The Sophisticated Gents

The Sophisticated Gents is a TV miniseries that aired on three consecutive nights from September 29 to October 1, 1981, on NBC. Its ensemble cast featured a number of African-American stage and film actors, many of whom were customarily seen in blaxploitation films in the 1970s. The miniseries is based upon the 1976 novel The Junior Bachelor Society by John A. Williams.[1] Although production of the project ended in 1979, NBC did not air the miniseries until almost two years later.[2][3]

The Sophisticated Gents
Based onThe Junior Bachelor Society
by John A. Williams
Screenplay byMelvin Van Peebles
Story byPhyllis Minoff
Directed byHarry Falk
StarringSonny Jim Gaines
Bernie Casey
Rosey Grier
Robert Hooks
Ron O'Neal
Thalmus Rasulala
Raymond St. Jacques
Melvin Van Peebles
Dick Anthony Williams
Paul Winfield
Country of origin United States
Original language(s)English
Production
Producer(s)Linda Feitelson
Fran Sears
Melvin Van Peebles
Daniel Wilson
Running time200 minutes
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 29 –
October 1, 1981

Cast

Plot summary

In the mid-1940s, Coach Charles "Chappie" Davis (Gaines) founded a sports club for African-American boys in the local community, dubbing them "The Sophisticated Gents". The young men became athletic heroes, and formed a lifetime bond with each other and their coach. Twenty-five years later, those members of the Gents remaining in town decide to hold a testimonial dinner for Chappie, who is now 70 years old. The dinner turns into an impromptu reunion, with nine Gents eventually arriving to honor Chappie. However, the legal troubles of one of the Gents could spell danger for all of them and their wives.

Video releases

On June 3, 1992, the miniseries was released on VHS.[4]

gollark: I wonder how hard/expensive it'd be to run your own channel on the satellite system if there are THAT many.
gollark: We have exciting TV like "BBC Parliament".
gollark: Analog TV got shut down here ages ago.
gollark: So I guess if you consider license costs our terrestrial TV is *not* free and costs a bit more than Netflix and stuff. Oops.
gollark: - it funds the BBC, but you have to pay it if you watch *any* live TV, or watch BBC content online- it's per property, not per person, so if you have a license, and go somewhere without a license, and watch TV on some of your stuff, you are breaking the law (unless your thing is running entirely on battery power and not mains-connected?)- it costs about twice as much as online subscription service things- there are still black and white licenses which cost a third of the priceBut the enforcement of it is even weirder than that:- there are "TV detector vans". The BBC refuses to explain how they actually work in much detail. With modern TVs I don't think this is actually possible, and they probably can't detect iPlayer use, unless you're stupid enough to sign up with your postcode (they started requiring accounts some years ago).- enforcement is apparently done by some organization with almost no actual legal power (they can visit you and complain, but not *do* anything without a search warrant, which is hard to get)- so they make up for it by sending threatening and misleading letters to try and get people to pay money

References
  1. Williams, John A. (1976). The Junior Bachelor Society (1st ed.). New York City: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385094559.
  2. O'Connor, John J. (September 29, 1981). "TV: Blacks on Way Up in 'Sophisticated Gents'". The New York Times. New York City: The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  3. "The Sophisticated Gents". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  4. The Sophisticated Gents. Xenon Home Video (VHS). Santa Monica, California: Xenon Pictures. June 3, 1992. Retrieved March 13, 2018.


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