Diana Ross | Scott's Film Reviews-1,528 Reviews posted!!! RECENTLY LAUNCHED-MY TOP 250 FAVORITE FILMS AND TOP 40 HORROR FILMS!!!

Mahogany-1975

Director Berry Gordy

Starring Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Perkins

Scott’s Review #1,492

Reviewed August 20, 2025

Grade: B-

Watching Diana Ross, the ‘Queen of Motown Records’ and the lead singer of the legendary pop group The Supremes, in a film role is appealing.

A fabulous singing star, she had her sights set on continued film stardom with Mahogany (1975), having achieved respectability with Lady Sings the Blues (1972).

Ross portrays Tracy Chambers, a struggling Chicago fashion design student who rises from shop girl to popular fashion designer in Rome, after a chance meeting with hotshot fashion photographer Sean (Anthony Perkins) in the department store where she works.

Her love interest is aspiring politician Brian Walker (Billy Dee Williams), a local activist fighting against gentrification in their community.

But will her sudden success and diva antics destroy her relationship and her respect in the fashion world?

The highlights of the film are the many exterior sequences in and around Chicago and the swanky Rome locales featuring the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, and other sophisticated locales.

Also, the soundtrack includes the single “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” by Ross, which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1976.

The song is a gorgeous ballad, wisely reworked in different tones and styles throughout the film and during the credits.

Ross and Williams have a decent amount of chemistry, making an unlikely pair. Brian yearns to make a difference in the world, caring for the ‘little guy’ while earnestly forging a career in politics.

He puts up with Tracy’s ambitions because he is progressive, and their tender romantic scenes work well. When they spar, the tension builds into a believable crescendo, especially their blow-up fight in Rome.

This showcases the pair’s best acting, and the audience roots for them to reconcile.

It’s inspiring, especially for 1975, to see a black couple featured in a film front and center. Their lives are showcased instead of merely supporting white characters.

Other aspects of Mahogany are affected by various issues.

Ross, a singer, has hits and misses in acting. Sometimes she nails a scene, and other times she overacts. This may be the less-than-stellar writing, though, as her character progresses from likeable to diva bitch to likeable again in lightning speed.

It’s wonderful to see Anthony Perkins in another film role besides his signature role as Norman Bates in Psycho (1960). But his character, struggling with his sexuality, is possessive of Tracy, then has a death wish, all with underexplored and unsatisfactory themes.

Was being gay in the fashion industry such a big deal?

I wished for a more substantial role for Nina Foch, famous for her 1951 turn in An American in Paris. Playing a one-note, stuffy character like Miss Evans doesn’t give her much to work with.

It has a soap-opera tone and a sense that Ross is somewhat playing herself. Combined with a nagging, schmaltzy vibe and messy, plot-driven writing, it’s a film that’s all over the place, especially towards the conclusion.

The best example is when Tracy’s new benefactor, Count Christian Rosetti (Jean-Pierre Aumond), also in love with her, agrees without argument to let her give up her entire career and return to Chicago, and Brian.

This follows Tracy’s sudden epiphany that she no longer wants to be the biggest star in the world.

All in the final ten minutes.

Mahogany (1975) is a marginal success with a few highlights and a dismal failure for other reasons, leaving it hovering around the midline of mediocrity.

Oscar Nominations: Best Original Song, “Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To”).

Free to Be…You and Me-1974

Starring Marlo Thomas, Alan Alda, Harry Belafonte

Scott’s Review #1,262

Reviewed June 3, 2022

Grade: A

I don’t typically review television specials or television series, since, as the title suggests, my website isn’t about that.

But, because of the sheer relevance and groundbreaking nature of Free to Be…You and Me (1974), and that it is more of a ‘project’ than merely a television special, I felt compelled to give it the recognition and praise it deserved.

A record album and illustrated book first released in November 1972, featuring songs and stories sung or told by celebrities of the day, also makes it meatier than a one-and-done hour-long slot on a random Monday night.

The running time is a mere 45 minutes, but a lot happens in that time, leaving any viewer with an open mind about how everyone should see it.

To summarize, the emotions the experience elicits outweigh the limited screen time.

The project was conceived, created, and executive-produced by actress Marlo Thomas, who also serves as host. What a great human being she proves herself to be, bringing something so valuable to the small screen.

The result is so ahead of its time that the message feels powerful when watching it for the first time nearly fifty years later, in 2022.

You can’t say that about most television.

The basic concept is to celebrate and encourage gender neutrality, saluting values such as individuality, tolerance, and comfort with one’s identity. Strong messages.

These ideals began to emerge in the late 1960s, when the sexual revolution took hold.

A major theme is that anyone, regardless of whether they are a boy or a girl, can achieve anything and be whatever they want to be.

I adore early on when a scene from a hospital emerges, infant depictions of Thomas and Mel Brooks debating their genders. They say their goodbyes as they leave the hospital, but the moment is long remembered.

Later, Thomas and Alan Alda sing about a boy named William who wants a doll. And why shouldn’t he? Just as Sally, Jennifer, or Mary should be allowed to play with a dump truck if they feel like it.

Surely, the United States, the project’s main region, has slowly become more progressive in the subsequent decades. A sad reminder is that some people still have a problem with gender neutrality or even gender equality.

We’re not out of the woods yet, folks.

But those people are to be dismissed and not embraced.

Guest performers include Alda, Cicely Tyson, Tom Smothers, and Harry Belafonte, while Roberta Flack, Michael Jackson, Rita Coolidge, and Kris Kristofferson help supply the tunes.

A shockingly young Jackson also appears in a skit.

The production features uplifting sketches and songs that urge both the young and the old to welcome diversity and embrace individualism.

I ruminated throughout my viewing on how, in many ways, it is similar to PBS’s Mister Rogers Neighborhood, using puppets to appeal to youngsters and teach treasured messages. The kindness of the characters provides protection and warmth, teaching worth and value.

Free to Be…You and Me (1974) deservedly became an Emmy-winning TV special that taught many children (and adults) how to celebrate and respect diversity.

I hope that someone somewhere gives Free to Be…You and me, a boost, and it’s shown in schools all across the world.

It’s a timeless masterpiece.