1
00:00:06,272 --> 00:00:09,275
I was sitting there in tears
in my living room watching it.
2
00:00:09,275 --> 00:00:12,712
We learned the truth
about America.
3
00:00:12,712 --> 00:00:16,216
ED ASNER:
White actors were willing
4
00:00:16,216 --> 00:00:19,919
to break each other's legs
to be in the show.
5
00:00:24,624 --> 00:00:27,327
I mean, these novels were just
the best stuff ever.
6
00:00:27,327 --> 00:00:31,464
I do love you, Meggie.
I always will.
7
00:00:31,464 --> 00:00:35,168
And I found myself in the
biggest melodrama of all time.
8
00:00:35,168 --> 00:00:37,904
The saga of an American family.
9
00:00:37,904 --> 00:00:39,372
Now, y listen to old Fiddler
10
00:00:39,372 --> 00:00:40,707
if you wants to keep alive.
11
00:00:40,707 --> 00:00:43,743
You in America now.
12
00:00:43,743 --> 00:00:46,312
But I think the responsibility
of television
13
00:00:46,312 --> 00:00:51,117
is to lift up its audience,
intellectually,
14
00:01:00,860 --> 00:01:03,830
SEACREST: They captured
audiences like nothing before.
15
00:01:03,830 --> 00:01:06,266
"Rich Man, Poor Man," "Roots,"
"Thorn Birds."
16
00:01:06,266 --> 00:01:08,334
Look at the size
of those audiences.
17
00:01:08,334 --> 00:01:10,904
They poured huge amounts of
money into them.
18
00:01:10,904 --> 00:01:12,572
The material was sensational.
19
00:01:12,572 --> 00:01:16,709
"Roots" hit the mark.
It did more than entertain.
20
00:01:19,145 --> 00:01:23,049
It served as a vehicle for
21
00:01:23,049 --> 00:01:25,952
enlightenment and empowerment.
22
00:01:25,952 --> 00:01:29,389
SEACREST: They brought our
favorite characters
23
00:01:29,389 --> 00:01:31,458
from the page to the screen.
24
00:01:31,458 --> 00:01:33,760
He was a man that knew
who he was.
25
00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,428
He knew his name,
he knew his culture.
26
00:01:35,428 --> 00:01:38,298
I tell you, Fiddler, sometimes
it seem like
27
00:01:38,298 --> 00:01:39,866
being alone and being free,
28
00:01:39,866 --> 00:01:41,935
they're all the same
for a slave.
29
00:01:41,935 --> 00:01:46,172
You don't be free.
30
00:01:46,172 --> 00:01:47,941
You be dead.
31
00:01:47,941 --> 00:01:50,810
I felt it incumbent that I must
be in that show.
32
00:01:50,810 --> 00:01:54,781
Can you capture or buy
170 healthy blacks
33
00:01:54,781 --> 00:01:57,584
and deliver them to the hold
of the Lord Ligonier?
34
00:01:57,584 --> 00:01:59,385
It had a profound effect on me,
35
00:01:59,385 --> 00:02:01,588
the reception
to "The Thorn Birds."
36
00:02:01,588 --> 00:02:05,391
You can marry me.
You love me.
37
00:02:05,391 --> 00:02:08,528
But I love God more.
38
00:02:08,528 --> 00:02:10,930
WARD: It was probably not
the right project for me.
39
00:02:10,930 --> 00:02:14,634
SEACREST: They opened our eyes
to a new way of seeing.
40
00:02:14,634 --> 00:02:16,469
They hit the side of America
41
00:02:16,469 --> 00:02:19,772
that you don't get in
the history books in school.
42
00:02:19,772 --> 00:02:22,942
Did it shock a lot of people?
I'm sure it did.
43
00:02:22,942 --> 00:02:25,979
I felt, "This is it, this is as
go as it's going to get."
44
00:02:25,979 --> 00:02:33,520
It's the absolute best use
of music pictures and sound
45
00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:36,489
that we can achieve.
46
00:02:36,489 --> 00:02:40,493
SEACREST: Together, they created
the most popular stories
47
00:02:40,493 --> 00:02:42,495
ever told on the small screen
through an art form
48
00:02:42,495 --> 00:02:44,664
called the miniseries.
49
00:02:44,664 --> 00:02:46,566
They are the Pioneers
50
00:02:46,566 --> 00:02:48,301
of Television.
51
00:02:56,843 --> 00:02:59,779
SEACREST: Nome, Alaska,
January 1977.
52
00:03:02,015 --> 00:03:06,252
The normally raucous town bar
turns quiet at 7 P.M.
53
00:03:06,252 --> 00:03:10,623
as the channel changes to ABC.
54
00:03:10,623 --> 00:03:15,595
BURTON: Nome, Alaska... and
the bar was packed every night.
55
00:03:15,595 --> 00:03:19,165
And silent -- I mean,
everybody was watching.
56
00:03:19,165 --> 00:03:21,935
SEACREST: Simultaneously,
the same story
57
00:03:21,935 --> 00:03:24,671
was playing out in Key West,
Florida,
58
00:03:24,671 --> 00:03:26,439
and all points in between.
59
00:03:26,439 --> 00:03:29,609
America was fixated on
the most popular drama
60
00:03:29,609 --> 00:03:31,511
the nation had ever seen,
61
00:03:31,511 --> 00:03:34,881
a TV
miniseries called "Roots."
62
00:03:39,419 --> 00:03:40,954
Restaurants and bars
were saying,
63
00:03:40,954 --> 00:03:42,589
"We have the big screen
television.
64
00:03:42,589 --> 00:03:44,857
Come here, have your dinner
and you can watch 'Roots.'"
65
00:03:44,857 --> 00:03:46,693
SEACREST: Theaters
emptied out,
66
00:03:46,693 --> 00:03:48,795
Come here, have your dinner
and you can watch 'Roots.'" rescheduled.
67
00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:51,631
Even Las Vegas seemed vacant.
68
00:03:51,631 --> 00:03:54,400
They closed the casinos in Vegas
when "Roots" aired,
69
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,169
nobody was on the street.
70
00:03:56,169 --> 00:03:59,405
Casinos were empty because
people were watching "Roots."
71
00:03:59,405 --> 00:04:00,740
And that is something.
72
00:04:00,740 --> 00:04:05,345
As those eight nights unfolded
and the audience gw
73
00:04:05,345 --> 00:04:09,115
and then it was
the national conversation.
74
00:04:09,115 --> 00:04:12,819
SEACREST: Over the eight
consecutive nights,
75
00:04:12,819 --> 00:04:17,523
"Roo" attracted more viewers
than any previous TV drama.
76
00:04:17,523 --> 00:04:21,227
It's unlikely any
television series will again
77
00:04:21,227 --> 00:04:24,597
have the impact that "Roots" had
in 1977.
78
00:04:24,597 --> 00:04:27,433
[Baby crying]
79
00:04:27,433 --> 00:04:29,802
Ha ha! Look at this baby.
80
00:04:29,802 --> 00:04:32,572
Aww!
Aww! Aww!
81
00:04:32,572 --> 00:04:33,973
What do you
call him?
82
00:04:33,973 --> 00:04:35,775
We call him
Baby Boy.
83
00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:38,244
And we'll go on
calling him that
84
00:04:38,244 --> 00:04:41,281
until his father decides
on a name for him
85
00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:42,915
eight days from today.
86
00:04:42,915 --> 00:04:46,185
SEACREST: "Roots" wasn't just
a popular program,
87
00:04:46,185 --> 00:04:48,021
it was a cultural landmark,
88
00:04:48,021 --> 00:04:49,922
a phenomenon that transformed
89
00:04:49,922 --> 00:04:52,425
Americans' understanding
of slavery.
90
00:04:52,425 --> 00:04:55,862
"Roots" is the story
of Alex Haley's family,
91
00:04:55,862 --> 00:05:00,033
beginning with his great, great,
great, great grandfather,
92
00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:04,904
who was captured in Africa and
brought to America as a slave.
93
00:05:04,904 --> 00:05:07,206
The miniseries follows
the family's saga
94
00:05:07,206 --> 00:05:09,375
through a hundred years
of slavery...
95
00:05:09,375 --> 00:05:11,878
and finally to freedom.
96
00:05:11,878 --> 00:05:14,447
And Alex, when he talked
about these characters
97
00:05:14,447 --> 00:05:15,982
and what he knew about them,
98
00:05:15,982 --> 00:05:18,451
literally, you were on the edge
of your seat.
99
00:05:18,451 --> 00:05:21,020
Every time, it was absolutely
riveting.
100
00:05:21,020 --> 00:05:24,223
Absolutely riveting.
He was a master storyteller.
101
00:05:24,223 --> 00:05:28,594
SEACREST: When "Roots" was first
greenlit by ABC,
102
00:05:28,594 --> 00:05:31,864
African-American actors saw
a unique opportunity
103
00:05:31,864 --> 00:05:33,700
to play roles of substance.
104
00:05:33,700 --> 00:05:36,502
The actors were terribly excited
to be part of it,
105
00:05:36,502 --> 00:05:39,906
because we'd never had anything
like this before to be part of.
106
00:05:39,906 --> 00:05:43,109
[Typewriter typing]
107
00:05:43,109 --> 00:05:45,611
SEACREST: The toughest role
to cast was Kunta Kinte.
108
00:05:45,611 --> 00:05:48,214
The whole miniseries hinged
on finding an actor
109
00:05:48,214 --> 00:05:50,750
who was believable,
physical... and young.
110
00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:53,286
BURTON: First time I was
in front of a camera
111
00:05:53,286 --> 00:05:56,723
was the screen test,
March 27th, 1976.
112
00:05:56,723 --> 00:05:58,591
[Beep]
113
00:05:58,591 --> 00:05:59,659
We're not children.
114
00:05:59,659 --> 00:06:02,128
We're very close to being
men, Yoboto.
115
00:06:02,128 --> 00:06:05,231
WOMAN: Close to being men.
Ha! Close to being men.
116
00:06:05,231 --> 00:06:06,699
Go tend your billygoat!
117
00:06:06,699 --> 00:06:10,470
I was a sophomore in theater
school at USC.
118
00:06:10,470 --> 00:06:14,073
I didn't know about acting
for the camera.
119
00:06:14,073 --> 00:06:17,009
SEACST: Deite his lack of
experience,
120
00:06:17,009 --> 00:06:20,046
LeVar Burton won the role of
Kunta Kinte.
121
00:06:20,046 --> 00:06:22,048
Early in the production,
he faced
122
00:06:22,048 --> 00:06:24,083
one of theore challenging
scene --
123
00:06:24,083 --> 00:06:25,685
Kunta's capture in Africa.
124
00:06:41,067 --> 00:06:43,202
[Whip cracks]
125
00:06:44,237 --> 00:06:47,173
[Groaning, shouting]
126
00:06:49,208 --> 00:06:52,879
Those indelible images of Kunta
jumping and flailing
127
00:06:52,879 --> 00:06:54,247
in slow motion.
128
00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:02,188
I just kept going.
