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Watermelon Man (1970) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   567 votes
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Director:
Writer:
Herman Raucher (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Watermelon Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 May 1970 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The Uppity Movie. more
Plot:
An extremely bigotted white man find out the hard (and somewhat humorous) way what it's like being a black man, firsthand! full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. more
User Reviews:
Strange, funny, and controversial more (15 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Godfrey Cambridge ... Jeff Gerber
Estelle Parsons ... Althea Gerber

Howard Caine ... Mr. Townsend
D'Urville Martin ... Bus Driver
Mantan Moreland ... Counterman
Kay Kimberley ... Erica
Kay E. Kuter ... Dr. Wainwright
Scott Garrett ... Burton Gerber
Erin Moran ... Janice Gerber
Irving Selbst ... Mr. Johnson
Emil Sitka ... Delivery Man
Lawrence Parke ... 1st Passenger
Karl Lukas ... Policeman #2
Ray Ballard ... 3rd Passenger
Robert Dagny ... 2nd Passenger
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Night the Sun Came Out (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
D'Urville Martin not only plays the credited role of the Bus Driver, but also participant in the Yacht Club "riot" scene. more
Quotes:
Jeff Gerber: I am not colored.
Bus Driver: I know. I'm Spanish myself.
more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful.
Strange, funny, and controversial, 17 May 2008
7/10
Author: Alex P (miskatonic86) from Baltimore, Maryland

Melvin van Peebles' classic, WATERMELON MAN is one of those films that's very ridiculous, but does have some important messages. It's sort of like an old Roger Corman film.

Godfrey Cambridge, plays a man named Jeff Gerber, a bigoted white insurance salesman who lives in an ideal 50s community. Every day he gets angrier by the race riots in the city and turns into a real racist. Then one day he wakes up as a black man and has to face bigotry at work, in the neighborhood, and in the town.

Director Melvin van Peebles is a very important film director, not only for being the first mainstream African-American filmmaker, but also for being one of the first directors to tackle on race issues. In WATERMELON MAN, he makes a great anti-bigotry message.

The premise of this film is rather ludicrous. It's a campy version of BLACK LIKE ME, but strangely enough, it works. There are some very hilarious segments in this movie. Godfrey Cambridge is excellent as the main character and Estelle Parsons shines as his liberal wife. A race-related film worth at least one view.

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Message Boards

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Office girl that likes him... skinypupp
Brief scene that puzzles me... byczekfemale
It's going to be on TV! sirleucelot
Watermelon Man II hasterman1
cambridge MADE this movie teejay6682
PARTRIDGE FAMILY HOUSE!!! definitedoll
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