In 1974, the world watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her ’60s/’70s TV show, “Julia.” Though many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she was a poor, single mother on welfare, raising six kids…she pulled it off, and Claudine forever went down in history as a ’70s cult classic film…BUT…

Initially, the film’s producers tried to convince Cicely Tyson to take the “Claudine” role. However, she turned it down, and there’s a very valid reason why Ms. Tyson couldn’t see herself playing such a character.

Cicely Tyson Kept It Real…

In a prior interview with her friend/actress, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson revealed she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she did not want to portray that type of ‘stereotypical’ character. Therefore, she declined…but there’s more:

Cicely Tyson: I had been offered a film [Claudine] that was well-written and ultimately well-produced. I read it and knew that it wasn’t something I could do because it was about a Black woman who was living with some man. They were not married. She had six children, illegitimate, with different men, and I knew that was not something that I wanted to do, so I passed. I was called by the producer and the writer of the movie, who asked why I was turning it down, and I explained that it wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to portray. The writer said, “But those ladies are out there.” I said, “Yes, I know, but there are a lot of other ladies out there. Doctors, lawyers. I want the world to know about those kinds of ladies. That’s what I want to do.” They finally decided that I was not going to do it and it went to another actress [Diahann Carroll] who did it and was nominated for an Oscar for it. They all said to me, “See, you could have had two Oscar nominations.” I said, “That’s what you would have been happy with, but not me.” Six weeks later, I got Jane Pittman. Had I been involved in doing this other movie, I would not have been available to play Jane.

That same year, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released. She played a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from a slave, to a free person at the end of the Civil War, and living well into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from “Claudine,” it can be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild after generations of oppression, and while trying to navigate through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare – have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So, both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances.

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Actress, Diana Sands (pictured above), was originally casted as “Claudine,” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones (“Roop”) were doing a love scene. Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, Sands discovered she had a terminal form cancer, leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann, take the part instead. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May each of these iconic women rest peacefully.

Source,  Source

The post Cicely Tyson Refused To Do Movie Diahann Carroll Starred In…And Boldly Explained Why appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, most of our favorite icons aren’t perfect, they’re simply perfectly flawed human beings, just like the rest of us. Diahann Carroll and Sidney Poitier are examples of that, although we still give them nothing but the utmost respect for all that they’ve done to contribute to the film and the TV industry throughout their decades in entertainment.

With that said, let’s dig into this 9-YEAR love affair between Poitier and Carroll, that the late iconic actress publicly spoke about in her 2019 autobiographical book, “The Legs Are The Last To Go.” Apparently, there were plenty of mistakes and painful moments from both parties during the time they were seeing one another without the knowledge of their spouses…

According Diahann Carroll, Sidney Poitier convinced her to divorce her then-husband, Monte Kay, and led her to believe he would soon leave his then-wife, Juanita Hardy, for her. Carroll apparently held up her end of their reported agreement by divorcing her husband. However, she says Poitier reneged on his alleged promise, choosing to instead remain married to his wife. As a result, Carroll refused to sit around waiting on Poitier to move forward with his divorce, so she began dating another man at that time…and that pissed Poitier all the way of, according to Carroll. Here’s what she said happened next:

Via Entertainment Rundown: “Sidney called me at my hotel . . . ‘You b*tch, whore, tramp,’ he yelled. ‘I know he just left your bed. I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!’” the New York Post quoted her as writing in the book.

She wrote that Poitier later told her he’d finally left his wife, Juanita Hardy. He even bought Carroll a ring and made her decorate a 10-room Riverside Drive apartment he’d bought.

“I was only home a few days when he called to say his wife was having second thoughts. Our wedding plans would have to be postponed,” wrote Carroll.

She added: “When the apartment was ready and I was about to move my daughter in with me, Sidney told me he didn’t want her there . . . He changed the locks so I couldn’t get in. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs. I did as I was told, submissive and desperate.”

Despite her decision to detail their affair, Carroll says Poitier, who did not comment on the book, continues to be her friend.

“Sidney and I are now friends. That’s a lovely thing that comes as you age – forgiveness and perhaps a relaxing of standards,” wrote Carroll.

Poitier went on to marry actress Joanna Shimkus, while Carroll married three more times, her last husband was singer Vic Damone.

Diahann Carroll and Sidney Poitier were treading in dangerous waters back in the day, but every now n’ then, we all have to fall into ditches  and figure out how to climb out on our own. Sometimes people stay married for convenience, financial reasons, their children, etc., but end up having affairs to fulfill their desires. So the question is this, ILOSM family: Which do you think the best is choice – To stay in a marriage for reasons other than one’s personal desires; or walk away to instead follow your heart?

