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Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Claudine Price’s stoop was on Edgecombe Avenue, right around the corner from my apartment. It so happens that Claudine is my favorite movie — ever! What?! What do you mean you’ve never heard of Claudine? Featuring an all-Star cast of Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Roxie Roker, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (”Welcome Back Kotter”), and Tamu Blackwell, it is one of those films that takes you back in time. I am always stunned when people tell me that they have never seen Claudine. It is a ’70s classic if there ever was one.

Claudine tells the story of a single mother in Harlem who is striving to make ends meet. Claudine, played by award winning actress Diahann Carroll (most recently seen as Mama on “Grey’s Anatomy,”) works as a domestic in Westchester county, while collecting a welfare check on the sly for her six fatherless children who range in age from practically grown to rug rats. In the midst of her daily struggles, Claudine meets a garbage collector who sweeps her off her feet. Naturally, their relationship faces numerous obstacles — from the children not trusting Rupert (played by James Earl Jones) to Claudine fighting her personal demons from past failed relationships. Yet, in true Hollywood fashion the couple perseveres and lives happily ever after (or as happily as possible under the circumstances.)

The film, released in 1974 stepped outside of the box from the rest of the black films of that era. It wasn’t your typical blaxploitation film. Though heavily criticized in some circles for its use of stereotypical roles (welfare mother, etc.) the film was lauded in others. The New York Times heralded the film for showing the “realities of Harlem life”. Carroll was even nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award the following year.

The characters in the movie were people I actually knew. There were pieces of my mother in the character Claudine, my uncles in “Roop”, cousins and god-siblings in the bounty of children all cramped into the tiny Harlem apartment. Each character was relatable and each told their own story through the film.

As if the film being good wasn’t enough, the soundtrack was excellent! Scored by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips, the theme song, “On and On” earned the group the number five spot on the 1974 Billboard Singles Chart and a Grammy nomination for the album in 1975.

The following clip shows the pivotal point in the film where everything comes to a head. The children have arranged for Claudine and “Roop” to get back together after a brief separation. The couple agrees to marry while the eldest son, who is going through a rebellious period, gets caught up in one of the many activist protests of the period. In the end the family bands together to ride off into the sunset through the streets of Harlem — spilling off the back of a paddy wagon.

via On The Verge Online

Claudine is one of those movies you either love or hate. For me, it has sentimental value because I can relate to the struggle of living in the turbulent 70s and being raised by a single parent. For others it might seem contrived or even outdated. Most of the reviews that I’ve read, however, have said that Claudine is probably the “realest” of the the films to come out of the 1970s; I certainly think that it is.

Order your copy today for as little as $6.99: Claudine (1974)