129
00:07:02,188 --> 00:07:05,124
And the sand and the sweat
and the sun,
130
00:07:05,124 --> 00:07:07,660
I just kept going,
kept jumping,
131
00:07:07,660 --> 00:07:10,363
kept trying to get
out of these chains.
132
00:07:14,500 --> 00:07:17,403
The sequence, as it's cut
together, is just brilliant
133
00:07:17,403 --> 00:07:20,540
because, in sort of a montage
of imagery,
134
00:07:20,540 --> 00:07:30,049
you see this
wild stallion being subdued.
135
00:07:30,049 --> 00:07:34,253
And it's beautiful
and terrifying
136
00:07:34,253 --> 00:07:36,088
all at the same time.
137
00:07:45,798 --> 00:07:49,902
When you look at the trajectory
of the life of this character,
138
00:07:49,902 --> 00:07:53,406
that's a very pivotal moment,
that capture.
139
00:07:53,406 --> 00:07:56,108
Because his life is forever
changed.
140
00:07:59,212 --> 00:08:01,714
SEACREST: The next section in
the miniseries,
141
00:08:01,714 --> 00:08:02,949
aboard the slave ship,
142
00:08:02,949 --> 00:08:06,152
was the most difficult
for LeVar Burton to play
143
00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:08,187
and for audiences to watch.
144
00:08:08,187 --> 00:08:10,990
This was the first time America
witnessed, on film,
145
00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:14,961
the true horrors
of the slave ships.
146
00:08:14,961 --> 00:08:21,167
It was five to six
months of every day
147
00:08:21,167 --> 00:08:30,243
living in the bowels of a ship,
in your own filth,
148
00:08:30,243 --> 00:08:35,348
day after day after day
for six months.
149
00:08:35,348 --> 00:08:40,019
SEACREST: ABC worried that
the cruelty was too horrific,
150
00:08:40,019 --> 00:08:42,522
the story too one-sided,
and so a sympathetic
151
00:08:42,522 --> 00:08:45,458
white character was add,
a ship's captain,
152
00:08:45,458 --> 00:08:47,927
who was disturbed by
the slave trade
153
00:08:47,927 --> 00:08:50,863
but went along begrudgingly,
played by Ed Asner.
154
00:08:50,863 --> 00:08:55,801
Someone who took the job --
the dirty, filthy job.
155
00:08:55,801 --> 00:08:59,705
But he was going to try
to make it clean --
156
00:08:59,705 --> 00:09:04,911
i.e., in airing out his
slaves while they were at sea,
157
00:09:04,911 --> 00:09:08,548
hosing them down,
158
00:09:08,548 --> 00:09:14,520
limiting the crowdedness
in the slave quarters.
159
00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:15,988
That type of thing.
160
00:09:15,988 --> 00:09:19,425
SEACREST: While Ed Asner played
161
00:09:19,425 --> 00:09:21,727
a somewhat sympathetic
character,
162
00:09:21,727 --> 00:09:24,263
many other roles required
white actors
163
00:09:24,263 --> 00:09:26,732
to portray
cold-hearted callousness.
164
00:09:26,732 --> 00:09:29,235
ABC was fearful that
the onscreen cruelty
165
00:09:29,235 --> 00:09:32,171
might turn away audiences,
so the network insisted
166
00:09:32,171 --> 00:09:34,640
that the more ruthless roles
were played
167
00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,276
by some of TV's most
likable white actors --
168
00:09:37,276 --> 00:09:40,212
Sandy Duncan,
Lorne Green, Chuck Connors,
169
00:09:40,212 --> 00:09:41,981
and Robert Reed.
170
00:09:41,981 --> 00:09:43,950
Vic Morrow was so uncomfortable
171
00:09:43,950 --> 00:09:46,285
playing the famous
whipping scene,
172
00:09:46,285 --> 00:09:49,121
he begged forgiveness
of his fellow actors.
173
00:09:49,121 --> 00:09:51,457
He apologized.
He says, "I'm sorry."
174
00:09:51,457 --> 00:09:53,559
I said, "What do you feel
sorry for?"
175
00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:55,294
"I'm sorry.
I'm apologizing in advance."
176
00:09:55,294 --> 00:09:56,963
I said, "What do you mean?"
177
00:09:56,963 --> 00:09:58,965
"I'm going to have to really
do the scene fully.
178
00:09:58,965 --> 00:10:00,266
It's the whipping scene."
179
00:10:00,266 --> 00:10:02,802
I said, "Oh, I get ya..."
and I didn't know what he meant.
180
00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:05,805
Take him up.
181
00:10:05,805 --> 00:10:07,206
SEACREST: The scene,
182
00:10:07,206 --> 00:10:09,475
among the most indelible
in the miniseries,
183
00:10:09,475 --> 00:10:11,978
had to be shot twice
because it was so difficult
184
00:10:11,978 --> 00:10:13,212
for actor LeVar Burton.
185
00:10:13,212 --> 00:10:17,717
[Whip cracking,
actor groaning]
186
00:10:19,485 --> 00:10:23,322
BURTON: When it came time to put
it on film, it was daunting.
187
00:10:23,322 --> 00:10:29,095
And I just could not relax
enough to be "in" the scene.
188
00:10:29,095 --> 00:10:33,566
I was in the consciousness of,
189
00:10:33,566 --> 00:10:38,771
"Wow, this isn't
comfortable to me at all!"
190
00:10:38,771 --> 00:10:40,106
What's your name?
191
00:10:40,106 --> 00:10:42,875
Kunta.
192
00:10:42,875 --> 00:10:44,310
Kunta Kinte.
193
00:10:44,310 --> 00:10:46,545
SEACREST: A week later,
LeBue
194
00:10:46,545 --> 00:10:48,047
to make it through the scene...
195
00:10:48,047 --> 00:10:49,548
[Shrieking]
196
00:10:49,548 --> 00:10:51,717
SEACREST: but now
ABC had a new problem.
197
00:10:51,717 --> 00:10:53,486
The portrayal
was so realistic,
198
00:10:53,486 --> 00:10:55,955
the brutality so intense,
199
00:10:55,955 --> 00:11:00,159
there was concern it might
spark racial unrest.
200
00:11:00,159 --> 00:11:03,229
So what ABC thought that they
would do was they brought
201
00:11:03,229 --> 00:11:06,298
the actors who played the two
characters in that scene.
202
00:11:06,298 --> 00:11:08,501
Welcome to "Good Morning,
America."
203
00:11:08,501 --> 00:11:10,336
BURTON: The actor who
played Kunta
204
00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:12,338
and the actor who played
the overseer,
205
00:11:12,338 --> 00:11:14,840
Vic Morrow and LeVar Burton,
ey brought them together
206
00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:16,709
to sit on that couch
with David Hartman
207
00:11:16,709 --> 00:11:19,078
to prove that there was
no animosity between us two,
208
00:11:19,078 --> 00:11:20,579
and of course, there wasn't.
209
00:11:20,579 --> 00:11:22,848
Thinking back on it now,
I think that that was
210
00:11:22,848 --> 00:11:25,284
probably a very responsible
thing for the network
211
00:11:25,284 --> 00:11:27,019
to have at least attempted
to do.
212
00:11:27,019 --> 00:11:29,355
SEACREST: Following
the whipping scene,
213
00:11:29,355 --> 00:11:31,524
Louis Gossett Jr's Fiddler
character
214
00:11:31,524 --> 00:11:34,026
attempts to comfort Kunta Kinte.
215
00:11:34,026 --> 00:11:38,130
BURTON: I think of all
of the moments in the series,
216
00:11:38,130 --> 00:11:40,166
that's my favorite.
217
00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:44,670
[Agitated breathing]
218
00:11:44,670 --> 00:11:46,305
It's all Fiddler.
219
00:11:46,305 --> 00:11:50,843
And Lou is absolutely
transcendent in that moment.
220
00:11:55,581 --> 00:11:58,718
The compassion that
221
00:11:58,718 --> 00:12:01,520
just comes pouring
out of that man.
222
00:12:04,490 --> 00:12:06,058
The whipping scene is over
223
00:12:06,058 --> 00:12:10,296
and I have the last line,
and the last line was,
224
00:12:10,296 --> 00:12:13,232
"What you care what that
white man calls you?"
225
00:12:15,501 --> 00:12:19,572
What you care what that
white man calls you?
226
00:12:19,572 --> 00:12:21,040
"Toby.
227
00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:22,975
Kunta. Kunta Kinte.
228
00:12:22,975 --> 00:12:25,077
be your name,
that's what you'll always be."
229
00:12:25,077 --> 00:12:26,846
And that was the last line
of the scene.
230
00:12:26,846 --> 00:12:30,149
...make you say Toby.
231
00:12:30,149 --> 00:12:32,418
What you care?
232
00:12:36,355 --> 00:12:37,890
You know who you be.
233
00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,429
Kunta.
234
00:12:43,429 --> 00:12:45,664
That's who you'll always be.
235
00:12:45,664 --> 00:12:47,566
And I looked down at LeVar.
236
00:12:47,566 --> 00:12:50,503
I kept putting ice water on
his wrist, I said,
237
00:12:50,503 --> 00:12:53,906
"There's going to be a
better day, you understand me?
238
00:12:53,906 --> 00:12:57,777
There is going to be
another day."
239
00:13:03,983 --> 00:13:06,919
There's gonna be another day.
240
00:13:10,356 --> 00:13:13,325
SEACREST: The last line wasn't
in the script...
241
00:13:13,325 --> 00:13:15,828
it flowed out
of Louis Gossett Jr.
242
00:13:15,828 --> 00:13:17,963
in that emotional moment.
243
00:13:17,963 --> 00:13:21,133
BURTON: It's a powerful,
powerful moment
244
00:13:21,133 --> 00:13:23,569
on a lot of levels
for a lot of reasons.
245
00:13:23,569 --> 00:13:25,404
Another day, when there's no
more lynching,
246
00:13:25,404 --> 00:13:26,772
another day when we're equal.
247
00:13:26,772 --> 00:13:29,141
There's going to be another day
when we have our first
248
00:13:29,141 --> 00:13:31,310
black president, there's going
to be another day.
249
00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:33,212
SEACREST: The line was right
250
00:13:33,212 --> 00:13:35,881
for Kunta Kinte
in the 18th century...
251
00:13:35,881 --> 00:13:39,185
but it also had resonance for
actor Louis Gossett Jr.
252
00:13:39,185 --> 00:13:41,220
in the 20th.
253
00:13:41,220 --> 00:13:44,490
A hit on Broadway in 1953,
Louis Gossett Jr.
254
00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:48,494
dn't
aced the full force of racial prejudice
255
00:13:48,494 --> 00:13:51,997
until he came to
Hollywood in the mid-1960s.
256
00:13:51,997 --> 00:13:55,534
The first time he drove a car in
Beverly Hills,
257
00:13:55,534 --> 00:13:58,771
it took all afternoon
to go just two miles
258
00:13:58,771 --> 00:14:01,373
because of repeated
traffic stops.
