The Harlem Globetrotters is a 1951 sports drama film about the Harlem Globetrotters, a famous exhibition basketball team. The film was released by Columbia Pictures and stars Thomas Gomez, Bill Walker, Dorothy Dandridge, Angela Clarke and Peter M. Thompson.
Plot The Harlem Globetrotters fight for respect in professional basketball. Billy Townsend, a gifted but uncertain young college player, joins the team, seeking direction and opportunity. As the Globetrotters travel the country facing discrimination, unfair treatment and skepticism, Billy struggles with personal temptations, fame and the pressure of representing his race. Through hard-fought games, mentorship from his teammates and growing discipline, Billy matures into a true team player. The Globetrotters’ talent, unity and perseverance challenge attitudes and help break barriers in professional basketball, securing Billy’s future and the team’s place in history.
Cast
Thomas Gomez as Abe Saperstein Billy Brown as Billy Townsend Dorothy Dandridge as Ann Carpenter Angela Clarke as Sylvia Saperstein Peter M. Thompson as Martin Bill Walker as Professor Roscoe Cumberland as Roscoe William 'Pop' Gates as Pop Gates Marques Haynes as Marques Haynes Louis 'Babe' Pressley as Babe Pressley Ermer Robinson as Elmer Robinson Ted Strong as Ted Strong Reece 'Goose' Tatum as Goose Tatum Frank Washington as Frank Washington Clarence Wilson as Clarence Wilson
Reception Critic Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a very human story" and wrote: "The Globetrotters add a lot of humor to their actual proficiency in the game and the film ... Gomez and Miss Dandridge are particularly successful in their work, Gomez being reliability itself."
See also List of basketball films
References
External links
A link to the feature on TCM's website