1 00:00:06,956 --> 00:00:09,208 Come on, let's get some black people in here! 2 00:00:09,210 --> 00:00:12,011 And I remember watching television and then, 3 00:00:12,013 --> 00:00:13,929 kind of gradually realizing that 4 00:00:13,931 --> 00:00:16,915 I did not look like any of the people on there. 5 00:00:16,917 --> 00:00:21,053 I was not a domestic. That was the problem. 6 00:00:24,941 --> 00:00:31,313 The important issues are dealt with with some shows 7 00:00:31,315 --> 00:00:32,364 very, very well. 8 00:00:32,366 --> 00:00:34,450 That's the first time that a Latino 9 00:00:34,452 --> 00:00:36,735 has been placed in that position, ever. 10 00:00:36,737 --> 00:00:40,939 We must not forget the reasons why so many sacrificed so much 11 00:00:40,941 --> 00:00:43,492 in the cause of freedom. 12 00:00:43,494 --> 00:00:46,995 For Asians, the image of Asians, 13 00:00:46,997 --> 00:00:48,947 it was a tremendous breakthrough. 14 00:00:48,949 --> 00:00:52,384 Let's have the conversation, say, "Here's what it was." 15 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:03,128 it was a tremendous breakthrough. 16 00:01:03,196 --> 00:01:05,697 contributions to your PBS station 17 00:01:05,765 --> 00:01:07,533 from viewers like you. 18 00:01:10,136 --> 00:01:13,304 They blazed a trail through American culture. 19 00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:18,610 It was embarrassing to say that in the United States of America, 20 00:01:18,612 --> 00:01:21,012 I was the first black actress to have her own series. 21 00:01:21,014 --> 00:01:23,949 You know, Baker, you've got guts. 22 00:01:23,951 --> 00:01:25,200 Thanks. 23 00:01:25,202 --> 00:01:28,036 You didn't have to be black or white, or Asian. 24 00:01:28,038 --> 00:01:29,538 He's talking to everybody. 25 00:01:29,540 --> 00:01:33,008 The story is about something 26 00:01:33,010 --> 00:01:36,628 that has nothing to do with color. 27 00:01:38,515 --> 00:01:40,466 -Cliff! -Oh! 28 00:01:43,386 --> 00:01:45,888 They overcame unimaginable obstacles. 29 00:01:45,890 --> 00:01:48,190 Because basically they stereotype you. 30 00:01:48,192 --> 00:01:50,642 And stereotypes are like the worst. 31 00:01:50,644 --> 00:01:52,778 I mean, how to kill a culture. 32 00:01:52,780 --> 00:01:55,030 They were going to take our show off the air 33 00:01:55,032 --> 00:01:57,649 if we didn't get rid of Arthur because he was black. 34 00:01:57,651 --> 00:02:00,819 Back in that time, you didn't even have commercials 35 00:02:00,821 --> 00:02:02,571 with African American people, 36 00:02:02,573 --> 00:02:05,290 except for Aunt Jemima on the pancake box. 37 00:02:05,292 --> 00:02:07,859 They created some of America's 38 00:02:07,861 --> 00:02:09,561 favorite characters. 39 00:02:09,563 --> 00:02:12,881 I always felt, and I still feel to this day, 40 00:02:12,883 --> 00:02:15,250 it's one of the greatest comedies ever written. 41 00:02:15,252 --> 00:02:17,503 What do you think, Lightnin'? 42 00:02:17,505 --> 00:02:19,888 This sure is a thin house. 43 00:02:22,041 --> 00:02:24,510 These were actors and they were brilliant actors. 44 00:02:24,512 --> 00:02:26,044 They made you laugh! 45 00:02:26,046 --> 00:02:29,214 You can't do comedy, there's no Asians in comedy. 