
This 53-minute television special retraces Michael Jackson’s rise from child prodigy with the Jackson 5 to global superstar of the 1980s. Combining rare archive footage, music video excerpts, concert clips, and interviews with collaborators, it showcases the milestones of his career up to the Bad era. Narrated in documentary style, the program highlights Jackson’s artistic evolution, humanitarian work, and cultural impact. Originally broadcast on television in 1988 and later released on VHS, it serves as both a career retrospective and a portrait of his enduring influence on pop music and entertainment.
Cast

Michael Jackson
Self

James Earl Jones
Narrator (voice)

Dick Clark
Self

Sammy Davis Jr.
Self

Katharine Hepburn
Self

Yoko Ono
Self

Hermes Pan
Self
Suzanne de Passe
Self

Marlon Jackson
Self

Quincy Jones
Self

Gene Kelly
Self

Cyndi Lauper
Self

Sean Ono Lennon
Self

Sophia Loren
Self

Smokey Robinson
Self

Martin Scorsese
Self

Elizabeth Taylor
Self

Tommy Chong
Self
Crew
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