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Monday, February 04, 2013

The Color Purple


This week’s edition of the Monday Matinee was a fairly easy one to write.  It’s a film that made a huge killing at the box office, was the film debut of two women who would grow to become huge stars in both the acting and talk show hosting world, and also happens to fit in nicely with the theme of the month (which of course is Black History Month).

So, why you ask, is this entire blog entry typed in purple?  Well, hold on to your hats.  I’m getting there (and no, it's not because the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl last night...but congratulations to them on their victory).

But first, I want to ask you a question.

Have any of you ever heard of an author named Alice Walker? 

I see some of you nodding your heads yes, while others of you are staring blankly at me in the face wondering what I had just said.  Well, okay, not really.  I cannot see you through my laptop.  But, a guy can pretend, can’t he?

The truth is, Alice Walker wrote a book over thirty years ago that got a lot of people talking (and reading).  That book has sold millions of copies since it was first published in 1982, and in 1983, Walker won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as the National Book Award for Fiction.  The book depicted the struggles of young black women growing up during 1930s America, and the fight to have their voices heard in a society that deems them next to worthless.  It was definitely a book that was not for the faint of heart, as some of the situations that the main characters had to endure were incredibly horrific and disgusting.  So much so that the book is ranked at #17 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000-2009.

But I think it’s good that an author would stick to their guns and write a powerful story, even if the imagery inside of the book is something that paints a rather disturbing picture.  Besides, if anyone has ever read the book in question, they would quickly find out that despite the despair and pain that the protagonists have gone through, there’s plenty of hope that could be found as well.


That book was “The Color Purple”, and as it so happens, today’s movie will look at the 1985 film adaptation of “The Color Purple”.

(Does this now explain the purple text?  J )

Now, the reason why the book (and movie) was called The Color Purple is all about symbolism.  I always get a kick out of watching a movie and pointing out the little bits of hidden messages and symbolic uses of props, patterns, and colours.  I even did a school project in my English Media class in high school on symbolism found in horror films.  And, purple plays a very important role in both the book and the movie.

On one hand, you could say that purple could be used in a negative sense.  The main character of the book is a young woman named Celie who goes through a whirlwind of emotional distress in her early years, which causes her to look at the world in a negative sense, and leaving her without the ability to appreciate the simple beauty in everyday life.  As a young girl, Celie was sexually abused, which left telltale purple marks on the most sensitive parts of her body, and she also remarked that the bruises and scrapes found on her friend Sofia’s face was like the color of an eggplant. 

And, as we all know, an eggplant is purple.

But purple also represented a colour of high prestige as well.  At some point during the story, Celie wanted to wear something that made her feel like a queen, but couldn’t because the stores didn’t have anything that was purple in colour (keeping in mind that purple was considered a colour associated with royalty).  And, purple represented the dreams that Celie had...dreams that she never believed that she would attain. 


It’s certainly a colour that is a common theme within the film adaptation, as well as the book.  Why else do you think that the movie poster is designed with a purplish tint?

The film adaptation for “The Color Purple” did extremely well at the box office, and was praised highly by critics.  The film was the eighth motion picture directed by famed director Steven Spielberg, and starred Danny Glover, Rae Dawn Chong, Margaret Avery, Desreta Jackson, Adolph Caesar, and in their motion picture debuts, Whoopi Goldberg and future talk show queen Oprah Winfrey.  The film was released on December 18, 1985, and made almost one hundred million dollars at the box office on a budget of fifteen million dollars.

The film also has a record associated with it, albeit not a record that one hopes to get.  The good news was that it received eleven nominations for Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and acting nominations for Goldberg, Winfrey, and Avery.  The bad news was that the film was completely shut out, not even winning one of the eleven awards that it was nominated for, tying the record set by the 1977 film “The Turning Point” (though Whoopi Goldberg did win a Golden Globe for her performance in 1986).

Despite this oversight, critics praised the film, as Siskel & Ebert gave the film two thumbs up, while New York Times critic Janet Maslen noted that while the film didn’t exactly line up with the book, it still worked splendidly.


“The Color Purple” begins in the early 1900s in the area known as the Southern United States.  We are introduced to Celie Harris (played by Goldberg as an adult), who has had an incredibly rough childhood.  By the age of fourteen, she has already given birth to a couple of children.  The father of her children?  Her own “father”!

