In 1966, Louis Armstrong starred in A MAN CALLED ADAM alongside Sammy Davis Jr., Cicely Tyson, Ossie Davis, Frank Sintra Jr. Mel Tormé and Peter Lawford.
A MAN CALLED ADAM is a musical drama which tackles racism in 1960s America – a fascinating and important example of black film history and an evocative celebration of the 60s jazz era.
Directed by Leo Penn and produced by Ike Jones (the first African American to produce a Hollywood film) A MAN CALLED ADAM features a largely all-black cast led by Sammy Davis Jr. with Louis Armstrong, Cicely Tyson and Ossie Davis with Mel Tormé, Frank Sinatra Jr. and Peter Lawford. Morgan Freeman is also featured as an uncredited extra.
A MAN CALLED ADAM has been fully restored and features a dazzling score including Louis Armstrong performing “Back O’ Town Blues”, Mel Tormé performing “All That Jazz”, and Sammy Davis Jr. performing “Whisper to One”.
Talented jazz musician Adam (Sammy Davis Jr.) appears to have it all, but an inner anger and a tormented past threaten to destroy his career. When he meets jazz legend Willie Ferguson (Louis Armstrong) and falls in love with his granddaughter (Cicely Tyson), a straight-talking civil rights activist, Adam begins to question his lifestyle, and resolves to tame his drinking and wild behaviour. But despite his new-found love, Adam is haunted by the shadows of his past. Can he escape his demons, before they destroy him entirely?
The restored version of A MAN CALLED ADAM recently screened at the Cinema Rediscovered Festival at Bristol’s Watershed and will be shown at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20 August as part of the Restored Classics Strand and is available to buy on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from 16TH AUGUST.
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