African-American TV Movies

This is a list of African-American themed TV movies. TV movies may or may not be released on VHS or DVD, so these films can be difficult to find. Many times, these films were recorded on VHS when the film came on TV. Luckily, many of them have been discovered. These particular movies I am listing generally consist of an all-Black cast, a Black actor/actress that was the lead role or supporting lead, and/or the theme of the movie was centered around African-Americans.
(List is not final and will be updated accordingly.)

 

A

• A Christmas Dream (1984)
• A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion (1982)
• A Killing Affair (1977)
• A Mother's Courage, The Mary Thomas Story (1989)
• A Woman Called Moses (1978)
• ABC After School Special, The Hero Who Couldn't Read (1984)
• Acorn People (1981)
• Aftershock, Earthquake in New York (1999)
• After The Shock (1990)
• Against the Wall (1994)
• All God's Children (1980)
• Almos' A Man (1976)
• Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned (1998)
• Amazons (1984)
• Ambush Murders, The (1982)
• An Overnight Guest (1983)
• And the Children Shall Lead (1985)
• Angel City (1980)
• As Summers Die (1986)
• Atlanta Child Murders (1985)
• Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, The (1974)

B

• Backstairs at the White House (1979)
• Badge of the Assassin (1985)
• Beasts Are On The Streets (1978)
• Bermuda Depths, The (1978)
• Billy, Portrait of a Street Kid (1977)
• Black Brigade (1970)
• Blind Faith (1998)
• Booker (1984)
• Boy King, The (1986)
• Brother Future (1991)

C

• Carolina Skeletons (1991)
• Cased Closed (1988)
• Caught in the Middle (1970)
• Cay, The (1974)
• Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (1975)
• Challenger (1990)
• Charleston (1979) [imdb] [additional info]
• Charlotte Forten's Mission: Experiment in Freedom (1985)
• Cherokee, Kid, The (1996)
• Child Saver, The (1988)
• Children of Divorce (1980)
• Children of Times Square, The (1986)
• Cindy (1978)
• Clockers (1995)
• Cocaine and Blue Eyes (1983)
• Cosmic Slop (1994)
• Courage of Love, The (2000)
• Cover Girls (1977)
• Crash Course (1988)

D

• Dangerous Passion (1990)
• Daybreak (1993)
• Deadly Voyage (1996)
• Death of a Prophet (1981)
• Death Penalty (1980)
• Detour to Terror (1980) 
• Displaced Person (1985)
• Doctor's Story, A (1984)
• Don King - Only In America (1997)
• Don't Look Back - The Story of Leroy Satchel Paige (1981)
• Double Platinum (1999)
• Double Trouble (1989)
• Dream Date (1989)
• Dreams Don't Die (1982)
• Dream For Christmas, A (1973)
• Dummy (1979)

E

• Ebony, Ivory, and Jade (1979)
• El Diablo (1990)
• Execution of Raymond Graham, The (1985)

F

• False Witness (1989)
• Fantastic World of D.C. Collins, The (1984)
• Father Clements Story, The (1987)
• Feast of All Saints, The (2001)
• Fire & Ice (2001)
• Firehouse (1973)
• First Time Felon (1997)
• Five Desperate Hours (1997)
• Five Desperate Women (1971)
• For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf (1982)
• For Safety's Sake [Gary Coleman - PSA] (1986)
• For The Love of Olivia (2001)
• For Us The Living, The Story of Medgar Evers (1983)
• Foster and Laurie (1975)
• Free to be You and Me (1974)
• Freedom Road (1979)
• Freeman (1977, Broadway Theater)
• Full Eclipse (1993)

G

• George McKenna Story, The (1986)
• Goldie and the Boxer (1979)
• Goldie and the Boxer Go To Hollywood (1981)
• Grambling's White Tiger (1981)
• Greatest Thing That Almost Happened, The (1977)
• Green Eyes (1977)
• Guardian, The (1984)
• Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story (1987)
• Guyana Tragedy, The Story Of Jim Jones (1980)

H

• Half Nelson (1985)
• Hammer, Slammer & Slade (1990)
• Harambee (1996)
• Heat Wave (1990)
• Hollow Image (1979)
• Hong Kong Phooey (1974)
• House of Dies Drear (1984)
• Howard Beach: Making A Case For Murder (1989)

I

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1979)
• Inside (1996)
• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
• It's Good To Be Alive (1974)

J

• J.T. (1969)
  
• Jackie's Back (1999)
• Jailbirds (1991)
• Jericho Mile, The (1979)
• Jesse Owens Story, The (1984)
• John Henry (1986)
• Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI (1986)
• Josephine Baker Story, The (1991)
• Journey Together (1978)
• Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys (1976)
• Just An Old Sweet Song (1976)
• Just An Overnight Guest (1983)

