de Passe Jones Entertainment (dJE) is an American entertainment content provider led by

Suzanne de Passe Suzanna Celeste de Passe (born July 19, 1946, 1947 or 1948) is an American businesswoman, television, music and film producer. De Passe serves as the co-chairwoman of de Passe Jones Entertainment Group. Biography Early life and education De Pas ...

and Madison Jones that sources, develops, acquires, and produces a variety of television, motion picture, theater, new media, and print content. The company was founded by Berry Gordy Jr., in 1968, as Motown Productions, the film and television arm of Gordy's

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

label. It became de Passe Entertainment in 1992, then in 2008, joining forces with Jones, ''de Passe Jones Entertainment''.

History

Motown Productions

Motown Productions' original focus was on the production of

television specials A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

for its star recording artists. These included '' TCB'' (1968) and '' G.I.T. on Broadway'' (1969), starring

Diana Ross & the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

with

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

, '' The Temptations Show'' (also 1969), ''The Smokey Robinson Show'' (1970), ''

Diana! ''Diana!'' is the first solo television special of American singer Diana Ross and aired on ABC on April 18, 1971. The special was choreographed by David Winters of ''West Side Story'' fame, who at that time choreographed all of Ross' stage a ...

'' (1971) starring

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

, and ''

Goin' Back to Indiana ''Goin' Back to Indiana'' is a live/soundtrack album by the Jackson 5 for Motown, taken from their September 16, 1971 ABC TV special of the same name. It is the Jackson 5's sixth album overall, and was released on September 29, 1971. The album ...

'' (also 1971) starring

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

. When Suzanne de Passe joined Motown in 1968, much of her work involved the production of these television specials. Motown's first television series was '' The Jackson 5ive'' (1971 - 1973), a

Saturday morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series and live-action programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre was a ...

Rankin/Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

starring characters based upon Motown's popular teen act. The company's first feature film was '' Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972), a

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

starring Diana Ross as Holliday and

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...

as her husband Louis McKay. After ''Lady Sings the Blues'' became a success, garnering box office success and five

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nominations, Ross and Williams were paired for a second feature, ''

Mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

'' (1975). Both films were coupled with successful music releases: ''Lady Sings the Blues'' was accompanied with a platinum-selling soundtrack album by Ross, while ''Mahogany'' featured Ross' number-one pop hit " Theme from ''Mahogany'' (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" Other Motown films included ''Scott Joplin'' (1977), another musician biopic starring Billy Dee Williams, and '' Thank God It's Friday'' (1978), which starred

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

and featured her hit song " Last Dance". Following the commercial and critical failure of Motown's eighth film, a 1978 adaptation of the

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' starring Diana Ross and the Jackson 5's

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, the company focused more closely on television. Its productions during the late 1970s and early 1980s included

TV movies A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

such as ''Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill,'' (1979) and ''Callie & Son'' (1981) and TV specials such as the popular and successful '' Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, and Forever'' (1983). ''Motown 25'', an anniversary special for the Motown Records label, was most noted for featuring Michael Jackson's famous performance of his non-Motown hit song "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...

". By this time, Suzanne de Passe had become the executive producer in charge of Motown's film and TV products. Motown briefly returned to feature films with '' Berry Gordy's The Last Dragon'', which became Motown's final theatrical feature. In 1986, Motown Productions had inked an agreement with video distributor

MCA Home Video Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC (UPHE) is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio owned by NBCUniversal, the entertainment unit of Comcast. UPHE is the home video distributor for all of the ...

in an effort to expand the direct-to-video market with a series of "Motown Video Originals" mini-movie series.

de Passe Entertainment

In 1988, Gordy sold Motown Records to

MCA Inc. MCA Inc. (originally an initialism for Music Corporation of America) was an American media conglomerate founded in 1924. Originally a talent agency with artists in the music business as clients, the company became a major force in the film indus ...

(owner of

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

, which co-produced four films with Motown) and Boston Ventures. The following year, he sold Motown Productions to de Passe, and the company continued its success in television with the popular miniseries ''

Lonesome Dove ''Lonesome Dove'' is a 1985 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. It is the first published book of the ''Lonesome Dove'' series and the third installment in the series chronologically. It was a bestseller and won the 1986 Pulit ...

