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Motown 30 (1990) Hosted by Robert Townsend
Taped before an audience at the Pantages Theatre, 'Motown 30: What's Goin' On!' is a live musical tribute to the recording company from Detroit in its 30th anniversary. The star-studded television special celebrates the achievements of its entertainers from the late 1950s to 1990. Includes commercials. ---- "The 1983 special Motown 25 is now remembered primarily for a single segment — the one featuring the remarkable dancing of Michael Jackson before he became an all-pervasive media event. In Motown 30, no one steals the show like that. Instead, this homage to three decades of Motown music contains a whole succession of terrific performances. Tracy Chapman sings the civil rights anthem ”A Change is Gonna Come” with more warmth than anything on her last album had; Terence Trent D’Arby elicits screams of amazement from the audience when he delivers a howling, gospel version of Smokey Robinson’s ”Who’s Lovin’ You.” And there’s a salute to Mary Wells, now suffering from throat cancer, that is sung by Robinson, Stevie Wonder, and Gladys Knight; accompanied only by Wonder on piano, these Motown vets are marvelously relaxed and passionate at the same time. Like most variety shows, the pace is uneven, as are the comedy segments by everyone from Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) to Sinbad (A Different World). But what matters is the music, and the music is great. A" - Entertainment Weekly Shared for historical purposes. I do not own the rights. ##### Reelblack's mission is to educate, elevate, entertain, enlighten, and empower through Black film. If there is content shared on this platform that you feel infringes on your intellectual property, please email me at Reelblack@mail.com and info@reelblack.com with details and it will be promptly removed.

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