(There’s a reason why the word “father” is in quotation marks.  You’ll have to watch the movie to discover why that is.)

Anyway, Celie’s “father” immediately takes away her children after they are born and sends them off to live somewhere else, for Celie’s future plans do not involve her becoming a mother.  No, she’s arranged to be married off to a wealthy man whom Celie only knows as “Mister”.  In truth, his real name is Albert Johnson (played by Glover), and “Mister” is no sweet, loving husband, who treats Celie as his own personal slave.


You’d have thought that he would know better, given that just a few decades earlier, his ancestors were likely enslaved at the hands of wealthy Americans...but sadly, this is not the case, as Albert beats Celie up and keeps her so frightened of him that she is forced into doing everything he wants.  Although things perk up for Celie a bit when her sister Nettie (Akosua Busia) comes to stay with them (she teaches Celie how to read), the happiness is short lived when Albert tries to come on to Nettie and she rebuffs him enough times for him to throw her out of the house.  But Nettie promises Celie that she’ll find a way to stay in touch with her by writing her letters whenever she can.

Remember that promise for later, folks.

One day, an ex-lover of Albert’s, Shug Avery (Avery) decides to come and live with him and Celie.  And right off the bat, the first impression that Celie gives to Shug is not a good one, as Shug remarks that Celie is “ugly”.  But it really wasn’t Celie’s fault.  She had been feeling ill and was forced to wear a face mask to keep anybody else from catching her nasty virus. 


After a little bit of time passed, Celie and Shug soon became close friends, and Shug becomes Celie’s own personal self-confidence booster.

NOTE:  It is also mildly dropped in the film that an affair takes place between Shug and Celie...but if you read the book, it describes this relationship in greater detail.


Celie also finds a firm friend in a woman named Sofia (Winfrey), who happens to be married to Albert’s son, Harpo (Willard E. Pugh).  Sofia has also sustained abuse and torture from the menfolk in her life, but there is one thing that Sofia had that Celie did not. 

A backbone.

It wasn’t uncommon at all for Sofia to stand up for herself and give it as good as she took it.  She wasn’t about to let anybody take advantage of her, and her attitude certainly impresses Celie.  But unfortunately, Sofia took it a bit too far when she gets into a scuffle with the town mayor and his wife...and, well...see for yourselves.


One thing you can say...she was definitely a woman ahead of her time.

But shortly after this little incident, Celie comes across a rather shocking truth.  Apparently, her sister Nettie has settled in Africa, working with missionaries there, and she has been sending Celie dozens of letters.  Unfortunately for Celie, Albert has been getting to the mailbox first and has confiscated every single one so that Celie would never have access to them.

What a prince, huh?

Fortunately, with a little sleuth work courtesy of Shug and her new husband, Celie discovers a couple of years worth of letters that Nettie had sent...letters that Albert withheld from her all that time.  At first, Celie is absolutely angered that Albert would do this to her...but then she thinks about it some more and realizes that this information has given her renewed hope and courage...courage that Sofia showed her that fateful day.  Although Celie’s first instinct is to kill the very man that caused her so much pain, and almost succeeds when she considers stabbing him with the very knife she used to shave his face.  Luckily, Shug manages to prevent her from going through with it.

Later, at a family dinner, Celie is shocked to see Sofia in a near catatonic state due to the frequent beatings that she has suffered while in prison for punching the mayor.  It was like the trip to prison had taken all of the light inside of her.  But seeing Sofia in that state triggered something inside of Celie, and what ends up taking place is one memorable confrontation that puts everything out on the table.


And, I think on that note, we’ll end the plot summary for this film.  I’ve already said too much.  I will just provide you a clue with the ending.  It has a lot of slacks.  That’s all that I can say.

“The Color Purple” was a film that was necessary to make.  It portrayed a dark part of American history in which black women were made to feel inferior just because of the colour of their skin...but it also showed them taking back control and leading the fight to become recognized in a society that fought them every step of the way.  That’s to be admired.


I mean, would Whoopi Goldberg have become a famous actress, appearing in dozens of Hollywood features, and a panelist on “The View” had things stayed the same?


