Take A Giant Step

While the filmmakers' intentions were well placed, the handling of this story doesn't hold up. The film, with a screenplay by Louis S. Peterson and Julius J. Epstein, studies the difficulties a black teenager faces growing up in a white world. Nash, as the boy, is ostracized by his white friends' parents. His own parents are unresponsive to his needs, so he turns to the maid, Dee. In the stage version the relationship between the boy and the maid had heavy sexual overtones, but the film downplays that aspect of the story. Scenes depicting Nash's relationship with his white friends seem staged and awkward. However, strong performances by Nash and supporting players ...