One Potato, Two Potato (1964) Reviews

• Have never forgotten this movie.

  myrlcp2004-11-07

  Maybe it was the racially charged era of the early Civil Rights struggle, or maybe it was because I was a young mother with a child the same age as the one in the movie, but this was one of the most powerful movies I have ever scene. Today, 40 years later, I am still moved whenever I see Barbara Barrie, even if it is in a situation comedy on TV. Certainly, she captured the role of the white mother married to a black man in a racist society. All the other actors performed admirably, the actor playing the second husband was appealing. It was believable that a co-worker would have found him attractive and would have fallen in love, even given the tenor of the times. While the writing may have presented the story a bit "over the top", this movie went beyond civil rights "propaganda", and presented real people dealing with a difficult situation. It certainly was real to me....I had to be led out of the cinema in tears when it ended. A high recommendation!!!

  More

• Classic Independent Still Hits Hard

  alli_katz2001-06-02

  I first saw this movie in film class, and was so moved by it that I taped it off the independent Film Channel when they showed it, and watched it twice since. And, it still makes me cry every time I watch it. First, I've never seen a movie so understated about its anger. In this regard Barbara Barrie and Bernie Hamilton are both so good that I don't know the right words to describe it. Second, the girl is not Hollywood "cute", she's not a smarty pants; she is 100% genuine. Third, the Judge is so slick and evil although he comes across so nice just like every Southern judge I have met in real life. My film teacher told me if she could pick one film to give someone the truth of what this country was all about in the early '60's, One Potato Two Potato would be that film. And the love story between Hamilton and Barrie is so real and beset with pain and passion that I can really relate to them.

  More

• Powerful movie

  crsytt2005-12-20

  I saw this movie in the mid-60s in a theater and the last scene was heart-wrenching. I felt like I had been hit by a baseball bat. Several years later I saw the movie on TV and was surprised to find that, as that final scene approached, I could feel the same emotions building. The movie had not lost its effect! I would love to watch this movie again to see if it would have the same impact. It would be interesting if young people today would see the power of this film or if, because "things have changed," the story line would seem outdated. Apparently this film is NOT available on video, unfortunately. I wonder why? Who makes that decision?

  More

• Daring love story for that time -- or any time since

  abcowboy2005-04-23

  This is a story about a black and white couple who fell in love despite their efforts not to cross the color line. I saw the movie in a neighborhood Atlanta cinema and became worried about the audience's reaction both during the movie and as the people left. It was a daring subject to be presented in an angry location at a smoldering year. The audience was absolutely mute ... except for one guy that made an unwise crack to his date as we were leaving. She turned on him, tears in her eyes. This movie should be on VHS or DVD but I wouldn't be surprised if it's lost.

  More

• Gripping Treatment of Black/White Racial Issues

  ndg2000-03-19

  I saw this film at the Montreal Film Festival in 1964. Didn't know any of the actors at the time, but the film was excellent in script and execution. Black and white photography adds to the tension centered around custody of children born of a white mother and black father. I can still see the final scene with the children's faces pressed against the rear car window, and this 36 years later.

  More