Would Margaret Avery have appeared in several acting projects of her own, and volunteered her time to helping battered women and at-risk teenagers had things stayed the same?


Would Oprah Winfrey have become a multi-millionaire, hosting a successful talk show for a quarter-century, and being the head of her own book club, magazine, and television network had things stayed the same?

Just some food for thought today.

Sunday, February 03, 2013

Etta James - At Last


So, today is Super Bowl Sunday, and the teams that are playing in this year’s go round are the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens.  And, to be honest with all of you, I really don’t care if I miss the game or not.  I’ve probably talked about this before, but I am not a fan of watching sports on television at all.  The way I see it, you see one touchdown, you see them all.  But to those of you who will be tuning into the game at some point this afternoon, I’m sure that you will have fun watching the plays, critiquing the commercials, and stuffing your faces with all the pork rinds and chicken wings you can get your hands on.



I, on the other hand, have a blog entry that needs to get done up.  And, since this month is Black History Month, you already know that the subject for this blog is going to be a major influence on the music scene, and that the subject in question just happens to also be African-American.


And, considering that today is the Super Bowl, I imagine some of you might be thinking that I have selected Beyonce Knowles as today’s subject.  It certainly makes sense.  Beyonce is the halftime performer at the big game this year, and I’m sure that millions of people will be watching her sing lipsynch perform at the game.

While it’s true that the 31-year-old Knowles has made a big impact on the music scene with both “Destiny’s Child”, and her solo singles which include “Irreplaceable”, “Naughty Girl”, “Crazy In Love”, “Single Ladies”, and “Halo”, she is not the subject for today’s blog.

However, Beyonce does share a link to today’s blog subject...and that link was subject to a little bit of controversy back in 2009.


Now, everyone remembers the beginning of 2009, right?  It did only happen four years ago.  Back in January 2009, Americans tuned in to watch the inauguration of the country’s first African-American president, Barack Obama, and whether you respect the man or not, you have to admit that it was an historic event in American history.  Well, in 2009, one of the performers at the inauguration ball was Beyonce Knowles, and the song that she chose to serenade the couple with during their first dance was a song that was first released in 1941, but became a smash hit in 1961...the same year that Barack Obama was born.


USELESS TRIVIA THAT ONLY I FIND INTERESTING:  My Uncle Kevin and Barack Obama have the same exact birthdate...August 4, 1961.  Not that you needed to know that...I just found it cool.  J


That song was a little song called “At Last”.  It wasn’t the first time that Beyonce had sang the song...she also performed the song in the 2008 film “Cadillac Records”, in which she starred alongside Adrien Brody, Cedric the Entertainer, Jeffrey Wright, and Eamonn Walker.  And, she sang the song playing the very person who made the song a huge success in early 1961.


ARTIST:  Etta James
SONG:  At Last
ALBUM:  At Last!
DATE RELEASED:  November 15, 1960
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #47
PEAK POSITION ON THE R & B CHARTS:  #2



Now, “At Last” has been a song that has been covered by many, many people.  Even Etta James’ version was considered a cover version (the original version of “At Last” was released in the early 1940s).  But it can be argued that Etta James sang it best.

That’s not to say that Beyonce didn’t do a good job singing it.  I thought that she did a wonderful job putting her own spin on a classic song, and certainly when she sang it in the film “Cadillac Records”, James was overheard saying that she had thought that Beyonce had sang the song beautifully, and was more than impressed.

Less than six months later, James appeared to sing a different tune...one that basically had James throwing her under a bus!

Approximately a week after Obama’s 2009 inauguration, Etta James was performing a concert in Seattle, Washington where she let loose about her feelings about the performance, telling the crowd the following...

“I tell you, that woman he has singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whipped...I can’t stand Beyonce, she had no business up there singing my song that I’ve been singing forever!”

Can you say, “Ouch”?  Certainly an about face from just a few short months ago, when Etta James couldn’t say anything but kind things about Beyonce Knowles!  Or, was it?

James later admitted that the whole thing was a tongue-in-cheek joke and that she meant no harm towards Beyonce.  Her explanation for it was this...

“I didn’t really mean anything.  Even as a little child, I’ve always had that comedian kind of attitude.  That’s probably what went into it.  Nobody was getting mad at me in Seattle.  They were all laughing and it was funny.”

