125 days until the Oscars...
Monday, November 22, 2021 at 11:00AM 
It's 125 days until the Oscars and when we do countdowns at TFE we like to play number association. What do you think of when you hear the number "125"? I personally think of 125th street in Manhattan since I have lived in Harlem for 16 years. The most famous attraction of 125th street might well be The Apollo Theater but curiously searching for articles or a list of movie scenes set there comes up a big blank. How is there not a big article about this already? There's not even a Wikipedia section for "references in film/tv".
The only things I could remember with the internet refusing to help (other than various comedy/concert films shot there) was the Emmy-winning recent documentary The Apollo (2019), a major Emmy submission from The Marvelous Mrs Maisel ("A Jewish Girl Walks Into the Apollo") and Denzel Washington giving good speech in Malcolm X (1992)...
Ruth E Carter became the first Black nominee ever in Best Costume Design
Spike Lee's epic three hour plus biopic on the Civil Rights activist, was only nominated for two Oscars (Costume Design, Best Actor) and lost both. Costumes is understandable despite Ruth E Carter's sensational efforts (love those zoot suits) nothing was beating Bram Stoker's Dracula that season (or in most seasons, to be frank). But it remains supremely annoying that Denzel didn't snag his second Oscar statue right then and there.
If Malcolm X were released in today's showbiz atmosphere, it would surely have been a bigger deal. Which Oscars do you think it would have been up for back then, transposed to the now?
Malcolm X, NYC, Oscars (90s), Spike Lee, biopics
Reader Comments (3)
10: Actor, Director, Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costume Design, Score, Supporting Actor (Al Freeman or Delroy Lindo), Song
The Apollo shows up a lot more! It's where the Dreamettes first decide to flip their wigs around in Dreamgirls. It's where Chris Rock (after escaping from a white man's body) gets his dream to perform there in Down to Earth.
And it's where Liz Lemon's standup career failed to take off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXtQy-agw-g
I believe that both 1970s blaxploitation icons Claudine (Diahann Carroll) and Shaft (Richard Roundtree) are shown walking on 125th Street in their respective films.