GBH Openvault
Say Brother; Something About the Blues
Part of Say Brother.
08/06/1997
Dubbed from A2-06115.
License Clip
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- Series
- Say Brother
- Program
- Something About the Blues
- Program Number
913
- 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).
- Duration
00:60:00
- Asset Type
Broadcast program
- Media Type
Video
- Subjects
- African American actresses
- Johnson, Fred (Halim Adbur Rashid)
- African American theater
- African American actors
- Blues (Music)
- Television adaptations
- Something About the Blues (Teleplay)
- Genres
- Magazine
- Topics
- Race and Ethnicity
- Creators
- Deare, Beth (Associate Producer)
- Barbara Barrow-Murray (Producer)
- Atwood, David (Director)
- Contributors
- Norton, Chas (Crane)
- Chigas, Basil (Crane)
- Smith, Lee (Camera)
- Mahard, Fran (Scenic Design)
- Plausse, John (Lighting Director)
- White, Conrad (Stage Manager)
- Holden, Dick (Camera)
- Koppel, Tiit (Boom Operator)
- Mackles, Gene (Graphic Designer)
- Buccheri, Ron (Switcher)
- St. Onge, David (Videotape Recordist)
- Johnson, Nat (Audio)
- Hill, Rebecca (Fashion Consultant)
- Rivera, George (Post Production Supervisor)
- Clarke, Brian (Assistant Director)
- Fairweather, Bill (Video)
- Lewis, Webster (Theme Music)
- Bostic, Karl (Researcher)
- McKenna, Jim (Lighting Assistant)
- Hugentugler, Carol (Videotape Recordist)
- Lane, Frank (Boom Operator)
- Brennan, Susan (Audio)
- Handyside, Keith (Video)
- Norton, Randy (Lighting Assistant)
- Wong, Evelyn (Production Assistant)
- Kane, Pat (Videotape Recordist)
- Carey, Nancy (Intern)
- Wilson, Bob (Camera)
- Citation
- Chicago: “Say Brother; Something About the Blues,” 08/06/1997, GBH Archives, accessed April 16, 2024, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_1E78D33A455D45D4BC06FCDCEF3B31D3.
- MLA: “Say Brother; Something About the Blues.” 08/06/1997. GBH Archives. Web. April 16, 2024. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_1E78D33A455D45D4BC06FCDCEF3B31D3>.
- APA: Say Brother; Something About the Blues. Boston, MA: GBH Archives. Retrieved from http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_1E78D33A455D45D4BC06FCDCEF3B31D3