Claudine: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A romantic comedy with the title Claudine. It consists of two reels of 16mm color acetate film with optical sound.

In the opening scene, Claudine (Diahann Carroll), a single mother of six who, in addition to working as a maid, relies on Welfare to support her family, can be seen walking down the street, accompanied by her children, before she boards a bus and sits with some other women who are seated at the back. One of the women inquires about Claudine’s recent temperament, to which Claudine responds that she hasn’t been sleeping lately.

The rest of the film chronicles the budding relationship between Claudine and Rupert “Roop” Johnson (James Earl Jones), a garbage collector. The relationship is impacted by their mutual experience of poverty and Claudine’s children’s hostility toward Rupert. The film also features music and lyrics composed and produced by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1974
• Directed by: John Berry, American, 1917 - 1999
• Written by: Tina Pine, American, 1923 - 1998
• Written by: Lester Pine, American, 1917 - 2001
• Subject of: Diahann Carroll, American, 1935 - 2019
• Subject of: James Earl Jones, American, 1931 - 2024
• Subject of: Tamu Blackwell, American, born 1955
• Subject of: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, American, born 1953
• Subject of: Yvette Curtis, American, born 1960
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: feature films
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 1): 18 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 650 Feet
• Dimensions: Duration (Reel 2): 37 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 1300 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: New York City, Manhattan, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: New York City, Manhattan, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Comedy
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Object number: 2017.55.56.1ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.