GBH Openvault
Say Brother; Something About the Blues; Vignette on the struggle to find employment
Part of Say Brother.
01/12/1978
Excerpt from the studio performance of Something About the Blues, a play by Fred Johnson, in which the actors choose to revise the play's subject matter, using "real life" situations to illustrate the "singing of the blues.". Clifton Powell performs a vignette about the struggle to find employment. Overall the program examines themes in blues music via a for-television version of Something About the Blues, a play by Fred Johnson. A "play within a play," Something About the Blues takes place in a nightclub during a final rehearsal for a television program about the blues, in which the actors choose to revise the play's subject matter and uses "real life" situations to illustrate the "singing of the blues." Examples are personal (rather than political), and include: heartbreak, unemployment, loneliness, suspicion, street crime, humor, misunderstanding, and sorrow. Directed by Elaine T. Koury (theater) and John A. Ross (music). Produced by Barbara Barrow-Murray. Directed by David Atwood.
License Clip
- Series
- Say Brother
- Program
- Something About the Blues
- Program Number
913
- Title
Vignette on the struggle to find employment
- Series Description
Say Brother is WGBH's longest running public affairs television program by, for and about African Americans, and is now known as Basic Black. Since its inception in 1968, Say Brother has featured the voices of both locally and nationally known African American artists, athletes, performers, politicians, professionals, and writers including: Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Thomas Atkins, Amiri Baraka, Doris Bunte, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Louis Farrakhan, Nikki Giovanni, Odetta Gordon, Henry Hampton, Benjamin Hooks, Jesse Jackson, Hubie Jones, Mel King, Eartha Kitt, Elma Lewis, Haki Madhubuti, Wallace D. Muhammad, Charles Ogletree, Babatunde Olatunji, Byron Rushing, Owusu Sadaukai, and Sonia Sanchez. Series release date: 7/15/1968
- Program Description
Program examines themes in blues music via a for-television version of Something About the Blues, a play by Fred Johnson. A "play within a play," Something About the Blues takes place in a nightclub during a final rehearsal for a television program about the blues, in which the actors choose to revise the play's subject matter and uses "real life" situations to illustrate the "singing of the blues." Examples are personal (rather than political), and include: heartbreak, unemployment, loneliness, suspicion, street crime, humor, misunderstanding, and sorrow. Directed by Elaine T. Koury (theater) and John A. Ross (music).
- Asset Type
Clip
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- Blues (Music)
- African American theater
- Something About the Blues (Teleplay)
- Television adaptations
- African American actors
- Johnson, Fred (Halim Adbur Rashid)
- Genres
- Magazine
- Topics
- Race and Ethnicity
- Creators
- Atwood, David (Director)
- Deare, Beth (Associate Producer)
- Barrow-Murray, Barbara (Producer)
- Contributors
- Smith, Lee (Camera)
- Hill, Rebecca (Fashion Consultant)
- Plausse, John (Lighting Director)
- Holden, Dick (Camera)
- Mackles, Gene (Graphic Designer)
- Buccheri, Ron (Switcher)
- McKenna, Jim (Lighting Assistant)
- Carey, Nancy (Intern)
- Johnson, Nat (Audio)
- Norton, Randy (Lighting Assistant)
- Rivera, George (Post Production Supervisor)
- Clarke, Brian (Assistant Director)
- Chigas, Basil (Crane)
- Bostic, Karl (Researcher)
- Wilson, Bob (Camera)
- Wong, Evelyn (Production Assistant)
- Brennan, Susan (Audio)
- White, Conrad (Stage Manager)
- Norton, Chas (Lighting Assistant)
- Lewis, Webster (Theme Music)
- Kane, Pat (Videotape Recordist)
- St. Onge, David (Videotape Recordist)
- Hugentugler, Carol (Videotape Recordist)
- Fairweather, Bill (Video)
- Mahard, Fran (Scenic Design)
- Handyside, Keith (Video)
- Koppel, Tiit (Boom Operator)
- Lane, Frank (Boom Operator)
- Publication Information
- WGBH Educational Foundation
- Citation
- Chicago: “Say Brother; Something About the Blues; Vignette on the struggle to find employment,” 01/12/1978, GBH Archives, accessed April 20, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4AEA5E0DC5164A8BA7913782C373FDF9.
- MLA: “Say Brother; Something About the Blues; Vignette on the struggle to find employment.” 01/12/1978. GBH Archives. Web. April 20, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4AEA5E0DC5164A8BA7913782C373FDF9>.
- APA: Say Brother; Something About the Blues; Vignette on the struggle to find employment. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_4AEA5E0DC5164A8BA7913782C373FDF9