Ossie Davis Movie Trailers

Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers Trailer (1997)

23 June 1997

Jackie Robinson: Breaking Barriers celebrates the ground-breaking career of the first-ever African-American to join the major leagues, talented athlete Jackie Robinson.

Preminger: Anatomy of a Filmmaker Trailer (1991)

28 October 1991

This documentary, hosted by actor Burgess Meredith, explores the life and career of movie director Otto Preminger, whose body of work includes such memorable films as Anatomy of a Murder, Exodus, Laura, Forever Amber, Advise and Consent, In Harm's Way, The Moon Is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, and many other movies made from the '30s through the '70s.

Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World Trailer (1994)

01 January 1994

Join tennis greats John McEnroe and Billie Jean King and world leader Nelson Mandela as they pay homage to the life and work of Arthur Ashe, the sports legend who transcended his athletic gifts and grew to become one of the most inspirational celebrities to lend their name in the fight against racism and the race to find a cure for AIDS.

The Tuskegee Airmen: They Fought Two Wars Trailer (2003)

28 February 2003

A documentary filmed at Moton Field in Tuskegee Alabama, home to the airmen of the 99th Fighter Squadron.

The Red Shoes Trailer (1990)

07 February 1990

In this animated contemporary interpretation of a Hans Christian Andersen morality tale, a pair of magic slippers help two young African-American girls learn the value of friendship after they are divided by selfishness and jealousy.

The Legend of the Candy Cane Trailer (2001)

01 June 2001

The night a mysterious stranger rode into the lonely prairie town of West Sage, no one realized their lives would never be the same.

Now is the Time Trailer (1967)

01 January 1967

“Now is the Time” is a mosaic of marches, Black spiritual, emotional, and inner life set to the readings of Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Mari Evans, and countless others.

Countdown at Kusini Trailer (1976)

16 April 1976

An American musician working in Nigeria becomes involved with a patriot hunted by a mercenary in Africa.

Black Shadows on a Silver Screen Trailer (1975)

19 April 1975

Actor, writer, director and activist Ossie Davis narrates this look at the history of race films, those produced from the 1920s-50s catered to a primarily Black audience.

Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Fillmore Trailer (2001)

11 June 2001

From the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning PBS series NEIGHBORHOODS: THE HIDDEN CITIES OF SAN FRANCISCO comes the remarkable story of San Francisco's Fillmore District.

The Soul Collector Trailer (1999)

24 October 1999

Zachariah, makes a few mistakes and it is decided that he is to live as a human being for thirty days.

Finding Buck McHenry Trailer (2000)

16 April 2000

Jason Ross is an 11-year-old boy whose love for baseball exceeds his talent for the game. When cut from his little league team, Jason's undefeatable spirit leads him to try and create an expansion team.

A Vow to Cherish Trailer (1999)

01 January 1999

John and Ellen have a picture-perfect life: while John runs a successful business, Ellen works as a schoolteacher, and they've raised two beautiful children.

All God's Children Trailer (1980)

28 April 1980

Big city judge Parke Denison is involved in a forced busing dispute at the climax of his long career.

The Unfinished Journey Trailer (1999)

31 December 1999

A multimedia short created for the U.S. millennium celebrations, The Unfinished Journey reflects on America’s history and spirit through six chapters—immigration, war, culture, civil rights, and innovation.

The Tenth Level Trailer (1976)

26 August 1976

Inspired by the Stanley Milgram obedience research, this TV movie chronicles a psychology professor's study to determine why people, such as the Nazis, were willing to "just follow orders" and do horrible things to others.

The Peace! Trailer (2005)

20 September 2005

Amid an escalating war in Iraq, rising terror levels and the threat of nuclear attack, a growing body of intellectuals, religious leaders and community organizers are getting tough with their questions about peace -- and that's no oxymoron.

Wattstax Trailer (1973)

04 February 1973

A documentary film about the Afro-American Woodstock concert held in Los Angeles seven years after the Watts riots.

Kongi's Harvest Trailer (1970)

01 May 1970

An African dictator (Wole Soyinka) needs to convince the former king (Rashidi Onikoyi) to legitimize his reign by offering him the ceremonial yam at the upcoming harvest festival.

Love in Exile Trailer (2026)

22 June 2026

Set to a jazz accompaniment, the dramatic performance centered on Black love and survival weaves together Bible verses, free-verse and prose Davis wrote for the program, “The Ghetto.

I'm Not Rappaport Trailer (1996)

24 December 1996

Old Nat Moyer is a talker, a philosopher, and a troublemaker with a fanciful imagination. His companion is Midge Carter, who is half-blind, but still the super of an apartment house.

Making 'Do the Right Thing' Trailer (1989)

03 November 1989

The Behind-the-Scenes documentary of the dramatic comedy Do the Right Thing.

Hands of Inge Trailer (1962)

01 January 1962

The work of sculptor Inge Hardison is the subject of this beautiful short portrait of an artist. Hardison is perhaps best known for "Negro Giants in History," her important series of busts made during the early 1960s.