259
00:14:01,373 --> 00:14:03,609
Four and a half hours of sitting
by curbs,
260
00:14:03,609 --> 00:14:06,412
checking mout because I
answered to the description.
261
00:14:06,412 --> 00:14:08,547
No, I didn't -- They just
had never seen
262
00:14:08,547 --> 00:14:11,650
a black man out that way in
Los Angeles in 1966.
263
00:14:11,650 --> 00:14:14,153
SEACREST: Abandoning
the new car,
264
00:14:14,153 --> 00:14:17,289
Gossett began walking through
Beverly Hills.
265
00:14:17,289 --> 00:14:20,926
Within 20 minutes, I was
handcuffed to a tree,
266
00:14:20,926 --> 00:14:22,127
for 3 hours.
267
00:14:22,127 --> 00:14:24,897
SEACREST: A "better day" did
eventually come
268
00:14:24,897 --> 00:14:26,832
for Louis Gossett Jr.
269
00:14:26,832 --> 00:14:29,501
In 1982, he won just
the third Oscar
270
00:14:29,501 --> 00:14:31,804
awarded to an
African-American
271
00:14:31,804 --> 00:14:35,007
for his part in
"An Officer and a Gentleman."
272
00:14:35,007 --> 00:14:37,977
And for his role as Fiddler
in "Roots,"
273
00:14:37,977 --> 00:14:40,713
Louis Gossett Jr. won an Emmy.
274
00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:53,292
[Applause]
275
00:14:53,292 --> 00:14:55,094
MAN, LAUGHING: Yeah!
276
00:14:55,094 --> 00:14:57,596
SEACREST: Like
Louis Gossett Jr.,
277
00:14:57,596 --> 00:15:01,533
LeVar Burton didn't experience
the full effects of racism
278
00:15:01,533 --> 00:15:03,335
until he was a young man.
279
00:15:03,335 --> 00:15:06,538
One night, while "Roots"
was filming in Georgia,
280
00:15:06,538 --> 00:15:10,309
Burton went out to a local bar
and danced with a white woman.
281
00:15:10,309 --> 00:15:12,244
Alex Haley, took him aside.
282
00:15:12,244 --> 00:15:14,413
BURTON: Alex came to me
283
00:15:14,413 --> 00:15:17,650
and he pulled my coat tail
and he said, you know...
284
00:15:17,650 --> 00:15:20,586
and I'd never had any
experience in the South --
285
00:15:20,586 --> 00:15:22,454
and he said,
286
00:15:22,454 --> 00:15:28,060
"Let me just remind you
287
00:15:28,060 --> 00:15:34,066
that even though
this is 1976,
288
00:15:34,066 --> 00:15:37,369
that there are still
prevailing attitudes
289
00:15:37,369 --> 00:15:39,338
in certain parts of this country
290
00:15:39,338 --> 00:15:42,841
where that kind of behavior is
not looked favorably upon.
291
00:15:42,841 --> 00:15:44,810
SEACREST: As "Roots" moved into
292
00:15:44,810 --> 00:15:47,746
the second and third night
of the broadcast,
293
00:15:47,746 --> 00:15:51,216
it was already having a profound
impact on how Americans
294
00:15:51,216 --> 00:15:53,786
understood the nation's
racial history.
295
00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:56,622
As the story moved
forward in time,
296
00:15:56,622 --> 00:15:59,391
John Amos played the
older Kunta Kinte.
297
00:15:59,391 --> 00:16:02,528
The only time I get to be free
is when I run away.
298
00:16:04,396 --> 00:16:07,466
I tell ya, Fiddler,
sometime it seem like...
299
00:16:07,466 --> 00:16:09,034
being alone and being free,
300
00:16:09,034 --> 00:16:11,070
they're all the same
for a slave.
301
00:16:11,070 --> 00:16:14,506
You don't be free.
302
00:16:14,506 --> 00:16:17,109
You be dead.
303
00:16:23,649 --> 00:16:26,018
Then I'd be free.
304
00:16:26,018 --> 00:16:28,053
I didn't care,
after I did "Roots,"
305
00:16:28,053 --> 00:16:29,521
if I ever worked again
in life.
306
00:16:29,521 --> 00:16:30,923
i in the industry.are,
after I did "Roots,"
307
00:16:30,923 --> 00:16:32,858
Because I felt like,
"This is it,
308
00:16:32,858 --> 00:16:35,027
this is as good as
it's going to get."
309
00:16:35,027 --> 00:16:38,764
SEACREST: Just before filming
his first scenes,
310
00:16:38,764 --> 00:16:41,767
John Amos was overcome
with emotion.
311
00:16:41,767 --> 00:16:45,004
And those millions that had died
on the ships
312
00:16:45,004 --> 00:16:47,172
on the way over here as slaves,
313
00:16:47,172 --> 00:16:51,176
they were speaking to me in so
many voices --
314
00:16:51,176 --> 00:16:54,279
it was not my imagination --
that I was just overwhelmed.
315
00:16:54,279 --> 00:16:57,850
And I began to...
316
00:16:57,850 --> 00:17:00,552
I became agitated.
I was speaking in tongues.
317
00:17:00,552 --> 00:17:03,756
They tell me I was yelling
and screaming
318
00:17:03,756 --> 00:17:05,290
and flip flopping
on the ground.
319
00:17:05,290 --> 00:17:08,927
These were my ancestors
speaking to me,
320
00:17:08,927 --> 00:17:10,929
saying, "Now you will be
our voice.
321
00:17:10,929 --> 00:17:13,132
You will speak,
and if they want tknowo
322
00:17:13,132 --> 00:17:15,034
what thefrican spirit
is about,
323
00:17:15,034 --> 00:17:18,137
you stay resolute,
you stay strong.
324
00:17:18,137 --> 00:17:21,607
Show them, you will not break,
as we did not break.
325
00:17:21,607 --> 00:17:23,542
You will not break,
Kunta Kinte."
326
00:17:23,542 --> 00:17:25,577
And that's what I carried
throughout
327
00:17:25,577 --> 00:17:26,912
the rest of the project.
328
00:17:26,912 --> 00:17:28,180
I am Kunta Kinte,
329
00:17:28,180 --> 00:17:30,783
son of Omoro
and Binta Kinte!
330
00:17:30,783 --> 00:17:33,552
A fighting man from
the village of Jufureh!
331
00:17:45,864 --> 00:17:48,867
I'm gonna do better
than learn to walk.
332
00:17:48,867 --> 00:17:51,036
I gonna learn to run!
333
00:17:54,373 --> 00:17:57,076
SEACREST: John Amos always took
his craft seriously,
334
00:17:57,076 --> 00:17:59,545
starting out as a standup
comedian in New York.
335
00:17:59,545 --> 00:18:01,880
He came to Los Angeles
as a writer...
336
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:03,582
and landed acting roles like
337
00:18:03,582 --> 00:18:07,419
Gordy the Weatherman on
the "Mary Tyler Moore show."
338
00:18:07,419 --> 00:18:11,123
Everywhere I go, people yell,
"Gordy, when's Ted coming back?"
339
00:18:11,123 --> 00:18:13,258
They do? Where? Yeah.
Everywhere.
340
00:18:13,258 --> 00:18:14,960
Homany yell that?
341
00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:17,629
650.
342
00:18:17,629 --> 00:18:20,432
I mean, men or what?
Women, too? Women, too.
343
00:18:20,432 --> 00:18:22,534
Young women?
Yeah.
344
00:18:22,534 --> 00:18:24,870
Would you say that
women yell more often --
345
00:18:24,870 --> 00:18:29,508
Nobody yelled it, Ted.
Nobody yelled nothing.
346
00:18:29,508 --> 00:18:33,745
SEACREST: But even a recurring
role on a network TV show
347
00:18:33,745 --> 00:18:36,648
didn't inocuohn Amos from
racial violence
348
00:18:36,648 --> 00:18:38,884
when he ventured
into the wrong neighborhood.
349
00:18:38,884 --> 00:18:41,320
The San Fernando Valley Police
pulled up,
350
00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:42,788
pulled me out of the car,
351
00:18:42,788 --> 00:18:45,290
choked me to the point
of unconsciousness,
352
00:18:45,290 --> 00:18:47,326
took me to
the police station,
353
00:18:47,326 --> 00:18:50,062
in cuffs and manacles --
where the warrant officer
354
00:18:50,062 --> 00:18:52,865
asked for my autograph while I
was being booked.
355
00:18:52,865 --> 00:18:56,535
SEACREST: The actress who played
Kunta's daughter, Kizzy,
356
00:18:56,535 --> 00:18:58,036
was Leslie Uggams.
357
00:18:58,036 --> 00:19:01,907
I became Kizzy.
And there was something about...
358
00:19:01,907 --> 00:19:05,310
I knew her.
Somehow, I knew her.
359
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:08,046
I mean,
I wore her skin.
360
00:19:08,046 --> 00:19:11,950
And so, all those experiences
that she was going through,
361
00:19:11,950 --> 00:19:14,686
I just zoned into it.
362
00:19:14,686 --> 00:19:17,222
SEACREST: "Roots" wasn't Uggams'
363
00:19:17,222 --> 00:19:20,125
first breakthrough
on television.
364
00:19:20,125 --> 00:19:23,128
In 1970, she became the
first African-American woman
365
00:19:23,128 --> 00:19:25,430
to host
a network variety show.
366
00:19:25,430 --> 00:19:29,434
Before that, she was a regular
on Mitch Miller's TV show.
367
00:19:29,434 --> 00:19:31,069
There are many
good singers,
368
00:19:31,069 --> 00:19:32,871
but not often
in your life will
369
00:19:32,871 --> 00:19:34,773
a new voice make
your skin tingle.
370
00:19:34,773 --> 00:19:36,808
Leslie Uggams has
that kind of voice.
371
00:19:36,808 --> 00:19:38,443
At 17, she can
look forward
372
00:19:38,443 --> 00:19:40,412
to lifting a couple
of generations
373
00:19:40,412 --> 00:19:42,514
of listeners right
outta their seats!
374
00:19:45,083 --> 00:19:50,055
♪ I'm just a little sparrow
in the nest of the Lord ♪
375
00:19:50,055 --> 00:19:53,492
SEACREST: Large sections of
America never saw these shows,
376
00:19:53,492 --> 00:19:56,395
because many TV stations
would not air a program
377
00:19:56,395 --> 00:19:58,497
with an
African-American singer.
378
00:19:58,497 --> 00:20:01,533
The network and the sponsors
were giving Mitch some heat
379
00:20:01,533 --> 00:20:02,968
about me being on the show
380
00:20:02,968 --> 00:20:05,537
because the show was blacked out
in the South.
381
00:20:05,537 --> 00:20:08,307
They wouldn't accept the show
because I was on it.
382
00:20:08,307 --> 00:20:12,044
SEACREST: In one of "Roots'"
most emotional scenes,
383
00:20:12,044 --> 00:20:13,512
slave owners sell Kizzy,
384
00:20:13,512 --> 00:20:17,049
meaning she will never see
her parents again.
