A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film) A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film) A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 drama film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Roy Glenn, and Louis Gossett Jr. (in his film debut), and adapted from the 1959 play of the same name by Lorraine Hansberry. It follows a black family that wants a better life away from the city. "A Raisin in the Sun" was released by Columbia Pictures on May 29, 1961. In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States of America National Film Registry by
What a Life (play) With the Wind" (1939). A 1982 attempted revival of "What a Life" at the Manhattan Punch Line failed. The production was panned in "The New York Times", with reviewer Mel Gussow writing: "The play is piffle. Far funnier efforts can be seen nightly in television reruns of situation comedies. Next to "What a Life," "Leave It to Beaver" is Moliere." The play was initially adapted to radio as comedy segments on Rudy Vallee's program. Next came a separate radio program, "The Aldrich Family". Film adaptation came in the form of 11 motion pictures. Finally, a television series, also called "The