And, you know something, I believe that her intention wasn’t to be mean at all towards Beyonce or anybody else involved.  I really do believe that she was trying to be funny, and that it got a little bit blown out of proportion (as pretty much 95% of all Hollywood based gossip tends to get these days).  Though, Etta James did say that she did feel a little hurt that she wasn’t invited to the inaugural party.


At any rate, it seems hard to believe that Etta James’ life began in Los Angeles, California on January 25, 1938 under her birthname of Jamesetta Hawkins.  But, then again, I suppose we know now how she took her stage name...rearranging the syllables of her first name.

Jamesetta’s childhood was a rough one.  She was born to a single 14-year-old mother, and grew up never really knowing who her dad was (though she always suspected that he was legendary pool player Minnesota Fats), and she was shipped off to a series of foster homes due to her mother’s frequent absences from home.

When Jamesetta was five years old, she began vocal training under the tutelage of James Earl Hines, then the musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir, and became a regular performer at the St. Paul Baptist Church in south central Los Angeles.  But this also had a bit of a negative effect on Jamesetta, as one of her foster parents actually tried to profit off of her singing.  He would often have poker nights with his friends where they would get completely drunk, and he would often wake up Jamesetta in the middle of the night to sing for his friends (which proved even more embarrassing when you consider that in her childhood, Jamesetta was a bed-wetter, as told in the book “Rage to Survive:  The Etta James Story”).  This caused a lifelong reluctance to sing for anybody on demand...and when you consider what happened, can you blame her?


By 1950, Jamesetta was back in the care of her birth mother, and the two visited San Francisco’s Fillmore District, where a then twelve year old James immersed herself in the doo-wop culture.  By fourteen, she had formed her very first girl group, “The Creolettes”.  She met musician Johnny Otis during this time period as well, and Otis ended up taking special interest in “The Creolettes”, being a key figure in their eventual signing to Modern Records, the group name changing to “The Peaches”, and being the one who transformed Jamesetta Hawkins into Etta James.

The group’s first hit was in the form of an answer song to the 1954 hit “Work With Me, Annie”, 1955’s “Dance With Me, Johnny”.  The song hit the top of the R & B charts, and helped the group secure a spot touring with Little Richard as his opening act.

Etta James left “The Peaches” shortly after that, and embarked on a solo career, with her next release being “Good Rockin’ Daddy”, but all subsequent releases seemed to remain stagnant on the charts.  The struggle was so great that James opted not to re-sign with Modern Records when her contract expired in 1960, and instead signed on to Chess Records.


And, upon signing to Chess Records in the early 1960s, James had success with several singles including “If I Can’t Have You”, “Spoonful”, and “All I Could Do Was Cry”, which peaked at second place on the R & B charts.  In 1960, Etta James released her first full-length album, “At Last!”, and the album spawned three hit singles...”A Sunday Kind of Love”, “I Just Want To Make Love to You”, and of course, “At Last”.

Although “At Last” only managed to barely crack the Top 50 on the Billboard Charts, it became another #2 hit for James, and almost everyone would likely consider the song to be her signature hit.  Even Etta James herself would have told you that it was the song that helped cement her place in music history.  But, Etta James wasn’t the first person to sing it, and she obviously was not the last.  Some other artists who have covered the song aside from Beyonce include Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Ben E. King, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, Jason Mraz, Cyndi Lauper, Elvis Costello, Michael Bolton, Aretha Franklin, Liza Minnelli, and Christina Aguilera.


In fact, Christina Aguilera ended up paying tribute to Etta James by singing “At Last” at her January 28, 2012 funeral.  Etta James passed away on January 20, 2012 following a battle with leukemia...just five days shy of her 74th birthday, and just three days after the death of the man who discovered her, Johnny Otis. 

But, really, even though it has been a year since Etta James passed away, her legacy will never be forgotten.  “At Last” may not have been originally performed by Etta James, but her version was one of the most well-known.  You certainly can’t take that away no matter how many times Beyonce Knowles sings the song. 

And besides, with a 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a 2001 induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, and six Grammy Awards, seventeen Blues Music Awards, and being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame twice, she will forever have a place in music history.


At last...

