History Trivia / Roots1977

** The originial miniseries featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time: John Amos, Maya Angelou, Creator/EdAsner, Creator/LloydBridges, Georg Stanford Brown, Macdonald Carey, Chuck Connors, Scatman Crothers, Creator/SandyDuncan, Lynda Day George, Louis Gossett, Jr., Creator/LorneGreene, Creator/GeorgeHamilton, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Burl Ives, Carolyn Jones, Doug [=McClure=], Creator/IanMcShane, Creator/VicMorrow, Robert Reed, Creator/RichardRoundtree, John Schuck, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.

** The cast of the second miniseries was equally impressive: Creator/MarlonBrando, James Broderick, Georg Stanford Brown, Creator/DiahannCarroll, Michael Constantine, Robert Culp, James Daly, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Creator/OliviaDeHavilland, Norman Fell, Creator/HenryFonda, Al Freeman, Jr., Creator/PamGrier, Andy Griffith, Creator/JamesEarlJones, Dina Merrill, Harry Morgan, Greg Morris, Brock Peters, Richard Thomas, George Voskovec and Paul Winfield.

** The cast of the second miniseries was equally impressive: Creator/MarlonBrando, James Broderick, Georg Stanford Brown, Diahann Carroll, Michael Constantine, Robert Culp, James Daly, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Creator/OliviaDeHavilland, Norman Fell, Creator/HenryFonda, Al Freeman, Jr., Creator/PamGrier, Andy Griffith, Creator/JamesEarlJones, Dina Merrill, Harry Morgan, Greg Morris, Brock Peters, Richard Thomas, George Voskovec and Paul Winfield.

** The originial miniseries featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time: John Amos, Maya Angelou, Creator/EdAsner, Creator/LloydBridges, Georg Stanford Brown, Macdonald Carey, Chuck Connors, Scatman Crothers, Sandy Duncan, Lynda Day George, Louis Gossett, Jr., Creator/LorneGreene, Creator/GeorgeHamilton, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Burl Ives, Carolyn Jones, Doug [=McClure=], Creator/IanMcShane, Creator/VicMorrow, Robert Reed, Creator/RichardRoundtree, John Schuck, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.

** The originial miniseries featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time: John Amos, Maya Angelou, Ed Asner, Lloyd Bridges, Georg Stanford Brown, Macdonald Carey, Chuck Connors, Scatman Crothers, Sandy Duncan, Lynda Day George, Louis Gossett, Jr., Lorne Greene, George Hamilton, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Burl Ives, Carolyn Jones, Doug [=McClure=], Ian [=McShane=], Vic Morrow, Robert Reed, Richard Roundtree, John Schuck, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.
** The cast of the second miniseries was equally impressive: Marlon Brando, James Broderick, Georg Stanford Brown, Diahann Carroll, Michael Constantine, Robert Culp, James Daly, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Olivia de Havilland, Norman Fell, Henry Fonda, Al Freeman, Jr., Pam Grier, Andy Griffith, James Earl Jones, Dina Merrill, Harry Morgan, Greg Morris, Brock Peters, Richard Thomas, George Voskovec and Paul Winfield.

** Pam Grier (Francey) and Rosey Grier (Big Slew Johnson) are cousins. Of the three pairs of real life relatives, they are the only one to share a scene.

** Kunta Kinte was supposed to be chased down in a sprint by Fanta's father. The father was played by football Hall-of-Famer UsefulNotes/OJSimpson, and it was expected that Simpson would have absolutely no problem catching Creator/LevarBurton. Problem was, Burton had been a medal-winning track star in high school and could leave Simpson in the dirt when running flat out. After six ruined takes, the director finally took Burton aside and instructed him to not run flat out.

* PlayingAgainstType: The mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV figures as evil slavers, including Robert Reed, Ralph Waite, Creator/LorneGreene, Burl Ives, Creator/SandyDuncan, and Chuck Connors. It also went the other way by casting Creator/EdAsner as a slave ship captain who is conflicted and tortured about his trade.

* CastTheRunnerUp: John Amos was considered for the roles of the wrestler and Fiddler before he was cast as Kunta Kinte.

