Seventeen-year-old Spence (Johnny Nash) is an African-American teenager who has been raised in a white middle-class neighborhood his whole life. When one of his high school classes starts talking about racial issues, Spence is confronted with some harsh realities and begins to question what it means to live as a person of color in a white world. Spence's confusion is nurtured by the family's sensible African-American housekeeper, Christine (Ruby Dee), whose warmth and wisdom help Spence come to an understanding of who he really is.

Take a Giant Step (1959) is a well-intentioned coming-of-age drama that was a product of its socially conscious period in American history, right on the cusp of the turbulent sixties. Originally a successful off-Broadway play, the film version was financed through actor Burt Lancaster's production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions, which had scored an earlier box office hit with the Oscar®-winning Marty in 1955. Take a Giant Step playwright Louis S. Peterson adapted his work into the film's screenplay at a time when African-American screenwriters were a rarity in Hollywood.

Ruby Dee shines in her pivotal role of Christine, leading a supporting cast of fine actors, many of whom came from the original stage version. Estelle Hemsley and Frederick O'Neal make memorable impressions reprising their Broadway roles as Spence's grandmother and father.

Take a Giant Step marked the screen acting debut for pop singer Johnny Nash in the leading role of Spence. Best known for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now," Nash also sings the film's title song.

Though critical response was lukewarm upon its initial release, Take a Giant Step is worth a look for its unique and poignant perspective on changing attitudes in American culture during a pivotal period of change.

Producer: Julius J. Epstein, Burt Lancaster
Director: Philip Leacock
Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein, Louis S. Peterson
Cinematography: Arthur E. Arling
Film Editing: Frank Gross
Art Direction: Edward Carrere
Music: Jack Marshall
Cast: Johnny Nash (Spencer Scott), Estelle Hemsley (Grandma), Ruby Dee (Christine), Frederick O'Neal (Lem Scott), Ellen Holly (Carol), Pauline Meyer (Violet).
BW-100m.

by Andrea Passafiume