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IMDbPro

Keep the Faith, Baby

  • TV Movie
  • 20022002
  • PGPG
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
172
YOUR RATING
Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
  • Biography
  • Drama
New Yorker Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Harry J. Lennix) becomes a congressman and condemns all forms of segregation and discrimination.New Yorker Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Harry J. Lennix) becomes a congressman and condemns all forms of segregation and discrimination.New Yorker Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Harry J. Lennix) becomes a congressman and condemns all forms of segregation and discrimination.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
172
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Doug McHenry
  • Writer
    • Art Washington
  • Stars
    • Harry Lennix
    • Vanessa Williams
    • Don Allison
Top credits
  • Director
    • Doug McHenry
  • Writer
    • Art Washington
  • Stars
    • Harry Lennix
    • Vanessa Williams
    • Don Allison
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 10 nominations

    Photos12

    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Adam Clayton Powell III in Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Adam Clayton Powell III in Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)
    Larry King Live (1985)
    Keep the Faith, Baby (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harry Lennix
    Harry Lennix
    • Adam Clayton Powell Jr.as Adam Clayton Powell Jr.
    Vanessa Williams
    Vanessa Williams
    • Hazel Scottas Hazel Scott
    Don Allison
    • President Lyndon B. Johnsonas President Lyndon B. Johnson
    Rodger Barton
    • John Rankinas John Rankin
    Richard Blackburn
    • Congressman Devineas Congressman Devine
    Kedar Brown
    Kedar Brown
    • Randolphe Aideas Randolphe Aide
    • (as Kedar)
    J. Winston Carroll
    • Congressman Van Deerlinas Congressman Van Deerlin
    Linda V. Carter
    • Mattie Powellas Mattie Powell
    • (as Linda Carter)
    David Clement
    David Clement
    • Congressman Hallas Congressman Hall
    Jim Codrington
    Jim Codrington
    • Congressman John Conyers Jr.as Congressman John Conyers Jr.
    Michael Copeman
    Michael Copeman
    • Congressman Morris Udallas Congressman Morris Udall
    Rufus Crawford
    Rufus Crawford
    • Asa Phillip Randolphas Asa Phillip Randolph
    Paul De La Rosa
    Paul De La Rosa
    • Elevator Operatoras Elevator Operator
    Andrea Garnett
    • Gwen Jonesas Gwen Jones
    Trevor Gary
    • Skipper Powellas Skipper Powell
    • (as Trevor Gray)
    Naomi Gaskin
    Naomi Gaskin
    • Isabel Powellas Isabel Powell
    Lisa Heyden
    • Member of Congress #3as Member of Congress #3
    Brian Hill
    • Robert F. Kennedyas Robert F. Kennedy
    • Director
      • Doug McHenry
    • Writer
      • Art Washington
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      In the scene where Hazel confronts Adam about the rejection she received from Constitution Hall, Adam says, 'they did that to Marian Anderson 5-years ago'. Marian Anderson's rejection occurred in 1939, which would make 1944 as the time-frame for the scene. Powell did not become a congressman until January 1945.

    User reviews1

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    A solid, sympathetic portrait of the controversial Congressman (retitled "Keep the Faith, Baby"
    I caught "Keep the Faith, Baby" in a preview screening in a college auditorium with comments by Powell's son, New York State Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV, who was one of the film's producers and worked for 10 years to get it made. Not surprisingly, it's a sympathetic portrait of the controversial Congressman who was the nation's foremost black leader during the late 1940s and through the 1950s. Nevertheless, it doesn't flinch from dealing with the tough parts of Powell's career -- his failed marriages, his flamboyant personality, his censure by his fellow Congressmen, who stripped him of his committee chairmanship. They're all there, albeit in soft focus and a favorable light.

    Told in flashback from the end of Powell's life (he died in the early 1970s), it holds together well as a dramatized semi-documentary, but sometimes is hard-put to give all the details of his eventful career their due. Harry Lennix seems to be a near-perfect Powell, projecting his charisma, his passion and quite a few of his mannerisms. I'm surprised he's not better known (he has a bit part in "Collateral Damage"). The star turn, however, belongs to Vanessa Williams as Powell's glamorous second wife, the jazz singer Hazel Scott. Nitpickers may note that casting for a couple of the historic portrayals, like Lyndon Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy, could have used better impersonators. This won't ever hit the moviehouses (it was made for Showtime), but check it out when it turns up on TV or at Blockbuster. It's well worth your time to get acquainted with this man who was a major figure in the mid-20th century fight for civil rights and social justice, a man who now is mostly forgotten. I saw it with an audience steeped in black history, including several people who had seen and heard Powell when he was alive, and they liked it a lot.
    helpful•12
    0
    • dahotwings
    • Feb 14, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 11, 2002 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Mexico
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Adam Clayton Powell Story
    • Filming locations
      • Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Television
      • L23 Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 47 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

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