Saturday, February 02, 2013

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids


When I made the decision to make February Black History Month, I knew that there would be some instances in which depending on the day of the week, I would find the choice of topics quite limiting.

Some of the theme days are easy to pick topics for. The Sunday Jukebox has millions of songs and artists to choose from. Monday Matinees are just as easy. And, though I had to do a bit of research, I even managed to get all my choices for the Tuesday Timeline to look back on an event within black history (even if the most recent example happens to be from a quarter-century ago).

But, Saturdays...boy, oh boy, let's talk about Saturdays.

For some reason, I had a huge amount of difficulty finding four different topics to discuss for this special month. As far back as I could remember, I couldn't really think of many examples of cartoon or educational series that had predominately black characters...and those shows that I could name off, I already did a feature on last year. So, I really had a tough time with this particular day.

Of course, this doesn't mean that I don't have anything to talk about. In fact, today's blog topic could easily be considered one of the longest running animated series in the history of Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Although the show took breaks in between filming, it aired on CBS off and on for twelve years, plus one additional year in syndication. It ran for one hundred and ten episodes, plus four special prime-time episodes.



And, that show is “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”, in which comedian/actor Bill Cosby voiced no less than three of the main characters, including himself!



I'll be the first one to admit that I was not introduced to “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” until late in life. The show debuted on CBS on September 9, 1972 (nine years before I was born), and ended in syndication on August 10, 1985. Because my family did not have cable when I was toddler-aged (we used rabbit ears well into the early 1980s), I completely missed out on this program during my childhood. I think I was eighteen when I first watched this program for the first time...and to be honest, I feel like I missed out on something because it really was a great show.



The idea for the show was born at least five years prior to the first episode airing on CBS. The character of Fat Albert was incorporated into Bill Cosby's stand-up set in 1967, and appeared on his comedy album “Revenge”. The stories that Cosby joked about in his routine regarding Fat Albert were based off of his own childhood, growing up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Two years later, in 1969, Cosby teamed up with Ken Mundie to bring Fat Albert to life (albeit in an animated format). The one shot prime time special debuted on NBC, and was entitled “Hey, Hey, Hey, It's Fat Albert”. The special was a bit unique at the time as it combined animation with live-action segments.

TRIVIA: The entire musical score for the 1969 Fat Albert special was composed by Herbie Hancock, who some of you might know as the composer of this instrumental.





As far as the character design of all of the main characters from Fat Albert...well, those were courtesy of Amby Paliwoda, who formerly worked for Disney. He designed all eight main characters of the Cosby Kids, and also painted a group portrait of all of the characters, which appeared on the front cover of TV Guide just before the special aired.



And, just who made up the gang known as Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids? Well, I'll tell you. First of all, you can't have a gang named the Cosby Kids without a Cosby. And, Bill Cosby voiced...Bill Cosby.

I know, shocker, isn't it?

I suppose it made sense though. After all, the majority of the Cosby Kids were based off of actual characters that Cosby befriended in his childhood. On the animated series, Bill plays a lot of sports, and is somewhat of a decent athlete. And, he seems to be more or less the voice of reason a lot of the time. But despite the fact that Bill Cosby created the Fat Albert Gang, he was not the main character.



That honour, of course, belongs to Fat Albert (also voiced by Bill Cosby). And, despite the fact that Fat Albert would be classified as morbidly obese and would likely be considered the poster child of bad health in today's society, Fat Albert was surprisingly agile and athletic for his size.

(Let this be a lesson to all of you to NEVER judge a book by its cover.)

Fat Albert has a huge heart underneath his body, and he often uses it to solve problems, listen to people, and come up with ideas that make people twice his age stare at him in awe. Oh, and the one thing that sets apart Fat Albert from the others is his trademark saying.  "Hey, hey, hey!!!"



The other members of the Fat Albert Gang each have their own distinct traits. Mushmouth (voiced by Bill Cosby) has trouble communicating with others because his voice sounds literally like he has a pound of marbles stuffed inside his cheeks. I suppose you could compare him to Kenny McCormick from “South Park”, only Mushmouth doesn't get killed off at the end of each episode.



Dumb” Donald (Lou Scheimer) is not exactly the shiniest penny in the bunch. In fact, one could call him the dimbulb of the whole group. He also has the wildest sense of style, as you can see from the image above.



