Berry Gordy's long-awaited Motown documentary set for Detroit and Showtime premieres

Berry Gordy's much-anticipated Motown documentary will make its Detroit premiere on Aug. 23, a night before its North American debut on Showtime.

"Hitsville: The Making of Motown," directed by award-winning British brothers Gabe and Ben Turner, will get a one-time-only showing at the Emagine Royal Oak, presented by the Motown Museum, Motown Records and Showtime. Ticket information will be announced in coming weeks.

The documentary will make its Showtime debut at 9 p.m. Aug. 24, then will be available to subscribers via on-demand streaming.

The film will also be premiered in Los Angeles on Aug. 8 with a red-carpet event, a Showtime representative said. Gordy and Smokey Robinson are expected to attend that screening.

"Hitsville: The Making of Motown" zeroes in on the label's Detroit era, from its founding on West Grand Boulevard in the late '50s through its move to Los Angeles in the early '70s, as Motown grew from a scrappy upstart into one of the most powerful and influential music operations in the world.

Watch 'Hitsville: The Making of Motown' trailer

The feature-length film includes previously unseen footage from the label archives and Gordy's personal collection. Unlike any Motown doc before it — and because of the involvement of the Motown founder and Universal Music Group — it was made with full access to the label's vast catalog of songs by the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and others.

In the works since 2017, "Hitsville" features new scenes shot in Detroit, including segments with best buds Gordy and Robinson inside Studio A, now part of the Motown Museum.

It arrives amid a bustling 60th anniversary year for the label, set to culminate in Detroit with the museum's Motown Weekend, a series of September events that include an Orchestra Hall concert, gospel event and golf outing.

More:Motown Weekend to cap anniversary year with concert, gospel, golf: Full details here

"For us, the documentary is an extension of the work we do every day in preserving and and telling the story of Motown,” said Robin Terry, CEO and chairwoman of the Motown Museum. “It raises the curtain on this phenomenal music story that is such an important part of our culture, and how it actually happened."

Short clips from the film were shown during the April broadcast of "Motown 60: A Grammy Celebration," which aired on CBS. At one point, the Gordy doc was targeting a Showtime debut for that same month, as previously reported by the Free Press.

August premieres are being planned in a handful of other major markets, but those details haven't been announced.

"It was important to all of the stakeholders that Detroit be one of the key cities to roll it out," said Terry. "We’re really proud to be contributors to the documentary and co-hosts of the premiere."

Gordy is an executive producer on "Hitsville," which was overseen by Fulwell 73, a London production company whose documentaries have included successful sports films such as "In the Hands of the Gods," "The Class of 92" and "I Am Bolt." Fulwell 73 also co-produces the CBS program "The Late Late Show with James Corden," best known for its viral "Carpool Karaoke" segments featuring the British comedian and an assortment of star singers.

Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.