One Potato, Two Potato

I first saw this movie in film class, and was so moved by it that I taped it off the independent Film Channel when they showed it, and watched it twice since. And, it still makes me cry every time I watch it. First, I've never seen a movie so understated about its anger. In this regard Barbara Barrie and Bernie Hamilton are both so good that I don't know the right words to describe it. Second, the girl is not Hollywood "cute", she's not a smarty pants; she is 100% genuine. Third, the Judge is so slick and evil although he comes across so nice just like every Southern judge I have met in real life. My film teacher told me if she could pick one film to give someone the truth of what this country was all about in the early '60's, One Potato Two Potato would be that film. And the love story between Hamilton and Barrie is so real and beset with pain and passion that I can really relate to them.

I just finished watching One Potato Two Potato, which TCM aired. The film is terrific, and by today's standards, it still holds up as a film that resonates emotionally and socially. Without saying too much about what happens, I'll just say that I was simply stunned by the film overall. I'm so glad to have seen it. I'm still affected by what I just saw. Anyone who isn't moved by OPTP is surely in need of a heart transplant. This was a great vehicle for actress Barbara Barrie. And the little girl who plays her daughter is top drawer. Such a good movie!

This film is simply shot and compellingly told. Its stars Barbara Barrie before she became a star and features an excellent cast including a performance by a child that is so touching. I saw it as a kid with my mother and was very moved by it. I count it as one of my favorite films. I haven't seen it in years and am curious to see if I would still find it as moving. As another reviewer on this site stated, the ending is gut wrenching and I concur. I would love to buy it and show it to a film class I teach but sadly it is not available. It is one of those black and white American Kammerspiel films of the 1960s (along with A Thousand Clowns, Ladybug, Ladybug, David and Lisa) that were well received at the time of their release but are now forgotten). I don't know how one goes about getting distributors to transfer these films to DVD and make them available but if anyone knows please push for this film.

Continuing to review African-Americans in film in chronological order for Black History Month, we're once again in 1964 when another independent film is made to address the issues of the day, this time being about controversial interracial marriage and the ramifications of an ex-husband wanting custody of a child because of it. Dark-skinned Frank Richards (Bernie Hamilton) falls for Caucasian Julie Cullen (Barbara Barrie) and her little girl Ellen Mary (Marti Mericka). Though his parents William (Robert Earl Jones) and Martha (Vinnette Carroll) have warned him what to expect, Frank goes through with the plans. Then when Julie's former spouse Joe Cullen (Richard Mulligan) shows up and he finds out what's what, he decides for himself what's best for Ellen Mary despite not having seen her in four years. The final decision is left to Judge Powell (Harry Bellaver). I'll stop there and just say that this is a very compelling drama about a real-life issue at the time. The only flaw I can think of is we're never really shown how much Ellen Mary loves Frank despite her saying so to Joe who first appears bringing a Teddy Bear and playing shoot-'em-up with her despite his being a stranger at the time. Every cast member is excellent and how funny is hearing that familiar voice of James Earl Jones coming from his father, Robert! So on that note, One Potato, Two Potato comes highly recommended. P.S. Among the players from previous movies I so far reviewed for this month: Hamilton from The Jackie Robinson Story and Take a Giant Step, Robert Earl Jones from Lying Lips and Odds Against Tomorrow, and Harry Bellaver from Sidney Poitier's No Way Out. Oh, and Ms. Barrie and Mr. Bellaver are from my birth state of Illinois, Barbara from Chicago and Harry from Hillsboro.

Maybe it was the racially charged era of the early Civil Rights struggle, or maybe it was because I was a young mother with a child the same age as the one in the movie, but this was one of the most powerful movies I have ever scene. Today, 40 years later, I am still moved whenever I see Barbara Barrie, even if it is in a situation comedy on TV. Certainly, she captured the role of the white mother married to a black man in a racist society. All the other actors performed admirably, the actor playing the second husband was appealing. It was believable that a co-worker would have found him attractive and would have fallen in love, even given the tenor of the times. While the writing may have presented the story a bit "over the top", this movie went beyond civil rights "propaganda", and presented real people dealing with a difficult situation. It certainly was real to me....I had to be led out of the cinema in tears when it ended. A high recommendation!!!