Save the Children (film)

For the 1971 film by Ken Loach, see The Save the Children Fund Film.

Save the Children
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStan Lathan
Written byMatt Robinson
Produced byMatt Robinson
Clarence Avant
StarringCannonball Adderley
Jerry Butler
Sammy Davis Jr.
Dennis Edwards
Roberta Flack
Melvin Franklin
Marvin Gaye
CinematographyCharles Blackwell
Bob Fletcher
Robert Grant
Doug Harris
Rufus Hinton
Roy Lewis
Leroy Lucas
David Myers
Edited byGeorge Bowers
Paul L. Evans
Production
company
Stellar
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • September 18, 1973 (1973-09-18)
(New York City)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Save the Children is a 1973 American concert film directed by Stan Lathan and produced by Matt Robinson. The concert documentary film chronicles performers that appeared during the five-day PUSH Expo in Chicago's International Amphitheater in 1972. The exposition featured art, music, educational institutions, social services, businesses and organizations and was developed by Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity).

The film was released on September 18, 1973, by Paramount Pictures.[1][2] Performances are interspersed with street scenes of African-American communities in Chicago. Top musicians of the day showcased jazz, blues, soul, Motown, rock, gospel and other genres, in addition to talks by inspirational speakers.[3]

The film's executive producer was prominent music manager Clarence Avant, who succeeded in having musicians from three top record labels, Motown, Stax and Atlantic, appear on stage together.[4]

A soundtrack was released by Motown Records.[5]

Among the standout performances were Bill Withers ("Lean on Me"), The Jackson 5, and Marvin Gaye, whose song "Save the Children" inspired the film's title.

Sammy Davis Jr. also appeared on stage, recently having faced scrutiny for embracing President Richard Nixon at the Republican National Convention. Some in the audience booed him, but Davis won over many with a heartfelt rendition of his hit "I've Gotta Be Me".[6] Excerpts of his performance are also shown in the Clarence Avant documentary The Black Godfather.[7]

In 2023, the film was digitally restored and released on Netflix.[8][9] It was screened at the 2024 Chicago Film Festival in the presence of the director and many of those who attended the event over 50 years prior.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Movie Review - Save the Children - Stars 'Save the Children' - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  2. ^ "Save the Children (1973) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  3. ^ "Stars 'Save the Children' (Published 1973)". September 19, 1973. Archived from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "Clarence Avant, the 'Black Godfather' of the recording industry, dies at 92". Los Angeles Times. August 14, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2025. In 1973, Avant executive-produced the film "Save the Children," which documented a concert he helped pull together as part of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1972 Operation Push Black Expo in Chicago. Performances by top Black artists including Withers, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Sammy Davis Jr., Isaac Hayes, the Temptations and Roberta Flack were interspersed with footage of children in dire conditions around the world. The soundtrack was released by Motown, though the talent came from all three top Black-music labels at the time: Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records.
  5. ^ Various - Save The Children (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), 1973, retrieved December 28, 2025
  6. ^ "The Hug". The Washington Post. September 14, 2003. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  7. ^ "'The Black Godfather' Tells the Story of Behind-The-Scenes Mastermind Clarence Avant". Entertainment Voice. June 7, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2025. Sammy Davis Jr. was shunned by the black community because of a picture in which he was hugging President Nixon, but Avant convinced the audience to give him a chance. In one of the film's most compelling scenes, Davis confronts a booing crowd, saying, "Disagree, if you will, with my politics, but I will not allow anyone to take away the fact that I am black." Immediately, the crowd erupts into crazed applause, whereupon Davis performs, "I Gotta Be Me." In the end, the entire stadium is filled with smiling faces, and Davis looks like he is about to break into tears.
  8. ^ bandele, asha (October 24, 2024). "Watch! Netflix Is Streaming A Masterpiece 1972 Black Concert Film Forgotten For 50 Years". NewsOne. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  9. ^ Thompson, Erica (October 18, 2024). "Music's top '70s stars rock Chicago in 'Save the Children,' a largely unseen film getting a second chance". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  10. ^ Willman, Chris (November 4, 2024). "'Save the Children,' Long-Lost '70s Concert Film With the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Staple Singers and Other Black Superstars, Gets a Netflix Rebirth". Variety. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
  11. ^ "Chicago International Film Festival: Save the Children (1973)". events.uchicago.edu. Retrieved December 23, 2025.
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