The Jacksons: An American Dream

Plot

Cast

• Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Joseph Jackson
• Angela Bassett as Katherine Jackson
• Holly Robinson Peete as Diana Ross
• Margaret Avery as Martha Scruse
• Billy Dee Williams as Berry Gordy
• Vanessa Williams as Suzanne de Passe
• Wylie Draper as Michael Jackson
• * Abolade David Olatunde as Michael Jackson
• * Alex Burrall as Michael Jackson
• * Jason Weaver as Michael Jackson
• Colin Steele as Jermaine Jackson
• * Jermaine Jackson II as Jermaine Jackson
• Terrence Howard as Jackie Jackson
• * Bumper Robinson as Jackie Jackson
• Monica Calhoun as Rebbie Jackson
• Ebonie Smith as La Toya Jackson
• * Kelli Martin as La Toya Jackson
• Angel Vargas as Tito Jackson
• * Shakiem Jamar Evans as Tito Jackson
• Maya Nicole Johnson as Janet Jackson
• Monica Allison as Hazel Gordy
• Robert Redcross as Randy Jackson
• * Nicolas Phillips as Randy Jackson
• Marcus Maurice as Marlon Jackson
• * Floyd Myers Jr. as Marlon Jackson
• * Jacen Wilkerson as Marlon Jackson

  Historical inaccuracies

• In part 1 of the miniseries, they showed the year 1945 as the year Joseph and Katherine Jackson met as teenagers in East Chicago. They actually met two years later, in 1947, when Joseph was 19 and Katherine 17.
• The film lists 1959 as the date of Michael's birth. Michael was actually born in 1958.
• In the scene where Joseph catches son Tito playing his guitar after the string broke, he is shown whipping him with a belt. However, family members and friends differ on what happened; while early Jackson 5 band members such as Milford Hite claimed Tito was whipped, both Tito and Jermaine denied that the whipping took place that night and that Joseph just threatened to "whip Tito" if he played wrong after Joseph fixed the string.
• In the scene after the alleged discipline by Joseph, the four eldest Jackson brothers began singing for Joseph, while Michael is rebuffed by his father. In reality, only Jackie, Tito and Jermaine sang for Joseph. In Katherine's book, she claimed that Michael was the fourth member and that Marlon almost did not join because Joseph felt Marlon "wasn't talented enough". Katherine eventually convinced Joseph to put Marlon in the group, though he reportedly did not sing for the group until the group signed with Motown. In the early years, he played tambourine with them while Michael played congas.
• When five-year-old Michael Jackson is shown singing Climb Ev'ry Mountain at a school performance, each Jackson family member, including Joseph, is in attendance. The real life Joseph was actually working overtime in U.S. Steel while Michael performed. Joseph's father Samuel instead viewed the performance with the family. Joseph would not see his son perform until he began singing with Jermaine during a group rehearsal.
• The group is shown making a record of Wilbert Harrison's Kansas City. Kansas City was never covered by the Jackson 5, although the band did multiple covers of early hits.
• The Jacksons are shown getting an audition for Motown due to winning a talent show at the Apollo Theater, and Joseph is touting it as their first signing. In actuality, the group's first recording contract was offered by Steeltown Records, a smaller agency based in their native Gary, Indiana, in 1967. The group had done one audition for Motown and was rejected. Following their moderate success with a couple of single tracks in Steeltown, the Jackson 5 felt confident enough to audition a second time for Motown, after which they were signed. In the film, prior to the Motown debut, the group is seen in a small recording studio, which may have been reference to their early career with Steeltown Records.
• In the Motown audition scene, the founder and executive Berry Gordy was not actually in attendance. Instead, the audition was videotaped and shown to Gordy at a later time.
• When the group performs on the Diana Ross special, Michael announces that the song I Want You Back is out on sale everywhere after they perform the song. In reality, Michael made this statement before the group performed the song.
• In the bedroom scene with Jermaine and a groupie, Michael and Marlon are seen hiding in the bed and playing a prank on Jermaine by touching the groupie's leg only to run out of the bedroom when Jermaine catches them. In reality, according to Michael, Jermaine had Michael and Marlon sleeping in the next bed and told them to "pretend" they were sleeping while he and the groupies had sex.
• In the scene where the group performed the Star Spangled Banner at the baseball game, they sang it acapella and took place at a regular baseball game with unknown teams. In reality, a marching band accompanied the brothers when they sang the national anthem at Game 1 of the 1970 World Series, which pitted the Cincinnati Reds against the Baltimore Orioles. In the film, the brothers performed the song in the key of F. In reality, they performed in A flat major.
• The film's depiction of Michael performing "Billie Jean" at the television special has Jackson wearing his trademark white glove on his right hand. In reality, Michael wore it on his left hand that night. The style of the film's glove is also notably different compared to the factual one.
• In the scene where Michael is seen shooting for the Pepsi commercial which caused his scalp to catch fire, it shows his body rolling down the stairs. In fact, he actually walked down the stairs with his hair on fire and later realized and did a one rotation spin and shaking his head wildly due to the pain. However, the realistic display of Michael's burning was not seen until video leaked after Michael's 2009 death.
• In the scene where Katherine convinces Michael to partake on the Victory Tour, she gives Michael an emotional speech about family; however, in biographies on the family, Katherine practically begs Michael to take part in the tour, which he agrees to. Following the tour, Michael left the group in December 1984 to continue his solo career, with Marlon leaving the following month, also pursuing a solo career.
• In part 2, the film indicates that Michael was recording "Human Nature" in the year 1983; however, in reality, the album "Thriller" with the song initially on it was released on the 30th of November in 1982, which makes it impossible for Michael to have recorded it in the year 1983.

  Reception

Soundtrack

Track listing

1. "Who's Lovin' You" - 5:39
2. * Recorded live in Gary, Indiana, May 29, 1971
3. "Kansas City" - 2:19
4. "I'll Be There" - 3:56
5. "In the Still of the Night" - 2:51
6. "Walk on/The Love You Save" - 6:05
7. * Recorded live in Gary, Indiana, May 29, 1971
8. "I Wanna Be Where You Are" - 4:21
9. "Dancing Machine" - 3:17
10. "The Dream Goes On" - 3:50
11. "I Want You Back/ABC" - 3:23
12. * Recorded live at the Forum, Los Angeles. August 26, 1972
13. "Stay With Love" - 4:19
14. "Never Can Say Goodbye" - 2:59
15. "You Are the Ones " - 1:51
16. "Dancing Machine " - 3:43

• "Climb Every Mountain"
• "Money "
• "Baby I Need Your Loving"
• "Where Did Our Love Go"
• "Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit"
• "Billie Jean"
• "Beat It"
• "Human Nature"