385
00:20:17,049 --> 00:20:19,351
The scene had special power
because it reflected
386
00:20:19,351 --> 00:20:23,255
a bitter truth for thousands
of families.
387
00:20:23,255 --> 00:20:25,224
[Kizzy sob]
388
00:20:27,392 --> 00:20:30,662
KIZZY, SOBBING: Please!
389
00:20:30,662 --> 00:20:32,564
[Shrieking, sobbing]
390
00:20:32,564 --> 00:20:34,333
Yah!
391
00:20:34,333 --> 00:20:36,868
Mama! Mama!
392
00:20:39,438 --> 00:20:43,475
It's just so hurtful.
So...
393
00:20:43,475 --> 00:20:46,144
I can't even
express it in words.
394
00:20:46,144 --> 00:20:48,947
So that day,
when we shot that,
395
00:20:48,947 --> 00:20:51,483
I just lived that.
396
00:20:51,483 --> 00:20:54,119
[Sobbing]
397
00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:57,456
UGGAMS: you are never going
to see
398
00:20:57,456 --> 00:20:59,658
your mother and father again.
399
00:20:59,658 --> 00:21:02,694
Everything that you know,
everything that you had
400
00:21:02,694 --> 00:21:04,463
in your relationship with
your parents,
401
00:21:04,463 --> 00:21:06,798
gng to
Everything that you know, be that way again.ou had
402
00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:11,336
SEACREST: Leslie Uggams' most
challenging scene
403
00:21:11,336 --> 00:21:14,706
came in the fifth episode,
when her character was raped
404
00:21:14,706 --> 00:21:17,442
by the slaveowner, played
by Chuck Connors.
405
00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:20,646
UGGAMS: That was a hard scene
for me to do.
406
00:21:20,646 --> 00:21:22,147
She wasn't a victim.
407
00:21:22,147 --> 00:21:25,217
That's the main thing
about Kizzy was,
408
00:21:25,217 --> 00:21:26,985
she was never a victim.
409
00:21:26,985 --> 00:21:30,522
Of all the things that happen
to her, she found a way
410
00:21:30,522 --> 00:21:35,961
to use it and... "I'm not going
to be victimized."
411
00:21:35,961 --> 00:21:38,730
I bought you, you're
my property now.
412
00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:40,065
Cost a fair price.
413
00:21:40,065 --> 00:21:41,933
Enough for a payment
on a cotton gin,
414
00:21:41,933 --> 00:21:43,402
you overseer said.
415
00:21:43,402 --> 00:21:48,140
Well, Kizzy, I'm gonna get
my money's worth right now.
416
00:21:51,443 --> 00:21:53,879
Now, Kizzy, I'd rather not
hurt you,
417
00:21:53,879 --> 00:21:56,181
but I ain't got no time
to play --
418
00:21:58,617 --> 00:22:00,485
[Kizzy groaning]
419
00:22:02,988 --> 00:22:06,725
That was the hardest part,
d that scene did not just show
420
00:22:06,725 --> 00:22:09,061
that she's being
violently raped.
421
00:22:09,061 --> 00:22:12,130
So you see in those
eyes, not only hate,
422
00:22:12,130 --> 00:22:15,200
but she's gonna use this,
she's gonna use this.
423
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,170
SEACREST: Like all
the relationships in "Roots,"
424
00:22:18,170 --> 00:22:20,806
Kizzy's story reflected
the real life events
425
00:22:20,806 --> 00:22:23,308
of Alex Haley's family.
426
00:22:23,308 --> 00:22:27,379
As a result of the rape, Haley's
great great great grandmother,
427
00:22:27,379 --> 00:22:30,916
Kizzy, gave birth to Haley's
great great grandfather,
428
00:22:30,916 --> 00:22:32,517
known as "Chicken George,"
429
00:22:32,517 --> 00:22:35,554
played in "Roots"
by Ben Vereen.
430
00:22:35,554 --> 00:22:39,324
I feel like, if I'm only
remembered for Chicken George,
431
00:22:39,324 --> 00:22:41,293
great.
I've done my job.
432
00:22:41,293 --> 00:22:44,529
SEACREST: Ben Vereen wasn't
the obvious choice for the role,
433
00:22:44,529 --> 00:22:47,599
because he wasn't an actor,
he was a song-and-dance man.
434
00:22:47,599 --> 00:22:50,335
Listen, Carol.
435
00:22:50,335 --> 00:22:53,171
♪ Someday you'll wish
upon a star ♪
436
00:22:53,171 --> 00:22:55,307
♪ And wake where
the clouds ♪
437
00:22:55,307 --> 00:22:59,678
♪ Are far behind you ♪
438
00:22:59,678 --> 00:23:02,881
♪ Where troubles melt
like lemon drops ♪
439
00:23:02,881 --> 00:23:05,650
♪ Away above
the chimneytops ♪
440
00:23:05,650 --> 00:23:11,490
♪ That's
where I'll find you ♪
441
00:23:11,490 --> 00:23:13,892
SEACREST: When Ben Vereen
originally tried
442
00:23:13,892 --> 00:23:16,795
to land the role of
Chicken George, he was rebuffed.
443
00:23:16,795 --> 00:23:19,664
He said, "Ben, they're looking
for actors."
444
00:23:19,664 --> 00:23:22,300
He said, "You're
a song-and-dance, man.
445
00:23:22,300 --> 00:23:25,170
They're not gonna...
just forget about it."
446
00:23:25,170 --> 00:23:29,941
SEACREST: Vereen didn't give up
and eventually won the part,
447
00:23:29,941 --> 00:23:31,977
creating one of the
miniseries'
448
00:23:31,977 --> 00:23:33,745
most memorable characters.
449
00:23:33,745 --> 00:23:37,849
He done the worst thing that
a man can do to me...
450
00:23:37,849 --> 00:23:39,851
He took away all my hopes!
451
00:23:39,851 --> 00:23:41,686
What about Tildy
and the children?
452
00:23:41,686 --> 00:23:44,723
They ain't got no hopes as long
as Master Moore's alive.
453
00:23:44,723 --> 00:23:48,593
Man ain't worth a chicken,
he ain't alive.
454
00:23:48,593 --> 00:23:49,861
Mama, get outta my way!
455
00:23:49,861 --> 00:23:52,497
Don't do it, George!
It'll be worse than it is!
456
00:23:52,497 --> 00:23:55,033
Killing Master Tom Moore, that's
no more than killing a dog.
457
00:23:55,033 --> 00:23:57,502
MOTHER: No, dammit, no!
458
00:23:57,502 --> 00:23:59,337
He's your daddy!
459
00:24:03,909 --> 00:24:07,145
SEACREST: Like the other
actors in "Roots,"
460
00:24:07,145 --> 00:24:10,415
Ben Vereen had experienced his
share of racial prejudice...
461
00:24:10,415 --> 00:24:13,718
especially the time he visited
the South as a boy
462
00:24:13,718 --> 00:24:16,421
and ied to enter
an all-white theater.
463
00:24:16,421 --> 00:24:18,423
His friend pulled him back.
464
00:24:18,423 --> 00:24:20,192
He said, "Don't you ever
do that."
465
00:24:20,192 --> 00:24:24,029
I said, "What?"
He said, "They'll kill you, man.
466
00:24:24,029 --> 00:24:28,033
We're not even supposed to be up
on the sidewalk."
467
00:24:28,033 --> 00:24:30,135
He said, "Don't even
look at a white person."
468
00:24:30,135 --> 00:24:33,438
SEACREST: Chicken George's
family included
469
00:24:33,438 --> 00:24:36,608
his son Tom and
daughter-in-law Irene...
470
00:24:36,608 --> 00:24:40,212
played by Georg Stanford Brown
and Lynne Moody.
471
00:24:40,212 --> 00:24:41,680
The word was out.
472
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,150
There was this
show called "Roots" being cast
473
00:24:45,150 --> 00:24:49,454
and it was hiring all of these
black actors and actresses.
474
00:24:49,454 --> 00:24:52,290
And everybody could get a shot
almost at it.
475
00:24:52,290 --> 00:24:55,293
So there was this excitement
because this had
476
00:24:55,293 --> 00:24:57,629
never happened before
in my time.
477
00:24:57,629 --> 00:25:01,867
All the performers
and the crew,
478
00:25:01,867 --> 00:25:06,605
we all knew that we were
involved in something important.
479
00:25:06,605 --> 00:25:11,877
And that we were
very special to be part of it.
480
00:25:11,877 --> 00:25:13,311
Tom!
481
00:25:13,311 --> 00:25:14,713
What is it, hone
482
00:25:14,713 --> 00:25:16,681
Man wants
his horse shoed, Tom.
483
00:25:16,681 --> 00:25:18,783
Well, he's gonna have
to get back.
484
00:25:18,783 --> 00:25:20,051
I'm powerful busy.
485
00:25:20,051 --> 00:25:21,152
I don't know, Tom,
486
00:25:21,152 --> 00:25:24,189
he don't look like
the "gettin' back" kind.
487
00:25:30,629 --> 00:25:32,030
Daddy?
488
00:25:39,938 --> 00:25:41,206
My daddy!
489
00:25:41,206 --> 00:25:45,443
SEACREST: Tom's storyline
flowed into the years
490
00:25:45,443 --> 00:25:47,345
after the Civil War,
491
00:25:47,345 --> 00:25:51,082
recounting how the end of
slavery was just the first step
492
00:25:51,082 --> 00:25:52,984
on the long road to equality.
493
00:25:52,984 --> 00:25:56,354
A full hundred years later,
actor Georg Stanford Brown
494
00:25:56,354 --> 00:25:59,024
still faced
government-sanctioned racism.
495
00:25:59,024 --> 00:26:01,726
BROWN: I was married in 1966.
496
00:26:01,726 --> 00:26:05,297
it was still against the law
for me to do so.
497
00:26:05,297 --> 00:26:07,232
I married a white woman.
498
00:26:07,232 --> 00:26:11,603
It was still against the law,
this is 1966.
499
00:26:11,603 --> 00:26:15,507
So...
500
00:26:15,507 --> 00:26:19,277
we might be far removed from
that now,
501
00:26:19,277 --> 00:26:23,381
but it was a lot closer when
"Roots" first came on the scene.
502
00:26:23,381 --> 00:26:27,619
When I was in high school,
they had a note going around
503
00:26:27,619 --> 00:26:32,090
saying there will be an assembly
for all the black students
504
00:26:32,090 --> 00:26:35,827
and they announced there would
be no mixed dating at the prom,
505
00:26:35,827 --> 00:26:38,296
unless we had
a note from each parent.
506
00:26:38,296 --> 00:26:39,731
SEACREST: Tom and Irene
507
00:26:39,731 --> 00:26:41,733
ultimately
experienced freedom
508
00:26:41,733 --> 00:26:44,002
and "Roots" ends on a note
of hope.
509
00:26:44,002 --> 00:26:46,538
But Kunta Kinte,
510
00:26:46,538 --> 00:26:48,907
he never forget
where he come from.
511
00:26:48,907 --> 00:26:51,810
He never forget
Africa.
