Lackawanna Blues (film)

For the play from which this film was derived, see Lackawanna Blues.

Lackawanna Blues
Television release poster
Genre	Biographical drama
Based on	Lackawanna Blues by Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Screenplay by	Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Directed by	George C. Wolfe
Starring	S. Epatha Merkerson Marcus Carl Franklin Mos Def Carmen Ejogo Louis Gossett Jr. Macy Gray Terrence Dashon Howard Delroy Lindo Rosie Perez Liev Schrieber Ruben Santiago-Hudson Jimmy Smits Jeffrey Wright
Music by	Meshell Ndegeocello
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Halle Berry Vincent Cirrincione Ruben Santiago-Hudson Shelby Stone
Producer	Nellie Rachel Nugiel
Cinematography	Ivan Strasburg
Editor	Brian A. Kates
Running time	95 minutes
Production companies	HBO Films Bellah Films Good Shepherd Entertainment
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	February 12, 2005 (2005-02-12)

Lackawanna Blues is a 2005 American biographical drama television film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. It aired on HBO on February 12, 2005. It is based on the play of the same name by Santiago-Hudson. Wolfe had commissioned the stage version.^[1]

For her work in the movie, S. Epatha Merkerson won a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006.

Premise

Lackawanna Blues is the true story of Ruben Santiago Jr. growing up in Lackawanna, New York. He was raised by his father and mother and the neighborhood boarding house lady known as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby. Ruben was born in 1956 to his Puerto Rican father Ruben Santiago and his African-American mother Alean Hudson. His mother was too mentally unstable to take good care of him; residing in mental hospitals, Alean disappears and reappears throughout Ruben's life. His father stayed at Nanny's boarding house, but he was frequently not around due to working long hours or out looking for work. Nanny more or less took care of Ruben Jr. as a mother figure. The television movie depicts his life growing up there and the diverse characters that he meets during his and their stays at the boarding house.

Cast

• S. Epatha Merkerson as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby
• Hill Harper as Ruben Santiago Jr. as an adult
  • Marcus Carl Franklin as Ruben Santiago Jr. as a boy, ages 7–10
• Jimmy Smits as Ruben Santiago Sr., Ruben's father
• Terrence Dashon Howard as Bill Crosby, Nanny's much younger husband
• Mos Def as The Bandleader
• Carmen Ejogo as Alean Hudson, Ruben's mother
• Louis Gossett Jr as Ol'lem Taylor, a retired Negro league baseball player
• Macy Gray as Pauline, a resident and Jimmy's girlfriend
• Michael K. Williams as Jimmy, a resident and Pauline's boyfriend
• Ernie Hudson as Dick Barrymore, a cabaret owner
• Delroy Lindo as Mr. Lucious, a resident
• Rosie Perez as Bertha, a hairdresser and resident
• Adina Porter as Ricky, a resident
• Jeffrey Wright as Small Paul
• Barry Shabaka Henley as Shakey Winfield, a resident and Nanny's cousin
• Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Freddie Cobbs, a World War II veteran
• Saul Williams as Lonnie, a resident and war veteran
• Liev Schreiber as Ulysses Ford, a social worker
• Julie Benz as Laura, an abused wife
• Henry Simmons as Jesse, Laura's abusive husband
• Patricia Wettig as Laura's Mother
• Ron Kellum as Fish Fry guest
• Robert Bradley as Otis McClanahan (credited as "Robert A. Bradley" in some sources)

The blind Detroit street singer Robert Bradley from the band Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise appears in the film. He performs on-screen and has three songs featured on the soundtrack (including a duet with Macy Gray).

Production

Began shooting March 1, 2004 and completed shooting April 1, 2004.^[2]