The post Diahann Carroll Revealed All About Her Intense Extramarital Affair With Sidney Poitier appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

In 1974, the world watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her ’60s/’70s TV show, “Julia.” Though many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she was a poor, single mother on welfare, raising six kids…she pulled it off, and Claudine forever went down in history as a ’70s cult classic film…BUT…

Initially, the film’s producers tried to convince Cicely Tyson to take the “Claudine” role. However, she turned it down, and there’s a very valid reason why Ms. Tyson couldn’t see herself playing such a character.

Cicely Tyson Kept It Real…

In a prior interview with her friend/actress, Phylicia Rashad, Cicely Tyson revealed she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she did not want to portray that type of ‘stereotypical’ character. Therefore, she declined…but there’s more:

Cicely Tyson: I had been offered a film [Claudine] that was well-written and ultimately well-produced. I read it and knew that it wasn’t something I could do because it was about a Black woman who was living with some man. They were not married. She had six children, illegitimate, with different men, and I knew that was not something that I wanted to do, so I passed. I was called by the producer and the writer of the movie, who asked why I was turning it down, and I explained that it wasn’t the kind of woman I wanted to portray. The writer said, “But those ladies are out there.” I said, “Yes, I know, but there are a lot of other ladies out there. Doctors, lawyers. I want the world to know about those kinds of ladies. That’s what I want to do.” They finally decided that I was not going to do it and it went to another actress [Diahann Carroll] who did it and was nominated for an Oscar for it. They all said to me, “See, you could have had two Oscar nominations.” I said, “That’s what you would have been happy with, but not me.” Six weeks later, I got Jane Pittman. Had I been involved in doing this other movie, I would not have been available to play Jane.

That same year, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released. She played a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from a slave, to a free person at the end of the Civil War, and living well into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from “Claudine,” it can be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild after generations of oppression, and while trying to navigate through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare – have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So, both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances.

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Actress, Diana Sands (pictured above), was originally casted as “Claudine,” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones (“Roop”) were doing a love scene. Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, Sands discovered she had a terminal form cancer, leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann, take the part instead. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May each of these iconic women rest peacefully.

Source,  Source

The post Cicely Tyson Refused To Do Movie Diahann Carroll Was In…And Boldly Explained Why appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The year was 1974 when we watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her 60s/70s TV show, “Julia.” Although many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she would be a poor single mother on welfare, raising six kids, she pulled it off and Claudine forever went down in history as a 70’s cult classic film…BUT…

There was another very popular actress whom the producers of the film were trying to convince to take the “Claudine” role, but she turned it down for the very reason that we all fell in love with the film- she didn’t want to portray an unmarried African American woman  on welfare, raising six kids on her own.

Of course that’s not the only reason we loved the film, but seeing a representation of an unfortunate reality that many of us are faced with in our own families and communities, was a reality that was very relatable for us. Nonetheless, it’s understandable that this actress couldn’t see herself playing such a character. See who this strong willed, iconic actress is below…

So THAT’S Who Turned Down “Claudine” Role…

Embed from Getty Images

It’s the beautiful Cicely Tyson! In a prior interview, Cicely revealed that she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she just did not want to take on that type of stereotypical role at that point in her career. Therefore, she declined.

We all know that Cicely would have nailed that character like no other, but now that we’ve seen Diahann kill it, it’s hard to imagine anyone else filling her shoes. The film would have felt totally different with any other actress loving on “Roop” (James Earl Jones’ character).

That same year in 1974, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released and her character was a slave named “Jane,” who told the story of transitioning from being a slave to being a free person at the end of the Civil War and living into the start of the Civil Rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from the role of “Claudine,” it can also be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman, much like “Jane Pittman.”

“Jane” had to rebuild, after generations of oppression and was still trying to navigate her way through the American system – through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact.

For example, “Claudine” – and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare- still have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family, is very minimal and basically impossible.

So both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- still represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances. Moving on…

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Another fact about the film, Claudine, is that Diahann wasn’t supposed to play “Claudine” either. Actress, Diana Sands, was originally casted as “Claudine” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones were doing a love scene and Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain.

Sadly, it turned out that Sands had a terminal form cancer called leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann Carroll, take the part instead, and the rest is history. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May she continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

Source

The post Before Diahann, Another Iconic Actress Rejected “Claudine” Movie Over Stereotype appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

With that said, let’s dig into this 9 YEAR love affair between Poitier and Carroll, that Diahann Carroll publicly spoke about in her book. Apparently there were plenty of mistakes and painful moments from both parties during the time they were seeing one another without the knowledge of their spouses…

Via Entertainment Rundown: Carroll claims that Poitier persuaded her to divorce her husband Monte Kay, and that Poitier said he would leave his wife to be with her. When Carroll got her divorce, Poitier didn’t keep up his end of the bargain. Carroll said she dated another man out of frustration, which didn’t sit well with Poitier.

