The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)

The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson is a 1990 American drama film directed by Larry Peerce and written by L. Travis Clark, Steve Duncan, Clay Frohman and Dennis Lynton Clark. The film stars Andre Braugher, Daniel Stern, Ruby Dee, Stan Shaw, Paul Dooley and Bruce Dern. The film premiered on TNT on October 15, 1990.

Plot

The movie opens in 1944, when Jackie Robinson is serving as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. Robinson and the other Black officers face discrimination and segregation, despite putting their lives on the line. After refusing to move to the back of a segregated Army bus, Robinson is court-martialed for insubordination.

The movie then flashes back to Robinson's early life and baseball career before the war. We see his athletic talents develop and how he became one of the first Black players in professional baseball when he joined the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. However, his career is put on hold when he is drafted into the Army in 1942.

Back at the court-martial, the all-white panel of officers seems set on harshly punishing Robinson as an example to other Black servicemen. Robinson argues eloquently in his own defense, pointing out the hypocrisy of fighting a war against racism overseas while tolerating discrimination at home. His impassioned testimony helps sway the panel, who ultimately vote to acquit Robinson, though they still reprimand him.

The movie ends with Robinson leaving the Army and resuming his baseball career with the Montreal Royals, the farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Just a few years later in 1947, he would break baseball's color barrier and become a civil rights icon as the first Black player in Major League Baseball. The movie underscores Robinson's dignity and leadership in the face of injustice, which paved the way for integration in sports and society.

Cast

Andre Braugher as Jackie Robinson

Daniel Stern as William Cline

Ruby Dee as Jackie's mother

Stan Shaw as Joe Louis

Paul Dooley as Willy Bailey

Bruce Dern as Scout Ed Higgins

Kasi Lemmons as Rachel

J. A. Preston as Wendell Smith

Michael Greene

Dale Dye

Steven Williams as Satchel Paige

Noble Willingham

Gary Grubbs

Don Hood as Maj. Foley

Howard French as Sgt. McEllroy

Jim Beaver as Maj. Trimble

Russell Curry as Mack at 21

Peter Parros as Gordon Jones

Nancy Cheryll Davis as Loretta Jones

Dale Swann as Dr. Smith

Glenn Morshower as Capt. Spencer

Brenda Ballard as Miss Wharton

Ken Kerman as Asch

Chris Kinkade as Cpl. Dwight

See also

List of baseball films

References

External links

The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson at IMDb