Russell Cosby (Jan Crawford) is Bill's younger brother, and Bill is often exasperated over the schemes and the trouble that Russell often causes. He may be the youngest member of the gang, but he's also the mouthiest...and sometimes his big mouth gets him into trouble with the other members of the gang...especially with one member in particular.



Rudolph “Rudy” Davis (Eric Suter), is kind of like the Reggie Mantle of the Cosby Kids. He's got style, he's got swagger, and he's got EGO! But he also has a conscience and a kind heart, so any time he ends up getting into a jam because of his attitude, he almost always learns his lesson.



Weird” Harold (Gerald Edwards), is the klutz of the group, always clumsily bumping into things and knocking things over.



And, lastly (but not least), we have Bucky (Jan Crawford), a boy with a large overbite, whose quickness and flexibility have gotten the Cosby Kids out of some tough jams.

The television special was a big hit on NBC in 1969, and in the wake of the success of the special, it was discussed to bring a cartoon series to the airwaves. But would you believe that NBC decided against airing the cartoon on Saturday Mornings because it was...get this...too educational?!?

I mean, heaven forbid a child LEARN something from Saturday Morning cartoons! Boy, how times have changed!

Fortunately, with backing from Filmation, Cosby and Mundie shopped the show around to CBS, who agreed to put the show on the schedule for the 1972/1973 television season. Little did they know that the show would last on and off for the better part of thirteen years!

TRIVIA: The series took hiatuses from making new episodes in 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, and 1983.

Now, the way that a typical episode was structured was that the kids often faced an issue or problem that children would normally deal with. Most of the time, the issues they faced were hygeine, stage fright, first love, medical issues, and other moments that might be featured on NBC's “One To Grow On”. In some rare occasions, the issues would be more serious in nature. Sometimes they talked about racism, vandalism, stealing, child abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and there was even an episode where the kids visited a prison where the prisoners could be heard uttering salty language (such as 'damn' or 'bastard'). Though to Cosby's credit, he did warn people of the fact that the words would be said to give kids a more realistic perspective, which I can appreciate).

But the way that the show handled these situations was brilliant. They wanted to offer up solutions in a realistic way, but they didn't go so far out of the box that it scarred kids for life. It was a rather ingenious show that was slightly ahead of its time.

Oh, and at the end of every episode, the group would form a band known as the “Junkyard Kids” and sing a song about what they learned. Each Cosby Kid played their own instruments which were constructed out of garbage lying around (hence the name of the band). So, I thought that I'd end this entry off by listing the instruments that the band played, as well as a couple of songs that they played on the show.



THE JUNKYARD BAND

FAT ALBERT – lead vocals, bagpipe-accordion
MUSHMOUTH – homemade bass guitar
DONALD – homemade trombone
BILL – homemade drums
RUSSELL – tin can xylophone
WEIRD HAROLD – bedspring harp
RUDY – homemade banjo (but plays an electric guitar when alone)
BUCKY – stovepipe organ



Oh, one last thing...in 2004, a live-action movie starring Kenan Thompson as Fat Albert was released in theatres. The film also starred Kyla Pratt, who ends up holding a main role in next Saturday's topic. But you'll have to wait for that one.

Friday, February 01, 2013

Roots: The Saga of an American Family


I always like trying new ideas for this blog in order to get more of a wider audience.  Some ideas that I have come up with have been incredibly successful and piqued people’s interests.  And, there are a few ideas that have admittedly flopped.  But that’s the fun of trying new things.  You learn very quickly what works and what doesn’t.

I’ll admit that the thought never crossed my mind to devote an entire month to a specific topic when I first began this blog.  I had expected to do theme days, and occasionally, I’ve tried my hand at a few theme weeks (September Switcheroo in September 2011, Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This Week in April 2012), but the closest that I ever came to an entire theme month was two months ago in December 2012, when the first twenty-five days of the month were transformed into an advent calendar.

Well, this month, I have decided to try my hand at another theme month.  For the next twenty-eight days, each blog entry will have a common thread linking them all together, and at the end of February, I hope to have shared a lot of information with all of you in regards to a very special month.


