A Black preacher walks into a plantation and accidentally starts a revolution with gospel and grit.
Purlie is a musical based on Ossie Davis' 1961 play Purlie Victorious. In the early days of the civil rights movement, a Southern plantation owner holds his sharecroppers in virtual slavery. Purlie comes home as a preacher who will shake things up and bring freedom to his people. This 1981 television adaptation won a CableACE Award.
Acting
Robert Guillaume's volcanic charisma carries every frame.
Score
Gospel numbers that'll wreck you — Melba Moore's voice is weaponized joy.
Writing
Ossie Davis' satirical wit cuts sharper than any sermon.
Director
Rudi Goldman
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This 1981 adaptation came twenty years after Davis' original play, during Reagan's America — making its unflinching look at systemic racism even more radical.
Robert Guillaume originated Purlie on Broadway in 1970 and won a Tony — this TV film reunited him with Melba Moore, his original Lutiebelle.
US