512
00:26:51,810 --> 00:26:55,347
SEACREST: When the "Roots"
storyline concludes
513
00:26:55,347 --> 00:26:58,683
in the late 1860s,
equality seems in reach.
514
00:26:58,683 --> 00:27:03,788
But when the miniseries
ended its run in 1977,
515
00:27:03,788 --> 00:27:07,092
African-American actors faced
a playing field
516
00:27:07,092 --> 00:27:08,927
that was still not level.
517
00:27:08,927 --> 00:27:13,164
Roles for African-Americans
remained scarce.
518
00:27:13,164 --> 00:27:16,067
We thought, hey, hey, hey, we're
here, we've arrived,
519
00:27:16,067 --> 00:27:18,703
they've seen how fabulous we
are, and we're all
520
00:27:18,703 --> 00:27:21,006
going to
be working on different things.
521
00:27:21,006 --> 00:27:23,041
And it
just didn't happen.
522
00:27:23,041 --> 00:27:26,945
So many great write-ups in all
these different newspapers,
523
00:27:26,945 --> 00:27:29,080
but absolutely
nothing else.
524
00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:30,415
No jobs.
525
00:27:30,415 --> 00:27:33,551
So I didn't
expect that would happen.
526
00:27:33,551 --> 00:27:37,722
SEACREST: While "Roots" may not
have had a signicant impact
527
00:27:37,722 --> 00:27:39,424
on TV casting directors,
528
00:27:39,424 --> 00:27:42,694
it did have a profound
effect on the audience.
529
00:27:42,694 --> 00:27:45,730
"Roots" wasn't
just a show about history,
530
00:27:45,730 --> 00:27:48,166
it was a historical event
itself,
531
00:27:48,166 --> 00:27:50,335
helping shift
public opinion
532
00:27:50,335 --> 00:27:54,372
by telling the truth about
the African-American experience.
533
00:27:54,372 --> 00:27:56,841
GOSSETT: Somebody finally told
the truth,
534
00:27:56,841 --> 00:27:58,910
and television is such
a powerful medium,
535
00:27:58,910 --> 00:28:00,345
such a powerful medium.
536
00:28:00,345 --> 00:28:03,415
For them to tell an honest truth
like "Roots," it's history.
537
00:28:03,415 --> 00:28:06,685
SEACREST: Before "Roots,"
discussions of slavery
538
00:28:06,685 --> 00:28:10,188
were limited to a paragraph
or two in dry textbooks.
539
00:28:10,188 --> 00:28:14,993
In those days, there was nothing
called "Black History Month"
540
00:28:14,993 --> 00:28:17,495
or "Black History Studies."
541
00:28:17,495 --> 00:28:19,431
There was -- when I was going
to school --
542
00:28:19,431 --> 00:28:22,067
it was a paragraph, "You were
a slave and Lincoln freed you."
543
00:28:22,067 --> 00:28:25,437
In a paragraph, it was like...
[Chuckles]
544
00:28:25,437 --> 00:28:28,640
it was like, we were slaves.
545
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:32,110
We came from Africa and
we spoke some umba-jumba.
546
00:28:32,110 --> 00:28:34,179
It wasn't even
a language that we spoke,
547
00:28:34,179 --> 00:28:36,314
you know,
umba-jumba.
548
00:28:36,314 --> 00:28:40,385
And so as a kid I didn't
want to be African.
549
00:28:40,385 --> 00:28:43,488
SEACREST:
Roots helped changed all that,
550
00:28:43,488 --> 00:28:46,191
serving as a new kind of
textbook,
551
00:28:46,191 --> 00:28:50,562
educating a nation, vividly,
emotionally,
552
00:28:50,562 --> 00:28:52,030
leaving a lasting impact.
553
00:28:52,030 --> 00:28:54,365
UGGAMS: It was a lesson
for everybody.
554
00:28:54,365 --> 00:28:56,267
It gave us a sense of pride.
555
00:28:56,267 --> 00:29:00,004
There were a lot of babies
being born named Kunta
556
00:29:00,004 --> 00:29:03,308
and a lot of girls being
born named Kizzy.
557
00:29:03,308 --> 00:29:08,480
So that showed how
proud it was
558
00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:10,949
to be African-American.
559
00:29:10,949 --> 00:29:14,119
There was no way of getting
around the fact
560
00:29:14,119 --> 00:29:18,323
that this was material that had
never been psented before,
561
00:29:18,323 --> 00:29:20,992
on a mass scale
to an American audience.
562
00:29:20,992 --> 00:29:23,094
What was accomplished through
563
00:29:23,094 --> 00:29:26,598
those eight nights of
television,
564
00:29:26,598 --> 00:29:31,569
it's the absolute best use
565
00:29:31,569 --> 00:29:36,841
of moving pictures and sound
that we can achieve.
566
00:29:39,377 --> 00:29:40,712
SEACREST: "Roots" remains
567
00:29:40,712 --> 00:29:42,881
the most-watched
miniseries of all time,
568
00:29:42,881 --> 00:29:44,749
but it wasn't the first.
569
00:29:44,749 --> 00:29:47,786
A year earlier, ABC launched
the genre
570
00:29:47,786 --> 00:29:49,287
with "Rich Man, Poor Man,"
571
00:29:49,287 --> 00:29:51,689
starring three
largely unknown actors --
572
00:29:51,689 --> 00:29:55,293
Peter Strauss, Susan Blakely,
and Nick Nolte.
573
00:29:55,293 --> 00:29:58,763
Well, Julie Prescott.
Long time, no see.
574
00:29:58,763 --> 00:30:01,466
Yes, it has been
a long time, hasn't it?
575
00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:03,468
Uh-huh.
576
00:30:03,468 --> 00:30:06,704
Listen, why don't we all go
to Delmonico's and have a drink?
577
00:30:06,704 --> 00:30:08,940
Come on, girls, let's go.
What do you say?
578
00:30:08,940 --> 00:30:11,142
SEACREST: Peter Strauss
and Nick Nolte
579
00:30:11,142 --> 00:30:13,511
played characters
who roughly approximated
580
00:30:13,511 --> 00:30:14,846
their own personalities.
581
00:30:14,846 --> 00:30:17,282
Strauss was
a precise, disciplined actor,
582
00:30:17,282 --> 00:30:19,784
while Nolte liked to improvise
in the moment.
583
00:30:19,784 --> 00:30:23,188
You must be crazy,
what'd you do that for?
584
00:30:23,188 --> 00:30:24,989
You really want to know?
585
00:30:24,989 --> 00:30:26,391
Yes! Why?
586
00:30:31,963 --> 00:30:33,131
Beats the hell outta me.
587
00:30:35,533 --> 00:30:38,570
was so meticulous -- every
line had a specific reading,
588
00:30:38,570 --> 00:30:40,305
and I had notes
in my script
589
00:30:40,305 --> 00:30:42,407
and it had to be done
a certain way.
590
00:30:42,407 --> 00:30:45,844
And Nick would just try to
throw me off all the time.
591
00:30:49,047 --> 00:30:50,481
SEACREST: One early scene
592
00:30:50,481 --> 00:30:53,585
perfectly illustrates
their differing styles.
593
00:30:53,585 --> 00:30:55,353
STRAUSS: He just decided,
594
00:30:55,353 --> 00:30:58,990
perfectly illustrates
"What can I do within the frame
595
00:30:58,990 --> 00:31:02,060
that will make him crazy?"
and he was just sitting there
596
00:31:02,060 --> 00:31:04,729
off-camera looking at me,
winking, and I'm going,
597
00:31:04,729 --> 00:31:07,098
"Oh, something is coming
and I'm not going to like it."
598
00:31:07,098 --> 00:31:09,534
SEACREST: The script called for
Nick Nolte's character
599
00:31:09,534 --> 00:31:11,202
to wake up Peter Strauss.
600
00:31:11,202 --> 00:31:14,405
But in the moment, Nolte took it
a step further.
601
00:31:14,405 --> 00:31:15,907
STRAUSS: And sure enough,
602
00:31:15,907 --> 00:31:18,810
I saw him put his finger
in his mouth
603
00:31:18,810 --> 00:31:22,180
and he tried to
enable that finger to sustain
604
00:31:22,180 --> 00:31:24,883
as much spittle as possible
on it.
605
00:31:33,157 --> 00:31:36,327
And I saw it coming towards me
and it went right in the ear.
606
00:31:39,697 --> 00:31:40,765
[Gasps]
607
00:31:40,765 --> 00:31:42,433
Shove over!
608
00:31:42,433 --> 00:31:44,135
And it was great.
609
00:31:44,135 --> 00:31:49,274
That was fun, and it achieved
the result it had to achieve.
610
00:31:49,274 --> 00:31:53,444
[Sighs]
611
00:31:53,444 --> 00:31:54,979
Long movie.
612
00:31:54,979 --> 00:31:55,980
Yeah.
613
00:31:55,980 --> 00:31:56,981
It was
614
00:31:56,981 --> 00:31:59,217
a double
feature.
615
00:31:59,217 --> 00:32:02,787
Where have you
been, anyway?
616
00:32:02,787 --> 00:32:06,291
I wouldn't want to
destroy your illusions.
617
00:32:06,291 --> 00:32:09,127
Oh, I don't have any.
Not about you.
618
00:32:09,127 --> 00:32:11,296
Oh, you wound me,
brother,
619
00:32:11,296 --> 00:32:13,164
because I've always
hero-worshipped you.
620
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:18,102
SEACREST: Based on the book
of the same name,
621
00:32:18,102 --> 00:32:21,039
"Rich Man, Poor Man"
is the tale of two brothers,
622
00:32:21,039 --> 00:32:22,340
Rudy and Tom Jordache,
623
00:32:22,340 --> 00:32:24,509
their friendship, competition,
624
00:32:24,509 --> 00:32:27,345
and very different paths
through life.
625
00:32:27,345 --> 00:32:30,114
Wait, what the hell are you
doing here, Rudy?
626
00:32:30,114 --> 00:32:32,984
Do you think I'm
a charity case?
627
00:32:32,984 --> 00:32:35,420
You just take that partnership
and shove it!
628
00:32:35,420 --> 00:32:39,190
RUDY: Just like Pop, it's him
and Uncle Harold all over again.
629
00:32:39,190 --> 00:32:40,992
There's not a brain
in your head!
630
00:32:40,992 --> 00:32:43,962
But I can still knock you on
your butt any day of the week!
631
00:32:43,962 --> 00:32:45,430
That's some answer.
632
00:32:45,430 --> 00:32:48,933
Women fell in love with
Rudy Jordache, the character.
633
00:32:48,933 --> 00:32:50,101
So it's interesting.
634
00:32:50,101 --> 00:32:52,303
Women, I think,
fell in love with him.
635
00:32:52,303 --> 00:32:54,872
But, I think, when you read
the book, that you tend to...
636
00:32:54,872 --> 00:32:56,874
your heart goes more out,
of course, to Tom
637
00:32:56,874 --> 00:32:58,576
because he has all
these tragedies.
638
00:32:58,576 --> 00:32:59,877
Hi, Pa.