Did you know that February is officially recognized as Black History Month?  In Canada and the United States, the month of February is reserved for teaching people about the historical events, discoveries, and triumphs that were achieved by people of the African diaspora.  Black History Month is also recognized in the United Kingdom, only they celebrate it during the month of October.

The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926, when a man by the name of Carter G. Woodson teamed up with the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History to create the precursor to Black History Month, “Negro History Week”.  It took place during the second week of February because it always passed through the birthdates of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  Woodson had created the week-long event in hopes that one day it would be eliminated as black history would be incorporated into the regular curriculum. 

It’s interesting to note that when Negro History Week was made official, it was met with a lot of enthusiasm from students, teachers, and progressive white people.  It sparked a renewed interest in history classes, and at high schools all across the United States, black history clubs were organized as extracurricular activities.  It became so popular that the decision was made in 1976 to expand the Black History Week to cover the entire month of February, which has remained in place ever since.

So, I thought to myself that if history classes and textbooks can celebrate Black History Month, why not A Pop Culture Addict’s Guide To Life?

From February 1 – 28, 2013, this blog will be celebrating Black History Month, as every single topic will feature some sort of reference to the contributions and inventions created by African-American citizens (and African-Canadian, African-European, etc).  But, don’t you worry, fellow pop culture addicts...there will still be the references to movies, music, and television that you all grew up with!  Even the Thursday Diary entries will have something to do with Black History Month...even though at this time, I’m trying to figure out a way to make that happen. 

So, how do I kick off such an event?  Well, today happens to be Friday, which means that a television show will be featured.  But, because it’s the beginning of a month-long event, why not begin with a bang?  Why don’t I start off with a television miniseries that ran for eight consecutive days in the winter of 1977?  Why don’t I talk about a miniseries that had huge Hollywood stars signed on to star in at least one of the episodes of the series?  A miniseries that was nominated for thirty-six Emmy Awards, winning nine?  A miniseries in which all eight episodes ranked within the Top 100 American television episodes of ALL TIME?



Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure that you’ll all agree that I can’t kick off Black History Month without talking about the 1977 miniseries “Roots”.  Based off of the novel “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” by Alex Haley, the miniseries aired nightly between January 23 and January 30, 1977 on ABC, and the conclusion of the series remains the third highest-rated American program in the history of television (just falling behind Dallas’ “Who Shot J.R.?” episode and the series finale of “M*A*S*H” – sporting events like the Super Bowl aside, that is.)

The eight-part miniseries boasted a “Who’s Who” list of names.  The miniseries was the breakout performance of LeVar Burton, who portrayed the younger version of Kunta Kinte, and also featured a pre-Growing Pains Tracey Gold in the role of Young Missy Reynolds.  But just listen to some of the other names associated with the project.  You had Ben Vereen, Vic Morrow, John Amos, Lorne Greene, Ed Asner, Louis Gossett Jr., Robert Reed, Sandy Duncan, Leslie Uggams, Georg Stanford Brown, Lloyd Bridges, Carolyn Jones, Cicely Tyson, Ralph Waite, Richard Roundtree, Roxie Roker, Maya Angelou, Burl Ives, Todd Bridges, and Yvonne De Carlo all having huge parts, secondary roles, or at the very least a cameo appearance.  It’s hard to deny that much star power having an impact on the overall success of the miniseries.

However, the success of Roots was not solely the casting (although each member of the cast acted their socks off).  It was the story.  And, for many people who watched the miniseries thirty-six years ago (and for people who have since watched it on the DVD release in 2002 for its twenty-fifth anniversary).

“Roots” is set over a period of one hundred and twenty years (1750 – 1870), and the majority of the movie deals with the hardships and ugliness that was slavery.


I’ll say this.  After watching the entire series, it’s absolutely horrifying to have watched what black slaves experienced during that time period.  It certainly makes one realize that the whole world has come a long way when it comes to how we treat other people (and yet in some places, we clearly still have a long way to go yet).  And, although some people have some issues with the actual historical accuracy of the miniseries (and book for that matter), the author of the book, Alex Haley claimed that “Roots” was based on his own family’s history, which began with Kunta Kinte, a descendent of Haley from a span of seven generations apart.

I won’t really go into too much plot detail here (because no amount of words that I could say can give the horrifying scenes and the small victories that each of the main characters experience in a world of slavery and fear).  But, I can offer you a little bit of what to expect (along with a couple of video clips).


