Robert Townsend Trailers
The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy TrailerA Walk with Charles Burnett TrailerPlayin' for Love Trailer
Robert Townsend (born February 6, 1957) is an American actor, director, comedian, and writer. Townsend is best known for directing the films Hollywood Shuffle (1987), Eddie Murphy Raw (1987), The Meteor Man (1993), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and various other films and stand-up specials. He is especially known for his eponymous self-titled character, Robert Peterson as the starring role as on The WB sitcom The Parent 'Hood (1995–1999), a series which he created and of which directed select episodes. Townsend is also known for his role as Donald "Duck" Matthews in his 1991 film The Five Heartbeats. He later wrote, directed and produced Making The Five Heartbeats (2018), a documentary film about the production process and behind the scenes insight into creating the film. Townsend is also known for his production company Townsend Entertainment which has produced films Playin' for Love, In the Hive and more. During the 1980s and early–1990s, Townsend gained national exposure through his stand-up comedy routines and appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Townsend has worked with talent including Halle Berry, Morgan Freeman, Chris Tucker, Beyoncé, Denzel Washington and many more.
Most Popular Robert Townsend Trailers
Total trailers found: 63
17 February 1989
Police chief Xavier Quinn investigates the gruesome murder of Donald Pater, one of the wealthiest residents on a Caribbean island.
01 February 1979
Prominent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city.
25 April 1999
Louis Gossett, Jr, Robert Townsend and Andre Braugher come together to each direct a short story, all of which are interconnected through themes of love and family.
23 June 2007
In the 70's, Langston Faizon Santisima, barely 18, left his native Cuba on an impossible quest- to direct a film starring Bruce Lee.
20 March 1987
Aspiring actor and hot-dog stand employee Bobby Taylor catches the ire of his grandmother for auditioning for a role in the regrettably titled exploitation film "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge.
20 July 1999
Mercenary Captain "Hawk" is in Acion again to save a hostage. But he and his team are betrayed. Nothing is as it seems.
20 May 1989
Director Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) knows how to construct and, when necessary, even milk a laugh for optimal effect.
17 October 1986
A failed window dresser exploits a being with rat-like features in an effort to make money.
16 September 1989
Director Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) knows how to construct and, when necessary, even milk a laugh for optimal effect.
31 May 2026
Follows the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony honoring Eddie Murphy for his five-decade career in film, television and stand-up comedy.
31 May 2002
An Afro-American organization, the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.H.O.O.D., is in permanent fight against a white organization "The Man" defending the values of the black people in North America.
01 March 1986
Five college buddies start their own moving business only to find themselves tangling with sleazy competitors and the mob.
01 June 1984
Raven Shaddock and his gang of merciless biker friends kidnap rock singer Ellen Aim. Ellen's former lover, soldier-for-hire Tom Cody, happens to be passing through town on a visit.
07 March 2012
Scooby and the gang have their first musical mystery in “Scooby Doo: Music of the Vampire.” It begins when they take a sing-a-long road trip into bayou country to attend the “Vampire-Palooza Festival” – an outdoor fair dedicated to all things Draculian.
01 June 2002
15 year old Brendan Willy hates himself for being un-cool when he falls in love with the girl of his dreams.
16 September 1999
After a homocide that the police believe is over gasoline theft, a tax investigator discovers the Russian mafia is involved and that they are stealing millions in gasoline tax money.
06 August 1993
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights.
10 November 1988
Jack Spade returns from the army in his old ghetto neighbourhood when his brother, June Bug, dies. Jack declares war on Mr.
14 June 1999
A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.
01 September 2008
From his discovery by a priest while serving time at the Missouri State Penitentiary to the infamous 'Phantom Punch' by Cassius Clay which effectively ended his career, the movie spans the years from 1950 to Liston's mysterious and untimely death in 1971.
27 February 1979
A fictionalized drama about the first women to enter the U.S. Military Academy in 1976 and the reactions they faced.
14 September 1984
In a rural town in Louisiana, a black Master Sergeant is found shot to death just outside the local Army Base.
16 August 1985
When Dr. Marcus Sommers realizes that he and his troubled, estranged brother David may be prone a fatal brain disease that runs in their family, he decides to make peace with his sibling, and invites him on a trip to the Rockies.
02 February 2000
Actor/director Sidney Poitier discusses his life and career. He tells of his upbringing in Jamaica; the difficulties he encountered in New York City at the start of his career; his involvement in the US civil-rights movement; and efforts to end apartheid in South Africa.
22 January 2000
A boy is the only member of his family without superpowers, yet the world depends on him saving his family from computerized brainwashers.
28 March 1997
Two wannabe Black American princesses aim to marry rich men, who will pay for their world's first combination hair salon and soul food restaurant.
25 November 1987
Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.
19 December 1987
From comedian and filmmaker Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) comes this collection of comedy sketches starring some of the biggest names in show business.