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2005	Artios Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Movie of the Week Casting	John Papsidera and Wendy O'Brien	Won	[3]
	Humanitas Prize	90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television	Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Won	[4]
	Online Film & Television Association Awards	Best Motion Picture Made for Television		Nominated	[5]
		Best Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Marcus Carl Franklin	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Terrence Howard	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Macy Gray	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	George C. Wolfe	Nominated
		Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Nominated
		Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Won
		Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries	Meshell Ndegeocello	Nominated
		Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
		Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries		Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Shelby Stone, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, and Nellie Nugiel	Nominated	[6]
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won
		Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special	George C. Wolfe	Nominated
		Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or Special	John Papsidera	Won
		Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special	Charles Gregory Ross and Fay Kelly	Nominated
		Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic)	Edna Sheen, Denise Pugh-Ruiz, and Karen Westerfield	Nominated
		Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie	Susumu Tokunow, Rick Ash, and Adam Jenkins	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Motion Picture Made for Television		Nominated	[7]
		Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	S. Epatha Merkerson	Nominated
	Television Critics Association Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials		Nominated	[8]
	Women's Image Network Awards	Actress in Made-for-TV Movie/Miniseries	S. Epatha Merkerson	Nominated
2006	AARP Movies for Grownups Awards	Best TV Movie		Nominated	[9]
	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television	Brian A. Kates	Won	[10]
	BET Awards	Best Actor	Terrence Howard	Won	[11]
	Black Reel Awards	Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series	Halle Berry and Vincent Cirrincione	Won	[12]
		Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series	George C. Wolfe	Won
		Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won
		Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series	Terrence Howard	Nominated
			Jeffrey Wright	Won
		Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series	Carmen Ejogo	Won
			Rosie Perez	Nominated
			Adina Porter	Nominated
		Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Mini-Series	Ruben Santiago-Hudson	Won
	Cinema Audio Society Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series	Susumu Tokunow, Rick Ash, and Adam Jenkins	Won	[13]
	Costume Designers Guild Awards	Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series	Hope Hanafin	Nominated	[14]
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television or Miniseries	George C. Wolfe	Won[a]	[15]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Television Film		Nominated	[16]
		Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won
	Golden Reel Awards	Best Sound Editing in Television Long Form – Dialogue and Automated Dialogue Replacement	Jon Mete, Michael Hertlein, and Paul Longstaffe	Won	[17]
	Gracie Awards	Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won	[18]
	Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Feature		Nominated	[19] [20]
		Best Female Lead	S. Epatha Merkerson	Nominated
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special		Won	[21]
		Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special	Terrence Howard	Won
			Jeffrey Wright	Nominated
		Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special	Carmen Ejogo	Won
			Macy Gray	Nominated
			S. Epatha Merkerson	Won
			Rosie Perez	Nominated
		Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie	George C. Wolfe	Nominated
	NAMIC Vision Awards	Best Drama		Won
		Best Dramatic Performance	S. Epatha Merkerson	Nominated
	National Board of Review Awards	Best Film or Mini-Series Made for Cable TV		Won	[22]
	Producers Guild of America Awards	David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television	Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Halle Berry, Vincent Cirrincione, Shelby Stone, and Nellie Nugiel	Nominated	[23]
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie	S. Epatha Merkerson	Won	[24]
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Long Form – Adapted	Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Based on his play	Nominated	[25]

Notes

1. Tied with Joseph Sargent for Warm Springs.

References

1. Lee, Felicia R. (2005-02-06), "Lost and Found In Lackawanna", New York Times
2. "Lackawanna Blues".
3. "2005 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. Retrieved November 1, 2005.
4. "Past Winners & Nominees". Humanitas Prize. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
5. "9th Annual TV Awards (2005)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
6. "Lackawanna Blues". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
7. "Nominees & Winners – Satellite™ Awards 2005 (10th Annual Satellite™ Awards)". International Press Academy. Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
8. "Alphabet tops TCA nominations". Variety. June 2, 2005. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
9. Newcott, William R. (March 2006). ""Fifth Annual Movies for Grownups"". AARP the Magazine. Washington, DC. pp. 50–51.
10. "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
11. "Jamie Foxx leads BET nominees". Today. May 17, 2006.
12. "Black Reel Awards – Past Winners". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
13. "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
14. "7th Costume Designers Guild Awards". Costume Designers Guild. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
15. "58th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
16. "Lackawanna Blues – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
17. "Sound editors sing praise". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
18. "2006 Gracies Gala Winners". Gracie Awards. 24 October 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
19. "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
20. ""Brokeback," "Capote," "Crash," "Transamerica" Honored With Spirit Awards". indieWire. 2006-03-05. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
21. "Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens JR., and Kevin Frazier Join New Naacp President and Ceo Bruce S. Gordon to Announce the "37th Naacp Image Awards" Nominations". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 10, 2006.
22. "2005 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
23. McNary, Dave (January 22, 2006). "PGA on cowboy trail". Variety. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
24. "The 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
25. "Previous Nominees & Winners: 2008 Awards Winners". Writers Guild Awards. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2014-05-07.

External links

• Lackawanna Blues at IMDb