TAKE A GIANT STEP + lyrics THE MONKEES

PlayList • THE MONKEES
For the 1966 song by The Monkees, see Take a Giant Step (song).
Take a Giant Step
Directed by Philip Leacock
Screenplay by Louis S. Peterson
Julius J. Epstein
Based on Take a Giant Step
1953 play
by Louis S. Peterson
Produced by Julius J. Epstein
Starring Johnny Nash
Estelle Hemsley
Ruby Dee
Frederick O'Neal
Beah Richards
Ellen Holly
Cinematography Arthur E. Arling
Edited by Frank Gross
Music by Jack Marshall
Production
company
Hecht-Hill-Lancaster
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
December 1, 1959
Running time 100 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $300,000
Take a Giant Step is a 1959 American coming-of-age drama film directed by Philip Leacock.
The plot concerns a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of racism are beginning to affect his life more directly and pointedly than they had in his childhood. Adapted from the Broadway play by Louis S. Peterson, the film stars Johnny Nash - who would ultimately become more well known for his singing career, including the hit song "I Can See Clearly Now" - as the lead character, Spencer "Spence" Scott. Co-stars included Ruby Dee as the Scott family's housekeeper, Estelle Hemsley as Grandma Martin (Hemsley was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for best supporting actress), and Beah Richards as Spence's mother. The movie's executive producer was Burt Lancaster through his Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company.