View source for Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (film)

{{Infobox television
| image = Having Our Say The Delany Sisters First 100 Years (film) cover art.jpg
| image_size = 150
| genre = <!--Must be sourced per Template:Infobox television instructions-->
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years ]]''|[[Sarah Louise Delany]]}}
| writer = [[Emily Mann (director)|Emily Mann]]
| director = [[Lynne Littman]]
| starring = {{Plainlist|
* [[Diahann Carroll]]
* [[Ruby Dee]]
* [[Amy Madigan]]
* [[Lisa Arrindell Anderson]]
* [[Audra McDonald]]
* [[Mykelti Williamson]]
* [[Lonette McKee]]
* [[Richard Roundtree]]
* [[Della Reese]]
}}
| composer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Terence Blanchard]]
* [[Dennis McCarthy (composer)|Dennis McCarthy]]
}}
| country = United States
| language = English
| executive_producer = {{Plainlist|
* [[Camille Cosby|Camille O. Cosby]]
* Jeffrey S. Grant
* Judith James
}}
| producer = Tony Amatullo
| editor = Brent White
| cinematography = Frank Byers
| runtime = 100 minutes
| company = {{Plainlist|
* C&J Productions
* Columbia TriStar Television
* {{nowrap|Dreyfuss / James Productions}}
* TeleVest Entertainment
}}
| network = [[CBS]]
| released = {{Start date|1999|04|18}}
}}
'''''Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years''''' is a 1999 American [[television film|made-for-television]] [[drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Lynne Littman]]. The film is an adaptation of the 1993 biography ''[[Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years]]'' written by [[Sarah Louise Delany]] (nicknamed "Sadie"), [[Annie Elizabeth Delany]], and journalist [[Amy Hill Hearth]]. The telefilm adaptation was written by [[Emily Mann (director)|Emily Mann]], who also adapted the book for the Broadway stage (1995). The film first aired on [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS]] on April 18, 1999, just three months after Sadie died.
==Premise==
The daughters of a former [[slavery|slave]] who became the first African-American elected bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States, the sisters were [[Civil Rights]] pioneers but were unknown until journalist [[Amy Hill Hearth]] interviewed them for a feature story in [[The New York Times]] in 1991. The sisters were then 101 and 103 years old.
Sadie, the older of the sisters, was the first African-American permitted to teach [[Domestic Science]] at the high school level in the [[New York City Public Schools|New York City public schools]]. Bessie was the second African-American woman licensed to practice dentistry in New York State. The biopic deals with the trials and tribulations they faced during a century of life. The sisters share their stories with Ms. Hearth, the journalist (and later, the co-author of their book). Pivotal scenes are re-enacted through flashbacks.
==Cast and characters==
*[[Diahann Carroll]] as [[Sarah Louise Delany|Sadie Delany]]
**[[Lisa Arrindell Anderson]] as Young Sadie
*[[Ruby Dee]] as [[Annie Elizabeth Delany|Bessie Delany]]
**[[Audra McDonald]] as Young Bessie
*[[Amy Madigan]] as [[Amy Hill Hearth]]
*[[Mykelti Williamson]] as Papa Delany
*[[Lonette McKee]] as Mama Delany
*[[Richard Roundtree]] as [[Booker T. Washington]]
*[[Della Reese]] as Martha Logan
==Critical reception==
Ron Wertheimer of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called the film "clearly a labor of love . . . an engrossing drama built on characters who are at once exceptional and accessible . . . Ms. Carroll and Ms. Dee embody the sisters in middle and old age. Their performances occasionally threaten to glide into [[caricature]] but more often capture the women's complementary strengths and frailties and their extraordinary bond."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B00E5D8133BF934A25757C0A96F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title=''New York Times'' review |work=New York Times |date=1999-04-17 |accessdate=2011-10-12}}</ref>
In his review in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', David Kronke said, "Anchored by two excellent performances by Diahann Carroll and Ruby Dee, this is a solidly affecting telepic that rarely preaches or hits a false note . . . By film's end, the viewer feels there truly is a history between these two characters. Supporting performances are strong, with Lonette McKee a standout as the sisters' mother."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kronke |first=David |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117907230.html?categoryid=32&cs=1&p=0 |title=''Variety'' review |publisher=Variety.com |date=1999-04-15 |accessdate=2011-10-12}}</ref>
==Awards and nominations==
*[[Peabody Award]] for Excellence in Television ('''winner''')
*[[Writers Guild of America Award]] (nominee)
*[[Christopher Award]] for Outstanding TV and Cable Programming ('''winner''')
*[[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special]] (Ruby Dee and Diahann Carroll, nominees)
*[[NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special]] (nominee)
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://amyhillhearth.com/ Official website]
*{{IMDb title|id=0196603|title=Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years}}
*[http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=1422 CBS]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 television films]]
[[Category:1999 drama films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Dennis McCarthy]]
[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
[[Category:CBS films]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning broadcasts]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]