A screening of “Hitsville: The Makings of Motown” will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Oct. 28 in HBC Gifford Auditorium, University Union announced in a press release Thursday afternoon. 

University Union has partnered with °1824 to offer the screening free for students, faculty, staff and the general public.

The documentary premiered on Showtime on Aug. 24 and is available to be streamed with a Showtime subscription, according to Billboard. To complement the film, Motown Records released a 16-track and double 35-track original motion picture soundtrack. The album includes tracks from The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and The Jackson 5 and more.

Directed by Gabe Turner and Benjamin Turner, “Hitsville: The Makings of Motown” follows the birth of Motown in Detroit in 1958 until its relocation to Los Angeles in the early 1970s. The film explains the story of how Berry Gordy Jr built his record label, Motown Records. 

Gordy, a former boxer and automobile worker, was a young songwriter when he and Smokey Robinson decided to establish Motown Records, according to Time. Robinson was the lead singer of the band The Miracles who went on to produce, write and sing the labels’ first hit song “Shop Around” in 1960. The label’s first No. 1 song was “Please Mr. Postman” by The Marvelettes, according to Time.

The initial success of Motown was during the 1960s, a period of significant racial tensions in America, according to Showtime. The documentary offers insight into the history and cultural impact of Motown Records, according to University Union’s press release.

This is the first Motown documentary with Gordy’s official involvement, allowing the directors to include exclusive footage and anecdotes in the documentary, according to Vice.

The documentary marks the 60th anniversary of Motown Records and the film tracks how Motown became the most successful label of all time, according to Showtime. The film shows rare performances, interviews and behind-the scenes footage of Motown, according to University Union’s press release. 

The documentary gets its name from a sign in Motown Records’ Detroit headquarters that read “Hitsville U.S.A.” according to Time.

If you require additional accommodations, please contact uuvicepresident@gmail.com by Oct. 25. Doors will open for the screening at 7:30 PM on Oct. 28.

Published on October 24, 2019 at 12:32 pm

Contact Allison: alweis@syr.edu