The Temptations is a mini-series on TV. Who played Otis in the movie?
The Temptations is a four-hour television mini-series on NBC, based on the history of one of Motown's longest-lived acts.The series was executive produced by Suzanne de Passe and based on the Temptations autobiography of Otis Williams, which was broadcasted on November 1 and November 2, 1998.In the spring of 1998 it was filmed in Pittsburgh.Allan Arkush directed the film.
The story was based on Otis Williams' book, but the focus was on Williams and Franklin, with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks seen as antagonists for much of the second half.Dennis was not very focused on the problems he had with Otis Williams.Thanks to de Passe's connection, the film was able to use authentic props and locations.
Several people portrayed in the film and their families would be sued by Otis Williams and the producers.
The film was shot in Pittsburgh in order to take advantage of the many different architectural and geographical looks that the city has to offer.The Jacksons: An American Dream was shot in Pittsburgh as well.
Otis Williams ran to meet his friend Elbridge "Al" Bryant at a musical performance by The Cadillacs, where Otis and the singer lock eyes, which he credits as the moment he devoted his life to music.After the concert, Otis and Al go to a barber to get their hair cut.Otis arrives home for dinner where his stepfather is angry with his hairstyle and wants him to go to work at the assembly line instead of going into music.Six months later, Otis, Al and two new band members are singing on a street corner when they see another group of singers, the Voicemasters, across the street and are impressed by one singer's bass voice type.Otis followed the singer the next day after school.The singer thought Otis was a gang member and ran away.Otis invited him to join his group, Otis Williams & the Siberians, after he discovered that the singer's name was Melvin Franklin.On the condition that his mother approves, he agrees.Otis persuaded Melvin's mother to let him join.
The group, now with five members, are practicing their singing after school when they notice a group of girls watching them.The group follows them as they sing "Earth Angel".Otis asks Josephine out on a date after the girls go their separate ways.The next Saturday, the group are making out with the girls in a milk truck when they hear for their group to come to the radio station, which turns out to be a run-down apartment.Johnnie May Matthews, the owner of the pirate radio studio in the basement, changed their name to Otis Williams and the Distants.In April 1960, the group are waiting to perform at a party where they meet Paul Williams, Eddie Kendricks, Diana Ross, lead singer for the Primettes, and Berry Gordy, founder and owner of the Miracles.Al arrived late at the party and was hostile towards Eddie and Paul.The Primes and Primettes sound great.Berry Gordy enters the bathroom and is followed by Otis and Melvin.Berry gave them a business card after they talked.Johnnie shows off rolls of money while buying a new car after the party, with the money earned from their record.Awestruck, they ask about when they get paid, which angers Johnnie and she immediately fires them, kicks them out of the car and drives away.Otis and Melvin are the only two remaining members after Al and two other members quit.
Otis was told by Melvin that Eddie and Paul were interested in joining him.When Al rejoins the group, Otis accepts, despite being reluctant to let them join.The group has a new line-up.Eddie and Paul become valuable members, as Eddie becomes their falsetto singer, while Paul teaches them how to dance.Otis met up with Berry Gordy in March of 1961.Otis found the others waiting outside after the meeting.If they can come up with a better group name, Berry will sign them.After sitting outside the studio for hours waiting to be called in and thinking up a new name, a secretary called them in to meet Berry.Otis replied "The Temptations" when he asked them for their name when they got to Berry.
Berry agrees to hear them sing.They were signed by Berry after he heard them perform Oh Mother of Mine.The group made a pact to never leave the group now that they are in high spirits.Otis was shocked when he found out that Josephine was pregnant, but he promised to take responsibility for the baby.Otis narrates that he and Josephine were married shortly after and later gave birth to their son.While making moderately successful records written largely by Berry, such as "Paradise" and "I Want a Love I Can See", the group start to become known as The Hitless Temptations, as they can't seem to make anything.As talented singers, the group start to doubt themselves as Al starts to lose his passion for singing and become more and more negative and volatile.After performing at a New Year's Eve party, Al smashed Paul in the side of the head with a beer bottle when asked to do an encore on stage.He was kicked out of the group.Four of them go back on stage and perform the classic party song "Shout".While singing, Jimmy and David jumped on stage and sang as well.The duos' singing impressed the group.After the party, the four, along with David, go to the mother's house to eat.While they are eating and talking, the four invite David to join them.They made a toast to the future success of the Temptations.