'' (1989). A sequel, '' Streets of Laredo'', would follow in 1995. Changing its name to ''de Passe Entertainment'' in 1992, the company has produced a number of successful TV programs, among them '' Sister, Sister'' (1994 - 1999), ''

Smart Guy ''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson ( Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, at ...

'' (1997 - 1999), and ''

It's Showtime at the Apollo English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal auxiliary verbs and a few others. Although the auxiliary verbs of English are widely believed to lack inherent semantic meaning and instead to modify the ...

'' (produced by de Passe from 2002 to 2008). Successful TV specials from the company include Motown biopics such as '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' (1992) and ''

'' (1998), ''The

Loretta Claiborne Loretta Claiborne is an American global speaker and multi-sport athlete who competes in the Special Olympics. She has been honored with the 1996 Arthur Ashe ESPY Courage Award presented to her by Denzel Washington. Claiborne was the first Specia ...

Story'' (2000), and the

Essence Awards ''Essence'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O ...

and

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

telecasts. de Passe Entertainment also produced the feature films ''

Class Act ''Class Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Randall Miller and starring hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play. An urban retelling of Mark Twain's ''The Prince and the Pauper'', the film was written by Cynthia Friedlob and John Semper from a stor ...

'' (1992), starring rappers

Kid 'n Play Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop duo from New York City who were most popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is composed of Christopher Reid ("Kid") and Christopher Martin ("Play") working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond. B ...

, and ''

Who's the Man? ''Who's the Man?'' is a 1993 thriller buddy comedy film directed by Ted Demme in his feature film directing debut. The film stars ''Yo! MTV Raps'' hosts Doctor Dré (in his film debut) and Ed Lover alongside Ice-T and features cameo appearan ...

'' (1993), starring hip-hop radio personalities

Doctor Dré André Brown (born December 5, 1963), better known as Doctor Dré, is an American rapper, radio personality and former MTV VJ. Early life André Brown was born and raised in Westbury, New York, on Long Island. Career In the early 1980s, Doc ...

and

Ed Lover Ed Lover (born: James Roberts) is an American disc jockey, radio personality, actor, musician, and one of the first MTV VJ hosts of '' Yo! MTV Raps'' with Dr. Dre and Fab 5 Freddy. Lover has been host of many influential radio and television ...

de Passe Jones Entertainment

In 2008, Suzanne de Passe joined with veteran producer Madison Jones to form de Passe Jones Entertainment which is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.

Films

Motown Productions

* '' The Supremes In The Orient'' (1966) (Never Released) * '' Lady Sings the Blues'' (1972,

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

) * ''

'' (1975, Paramount Pictures) * ''

The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings ''The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings'' is a 1976 American sports comedy film about a team of enterprising ex-Negro league baseball players in the era of racial segregation. Loosely based upon William Brashler's 1973 novel of the ...

'' (1976,

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

) * ''

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin (November 24, 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Dubbed the "King of Ragtime", he composed more than 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first and most popular pieces, the ...

'' (1977, Universal Pictures) * ''Big Time'' (1977, WorldWide Pictures) * '' Thank God It's Friday'' (1978,

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

) * ''

Almost Summer ''Almost Summer'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by Martin Davidson, and produced by Motown Productions for Universal Pictures. It is the only Motown theatrical feature not to center on African-American characters. Set in a generic Sout ...

'' (1978, Universal Pictures) * ''

The Last Dragon ''The Last Dragon'' (sometimes listed as ''Berry Gordy's'' ''The Last Dragon'') is a 1985 American musical Martial arts film directed by Michael Schultz, written by Louis Venosta, and produced by Rupert Hitzig for Berry Gordy. The film star ...

'' (1985,

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...

)

de Passe Entertainment

* ''

'' (1992,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

) * ''

'' (1993,

New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...