“Sidney called me at my hotel . . . ‘You b*tch, whore, tramp,’ he yelled. ‘I know he just left your bed. I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!’” the New York Post quoted her as writing in the book.

She wrote that Poitier later told her he’d finally left his wife, Juanita Hardy. He even bought Carroll a ring and made her decorate a 10-room Riverside Drive apartment he’d bought.

“I was only home a few days when he called to say his wife was having second thoughts. Our wedding plans would have to be postponed,” wrote Carroll.

She added: “When the apartment was ready and I was about to move my daughter in with me, Sidney told me he didn’t want her there . . . He changed the locks so I couldn’t get in. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs. I did as I was told, submissive and desperate.”

Despite her decision to detail their affair, Carroll says Poitier, who did not comment on the book, continues to be her friend.

“Sidney and I are now friends. That’s a lovely thing that comes as you age – forgiveness and perhaps a relaxing of standards,” wrote Carroll.

Poitier went on to marry actress Joanna Shimkus, while Carroll married three more times, her last husband was singer Vic Damone.

[Source]

Diahann and Sidney were treading in dangerous waters back in the day, but every now and then we all have to fall into the ‘manholes’ and figure out how to climb out on our own. Sometimes people stay married for convenience, financial reasons, their children, etc., but end up having affairs to fulfill their desires. So my question is this ILOSM family: What do you think the best is choice is? To stay in a marriage for reasons other than one’s personal desires, or walk away to instead follow your heart?

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old school news with a new point of view

The post Diahann Carroll Revealed All About Intense Extramarital Affair With Sidney Poitier appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

[kkgallery kid=”1586″]

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

The post Remember The Kid From The “Julia” TV Show? Found Him! appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The year was 1974 when we watched Claudine and witnessed Diahann Carroll display a total contrast to her sophisticated character of “Nurse Julia” from her 60s/70s TV show, Julia. Although many were skeptical about Diahann being able to convince us that she would be a poor single mother on welfare, raising six kids, she pulled it off and Claudine forever went down in history as a 70’s cult classic film…BUT…

There was another very popular actress whom the producers of the film were trying to convince to take the “Claudine” role, but she turned it down for the very reason that we all fell in love with the film- she didn’t want to portray an unmarried African American woman who was on welfare and raising six kids on her own. Of course that’s not the only reason we loved the film, but seeing a representation of an unfortunate reality that many of us are faced with in our own families and communities, was a reality that was very relatable for us. Nonetheless, it’s understandable that this actress couldn’t see herself playing such a character. See who this strong willed, iconic actress is below…

So THAT’S Who Turned Down “Claudine” Role…

Embed from Getty Images

It’s the beautiful Cicely Tyson! In a prior interview, Cicely revealed that she was offered the role of “Claudine” before Diahann Carroll, but she just did not want to take on that type of stereotypical role at that point in her career. Therefore, she declined.

We all know that Cicely would have nailed that character like no other, but now that we’ve seen Diahann kill that role, it’s hard to imagine anyone else filling her shoes. The film would have felt totally different with any other actress loving on “Roop” (James Earl Jones’ character).

That same year in 1974, Cicely Tyson’s TV movie, The Autobiography of Jane Pittman, released and her character was a slave named “Jane” who told the story of transitioning from being a slave to being a free person at the end of the Civil War and living into the start of the civil rights era at the age of 110.

Embed from Getty Images

While “Jane” was a far cry from the role of “Claudine,” it can also be argued that “Claudine” was the result of a woman, much like “Jane Pittman.” “Jane” had to rebuild, after generations of oppression and was still trying to navigate her way through the American system -through parenthood, and the men in her life. Sure, “Claudine” had more opportunities than “Jane,” or so it seemed, but the biased ‘American system’ was still strong and in tact. For example, “Claudine” -and women like “Claudine,” who are on welfare- still have to keep the men out of the household, or face consequences of having their government assistance stripped away from them and their children. As long as there is no man in the home, the possibility of building a strongly bonded, complete family is very minimal and basically impossible.

So both characters -“Jane” and “Claudine”- still represent women who possess a certain level of strength and triumph, but under a different set of circumstances. Moving on…

Diahann Caroll Wasn’t The 2nd Pick Either…Diana Sands Was…

Embed from Getty Images

Another fact about the film, Claudine, is that Diahann wasn’t supposed to play “Claudine” either. Actress, Diana Sands, was originally casted as “Claudine” and production had already started in 1973 with Sands. It came to a screeching halt when Sands and James Earl Jones were doing a love scene and Jones knew something must have been wrong with Sands, when she winced in pain. Sadly, it turned out that Sands had a terminal form cancer, called leiomyosarcoma, and had to pull out of the film. It was Sands who suggested that her close friend, Diahann Carroll, take the part instead, and the rest is history. Sands sadly passed away that same year. May she continue to rest peacefully.

