Mahogany (1975 film)
Encyclopedia
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). 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 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.
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
1975 in film
The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London....
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
, produced by Motown Productions and released to theaters by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
on October 8, 1975. Directed by Motown founder Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy, Jr. is an American record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label, as well as its many subsidiaries.-Early years:...
(taking over after British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
director Tony Richardson
Tony Richardson
Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson was an English theatre and film director and producer.-Early life:Richardson was born in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1928, the son of Elsie Evans and Clarence Albert Richardson, a chemist...
was dismissed from the film), Mahogany stars Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
as Tracy Chambers, a poor African-American woman who rises to become a popular fashion designer in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. 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
Marshall Field's
Marshall Field & Company was a department store in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc...
on State Street, Chicago). Her boyfriend Brian Walker, played by Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams
William December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
, 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)
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
"Theme from Mahogany " is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin, and recorded by American singer Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 Motown/Paramount film Mahogany...
", which became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1976. It held the number-one spot for one week (January 18–January 24, 1976), replacing "I Write the Songs
I Write the Songs
"I Write the Songs" is a popular song written by Bruce Johnston in 1975 and made famous by Barry Manilow. Manilow's version reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1976 after spending two weeks atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in December 1975...
" by Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
and replaced by "Love Rollercoaster
Love Rollercoaster
"Love Rollercoaster" is a song by American funk/R&B band The Ohio Players, originally featured on their 1975 album Honey. The song was a hit upon its initial release, reaching the top of both the R&B and pop charts. It still sees wide airplay on classic funk and R&B stations...
" by the Ohio Players
Ohio Players
The Ohio Players were an American funk and R&B band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their double #1 hit songs "Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster".- Biography :...
. "Theme from Mahogany", written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin and produced by Masser, was the best-reviewed element of Mahogany and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song was later covered by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
in 1998 and Sony Music labelmate Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
the following year.
Mahogany was released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
home video
Home video
Home video is a blanket term used for pre-recorded media that is either sold or rented/hired for home cinema entertainment. The term originates from the VHS/Betamax era but has carried over into current optical disc formats like DVD and Blu-ray Disc and, to a lesser extent, into methods of digital...
in the 1990s, and was issued on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
on May 1, 2007.
Cast
- Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
as Tracy - Billy Dee WilliamsBilly Dee WilliamsWilliam December "Billy Dee" Williams, Jr. is an American actor, artist, singer, and writer.-Early life:Williams was born in New York City, New York, the son of Loretta...
as Brian - Anthony PerkinsAnthony PerkinsAnthony Perkins was an American actor, best known for his Oscar-nominated role in Friendly Persuasion and as Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho , and its three sequels.-Early life:...
as Sean - Jean-Pierre AumontJean-Pierre Aumont-Early life:Aumont was born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons in Paris, the son of Suzanne and Alexandre Salomons, owner of La Maison du Blanc . His mother's uncle was well-known stage actor Georges Berr. His father was from a Dutch Jewish family and his mother's family were French Jews...
as Christian Rosetti - Beah RichardsBeah RichardsBeah Richards was an American actress of stage, screen and television. She was a poet, playwright and author....
as Florence - Nina FochNina FochNina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...
as Miss Evans - Marisa MellMarisa MellMarisa Mell was an Austrian actress who became a cult figure of 1960s Italian B-movies. She was born as Marlies Theres Moitzi in Graz, Austria.-Biography:...
as Carlotta Gavina - Lenard Norris as Wil
- Jerome ArnoldJerome ArnoldJerome Arnold is an American bassist, known for his work with Howlin' Wolf and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the 1960s. His playing appears on the albums The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and East-West. He was a member of the Butterfield Band at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, and was...
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 VilanchBruce VilanchBruce Vilanch is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winner Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on Hollywood Squares, as a celebrity participant; in the entertainment industry he is best known as head writer for the show...
as Dress Manufacturer - Don HowardDon HowardDonald L. Howard is a retired American jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He is the son of to John and Sandra Howard. Unlike many jockeys, Don did not grow up around the race track. After his father, a veterinarian, purchased a horse trailer from a trainer in Juarez, Mexico, Don was given the...
as Dress Manufacturer - Albert Rosenberg as Dress Manufacturer
- Marvin Corman as Cab Driver
- E. Rodney Jones as Radio Announcer (voice)
- Dan DanielDan DanielDan Daniel may refer to:* Dan Daniel , American sportswriter* Dan Daniel , U.S. Representative from Virginia* Dan Daniel , "Dandy Dan", American radio disc jockey...
as Giuseppe (as Daniel Daniele) - Princess Irene GalitzineIrene GalitzinePrincess Irene Galitzine was a Russian-Georgian-born fashion designer whose most renowned creation was the "palazzo pyjama"...
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 GordyDenise GordyDenise Gordy is an American film and television actress.-Early life:Denise Gordy was born in Detroit, Michigan. She is the daughter of George and Rosemary Gordy and sister of George Gordy, Jr...
– (uncredited) - Jesse Kitten – Unemployed Lathe Operator (uncredited)
- Robert TownsendRobert TownsendRobert Townsend is an American actor, comedian, film director, and writer.-Biography:Townsend was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Shirley and Robert Townsend. Raised by a single mom of four children on welfare, Townsend overcame his adversities to be at the top of the entertainment business...
– Extra (uncredited)