The Great White Hope, the film and play are based on the true story of Jack Johnson and his first wife, Etta Terry Duryea and the controversy over their marriage and Duryea’s death by suicide in 1912.
The film was directed by Martin Ritt and starred James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook, Beah Richards and Moses Gunn, with choreography by Donald McKayle. Jones and Alexander, who also appeared in the same roles in the stage versions, both received Best Actor and Actress Academy Award nominations for their performances.
The Great White Hope 1970