Film features two of the most popular black actresses from 70's black sitcom history. Ester Rolle from Good Times and Mabel King from What's Happening.
As part of the film's set decoration, Melvin Van Peebles included pictures of African American civil rights activists Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, soul singer Isaac Hayes (the cover to Hayes' album Black Moses) and Van Peebles himself, specifically the cover for his album "As Serious as a Heart-Attack".
The film was shot in 1972. Unable to find a distributor for the film, Melvin Van Peebles decided to stage a Broadway production. The theatrical production of "Don't Play Us Cheap" opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in New York on May 16, 1972 and ran for 164 performances. Thomas Anderson, Joshie Armstead, Robert Dunn, Jay Van Leer, Esther Rolle, Mabel King, George Ooppee McCurn, Frank Carey, Nate Barnett, Rhetta Hughes and Avon Long recreated their film roles in the stage production. The musical received two 1972 Tony Award nominations for Best Musical and Best Feature actor in a Musical - Avon Long. The film was released in 1973, after the theatrical production, but because of it's limited release, it was not widely seen until it was released on home video in the 1990s.
Avon Long was nominated for the 1973 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Musical for "Don't Play Us Cheap" as David, a role he originated in this film.
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