campaign Worker
• Obelo as Campaign Worker
• Ira Rogers as Stalker
• Kristine Cameron as Instructress
• Ted Liss as Sweatshop Foreman
• Bruce Vilanch as Dress Manufacturer
• Don Howard as Dress Manufacturer
• Albert Rosenberg as Dress Manufacturer
• Marvin Corman as Cab Driver
• E. Rodney Jones as Radio Announcer (voice)
• Dan Danielas Giuseppe (as Daniel Daniele)
• Princess Irene Galitzine as Princess Irene Galitzine
• Jacques Stany as Auctioneer – Fashion Show
• Achille Brugnini as Salesman (as Achille Brunini)
• Edward Van Sickle as Ad Agency Executive (as Edward Van Sycle)
• Giovanni Di Benedetto as Ad Agency Executive (as Gianni Di Benedetto)
• Roger Bill Brown as Ad Agency Executive
• C. Mitchell as Ad Agency Executive

rest of cast listed alphabetically:

• Denise Gordy – (uncredited)
• Jesse Kitten – Unemployed Lathe Operator (uncredited)
• Robert Townsend – Extra (uncredited)

Sources

1. ^ Mahogany and Marshall Field's

External links

• Mahogany at the Internet Movie Database