639
00:32:59,877 --> 00:33:04,515
I bought you out of this
in case you're interested.
640
00:33:04,515 --> 00:33:07,018
$3,000.
641
00:33:07,018 --> 00:33:08,953
I hope she was worth it.
642
00:33:08,953 --> 00:33:12,090
I'm gonna pay you back,
Pa, every cent.
643
00:33:12,090 --> 00:33:15,159
I don't want it.
644
00:33:15,159 --> 00:33:19,130
That $3,000
pays all my debts.
645
00:33:19,130 --> 00:33:23,868
This is the last time
I ever want to see
646
00:33:23,868 --> 00:33:25,670
or hear from you.
647
00:33:25,670 --> 00:33:30,408
When I walk out that door,
that's the last of us,
648
00:33:30,408 --> 00:33:32,276
forever.
649
00:33:32,276 --> 00:33:34,078
You get it?
650
00:33:34,078 --> 00:33:36,314
I got it.
651
00:33:36,314 --> 00:33:39,150
SEACREST: The woman
in the middle is Julie,
652
00:33:39,150 --> 00:33:40,752
played by Susan Blakely.
653
00:33:40,752 --> 00:33:43,488
My memories are almost like
I lived that.
654
00:33:43,488 --> 00:33:44,689
I feel like I lived it.
655
00:33:44,689 --> 00:33:46,491
I want to
tell you something.
656
00:33:46,491 --> 00:33:48,893
You don't have to tell me
anything, Rudy.
657
00:33:48,893 --> 00:33:50,328
I want to.
658
00:33:50,328 --> 00:33:53,998
I said it to you
a long time ago.
659
00:33:53,998 --> 00:33:58,936
And it's as true now
as it ever was.
660
00:33:58,936 --> 00:34:01,839
I've loved you ever since
I can remember almost.
661
00:34:01,839 --> 00:34:06,577
I've never really considered
any kind of life for me
662
00:34:06,577 --> 00:34:10,214
that didn't include you in it.
663
00:34:10,214 --> 00:34:12,316
SEACREST: When
the miniseries began,
664
00:34:12,316 --> 00:34:15,553
Susan Blakely was the better
known of the three main actors,
665
00:34:15,553 --> 00:34:17,789
thanks to a
successful modeling career.
666
00:34:17,789 --> 00:34:19,357
She'd dabbled in acting
667
00:34:19,357 --> 00:34:22,226
but hadn't yet
landed a breakthrough role.
668
00:34:22,226 --> 00:34:24,962
And it was just too good of
an opportunity to pass.
669
00:34:24,962 --> 00:34:27,131
And I didn't know what
a miniseries was,
670
00:34:27,131 --> 00:34:28,266
never heard of any.
671
00:34:28,266 --> 00:34:30,902
SEACREST: Blakely's role was
a composite
672
00:34:30,902 --> 00:34:33,771
of two very different characters
in the book,
673
00:34:33,771 --> 00:34:36,674
which meant she played a wide
emotional range
674
00:34:36,674 --> 00:34:38,209
in "Rich Man, Poor Man."
675
00:34:38,209 --> 00:34:41,145
Playing depressed, by the way,
is difficult.
676
00:34:41,145 --> 00:34:43,548
Talk about having to slow
it down.
677
00:34:43,548 --> 00:34:45,349
But there was a part of me
every day
678
00:34:45,349 --> 00:34:47,819
that just wanted my character
to shape up, you know.
679
00:34:47,819 --> 00:34:51,255
You've had enough
to drink.
680
00:34:51,255 --> 00:34:54,625
There is no such thing
as enough to drink.
681
00:34:54,625 --> 00:34:57,028
I'm gonna take you
to bed.
682
00:34:57,028 --> 00:34:58,429
You won't be the first.
683
00:34:58,429 --> 00:35:01,099
If I play my cards right,
you won't be the last either.
684
00:35:01,099 --> 00:35:04,502
SEACREST: Rudy Jordache was
played by Peter Strauss,
685
00:35:04,502 --> 00:35:07,705
who began his acting career
in elementary school.
686
00:35:07,705 --> 00:35:09,440
STRAUSS: One day a teacher
687
00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:13,010
came up to me and said,
"Do you want to be in a play?"
688
00:35:13,010 --> 00:35:14,312
And, I've never been in a play.
689
00:35:14,312 --> 00:35:16,180
I don't think I'd ev ser
690
00:35:16,180 --> 00:35:18,916
SEACREST: The moment he first
set foot
691
00:35:18,916 --> 00:35:22,820
on the grade school stage,
Peter Strauss's future was set.
692
00:35:22,820 --> 00:35:25,623
There is this place
which is magic.
693
00:35:25,623 --> 00:35:29,026
And some people...
for me, I was home.
694
00:35:29,026 --> 00:35:30,294
This is home.
695
00:35:30,294 --> 00:35:32,263
This is where I want to be
the rest of my life.
696
00:35:32,263 --> 00:35:34,832
I had no qualms. Age 12.
That was it.
697
00:35:34,832 --> 00:35:38,903
SEACREST: Peter Strauss had just
a few small roles on his resume
698
00:35:38,903 --> 00:35:41,339
when "Rich Man, Poor Man"
was cast.
699
00:35:41,339 --> 00:35:44,008
ABC worried
that the three main actors
700
00:35:44,008 --> 00:35:47,378
didn't have the name recognition
to carry a major project.
701
00:35:47,378 --> 00:35:50,581
So the supporting roles
on the miniseries were peppered
702
00:35:50,581 --> 00:35:53,518
with more-famous stars,
like Ray Milland,
703
00:35:53,518 --> 00:35:56,454
Van Johnson, Dorothy McGuire,
704
00:35:56,454 --> 00:36:00,625
and Ed Asner
who played Axel Jordache,
705
00:36:00,625 --> 00:36:03,060
father of Tom and Rudy.
706
00:36:03,060 --> 00:36:06,464
I didn't think I was right
for the role.
707
00:36:06,464 --> 00:36:08,199
I had read the book.
708
00:36:08,199 --> 00:36:11,369
SEACREST: An unsympathetic
character in the book,
709
00:36:11,369 --> 00:36:14,338
Axel Jordache was softened
in the screenplay,
710
00:36:14,338 --> 00:36:18,476
especially in his relationship
with his wayward son, Tom.
711
00:36:18,476 --> 00:36:20,244
Ed Asner took the role.
712
00:36:20,244 --> 00:36:24,448
They had me going to the
high school to talk about --
713
00:36:24,448 --> 00:36:26,484
in the book it's Rudy.
714
00:36:26,484 --> 00:36:29,587
In the screenpy it
became Tom.
715
00:36:29,587 --> 00:36:31,155
Have you ever
been to school?
716
00:36:31,155 --> 00:36:32,356
In another country.
717
00:36:32,356 --> 00:36:33,925
In what
other country?
718
00:36:33,925 --> 00:36:36,594
Was it considered proper
for a student
719
00:36:36,594 --> 00:36:39,197
to draw a picture
of his teacher nude
720
00:36:39,197 --> 00:36:40,731
in the classroom?
721
00:36:40,731 --> 00:36:42,400
Oh!
722
00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:43,901
Is this supposed
to be you?
723
00:36:43,901 --> 00:36:45,336
Yes, it is.
724
00:36:45,336 --> 00:36:47,138
Yes, yes, yes.
725
00:36:47,138 --> 00:36:50,141
I see the resemblance.
726
00:36:50,141 --> 00:36:52,043
Do teachers pose nude in
727
00:36:52,043 --> 00:36:54,212
the high schools these days?
728
00:36:54,212 --> 00:36:58,950
I can see no further point
in this conversation.
729
00:36:58,950 --> 00:37:02,753
The French teacher is a bitch
and she calls me names.
730
00:37:02,753 --> 00:37:04,255
And I would call her
a name.
731
00:37:04,255 --> 00:37:07,191
If you didn't strut around
with your boobs hanging out
732
00:37:07,191 --> 00:37:09,393
anyou tail wiggling
in a tight skirt
733
00:37:09,393 --> 00:37:11,395
like some cheap
two-dollar chippy,
734
00:37:11,395 --> 00:37:14,865
young boys wouldn't be tempted
to draw pictures like that!
735
00:37:14,865 --> 00:37:16,901
Besides which, I think
he's flattered you.
736
00:37:16,901 --> 00:37:18,135
You...
737
00:37:18,135 --> 00:37:21,439
I know all about you!
738
00:37:21,439 --> 00:37:24,642
[Slap!]
739
00:37:26,477 --> 00:37:29,614
I don't go for
talk like that, you slut.
740
00:37:29,614 --> 00:37:32,550
But it showed that I was ready
to fight for Tom
741
00:37:32,550 --> 00:37:33,884
even in high school.
742
00:37:33,884 --> 00:37:35,519
I just want
to thank you.
743
00:37:35,519 --> 00:37:36,821
What for?
744
00:37:36,821 --> 00:37:38,823
For at you said.
745
00:37:38,823 --> 00:37:42,026
You don't owe me
a damn thing.
746
00:37:47,732 --> 00:37:49,900
He was just a hardworking
immigrant
747
00:37:49,900 --> 00:37:51,602
trying to make it in America.
748
00:37:51,602 --> 00:37:54,472
And had two sons to raise,
and sons are not easy.
749
00:37:54,472 --> 00:37:57,742
SEACREST: One reason
the series succeeded
750
00:37:57,742 --> 00:38:00,378
was a storyline that offered two
different heroes,
751
00:38:00,378 --> 00:38:03,180
appealing to a
broad range of viewers.
752
00:38:03,180 --> 00:38:06,984
For example, Europeans preferred
the strait-laced Rudy.
753
00:38:06,984 --> 00:38:09,754
Americans liked
the rough and tule Tom.
754
00:38:09,754 --> 00:38:11,889
STRAUSS: The American hero
755
00:38:11,889 --> 00:38:14,659
is the traditional
blond, tough
756
00:38:14,659 --> 00:38:17,862
bar-room brawler.
757
00:38:17,862 --> 00:38:20,364
And the European hero
758
00:38:20,364 --> 00:38:23,634
is someone who works
through a family
759
00:38:23,634 --> 00:38:28,639
and for financial gain
and reward and family honor.
760
00:38:28,639 --> 00:38:32,543
Whereas, Americans have cowboys
as heroes.
761
00:38:32,543 --> 00:38:34,445
They're sweaty,
they're a little dirty,
762
00:38:34,445 --> 00:38:36,147
they're a little tougher.
763
00:38:36,147 --> 00:38:38,282
[Crowd cheering]
764
00:38:38,282 --> 00:38:41,452
Nice, nice!
765
00:38:41,452 --> 00:38:44,622
REF: 1, 2, 3...
766
00:38:44,622 --> 00:38:48,159
SEACREST: In America,
and around the world,
767
00:38:48,159 --> 00:38:51,395
"Rich Man, Poor Man" attracted
huge audiences...
768
00:38:51,395 --> 00:38:53,364
single-handedly paving the way
769
00:38:53,364 --> 00:38:57,034
for an entirely new genre --
the novel for television...