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, old school news with a new point of view

Source

The post Before Diahann, Another Iconic Actress Rejected “Claudine” Movie Over Stereotype appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, most of our favorite icons aren’t perfect, they’re simply perfectly flawed human beings, just like the rest of us. Diahann Carroll and Sidney Portier are examples of that, although we still give them nothing but the utmost respect for all that they’ve done to contribute to the film and the TV industry throughout their decades in entertainment.

With that said, let’s dig into this 9 year affair between Portier and Carroll, that Diahann Carroll publicly spoke about in her book. Apparently there were plenty of mistakes and painful moments from both parties during the time they were seeing one another without the knowledge of their spouses…

Carroll claimed that Poitier persuaded her to divorce her husband Monte Kay, and that Poitier said he would leave his wife to be with her. When Carroll got her divorce, Poitier didn’t keep up his end of the bargain. Carroll said she dated another man out of frustration, which didn’t sit well with Poitier.

“Sidney called me at my hotel . . . ‘You bitch, whore, tramp,’ he yelled. ‘I know he just left your bed. I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!’” the New York Post quoted her as writing in the book.

She wrote that Poitier later told her he’d finally left his wife, Juanita Hardy. He even bought Carroll a ring and made her decorate a 10-room Riverside Drive apartment he’d bought.

“I was only home a few days when he called to say his wife was having second thoughts. Our wedding plans would have to be postponed,” wrote Carroll.

She added: “When the apartment was ready and I was about to move my daughter in with me, Sidney told me he didn’t want her there . . . He changed the locks so I couldn’t get in. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs. I did as I was told, submissive and desperate.”

Despite her decision to detail their affair, Carroll says Poitier, who did not comment on the book, continues to be her friend.

“Sidney and I are now friends. That’s a lovely thing that comes as you age – forgiveness and perhaps a relaxing of standards,” wrote Carroll.

Poitier went on to marry actress Joanna Shimkus, while Carroll married three more times, her last husband was singer Vic Damone.

[Source]

Diahann and Sidney were treading in dangerous waters back in the day, but sometimes we all have to fall into the ‘manholes’ and figure out how to climb our own way out. Sometimes people stay married for convenience, financial reasons, their children, etc., but end up having affairs to fulfill their desires. So my question is this ILOSM family:
What is the best choice to make? Stay in a marriage for reasons other than your personal desires, or drop everything you and your family have built to follow your heart?

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old school news with a new point of view

The post Diahann Carroll Reveals Intense Extramarital Affair w/Sidney Poitier appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

With that said, let’s dig into this 9 YEAR love affair between Poitier and Carroll, that Diahann Carroll publicly spoke about in her book. Apparently there were plenty of mistakes and painful moments from both parties during the time they were seeing one another without the knowledge of their spouses…

Via Entertainment Rundown: Carroll claims that Poitier persuaded her to divorce her husband Monte Kay, and that Poitier said he would leave his wife to be with her. When Carroll got her divorce, Poitier didn’t keep up his end of the bargain. Carroll said she dated another man out of frustration, which didn’t sit well with Poitier.

“Sidney called me at my hotel . . . ‘You b*tch, whore, tramp,’ he yelled. ‘I know he just left your bed. I won’t have you running around with other men. You belong to me!’” the New York Post quoted her as writing in the book.

She wrote that Poitier later told her he’d finally left his wife, Juanita Hardy. He even bought Carroll a ring and made her decorate a 10-room Riverside Drive apartment he’d bought.

“I was only home a few days when he called to say his wife was having second thoughts. Our wedding plans would have to be postponed,” wrote Carroll.

She added: “When the apartment was ready and I was about to move my daughter in with me, Sidney told me he didn’t want her there . . . He changed the locks so I couldn’t get in. Then he made me write him a check to offset his purchase and decorating costs. I did as I was told, submissive and desperate.”

Despite her decision to detail their affair, Carroll says Poitier, who did not comment on the book, continues to be her friend.

“Sidney and I are now friends. That’s a lovely thing that comes as you age – forgiveness and perhaps a relaxing of standards,” wrote Carroll.

Poitier went on to marry actress Joanna Shimkus, while Carroll married three more times, her last husband was singer Vic Damone.

[Source]

Diahann and Sidney were treading in dangerous waters back in the day, but every now and then we all have to fall into the ‘manholes’ and figure out how to climb out on our own. Sometimes people stay married for convenience, financial reasons, their children, etc., but end up having affairs to fulfill their desires. So my question is this ILOSM family: What do you think the best is choice is? To stay in a marriage for reasons other than one’s personal desires, or walk away to instead follow your heart?

-ILoveOldSchoolMusic, Old school news with a new point of view

The post Diahann Carroll Revealed All About Intense Extramarital Affair With Sidney Poitier appeared first on I Love Old School Music.