Table of Contents
Roots Trailer 1977
The Roots Trailer 1977 refers to promotional material for Roots, the landmark ABC miniseries first aired in eight consecutive nights from January 23 to 30, 1977.
Created from Alex Haley’s 1976 Pulitzer‑honored novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, the series traces the journey of Kunta Kinte—a young African man captured in The Gambia and brought to America as a slave—and the generations of his family through post‑Civil War America.
Context & Production
- Miniseries structure: Eight episodes (45–90 min each), later often packaged into six for home video .
- Development: ABC, initially fearful of its unflinching depiction of slavery, aired it in a single week—an uncommon format at that time .
- Groundbreaking impact: Over 130 million Americans watched, making it one of the most‑watched TV events ever; its finale remains the second‑highest in U.S. TV history.
The Roots 1977 Trailer Highlights
The original TV trailers were powerful and evocative, often featuring:
- Young Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) violently ripped from his home—bloodied, barefoot, with shackles—accentuating the brutality of the Middle Passage.
- Scenes of the hanging of captured tribesmen, slave auctions, and the famous whipping sequence forcing Kunta to accept the name “Toby.”
- Voice‑over narration framing it as “based on the unforgettable best‑selling novel by Alex Haley,” with mentions of Emmy and Golden Globe success.
- Dramatic orchestral music underscoring the tension and emotional gravity.
These trailers set the tone for a historical epic—and successfully communicated its emotional stakes to 1970s audiences.
Cast & Crew
- Kunta Kinte: LeVar Burton (young), John Amos (older)
- Bell: Madge Sinclair; Kizzy: Leslie Uggams; Chicken George: Ben Vereen; Fiddler: Louis Gossett Jr.
- Supporting: Maya Angelou, O. J. Simpson, Cicely Tyson, etc.
- Directors: Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, Gilbert Moses
- Music: Quincy Jones (ep 1) and Gerald Fried
Awards & Reception
- Critical & audience acclaim: 37 Emmy nominations, 9 wins; also received Golden Globe and Peabody Awards.
- Cultural significance: Sparked a nationwide interest in genealogy and Black American heritage.
- Book sales: Haley’s novel topped the New York Times bestseller list, selling over 15 million hardcover copies by mid‑1977.
Durex Play
If you would like to find out more about Durex Play, you can read all about it here.
Below the Root Remake
Below the Root is an adventure game released in 1984 by Windham Classics. It is titled after Below the Root, the first of the Green Sky Trilogy of novels, written by Zilpha Keatley Snyder and published between 1975 and 1977.
I have not heard anything about a remake of Below the Root, but if I do, I will be sure to share about it here.
5 Star Hotels in Moshi Tanzania
There are no 5-star hotels in Moshi, but you can find a selection of the best hotels in Moshi here.
Where Was the Roots Serie 1977 Filmed?
The original Roots series was shot in the US in Los Angeles County Arboretum, Malibu Creek State Park, Santa Clarita, Savannah, St. Simons and Warner Bros. Studios.
P.S. Have you subscribed to Chick About Town? If not, subscribe using the form below to receive an alert whenever I publish a new post. Enjoyed this post? Please share it with your friends and followers on social media. Want to reference this post on your own website? Go ahead, but please be sure to link back here. Thank you! 🙂
Photo credits: Warner Brothers