46 00:02:29,216 --> 00:02:31,934 You can't do that, and I didn't care, I just did it. 47 00:02:31,936 --> 00:02:33,268 Did my mother send you? 48 00:02:33,270 --> 00:02:34,553 Pardon? 49 00:02:34,555 --> 00:02:38,073 She's about so tall, kind of a Korean Bea Arthur. 50 00:02:39,192 --> 00:02:42,327 Before Gene Roddenberry put together "Star Trek," 51 00:02:42,329 --> 00:02:45,030 there were no black people in the future. 52 00:02:45,032 --> 00:02:48,033 I was always mindful of the fact that I had 53 00:02:48,035 --> 00:02:51,537 a special responsibility in the roles that I played. 54 00:02:51,539 --> 00:02:56,124 Maybe you ought to plot a course back to Vulcan, just in case. 55 00:02:56,126 --> 00:02:58,961 It all sounds wonderful and I'm thrilled, 56 00:02:58,963 --> 00:03:00,745 but what took us so long?! 57 00:03:00,747 --> 00:03:05,801 There is less programming focused on people of color 58 00:03:05,803 --> 00:03:07,803 than there used to be. 59 00:03:07,805 --> 00:03:09,888 I don't know why that is. 60 00:03:09,890 --> 00:03:13,025 Together, they broke through barriers 61 00:03:13,027 --> 00:03:16,979 to make television better. 62 00:03:16,981 --> 00:03:20,199 They are the pioneers of television. 63 00:03:23,870 --> 00:03:28,457 By 1983, television sitcoms were in steep decline. 64 00:03:28,459 --> 00:03:31,710 Of the top 10 shows, none were comedies. 65 00:03:31,712 --> 00:03:35,714 Then, in the fall of 1984, one man -- 66 00:03:35,716 --> 00:03:39,918 almost singlehandedly -- revived the sitcom. 67 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:44,956 $300 a week, $1,200 a month, alright? 68 00:03:44,958 --> 00:03:46,174 Great, I'll take it! 69 00:03:46,176 --> 00:03:52,180 Yes, you will, and I will take $350 for taxes. 70 00:03:52,182 --> 00:03:54,466 -Whoa! -Huh? 71 00:03:54,468 --> 00:03:56,485 Now because, see, the government 72 00:03:56,487 --> 00:03:58,737 comes for the regular people first. 73 00:04:02,108 --> 00:04:04,192 When I heard Bill was going to do a show, 74 00:04:04,194 --> 00:04:06,245 I knew exactly what it was going to be. 75 00:04:06,247 --> 00:04:08,313 And I knew it was going to be a success, 76 00:04:08,315 --> 00:04:11,617 because it was going to be Bill talking about 77 00:04:11,619 --> 00:04:14,086 what he had talked about as a stand-up -- 78 00:04:14,088 --> 00:04:17,322 his kids, the home life, his parents. 79 00:04:17,324 --> 00:04:19,041 Like many good storytellers, 80 00:04:19,043 --> 00:04:22,177 he needed to go to the story that he told the best, 81 00:04:22,179 --> 00:04:25,380 which was the family stories, and that's what he did 82 00:04:25,382 --> 00:04:27,933 better than anybody -- still, you know. 83 00:04:27,935 --> 00:04:31,303 Nobody tells a better story about their family than he does. 84 00:04:33,890 --> 00:04:36,858 "The Cosby Show" quickly jumped to number one in the ratings, 85 00:04:36,860 --> 00:04:38,744 lifting the entire network 86 00:04:38,746 --> 00:04:41,747 and earning hundreds of millions for r NB 87 00:04:41,749 --> 00:04:44,916 But Bill Cosby wasn't driven by the money. 88 00:04:44,918 --> 00:04:47,419 He wanted to make a difference. 89 00:04:47,421 --> 00:04:49,187 The shirt goes back. 90 00:04:49,189 --> 00:04:52,908 But, Dad, I told Christine I was getting a Gordon Gartrell. 