** The originial miniseries featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time: John Amos, Maya Angelou, Ed Asner, Lloyd Bridges, Macdonald Carey, Chuck Connors, Scatman Crothers, Sandy Duncan, Lynda Day George, Louis Gossett, Jr., Lorne Greene, George Hamilton, Burl Ives, Carolyn Jones, Doug [=McClure=], Ian [=McShane=], Vic Morrow, Robert Reed, Richard Roundtree, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.
** The cast of the second miniseries was equally impressive: Marlon Brando, James Broderick, Diahann Carroll, Michael Constantine, Robert Culp, James Daly, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Olivia de Havilland, Norman Fell, Henry Fonda, Al Freeman, Jr., Pam Grier, Andy Griffith, James Earl Jones, Dina Merrill, Harry Morgan, Greg Morris, Brock Peters, Richard Thomas, George Voskovec and Paul Winfield.

** The originial miniseries featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time: John Amos, Maya Angelou, Ed Asner, Lloyd Bridges, Macdonald Carey, Chuck Connors, Scatman Crothers, Sandy Duncan, Lynda Day George, Lorne Greene, George Hamilton, Burl Ives, Carolyn Jones, Doug [=McClure=], Ian [=McShane=], Vic Morrow, Robert Reed, Richard Roundtree, Cicely Tyson, Leslie Uggams, Ben Vereen and Ralph Waite.

* PlayingAgainstType: The mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV figures as evil slavers, including Robert Reed, Ralph Waite, Creator/LorneGreene, Burl Ives, Creator/SandyDuncan, and Chuck Conners. It also went the other way by casting Creator/EdAsner as a slave ship captain who is conflicted and tortured about his trade.

* AllStarCast: The mini-series featured many famous black and white celebrities of the time.

* TheOtherDarrin: A few of the holdover characters from the original miniseries--Chicken George, Irene--are played by different actors in the sequel.

** Kunta Kinte was supposed to be chased down in a sprint by his future wife's father. The father was played by football Hall-of-Famer UsefulNotes/OJSimpson, and it was expected that Simpson would have absolutely no problem catching Creator/LevarBurton. Problem was, Burton had been a medal-winning track star in high school and could leave Simpson in the dirt when running flat out. After six ruined takes, the director finally took Burton aside and instructed him to not run flat out.

* PlayingAgainstType: The mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV figures as evil slavers, including Robert Reed, Ralph Waite, Lorne Greene, Burl Ives, Sandy Duncan, and Chuck Conners. It also went the other way by casting Creator/EdAsner as a slave ship captain who is conflicted and tortured about his trade.

** Kunta Kinte was supposed to be chased down in a sprint by his future wife's father. The father was played by football Hall-of-Famer O. J. Simpson, and it was expected that Simpson would have absolutely no problem catching Creator/LevarBurton. Problem was, Burton had been a medal-winning track star in high school and could leave Simpson in the dirt when running flat out. After six ruined takes, the director finally took Burton aside and instructed him to not run flat out.

* AllStarCast: The mini-series featured many famous black celebrities of the time.

* PlayingAgainstType: The mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV fathers as evil slavers, including Robert Reed, Ralph Waite, Lorne Greene, Burl Ives, Sandy Duncan, and Chuck Conners. It also went the other way by casting Creator/EdAsner as a slave ship captain who is conflicted and tortured about his trade..

* CaliforniaDoubling: In ''The Next Generation'', The Los Angeles Arboretum doubles for Gambia in Africa. Most of the scenes used are acceptable to the untrained eye until the Queen Anne Cottage starts showing up in the background of a village made up of grass huts.

* IronyAsSheIsCast: Kunta Kinte was supposed to be chased down in a sprint by his future wife's father. The father was played by football Hall-of-Famer O. J. Simpson, and it was expected that Simpson would have absolutely no problem catching Creator/LevarBurton. Problem was, Burton had been a medal-winning track star in high school and could leave Simpson in the dirt when running flat out. After six ruined takes, the director finally took Burton aside and instructed him to not run flat out.

* PlayingAgainstType: The mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV fathers as evil slavers.

* SpecialEffectFailure: The "old" makeup.

* CastingGag: Not really a gag, but the mini-series cast several well-known and beloved TV fathers as evil slavers.