The main character for the first arc of the series is obviously Kunta Kinte (played by both LeVar Burton and John Amos), and the story begins when he is captured and sold to a slave trader.  He spends the next three months on a ship bound for Colonial America where he is purchased by John Reynolds (Lorne Greene), a plantation owner from Spotsylvania County, Virginia.  He also gives Kunta a new name, Toby.  Reynolds assigns an older slave, Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.) to teach him English, and to train him for his new job as a chattel slave.  Of course, this was of little comfort to Kunta, who just wanted to escape and go back home to Africa.  Unfortunately, each time he tries to escape, he ends up getting caught.  To make matters worse, Kunta refuses to change his name, as he wishes to preserve his heritage, and this prompts the scene to shift to this disturbing scene.  You may watch it below, but I must warn you, it’s not for the faint of heart.


Kunta and Fiddler stay on the property as property of John Reynolds until Kunta reaches adulthood.  From there, they become the property of John’s brother, Dr. William Reynolds (Robert Reed), and once more, Kunta tries again to escape.  This time, the punishment is severe, as Kunta ends up getting nearly his whole right foot amputated, in order to prevent him from trying to escape again.

At this point, Kunta decides to give up the fight for freedom and makes the decision to continue serving as a slave.  Fortunately, not all is bleak.  He ends up falling in love with the cook of Dr. Reynolds’ household, Belle, and they end up getting married.


But if you think the story ends there, think again.  The tale picks up with the story of Belle and Kunta’s daughter, Kizzy.  In fact, that’s where “Roots” ends up getting its name.  The story traces through several generations of family beginning with Kunta Kinte and passing through Kizzy, Kizzy’s son, George, and George’s sons, Tom and Lewis.  It’s a beautifully told story, and it keeps the audience captivated from beginning until end.  Certainly, there are some hard scenes to watch in the miniseries, and of course there are some really terrifying and grotesque scenes that will absolutely break your heart...but there are also some moments that are heartwarming.  The wedding day of Belle and Kunta, for example. Or, Kizzy being taught how to read and write by Missy Anne Reynolds (well, before Missy Anne betrays her, that is).  Or, “Chicken George” using the sport of cockfighting to win a prize more valuable than money.

Really, I could go on and on about this miniseries, but I don’t want to spoil the whole thing for you.  Believe me, I could not begin to use enough words to justify how powerful and moving this entire miniseries is.  So, go out and watch it.  You won’t regret it.

Now, to cap off this look back on “Roots”, I thought that I’d post a little bit of trivia about this miniseries.  You already know that it was a ratings powerhouse, that it was LeVar Burton’s first starring role, and that it won nine Emmy Awards, as well as a Peabody Award.

But did you also know that...

...two sequels to “Roots” were produced?  One was made in 1979 (Roots: The Next Generations), and the other one was made in 1988 (Roots:  The Gift).

...the actor playing Tom (Georg Stanford Brown) was three years OLDER than his on-screen father, George (Ben Vereen)?

...that author Harold Courlander launched a lawsuit against Roots author Alex Haley for plagiarizing events that took place in his own novel “The African”?  And that Courlander ended up winning a settlement of $650,000 out of court?


...only two actors from “Roots” (Georg Stanford Brown and Lynne Moody) reprised their roles in the 1979 sequel?




...Sandy Duncan admitted in an interview where Oprah Winfrey talked to the cast of "Roots" thirty-five years after the miniseries aired, that she is still unable to sit through the whole twelve-hour miniseries?  I suppose it didn't help matters much that by her final appearance, she ended up becoming one of the most hated characters in the whole show...

...two of the actors from “Roots” (LeVar Burton and Louis Gossett Jr.) reprised their roles in the 1988 film “Roots:  The Gift”?

...an ABC executive described the success of “Roots” by stating that “a third of America was snowed in, a third of America was black, and a third of America watches ABC anyway”?

...Vic Morrow is the only cast member to appear in more than three episodes of the miniseries (he appears in four of the eight)?

...Quincy Jones and Gerald Fried composed the musical score for the first episode of the miniseries?

...the total budget for the miniseries was $6.6 million?

...an estimated 36 million households watched the series finale?