Directed by
Lathan, Stan, American, born 1945
Written by
Gaines, Ernest J., American, 1933 - 2019
Fuller, Charles, American, born 1939
Subject of
Cole, Olivia Actress, born 1942
Bond, James III, American
Avery, Margaret, American, born 1944
Little, Cleavon, American, 1939 - 1992
Lister, Chez, American, born 1969
Henry Fonda, American, 1905 - 1982
Owned by
D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
Date
1980
Medium
acetate film
Dimensions
Duration (Reel 1): 22 Minutes
Length (Film): 800 Feet
Duration (Reel 2): 21 Minutes
Length (Film): 750 Feet
Caption
This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
Description
A feature film with the title The Sky Is Gray. It consists of two reels of 16mm acetate film with color and sound.
The film is a coming of age story about a young boy named James (James Bond III) from a sharecropper family in 1940s Louisiana. Through various encounters during a trip to see the dentist about a toothache, James learns about race, religion, gender, and poverty. The film opens with an introduction by actor Henry Fonda who describes life in the slave quarters and Ernest Gaines’ rise to prominence. In the next scene, James and another boy are seen in bed discussing James' toothache. Despite his companion’s suggestions, James refuses to inform the adults in the quarters of his discomfort. Later, James accompanies his mother, Octavia (Olivia Cole), to the cane fields but is still visibly in pain from his toothache. After a few home remedies fail, including prayers by one Monsieur Bayonne (Cleavon Little), James' mother resolves to take him to the dentist.
On the way, they walk underneath a Confederate flag in the town, shortly before entering the dental office. In the waiting room, James witnesses conversations about topics such as religion and the nature of reality before the nurse informs everyone that the dentist would be going to recess shortly. After some futile persuasion, James and his mother leave the dental office and head to a nearby restaurant where James witnesses an altercation between his mother and a man who makes unwelcome advances toward her. In the final scenes, James and his mother meet Helena (Susan French), a white shopkeeper who offers them some food on their way back to the dental office.
Place used
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
DC Public Library Film Collection
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Type
sound films
color films (visual works)
feature films
16mm (photographic film size)
Topic
Agriculture
American South
Families
Film
Labor
Poverty
Race relations
Rural life
Youth
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2017.55.98.1ab
Restrictions & Rights
Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5adc799cb-5ab6-4190-bfa3-02e8c2e58f38

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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