According to the Goudsouzian bio, almost 300 women auditioned for the role of Ivy. Jazz singer Abbey Lincoln ultimately walked away the victor: her only previous screen acting work was Nothing But a Man (1964), a film in which Poitier turned down the lead role. Once married to legendary drummer Max Roach, music was and is Lincoln's first love; her impressive career work has garnered numerous comparisons to Billie Holliday. In a 1996 interview, Lincoln briefly addressed her screen work (which also included Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues [1990]) stating, "I was surprised when I was chosen to do the films I made because I never thought of myself as an actress. I enjoyed some things from that place." She made it clear, however, that acting was ultimately a dissatisfying experience for her, adding, "There isn't anything for a black woman on that [Hollywood's] stage. It would have to be a really fantastic part for me to even consider doing movies again. And I don't expect to see one...so I don't care if I ever make another movie. I really don't want to be bothered." Lincoln may not have been impressed with Tinseltown, but the feeling wasn't mutual: she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in For Love of Ivy.
Another Ivy performer received a Globe nod: Beau Bridges, playing a son in the family Ivy works for as a maid. Coming from a family of actors, Bridges, son of Lloyd and brother of Jeff, later starred in such films as Norma Rae (1979), The Hotel New Hampshire (1984), and The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989). Carroll O'Connor plays the father of the household; best known for his television work such as All in the Family (1971-9), he also starred in the long-running television series In the Heat of the Night (1988-94), based on the 1967 film version starring Poitier. Perhaps the most impressive contributions came from the involvement of some legendary musicians and lyricists. Music producer Quincy Jones scored the film, earning an Oscar® nomination with lyricist Bob Russell for Best Music, Original Song for the film's theme of the same name, performed by Shirley Horn. Jones also worked with Maya Angelou to write the hit "You Put It on Me" for the film, and none other than B.B. King performed it.
Because of Poitier's involvement, For Love of Ivy garnered more attention than most other films being released at the same time. As his biography explains, "Poitier's recent success occasioned copious publicity, most of which trumpeted the picture's pioneering presentation of blacks. Poitier played a sophisticated hustler, a departure from his morally impeccable heroes. Lincoln's maid was not a stereotype but a complex protagonist. They had a genuine screen romance, the kind unavailable to Poitier throughout his career." Even Nobel Prize-winner author V.S. Naipaul picked up on For Love of Ivy, integrating the film into his 1975 novel Guerillas. In it, he describes Poitier as, "...a Cary Grant that blacks could call their own." Reviews for Ivy were mixed, with many integrating socio-political viewpoints into their critiques. Roger Ebert, perhaps, said it most simply: "Ivy is a movie you can enjoy-and for that I think we should thank Poitier. He wrote the story, and it is a good deal more "honest" than Guess Who's Coming to Dinner {1967]. This time Poitier stays for breakfast, and it's about time."
Producer: Joel Glickman, Edgar J. Scherick, Jay Weston
Director: Daniel Mann
Screenplay: Sidney Poitier (story), Robert Alan Aurthur
Cinematography: Joseph F. Coffey
Film Editing: Patricia Jaffe
Art Direction: Peter Dohanos
Music: Quincy Jones
Cast: Sidney Poitier (Jack Parks), Abbey Lincoln (Ivy Moore), Beau Bridges (Tim Austin), Nan Martin (Doris Austin), Lauri Peters (Gena Austin), Carroll O'Connor (Frank Austin).
C-101m. Letterboxed. Closed captioning.
by Eleanor Quin
