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Jackson (2008 film)

2008 film directed by J. F. Lawton

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 24, 2026
Entity authorityQ6116932 ↗
Source-derived summary

Jackson is a 2008 American comedy-drama-musical film written and directed by J. F. Lawton and starring Barry Primus and Charlie Robinson.

Synopsis

Jackson is about two homeless men in Los Angeles, Donald and Sam. At the start of the day Donald is given a $20 bill (also known as a "Jackson"). The film follows the two and shows their adventures throughout the day with this money, and features songs from various operas.

Cast

Barry Primus as Donald

Charlie Robinson as Sam

Steve Guttenberg as Businessman

Debra Jo Rupp as Nice Lady

Musical numbers

"Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's Elixer of Love – Richard Brown and Shawnette Sulker

"Champagne Aria" from Mozart's Don Giovanni – Cedric Trenton Berry

"Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen – Elaa Lee Romani/ Chorus: Ariella Vaccarino, Aleta Braxton, Pilar Diaz, Tahlia McCollum

Sextet from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor – Jennifer Suess, William Gorton, Michael Sokol, Fred Winthrop, Benjamin Von Atrops, Leberta Clark; Music performed by Remy Zero

Monologue by Ibn Hakia from Tchaikovsky's Iolanta – John R. Jackson

"O mio babbino caro" from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi – Gustavo Hernandez Jr.

"Va, pensiero" from Verdi's Nabucco – Socialists: Clamma Dale, Kimarie Torre, Lauren LeeChorus: Laura Decher, Frances Garcia, Erin Neff, Sara MacBride, Gregory Stapp, Antoine Garth, Gary Murphy, Tom Oberjat, Raphaela Rose Primus

"Love Cannot Be" (written by J.F. Lawton)

"El Pueblo" – George Lawton and John Cross

"Vamos a la Fiesta" – Julie Griffin

"Abrabo" – Way Depp, Robidebs Okyeame, Paa Dogo and Brekete

"I Wish I Was in Dixie Land" – John B.J. Smith

"Downtown Birthday" (written by J.F. Lawton)

Production details

Jackson was filmed mainly in Los Angeles with the exception of one scene shot in Kentucky.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Jackson (2008 film)” as 2008 film directed by J. F. Lawton. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Jackson, film and directed.

Editorial reviewA useful identification and reception guide that helps separate the work itself from editions, performances, ownership and later interpretation. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2008—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2008-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Jackson, film and directed providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Jackson (2008 film)”, the useful work is to connect “2008 film directed by J. F. Lawton” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6116932. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2008.

Critical limits

Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

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  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Jackson (2008 film)”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Jackson (2008 film) primary sources, Jackson (2008 film) archive and Jackson research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  2. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
  3. How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Jackson (2008 film)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.