)

Notable television films, miniseries, and specials

Motown Productions

* '' TCB'' (1968,

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

) * '' G.I.T. on Broadway'' (1969, NBC) * '' The Temptations Show'' (1969, Syndicated) * '' The Smokey Robinson Show'' (1970,

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

) * ''

'' (1971,

) * ''

'' (1971,

) * ''

An Evening with Diana Ross ''An Evening with Diana Ross'' is a 1977 live double album released by American singer Diana Ross on the Motown label. It was recorded live at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in December 1976 during the international tour of Ross' one-woman ...

'' (1977, NBC) * ''Amateur Night at the Dixie Bar and Grill'' (1979, NBC) * ''Callie & Son'' (1981,

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

) * ''Happy Endings'' (1983, CBS) * '' Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' (1983, NBC) * ''Motown Returns to the Apollo'' (1985, NBC) * ''The Motown Revue'' (1986, NBC) * ''Temptations and Four Tops'' (1986,

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

) * ''

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

'' (1987,

) * ''Motown Merry Christmas'' (1987, NBC) * ''Michael Jackson'' (1988, Showtime) * ''

'' (1989, CBS) * ''

Small Sacrifices ''Small Sacrifices'' is a 1989 American made-for-television crime drama film written by Joyce Eliason and based on the best-selling true crime book by Ann Rule of the same name. The film is about Diane Downs and the murder and attempted murder ...

'' (1989, ABC) * '' The Jacksons: An American Dream'' (1992, ABC)

de Passe Entertainment

* '' Streets of Laredo'' (1995, CBS) * ''

'' (1998) * ''Motown 40: The Music is Forever'' (1998) * '' Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century'' (1999) * '' Zenon: The Zequel'' (2001) * ''Motown 45'' (2004) * '' Zenon: Z3'' (2004)

Notable television series

Motown Productions

* '' The Jackson 5ive'' (1971 - 1973, ABC; with

Rankin-Bass Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, ...

) * ''

Nightlife Nightlife is a collective term for entertainment that is available and generally more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes pubs, bars, nightclubs, parties, live music, concerts, cabarets, theatre, ...

'' (1986 - 1987, syndicated; with

King World Productions King World Productions, Inc. (also known as King World Entertainment, King World Enterprises, or simply King World) was a production company and syndicator of television programming in the United States founded by Charles King (1912–72) that ...

) * ''

Sidekicks A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of ...

'' (1986 - 1987, ABC; with

Walt Disney Television The first and original incarnation of Walt Disney Television was an American production company and the original/former television production division of the Walt Disney Company, which was active from April 18, 1983 to 2003. Productions from ...

)

de Passe Entertainment

* '' Sister, Sister'' (1994 - 1999, ABC/ WB with

Paramount Television The first incarnation of Paramount Television was operated as the television production division of the American film studio Paramount Pictures, until it changed its name to CBS Paramount Television on January 17, 2006. History Desilu Pro ...

) * ''

'' (1997 - 1999, WB with

) * ''

Showtime at the Apollo ''Showtime at the Apollo'' (formerly ''It's Showtime at the Apollo'' and ''Apollo Live'') is an American variety show that first aired in syndication from September 12, 1987, to May 24, 2008. In 2018, the series returned on Fox with Steve Harve ...

'' (2002–2008 syndication/

FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

with

Warner Bros. Television Distribution Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio of ...

) * ''All American Girl'' (2003, ABC/

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

) * '' On Our Own'' (1994 - 1995, ABC with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios, operating under the name Warner Bros. Television (abbreviated as WBTV; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division), is an American television production and distribution studio and the flagship studio o ...

)

Productions

In 2009, dJE produced President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's Commander in Chief's Inaugural Ball.

References

{{Reflist

External links

de Passe Jones Company Website
Entertainment companies based in California Companies based in Los Angeles Entertainment companies established in 1968 1968 establishments in California

History

Motown Productions

de Passe Entertainment

de Passe Jones Entertainment

Films

Motown Productions

de Passe Entertainment

Notable television films, miniseries, and specials

Motown Productions

de Passe Entertainment

Notable television series

Motown Productions

de Passe Entertainment

Productions

See also

References

External links