SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES – Sidney Poitier the Actor. Was there ever a false note on screen? I don’t think so. I’ve made a point lately of catching up on the filmography of certain actors. Poitier is one of them, and last week I happened upon “A Raisin in the Sun” for the first time. Based on Lorraine Hansberry’s Broadway play, and released in 1961, this riveting film stars Poitier as Walter Lee Younger, a young Chicagoan who makes his living as a white man’s chauffeur. He lives in a tiny South Side apartment with his mother, matriarch Lena Younger (an equally extraordinary Claudia McNeil), his wife, Ruth (a solid Ruby Dee), his college student sister, Beneatha (a feisty Diana Sands) and his young son, Travis (Steven Perry). As the story begins, the family is waiting for Walter’s late father’s insurance check - $10,000, that will change the lives of the Younger family. But there are conflicts. Walter – ready to leave the chauffeur life behind – wants to take a chunk of that money and join two friends in opening a liquor store. Mama Lena wants to buy a house so that the family can spread out. Beneatha needs tuition money to go to medical school, and wife, Ruth – well, she’s got a secret of her own. It’s no surprise that Sidney dove into this material – first starring in the play alongside most of the cast. He is a force and his conflicts with his Mother are strong scenes with layers of emotion. Joining the cast are two of Beneatha’s suitors – Ivan Dixon as her polished college friend from Africa, and Louis Gossett Jr., making his film debut as wealthy George Murchison. Watching this play to film adaptation was pure pleasure and I’m more of a Sidney Poitier fan than ever. Apparently, there was a feud on this set between Sidney and Claudia McNeil who felt that it was Mother Lena’s story, while Sidney thought it was Walter’s. Whatever the point of the view, both actors brought their A+ game, and the result is a film of stunning power. Sometimes, you don’t need a chariot race or a big musical number to keep an audience in their seats. Check this one out if you haven’t already.