770
00:38:57,034 --> 00:38:58,769
the miniseries.
771
00:38:58,769 --> 00:39:01,072
STRAUSS: There is not a day
772
00:39:01,072 --> 00:39:03,674
that someone doesn't come up
to me and say,
773
00:39:03,674 --> 00:39:06,510
"Hey, 'Rich Man, Poor Man,'
I loved that show."
774
00:39:06,510 --> 00:39:08,479
I've done things
the next morning
775
00:39:08,479 --> 00:39:11,015
no one remembers what I did
the night before.
776
00:39:11,015 --> 00:39:13,718
And yet it is astonishing that
people will still stop me
777
00:39:13,718 --> 00:39:15,586
and talk
about "Rich Man, Poor Man."
778
00:39:15,586 --> 00:39:17,755
SEACREST: After the enormous
success
779
00:39:17,755 --> 00:39:19,924
of "Rich Man, Poor Man"
and "Roots,"
780
00:39:19,924 --> 00:39:22,193
miniseries producers
began scooping up
781
00:39:22,193 --> 00:39:23,994
popular novels
with abandon.
782
00:39:23,994 --> 00:39:26,597
Including a best seller
by Colleen McCullough
783
00:39:26,597 --> 00:39:28,733
called "The Thorn Birds."
784
00:39:28,733 --> 00:39:31,335
[Romantic soundtrack plays]
785
00:39:40,711 --> 00:39:44,582
For the key role of Meggie,
the producers chose a newcomer,
786
00:39:44,582 --> 00:39:46,117
Rachel Ward.
787
00:39:46,117 --> 00:39:48,919
Although it would be her
big break,
788
00:39:48,919 --> 00:39:50,855
Ward was wary of the role.
789
00:39:50,855 --> 00:39:53,724
To her, the dialogue
seemed stilted,
790
00:39:53,724 --> 00:39:55,793
the storyline
too melodramatic.
791
00:40:00,498 --> 00:40:02,032
I can't!
792
00:40:02,032 --> 00:40:03,534
I can't!
793
00:40:03,534 --> 00:40:07,238
Goodbye, my Meggie.
794
00:40:07,238 --> 00:40:10,040
It's hard -- it's difficult
to say lines like,
795
00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:12,009
"Go on then to that God
of yours
796
00:40:12,009 --> 00:40:13,511
but you'll come back to me
797
00:40:13,511 --> 00:40:15,613
because I'm the one
who loves you."
798
00:40:15,613 --> 00:40:17,081
I mean I defy, you know,
799
00:40:17,081 --> 00:40:19,383
Cate Blanchett
to pull that one off.
800
00:40:22,887 --> 00:40:27,425
Go on, then, go on to
that God of yours,
801
00:40:27,425 --> 00:40:31,262
but you'll come back to me
802
00:40:31,262 --> 00:40:33,697
because I'm the one
who loves you.
803
00:40:37,134 --> 00:40:40,438
Everything was very overwritten
and overdramatic.
804
00:40:40,438 --> 00:40:43,607
It was basically almost
impossible language
805
00:40:43,607 --> 00:40:45,209
to make naturalistic.
806
00:40:45,209 --> 00:40:47,678
SEACREST: Despite her concerns,
807
00:40:47,678 --> 00:40:50,781
Rachel Ward took the role
of Meggie.
808
00:40:50,781 --> 00:40:54,318
Audiences loved her, rewarding
"The Thorn Birds"
809
00:40:54,318 --> 00:40:58,022
with some of the biggest
ratings in television history.
810
00:40:58,022 --> 00:41:01,459
But Rachel Ward was
bludgeoned by the critics,
811
00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:04,361
a wound that still stings
decades later.
812
00:41:04,361 --> 00:41:07,698
I got some terrible reviews,
813
00:41:07,698 --> 00:41:16,373
and I wonder if critics know how
much pain they inflict.
814
00:41:16,373 --> 00:41:18,742
SEACREST:
Of the primary actors,
815
00:41:18,742 --> 00:41:21,378
7 out of 8 received
Emmy nominations.
816
00:41:21,378 --> 00:41:23,514
Only Rachel Ward was left out.
817
00:41:23,514 --> 00:41:26,417
WARD: I took it very,
very personally.
818
00:41:26,417 --> 00:41:29,286
I felt embarrassed
and humiliated.
819
00:41:29,286 --> 00:41:34,492
I can remember where I was
and the exact words
820
00:41:34,492 --> 00:41:38,362
of both the Newsweek critic
and the New York Times critic
821
00:41:38,362 --> 00:41:41,532
with such vividness,
that it will --
822
00:41:41,532 --> 00:41:47,238
it had such a profound effect
on me,
823
00:41:47,238 --> 00:41:51,542
the criticism for my character.
824
00:41:51,542 --> 00:41:54,678
I left Hollywood after that --
that was enough for me.
825
00:41:54,678 --> 00:41:57,481
I didn't really need
to go through that again.
826
00:41:57,481 --> 00:42:00,284
I'm sure there will be many
people listening to this now
827
00:42:00,284 --> 00:42:02,686
and going, "What
the hell!"
828
00:42:02,686 --> 00:42:08,225
You know: huge miniseries,
incredibly popular,
829
00:42:08,225 --> 00:42:12,530
dream job
for any actor.
830
00:42:12,530 --> 00:42:15,266
And there you go,
isn't that ironic?
831
00:42:15,266 --> 00:42:19,103
It was just a devastating
experience for me.
832
00:42:19,103 --> 00:42:21,605
One I actually don't really
think
833
00:42:21,605 --> 00:42:24,108
I've entirely come to
terms with.
834
00:42:24,108 --> 00:42:27,878
SEACREST: For Rachel Ward,
the criticism was offset
835
00:42:27,878 --> 00:42:29,480
by one silver lining.
836
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:32,416
It was on the set of
"The Thorn Birds"
837
00:42:32,416 --> 00:42:36,186
that she met her future husband,
actor Bryan Brown.
838
00:42:36,186 --> 00:42:38,622
God, you are beautiful.
839
00:42:42,927 --> 00:42:46,063
How many times you
been in love?
840
00:42:52,269 --> 00:42:53,938
Only once.
841
00:42:53,938 --> 00:42:57,875
Whoever he was, he was
a fool to let you go.
842
00:42:59,777 --> 00:43:02,212
I was a typical Australian
young man.
843
00:43:02,212 --> 00:43:04,582
I mean, I noticed good
looking girls.
844
00:43:04,582 --> 00:43:06,317
I wasn't an idiot, you know.
845
00:43:06,317 --> 00:43:08,519
The one positive that
I took away
846
00:43:08,519 --> 00:43:09,920
from "The Thorn Birds"
847
00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,456
and can take away from
"The Thorn Birds"
848
00:43:12,456 --> 00:43:14,959
is that I did find
the love of my life.
849
00:43:14,959 --> 00:43:17,895
SEACREST: On screen,
Meggie's true love
850
00:43:17,895 --> 00:43:20,331
wasn't
Bryan Brown's character,
851
00:43:20,331 --> 00:43:21,865
it was Father Ralph,
852
00:43:21,865 --> 00:43:24,401
played by Richard Chamberlain.
853
00:43:26,837 --> 00:43:29,640
Meggie, I need no reminder
of you.
854
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:32,676
Not now, not ever.
855
00:43:32,676 --> 00:43:37,848
I carry you within me.
You know that.
856
00:43:37,848 --> 00:43:39,416
SEACREST: The forbidden love
857
00:43:39,416 --> 00:43:42,086
between Meggie and
Father Ralph resonated deeply
858
00:43:42,086 --> 00:43:43,854
with audiences...
859
00:43:43,854 --> 00:43:45,322
Oh, you've
come back!
860
00:43:45,322 --> 00:43:48,225
made authentic by the genuine
chemistry between Rachel Ward
861
00:43:48,225 --> 00:43:49,860
and Richard Chamberlain.
862
00:43:49,860 --> 00:43:51,228
Meggie, don't cry.
863
00:43:51,228 --> 00:43:54,732
We clicked together and we had
a kind of mutual trust.
864
00:43:54,732 --> 00:43:57,635
You know, there was an awful lot
of kissing
865
00:43:57,635 --> 00:44:00,070
and fooling around and stuff
in it,
866
00:44:00,070 --> 00:44:03,540
and you've got to trust
the person you're acting with
867
00:44:03,540 --> 00:44:05,042
and she was just wonderful.
868
00:44:05,042 --> 00:44:06,677
Forgive me.
869
00:44:06,677 --> 00:44:08,512
No.
870
00:44:08,512 --> 00:44:10,514
Damn you.
871
00:44:10,514 --> 00:44:12,750
No more!
872
00:44:12,750 --> 00:44:15,019
Meggie!
873
00:44:30,134 --> 00:44:31,635
SEACREST: Even today,
874
00:44:31,635 --> 00:44:35,639
"The Thorn Birds" stands as
the most widely watched romance
875
00:44:35,639 --> 00:44:37,207
in television history.
876
00:44:37,207 --> 00:44:39,443
I do still have people coming up
and saying
877
00:44:39,443 --> 00:44:41,345
how much they loved
"The Thorn Birds"
878
00:44:41,345 --> 00:44:42,980
and how much they loved
Meggie.
879
00:44:44,815 --> 00:44:47,017
SEACREST: Father Ralph
loved Meggie,
880
00:44:47,017 --> 00:44:49,586
but he also loved the church,
which set up
881
00:44:49,586 --> 00:44:52,122
the central conflictf
"The Thorn Birds."
882
00:44:52,122 --> 00:44:55,325
In the screenplay, the character
was portrayed as something
883
00:44:55,325 --> 00:44:57,294
of an opportunist,
a scoundrel.
884
00:44:57,294 --> 00:45:00,631
But Richard Chamberlain saw
Father Ralph differently.
885
00:45:00,631 --> 00:45:03,300
I thought he'd be
much more interesting
886
00:45:03,300 --> 00:45:06,704
if he really did have a true
vocation in the church,
887
00:45:06,704 --> 00:45:08,739
if he really did want the power,
888
00:45:08,739 --> 00:45:12,142
and if he really did love Meggie
with all his heart.
889
00:45:12,142 --> 00:45:15,913
SEACREST: By the time
he was cast
890
00:45:15,913 --> 00:45:18,515
in "The Thorn Birds,"
Richard Chamberlain
891
00:45:18,515 --> 00:45:21,585
already had twenty years of
television experience.
892
00:45:21,585 --> 00:45:26,490
In 1980, Chamberlain desperately
wanted to land the lead role
893
00:45:26,490 --> 00:45:28,692
in the high-profile
miniseries "Shogun."
894
00:45:28,692 --> 00:45:32,796
But author James Clavell wanted
Sean Connery for the part.
895
00:45:32,796 --> 00:45:36,834
Chamberlain had dinner with
the author and made his case.
