“A Raisin in the Sun”, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was first published by Random House in 1959. On March 11th, 1959, it first premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre then later released as a movie on May 29th, 1961, directed by Daniel Petrie.
Both the movie and the play focus around the Younger Family, living in a two bedroom apartment on the Southside of Chicago. When Mama (Lena Younger) receives a life insurance check for $10,000 the younger family faces difficulty deciding how to spend it. Walter Younger plans to invest in a liquor store to help the family’s debt, but Mama wants to purchase a new house in a better, predominantly white neighborhood.
In Act One, Scene 2, in the play and the film it’s Saturday morning, and the Youngers are in the process of cleaning the house. In the film, lighting and costumes are added. The plot of both the play and the film is when Mama Younger receives an insurance check for $10,000. The film has some music added that’s not included in the play. Most of the dialogue is kept the same, aside from a few deletions in the film from the original text, and dialogue added, too.