Synopsis: A powerful, fact-based drama set against the backdrop of the Watts riots of 1965. An aspiring black journalist, Bob Richardson, works as a messenger for the Los Angeles Times. After tensions flair in Watts, violence breaks out and Richardson gets a shot at the big time, reporting on the events and demanding change in the Civil Rights Movement.

Cast:
Cicely Tyson .... Ruthana Richardson
Blair Underwood .... Bob Richardson
James Earl Jones .... Junius Johnson
Margaret Avery .... Roxie Turpin
David Strathairn .... Bill Thomas
Glenn Plummer .... J.T. Turpin
Vondie Curtis-Hall .... Clifford Turpin
Paris Vaughan .... Lada
Harold Pruett .... John Riggs
Adam Arkin .... Art Berman
Robert Hooks .... Reverend Brooks
Michael Greene .... Mr. Canfield

Favorite Quotes:
• "You realize if I publish this, there's going to be hell to pay?" - Bill Thomas

Notes:
• Co-star James Earl Jones won an Emmy Award for his performance in Heat Wave. Jones and Cicely Tyson also won the CableACE acting awards for their performances.
• Several of David's co-stars in Heat Wave were actors he had worked with before or would again: Adam Arkin (With Friends Like These...), James Earl Jones (Matewan, Sneakers), and Vondie Curtis-Hall (Passion Fish, Freedom Song).

Related Links:
The Watts Riots (PBS) (off site)