896
00:45:36,834 --> 00:45:40,738
I had meetings with Clavell
and finally convinced him --
897
00:45:40,738 --> 00:45:44,241
by lowering my voice
and wearing lots of t-shirts
898
00:45:44,241 --> 00:45:46,877
under my clothes so I'd look
bigger
899
00:45:46,877 --> 00:45:48,979
and more
Sean Connery-ish.
900
00:45:48,979 --> 00:45:52,282
I finally convinced
him to hire me.
901
00:45:52,282 --> 00:45:56,653
After the success of "Shogun,"
Richard Chamberlain
902
00:45:56,653 --> 00:45:58,088
didn't have to work as hard
903
00:45:58,088 --> 00:46:00,924
to land the role of Father Ralph
in "The Thorn Birds."
904
00:46:00,924 --> 00:46:04,061
Because of the huge success of
both projects,
905
00:46:04,061 --> 00:46:07,431
he was later dubbed
the "king of the miniseries."
906
00:46:07,431 --> 00:46:10,134
CHAMBERLAIN: I did some really
great miniseries,
907
00:46:10,134 --> 00:46:13,203
and if they wanted to call me
ki that's fine with me.
908
00:46:13,203 --> 00:46:15,806
I had had the incredible good
fortune of being in
909
00:46:15,806 --> 00:46:17,674
some of the best
miniseries ever.
910
00:46:17,674 --> 00:46:21,645
SEACREST: In the early scenes
of "The Thorn Birds,"
911
00:46:21,645 --> 00:46:24,715
Richard Chamberlain played
opposite Barbara Stanwyck,
912
00:46:24,715 --> 00:46:27,851
one of the last roles of
the actress's storied career.
913
00:46:27,851 --> 00:46:31,455
Known throughout Hollywood as
the consummate professional,
914
00:46:31,455 --> 00:46:36,160
Stanwyck never forgot her
lines... except once.
915
00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:38,962
We had the scene where Ralph
has been working
916
00:46:38,962 --> 00:46:40,964
out in the fields of
Drogheda,
917
00:46:40,964 --> 00:46:43,967
and comes in and he's drenched,
a huge rainstorm.
918
00:46:50,574 --> 00:46:54,511
He takes off his clothesn
the veranda, thinks he's alone.
919
00:47:11,995 --> 00:47:15,899
And when he was stark naked,
she comes out.
920
00:47:15,899 --> 00:47:19,937
And they have
this wonderful scene
921
00:47:19,937 --> 00:47:22,739
where she touches
his shoulders.
922
00:47:22,739 --> 00:47:27,611
You are the most beautiful
man I have ever seen,
923
00:47:27,611 --> 00:47:29,513
Ralph de Bricassart.
924
00:47:33,650 --> 00:47:36,620
But, of course,
you already know that.
925
00:47:40,858 --> 00:47:44,261
Curis how you view
us mortals with contempt
926
00:47:44,261 --> 00:47:46,597
for admiring that beauty.
927
00:47:46,597 --> 00:47:50,267
And he tries to
remain aloof.
928
00:47:54,504 --> 00:47:57,040
I thought it was my soul
you were after, Mary.
929
00:47:57,040 --> 00:47:58,575
It is.
930
00:47:58,575 --> 00:48:02,079
Because at my age,
officially,
931
00:48:02,079 --> 00:48:06,884
I'm supposed to be beyond
the drives of my body.
932
00:48:06,884 --> 00:48:10,020
But she went up in her lines.
933
00:48:10,020 --> 00:48:14,324
And everybody was like
totally amazed.
934
00:48:14,324 --> 00:48:15,926
And she said...
935
00:48:15,926 --> 00:48:21,231
"It's been so long since I've
stood next to a naked man."
936
00:48:21,231 --> 00:48:25,335
d it was just sweet,
you know, so sweet.
937
00:48:25,335 --> 00:48:28,538
SEACREST: Although
"The Thorn Birds"
938
00:48:28,538 --> 00:48:30,107
was set in Australia,
939
00:48:30,107 --> 00:48:32,743
there was just one
Australian actor in the cast.
940
00:48:32,743 --> 00:48:34,745
BROWN:
I like playing Australians.
941
00:48:34,745 --> 00:48:36,747
It's instinctive about
how I behave.
942
00:48:36,747 --> 00:48:39,549
And I behave different to
Americans, even though we have
943
00:48:39,549 --> 00:48:41,818
a lot of things in common,
we're different.
944
00:48:41,818 --> 00:48:44,922
[Chanting, laughing]
945
00:48:50,594 --> 00:48:53,664
What was great was this was
a big Australian melodrama.
946
00:48:53,664 --> 00:48:55,599
The Americans told it,
and told it in
947
00:48:55,599 --> 00:48:58,168
whatever way they wanted to,
which is their right.
948
00:48:58,168 --> 00:49:01,905
SEACREST: On that point,
Colleen McCullough disagreed.
949
00:49:01,905 --> 00:49:05,008
The author of "The Thorn
Birds" was unhappy
950
00:49:05,008 --> 00:49:07,811
with nearly every
production decision.
951
00:49:07,811 --> 00:49:09,780
She didn't like the casting
952
00:49:09,780 --> 00:49:12,649
of Richard Chamberlain
or Rachel Ward,
953
00:49:12,649 --> 00:49:15,886
she objected to the
screenwriter and director,
954
00:49:15,886 --> 00:49:19,356
and she called the production
"instant vomit."
955
00:49:19,356 --> 00:49:22,492
I think Colleen was talking
through a hole in her head.
956
00:49:22,492 --> 00:49:25,696
She wrote a big melodrama --
What did she want it to be?
957
00:49:25,696 --> 00:49:30,000
I do remember she also had a go
at me, and my casting of it.
958
00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:31,468
So I'm not...
959
00:49:31,468 --> 00:49:32,602
[Laughs]
960
00:49:32,602 --> 00:49:34,237
So there you go.
961
00:49:34,237 --> 00:49:39,876
I thought the book was very well
served by the miniseries.
962
00:49:39,876 --> 00:49:42,679
Colleen McCullough
didn't think so.
963
00:49:42,679 --> 00:49:46,249
But I thought, oh,
she should have been so lucky
964
00:49:46,249 --> 00:49:49,853
to have this extraordinarily
good cast, et cetera,
965
00:49:49,853 --> 00:49:52,089
and a wonderful script.
966
00:49:52,089 --> 00:49:55,892
I guess, writers think they've
got babies on their hands,
967
00:49:55,892 --> 00:49:59,496
but you know, she got paid
an enormous a lot of money;
968
00:49:59,496 --> 00:50:03,066
sold a lot more books,
she should be bloody grateful.
969
00:50:03,066 --> 00:50:05,702
SEACREST: Colleen McCullough's
objections
970
00:50:05,702 --> 00:50:07,904
didn't faze
the viewing audience
971
00:50:07,904 --> 00:50:10,374
and "The Thorn Birds"
still ranks
972
00:50:10,374 --> 00:50:13,343
among the most-watched dramas
of all time.
973
00:50:13,343 --> 00:50:14,811
People responded to it because
974
00:50:14,811 --> 00:50:16,980
those people became real
for them on screen,
975
00:50:16,980 --> 00:50:19,816
and they wanted to watch what
happened to them every night.
976
00:50:22,819 --> 00:50:26,723
SEACREST: It's a theme common
to all the best miniseries --
977
00:50:26,723 --> 00:50:30,460
beloved characters
who survive epic sagas
978
00:50:30,460 --> 00:50:33,330
that play
out over decades.
979
00:50:33,330 --> 00:50:34,798
The 70's was a period where
980
00:50:34,798 --> 00:50:36,833
we told great stories
on television.
981
00:50:36,833 --> 00:50:41,505
I thank Alex Haley every day
in my heart
982
00:50:41,505 --> 00:50:44,174
for making me a part of history.
983
00:50:44,174 --> 00:50:45,742
No complaints here.
984
00:50:45,742 --> 00:50:48,245
As I look back, it's been
an incredible journey.
985
00:50:48,245 --> 00:50:50,847
That was an opportunity that
very few actors ever get.
986
00:50:50,847 --> 00:50:52,482
I guess it was hugely popular
987
00:50:52,482 --> 00:50:54,684
so in some respects
we got it right.
988
00:50:54,684 --> 00:50:57,621
It has enriched my life greatly.
989
00:50:57,621 --> 00:51:00,957
And I can only hope that it's
also enriched
990
00:51:00,957 --> 00:51:02,759
so many other people's.
991
00:51:02,759 --> 00:51:06,430
GOSSETT:
I think the responsibility of television is to lift up
992
00:51:06,430 --> 00:51:09,866
its audience intellectually,
spiritually and emotionally.
993
00:51:09,866 --> 00:51:13,170
I was hoping for
greater awareness,
994
00:51:13,170 --> 00:51:17,274
that people would dig deeper
into our history.
995
00:51:17,274 --> 00:51:21,578
We learned the truth
about America.
996
00:51:21,578 --> 00:51:25,715
It was an extraordinary event,
997
00:51:25,715 --> 00:51:28,985
and television prided itself
on event programming.
998
00:51:28,985 --> 00:51:30,787
Not everybody in...
999
00:51:30,787 --> 00:51:32,355
I'm gonna cry now.
1000
00:51:32,355 --> 00:51:36,993
...in life gets their ablute
wishes answered.
1001
00:51:36,993 --> 00:51:40,063
You know, it doesn't happen
to that many people.
1002
00:51:40,063 --> 00:51:41,565
I'm so grateful for it.
1003
00:51:43,667 --> 00:51:46,570
SEACREST: Together,
they captured our imagination
1004
00:51:46,570 --> 00:51:48,905
and created a whole new
art form --
1005
00:51:48,905 --> 00:51:52,809
the television miniseries.
1006
00:51:52,809 --> 00:51:55,946
They are
the "Pioneers of Television."
1007
00:54:03,173 --> 00:54:04,975
that all men are created equal.
1008
00:54:05,041 --> 00:54:07,010
They are endowed with certain
inalienable rights.
1009
00:54:07,077 --> 00:54:08,945
Among these rights are life,
liberty,
1010
00:54:09,012 --> 00:54:10,413
and the pursuit of happiness."
1011
00:54:10,480 --> 00:54:11,781
All of that is gorgeous.
1012
00:54:11,848 --> 00:54:13,550
It's written beautifully.
1013
00:54:13,617 --> 00:54:16,086
Those men wrote it in blood.
1014
00:54:16,152 --> 00:54:19,155
But what is written
and the way we are
1015
00:54:19,222 --> 00:54:22,325
should be together
rather than separate.
1016
00:54:22,392 --> 00:54:25,428
That's the aspiration
of the average American.
1017
00:54:28,098 --> 00:54:31,401
For more insider features
about your favorite TV stars,
1018
00:54:31,468 --> 00:54:33,637
stories you won't hear
anywhere else,
1019
00:54:33,703 --> 00:54:35,872
visit pbs.org.
1020
00:54:41,544 --> 00:54:44,681
To order this program,
visit us online
1021
00:54:44,748 --> 00:54:46,249
at shopPBS.org.
1022
00:54:46,316 --> 00:54:46,249
Or call us at 1-800-PLAY-PBS.