1973 American film
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Save the Children is a 1973 American concert film directed by Stan Lathan and produced by Matt Robinson. The concert documentary film chronicles performers that appeared during the five-day PUSH Expo in Chicago's International Amphitheater in 1972. The exposition featured art, music, educational institutions, social services, businesses and organizations and was developed by Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity).
The film was released on September 18, 1973, by Paramount Pictures.[1][2] Performances are interspersed with street scenes of African-American communities in Chicago. Top musicians of the day showcased jazz, blues, soul, Motown, rock, gospel and other genres, in addition to talks by inspirational speakers.[3]
The film's executive producer was prominent music manager Clarence Avant, who succeeded in having musicians from three top record labels, Motown, Stax and Atlantic, appear on stage together.[4]
Johnny Taylor performs at the PUSH Expo in the fall of 1973.
In 2023, the film was digitally restored and released on Netflix.[8][9] It was screened at the 2024 Chicago Film Festival in the presence of the director and many of those who attended the event over 50 years prior.[10][11]
"Clarence Avant, the 'Black Godfather' of the recording industry, dies at 92". Los Angeles Times. August 14, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2025. In 1973, Avant executive-produced the film "Save the Children," which documented a concert he helped pull together as part of the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1972 Operation Push Black Expo in Chicago. Performances by top Black artists including Withers, the Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Sammy Davis Jr., Isaac Hayes, the Temptations and Roberta Flack were interspersed with footage of children in dire conditions around the world. The soundtrack was released by Motown, though the talent came from all three top Black-music labels at the time: Motown, Stax and Atlantic Records.
"'The Black Godfather' Tells the Story of Behind-The-Scenes Mastermind Clarence Avant". Entertainment Voice. June 7, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2025. Sammy Davis Jr. was shunned by the black community because of a picture in which he was hugging President Nixon, but Avant convinced the audience to give him a chance. In one of the film's most compelling scenes, Davis confronts a booing crowd, saying, "Disagree, if you will, with my politics, but I will not allow anyone to take away the fact that I am black." Immediately, the crowd erupts into crazed applause, whereupon Davis performs, "I Gotta Be Me." In the end, the entire stadium is filled with smiling faces, and Davis looks like he is about to break into tears.
