Take a Giant Step (1959)

Take a Giant Step (1959) is a coming-of-age drama film, directed by Philip Leacock about a black teenager living in a predominantly white environment and having trouble coping as he reaches an age at which the realities of racism are beginning to affect his life more directly and pointedly than they had in his childhood. Adapted from an eponymous play by Louis S. Peterson, the film stars Johnny Nash, who would ultimately become more well-known for his singing career, including the hit song "I Can See Clearly Now", as the lead character, Spencer "Spence" Scott. Co-stars included Ruby Dee as the Scott family's housekeeper and Beah Richards as Spence's mother. The movie's executive producer was Burt Lancaster through his Hecht-Hill-Lancaster production company.