Shock Treatment Trailer (1964)

22 July 1964

A private investigator endures the rigors of an insane asylum in order to locate $1 million in stolen loot.

4 Little Girls Trailer (1997)

09 July 1997

On September 15, 1963, a bomb destroyed a black church in Birmingham, Alabama, killing four young girls who were there for Sunday school.

Goin' Back to T-Town Trailer (1993)

01 March 1993

Goin’ Back to T-Town tells the story of Greenwood, an extraordinary Black community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that prospered during the 1920s and 30s despite rampant and hostile segregation.

Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives Trailer (2003)

10 February 2003

When the Civil War ended in 1865, more than four million slaves were set free. Over 70 years later, the memories of some 2,000 slave-era survivors were transcribed and preserved by the Library of Congress.

Tyler Texas Black Film Collection Trailer (1985)

08 January 1985

"Tyler Texas Black Film Collection" (1985) is a promotional film hosted by Ossie Davis.

Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige Trailer (1981)

31 May 1981

The story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the legendary pitcher, from his barnstorming days in the 1920s, hoping to break into organized "negro" baseball, to his emergence at age 43 in the major leagues with the Cleveland Indians the year after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier.

Teacher, Teacher Trailer (1969)

05 February 1969

Hamilton Cade is an alcoholic teacher striving to put his life back together. He accepts a job tutoring an "exceptional child" only to find that young Freddie is mentally retarded.

Haiti: Killing the Dream Trailer (1992)

02 October 1992

A documentary focusing on the the events in Haiti following the coup of September 30, 1991. The program includes interviews with exiled President Jean Bertrand Aristide, his cabinet, dissident clergy, underground resistance leaders, U.

Slaves Trailer (1969)

02 July 1969

A Kentucky slave (Davis) fights for his freedom from a cruel overseer whose mistress eventually joins him and the other slaves in their revolt.

Gordon's War Trailer (1973)

09 August 1973

A black soldier comes home to Harlem after a tour in Vietnam and discovers that his wife had become a heroin addict and died of an overdose.

The Sun... the Sand... the Hill Trailer (1965)

01 July 1965

Promotional film depicting the production and Cannes premiere of the Sidney Lumet film "The Hill."

Theater Talk: 'A Raisin in the Sun' Trailer (2002)

14 June 2002

Panel discussion about the original Broadway production of Lorraine Hansbury's "A Raisin in the Sun."

Deacons for Defense Trailer (2005)

05 April 2005

Inspired by a true story, this drama is set in 1965, not long after passage of the Civil Rights Act. Despite the Act, the African-American citizens of Bogalusa are still treated like third-class citizens, their fundamental rights as human beings persistently trampled by the white power structure, in general, and the local branch of the KKK.

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks Trailer (2004)

25 February 2004

Beah: A Black Woman Speaks is a 2003 documentary about the life of Academy Award nominated actress Beah Richards.

Malcolm X Trailer (1972)

24 May 1972

James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated black leader through various sources.

Death of a Prophet Trailer (1981)

01 January 1981

After breaking ties with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X became a man marked for death...and it was just a matter of time before his enemies closed in.

Proud Trailer (2004)

02 July 2004

The true story of the only African-American crew to take a Navy warship into combat in World War II.

Still A Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class Trailer (1968)

02 January 1968

The Black middle class, torn between white goals and Black needs, are examined by producers William Greaves and William Branch in a 90-minute NET Journal documentary.

Unstoppable Trailer (2005)

13 February 2005

An interview/overview on the influential careers of Gordon Parks, Ossie Davis, and Melvin Van Peebles.

For Us, the Living: The Story of Medgar Evers Trailer (1983)

22 March 1983

This film is the true story of Medgar Evers, a successful insurance agent who moves to Jackson, Mississippi to direct the regional headquarters of the NAACP.

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property Trailer (2003)

16 February 2003

In 1831, Nat Turner led a slave rebellion in the United States that resulted in the murder of local slave owners and their families, the eventual execution of 55 rebels and the retribution lynching of more than 200 innocent slaves.

Malcolm X: Make It Plain Trailer (1994)

26 January 1994

Narrated by actress Alfre Woodard, this trenchant, eye-opening doc traces the radical civil rights leader’s life from his tumultuous childhood, through his rise in the ranks of the Nation of Islam, to his 1965 assassination.

Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid Trailer (1977)

12 September 1977

A young ghetto kid despairs of ever getting out of that environment and making something of himself, until one day he gets a job as an assistant in a veterinarian's office, and working with all the animals begins to affect his outlook on life.

Marcus Garvey: Toward Black Nationhood Trailer (1984)

07 February 1984

A documentary, combining archival material and live interviews with Marcus Garvey, Jr., and others, which introduces the life and work of the pioneer Black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey.

The Real Malcolm X Trailer (1992)

18 November 1992

CBS News looks at Malcolm X, focusing on his public life from 1959 to his assassination in 1965, suggesting that his death was a great loss to the nation.