In January 1964, the group head to Hitsville to record a song.The Temptations' song "The Way You Do the Things you Do" became an instant hit and put them on the map.The group go on a tour with other artists after the song hits the charts.While changing a tire on the tour bus, a pair of racist Southerners drive by shooting at them with a shotgun, and David and Eddie try in vain to chase them down, but give up.The tour ends and they return to Detroit.While waiting for Otis in front of Hitsville, Josephine saw him with another woman and assumed that they were having an affair.The Temptations are on tour again."My Girl" was written in November of that year.The song hits the number one spot on the charts that year.Spending money on themselves and their loved ones is what the group enjoys.
Soon comes trouble with this success.David begins to think that he is solely responsible for the Temptations' success.If he shows up late for rehearsals or meetings, he starts using drugs.This behavior starts to take a toll on the group, and soon after Otis and Melvin pay David a visit, they stage an intervention.They told him to clean up his act or be fired.Berry introduced the group to their new manager.As they think their original fans will see them as sell-out, they are hesitant about expanding the Temptations' fanbase to the mainstream white audience.The Temptations are put on a tour with the Supremes after some consideration.David's destructive behavior continues and he declares his shady friend, Flynn, his new manager, despite the fact that the tour turns out to be a success.Flynn told the group that David wanted to change the name to "David Ruffin & The Temptations" or else he wouldn't perform.David shows up late but still performs "I'm Losing You" and leaves in a limo.All but Eddie voted to kick David out of the group after the show.David arrives at Hitsville in his limo.While the four watch from a window, David is given a note byShelly telling him of their decision.David yelled at them through the window after reading this.He drives off after getting into his limo."So now what?" asked Melvin rhetorically.
Dennis was hired by the Temptations as a replacement for David.The group's first single was "Cloud Nine" in 1968.During a concert performance, the group is about to sing "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" when David jumps on stage and steals the microphone from Dennis and sings himself.The others chase him backstage after saving face.David got security guards to escort Otis out after a brief argument.By 1969 Paul's drinking becomes too much and his doctor advises him to stop, yet both continue performing anyway.Josephine and Otis get a divorce around this time.As Paul's condition gets worse, the others begin to consider whether he should retire.Eddie thinks that they should be with Paul all the time, making sure he doesn't drink.Eddie gave David his first shot of cocaine when he visited David in November 1970.The Temptations record a new song called "Just My Imagination" after Paul is well enough to sing again.Eddie quits the group.Otis and his son visit Paul.Paul wants to be in the Temptations again.Otis told him that he will come back when he gets better.In June 1972, Norman writes another song called "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", which the group are initially against recording, but eventually go along with it.In a scene set to the song, a man named Paul is struggling with an addiction, while fighting with his wife, and then taking his own life in a parking lot.Eddie and the others are at the funeral and Eddie is told that they will always be a family.
The Temptations were hit with a dry spell in their career after moving from Detroit to Los Angeles in 1977.The group, now with Otis and Melvin as the only remaining original members, fire their manager, and begin recording under the Atlantic Records label.Eddie has two major hits under the label and David has some hits after the Temptations, but they are both under a dry spell.A thief tries to start his car while Melvin helps a woman with her grocery bags.When he tried to stop him, the thief shot him in the legs and kicked him out of his car.Otis was told to go on tour without him.After the tour, Otis goes back to Detroit to visit his mother, who told him that she has cancer.They are on the porch.
The Temptations left Atlantic Records in 1980.Eddie is playing in small nightclubs because of his success.After Eddie finishes his song, he brings David on stage to sing with him.Eddie and David had a drink at the bar after everyone left the club and decided to start their own Temptations group.After moving back to Detroit, Otis andMelvin return to the Motown label and become their manager again.A reunion tour between both sets of the Temptations is something that Motown is interested in.
The tour begins in 1982 and both sets of Temptations come together to rehearse.Josephine informs Otis that he died in a construction accident while on tour.After Otis gets back from the funeral, the tour starts to fall apart, as Otis' grief gets the better of him and David's drug addiction kicks in.
The Temptations are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.David, Eddie, and Dennis are at the ceremony with Otis and Melvin.They are all friends again as they accept their honor and remember Paul, despite their past squabbles and rivalries.