''If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band'' is a 1972 American TV movie. It was the first program shown under the umbrella ''

ABC Theater ''ABC Theater'' is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC and featured quality dramatic presentations over a period of 12 years. Although some sources indicate the series began in 1974, ABC lists the first production in 1972, ...

''. The production (at the time referred to as a "dramatic special" or "teleplay" rather than a made-for-TV movie) was the first screen credit for

Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. He is a three time Emmy Award and Tony Award winning actor known for his roles on stage and screen. He has been hailed for his forceful, militant, and authoritative charact ...

and led to him getting a role later on in the soap opera ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...

''. The teleplay first aired on ABC at 8:30pm ET on Tuesday, December 19, 1972 and was rerun on Wednesday, June 6, 1973 at 9:00pm ET. In TV listings of the era, the title was generally given as ''If You Give a Dance You Gotta Pay the Band'' without a comma.

Plot

The story of ghetto boy and girl trying to raise money for the girl to visit her father in prison. It was shot on videotape in November 1972.SET FIRST PLAY FOR NEW 'ABC THEATRE' Variety; Los Angeles Vol. 268, Iss. 11, (Oct 25, 1972): 33.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0255235 1972 television films 1972 films American drama television films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films