20 January 1989
This mockumentary about fictional movie studio Adequate Pictures boasts an interesting cast. Tony Randall hosts, and James CoCo (practically on his deathbed) stars as head of the studio.
24 September 2009
A look at the development of film making and its contribution to the social and political times form the perspective of Black film makers.
10 December 2000
After losing his police officer lover, Christian drag queen Holiday Heart meets 12-year-old Niki and her drug-addicted mother, Wanda.
08 May 2001
An engaged Philadelphia policeman falls in love with a beautiful woman while dealing with a corrupt superior.
30 November 2003
This documentary praises comedian Richard Pryor by showing fragments of various shows Pryor made and having famous comedians talk about the importance and greatness of Pryor.
24 September 1988
Director Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) knows how to construct and, when necessary, even milk a laugh for optimal effect.
01 January 1999
Joseph is the youngest member of a large family that owns a successful garment business in Los Angeles.
11 June 1988
Wembley Stadium hosts a concert featuring stars from the fields of music, comedy and film, in celebration of the 70th birthday of imprisoned ANC leader Nelson Mandela.
16 January 2015
Coach Banks (Robert Townsend) is used to calling all the shots for his championship high school basketball team and in his own love life.
08 October 1975
An aspiring designer from the slums of Chicago puts herself through fashion school in the hopes of becoming one of the world's top designers.
25 June 1975
In the mid-1960s, a group of high school friends who live on the Near North Side of Chicago enjoy life to the fullest.
15 August 1980
Life imitates art when two Manhattanites — pompous teacher Willie and quiet photographer Phil — become friends after a thought-provoking screening of "Jules et Jim," Truffaut's classic film about a decades-long ménage à trois.
29 March 1991
In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats.
01 January 2009
Directors Robert Townsend and Quincy Newell offer this comprehensive and hilarious examination of the history, evolution and cultural significance of African American comedy in America, from the earliest minstrel shows to the latest HBO special.
24 February 2002
In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights.
08 February 2022
Ms. Pat finds laughter in the absurdities of parenting, pet lovers and very unfortunate lip trends as she unpacks a painful past with humor and honesty.
01 January 1997
Cultural theorist Stuart Hall offers an extended meditation on representation. Moving beyond the accuracy or inaccuracy of specific representations, Hall argues that the process of representation itself constitutes the very world it aims to represent, and explores how the shared language of a culture, its signs and images, provides a conceptual roadmap that gives meaning to the world rather than simply reflecting it.
27 February 2019
Filmmaker Robert Townsend executive-produced the following fifty-six-minute program for Criterion’s Meet the Filmmakers series in 2018.
03 March 1990
American stand-up comedian Robin Harris performs his legendary comedic jokes as part of HBO's classic comedy series One Night Stand.
14 December 2012
Sixteen-year-old Xtra Keys hopes to raise his son better than his boozy, razor-edged mother raised him, and he just might get his wish when he's thrust into an unorthodox alternative school full of underprivileged boys.
27 January 2009
Ocean a 27-year-old highly-motivated mother has found her calling in managing a neighborhood apartment building along with the residents and the problems found within.
24 December 1976
A new highway threatens a Chicago neighborhood, so to protest the residents throw a block party.
21 October 2008
Robert Townsend stars as the patriarch of a family devastated when his wife is killed in a senseless auto accident.
20 February 2000
The story of Little Richard Penniman, from his poor Southern upbringing to dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a Black singer in the 1950s, to his born-again phase and brief "retirement" from rock and roll.
23 November 2013
Bill Cosby shares his hilarious new observations on life and family in this comedy special, his first televised concert in 30 years.
14 February 2002
Book of Love delivers humor along with the mysteries of unrequited love and relationships gone bad. The film's story line focuses on three men living, dating and loving in Los Angeles in the 90's.
27 August 2018
In 1990, actor, comedian, writer and director, Robert Townsend, went against every obstacle in Hollywood, relying on his faith, street smarts, and tenacity to bring his passion project, 1991’s The Five Heartbeats, to big screens.
30 December 1981
A group of graduating students from a midwestern high school comes to New York City on a trip to celebrate the impending end of school.
01 January 1994
Rudy Ray Moore tells all as only he can in this all-new retrospective legendary career. From his humble beginnings to his crowning as "King of the Party Records," Rudy Ray guides us through his struggles and triumphs in the film and music industries.
24 November 1982
Robert (John Ritter) is a lawyer who takes more than professional interest in the new investigator hired by his firm, Isobel (Karen Carlson).
10 December 2000
The true life story of famed singer Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat 'King' Cole. Gripping drama of her struggle with addiction and living in her father's shadow while still maintaining her own celebrity status.
21 January 2003
Alan Chambers (Townsend) is a lawyer and sick of his job. He corrals his friends into forming a vigilante group.