K

• Kid From Left Field, The (1979)
• Kid Who Loved Christmas, The (1990)
• Kid With The 200 I.Q., The (1983)
• Kid With The Broken Halo, The (1982)
• Killer By Night (1972)
• King (1978, Part I)
• King (1978, Part II)
• King (1978, Part III)
• Kiss Shot (1989)

L

• Lackawanna Blues (2005)
• Last Light (1993)
• Lawman Without A Gun (1978)
• Lesson Before Dying, A (1999)
• Little Ladies of the Night (1977)
• Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style (1976)
• Love Songs (1999)

M

• Mandela (1987)
• Mandela and de Klerk (1997)
• Marva Collins Story, The (1981)
• Member of the Wedding, The (1982)
• Midnight Blue (2000)
• Mighty Pawns, The (1987)
• Minstrel Man (1977)
• Miss Ever's Boys (1997)
• Mr. and Mrs. Loving (1996)
• Ms. Scrooge (1997)
• Muggable Mary: Street Cop (1982)
• Murder Without Motive: The Edmund Perry Story (1992)
• Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women (1979)
• My Sweet Charlie (1970)

N

• Neighborhood, The (1982)
• Night Chase (1970)
• Nightmare in Badham County (1976)

O

• Oceans of Fire (1986)
• Old Settler, The (2001)
• On the Streets of L.A. (1993)
• On Thin Ice, The Tai Babilonia Story (1990)
• Once Upon A Time... When We Were Colored (1995)
• One False Move (1992)
• One in a Million, The Ron LeFlore Story (1978)
• Out of Darkness (1994)

P

• Pandora's Clock (1996)
• Panic in Echo Park (1977)
• Paul Robeson (1979)
• Penthouse, The (1989)
• Playing With Fire (1985)
• Polly: Comin' Home! (1990)
• Poor Devil (1973)

Q

• Queen, Alex Haley's (1993)

R

• Raid on Entebbe (1976)
• Ray Alexander, A Taste For Justice (1994)
• Rebound - The Legend of Earl The Goat Manigault (1996)
• Return of the Mod Squad (1979) 
• Rhapsody (2000)
• Right of the People, The (1986)
• Ring of Passion (1978)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1978)
• Roots (1977)
• Roots - The Gift (1988)
• Ruby Bridges (1998)
• Runaway (1989)
• Runaway, The (2000)

S

• Sadat (1983)
• Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000)
• Santa And Pete (1999)
• Scared Straight (1978)
• Scared Straight, Another Story (1980)
• Scott Joplin (1977)
• Scouts Honor (1980)
• See China and Die (1981)
• Separate But Equal (1991)
• Shaka Zulu (1986)
• Sheriff, The (1971)
• Sister, Sister (1982)
• Sophisticated Gents, The (1981)
• Soul of the Game (1996)
• Soul Survivors (1995)
• Stompin' at the Savoy (1992)
• Sty of the Blind Pig, The (1974, Broadway Theater)

T

• Taking The Heat (1993)
• Teacher, Teacher (1969)
• Temptations, The (1998)
• Tenafly (1973)
• Tenth Level, The (1975)
• The Color of Love (2000)
• The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson (1990)
• The O.J. Simpson Story (1995)
• The Return of Mod Squad (1979)
• The Wedding (1998)
• Time Bomb (1984)
• To All My Friends on Shore (1972)
• To Be Young Gifted and Black (1972)
• To Dance With Olivia (1997)
• To Sir With Love 2 (1996)
• Top Secret (1978)
• Tortoise and the Hare, The - Bill Cosby - Aesop's Fables (1971)
• Toughest Man In The World, The (1984) 
• Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (1981)
• Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story (1991)
• Trouble Comes To Town (1973) [imdb]
• Tuskegee Airmen, The (1995)
• Two For The Money (1972)
• Tyson (1995)

U

• U.F.O. Incident, The (1975)
• Uncle Tom's Cabin (1987)
• Unnatural Causes (1986)

V

• Vengeance, The Story Of Tony Cimo (1986)
• Vernon Johns Story, The (1994)
• Voyage of the Yes, The (1973)

W

• When Hell Freezes Over, I'll Skate (1979)
• White Dwarf (1995)
• White Mama (1980)
• Whitewash (1994)
• Wilma (1977)
• With Murder In Mind (1992)
• Women of Brewster Place, The (1989)
• Women of San Quentin (1983)
• Words By Heart (1985)

X


Y

• Yesterday's Target (1996)
• You Must Remember This (1992)

Z

• Zooman (1995)