91 00:04:52,910 --> 00:04:55,711 Tell Christine you lied. 92 00:04:55,713 --> 00:04:58,130 Dad! 93 00:04:58,132 --> 00:05:04,086 No 14-year-old boy should have a $95 shirt 94 00:05:04,088 --> 00:05:08,006 unless he is on stage with his four brothers. 95 00:05:12,712 --> 00:05:14,980 Bill Cosby wanted to make his point, 96 00:05:14,982 --> 00:05:17,182 but it was a far different approach 97 00:05:17,184 --> 00:05:19,267 from the shows that came before. 98 00:05:21,220 --> 00:05:23,772 Norman Lear's "All in the Family," for example, 99 00:05:23,774 --> 00:05:26,742 used in-your-face conflict to stir up audience emotions. 100 00:05:26,744 --> 00:05:30,495 I want to know what your family is gonna do about him! 101 00:05:30,497 --> 00:05:33,532 Well, I wanna know what your family is gonna do about her! 102 00:05:33,534 --> 00:05:35,617 You ain't even the head of your family. 103 00:05:35,619 --> 00:05:37,869 Why didn't Lionel's father come over here? 104 00:05:37,871 --> 00:05:39,538 You don't want to know the answer to that. 105 00:05:39,540 --> 00:05:40,739 Yes, I do. 106 00:05:40,741 --> 00:05:43,008 Alright. He said he ain't never stepped into 107 00:05:43,010 --> 00:05:45,427 a honkie's household and he ain't about to start 108 00:05:45,429 --> 00:05:48,213 at the bottom of the heap! 109 00:05:50,550 --> 00:05:55,420 That one black person that shows up -- with this group -- 110 00:05:55,422 --> 00:06:00,275 and all of a sudden, there's this white guy, 111 00:06:00,277 --> 00:06:01,643 he doesn't like him. 112 00:06:01,645 --> 00:06:05,897 And somebody else's always kind of protecting him, 113 00:06:05,899 --> 00:06:07,733 because the black person showed up. 114 00:06:07,735 --> 00:06:11,203 I'm very disappointed in you, Lionel. 115 00:06:13,873 --> 00:06:15,907 I thought you was one of the good ones. 116 00:06:19,945 --> 00:06:22,080 But I was wrong. 117 00:06:22,082 --> 00:06:24,132 I thought I was your friend. 118 00:06:24,134 --> 00:06:25,751 I mean, I have you into my house here, 119 00:06:25,753 --> 00:06:30,088 and I mean through the front door as well as the back. 120 00:06:30,090 --> 00:06:34,226 If you show enough of those films, films like that, 121 00:06:34,228 --> 00:06:37,729 pretty soon, man, in a Pavlov sort of way, 122 00:06:37,731 --> 00:06:40,065 you know we're a problem. 123 00:06:40,067 --> 00:06:42,984 All these white people would be getting along just fine 124 00:06:42,986 --> 00:06:45,020 if it wasn't for that one black guy 125 00:06:45,022 --> 00:06:47,823 that showed up. 126 00:06:47,825 --> 00:06:51,109 Cosby believed the better way to influence the culture 127 00:06:51,111 --> 00:06:53,361 was to offer a positive role model... 128 00:06:53,363 --> 00:06:55,146 a vision of what life could be. 129 00:06:55,148 --> 00:06:56,364 Daddy. 130 00:06:58,618 --> 00:07:00,318 -What? -What's this word? 131 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:02,587 Look, let's -- why don't we read this together? 132 00:07:02,589 --> 00:07:03,655 "She played." 133 00:07:03,657 --> 00:07:06,208 "She played... 134 00:07:06,210 --> 00:07:09,094 with it all day." 135 00:07:09,096 --> 00:07:10,178 Got it? 136 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:12,380 "The end." 137 00:07:12,382 --> 00:07:13,632 Alright. 138 00:07:17,670 --> 00:07:18,837 You want to read something else? 139 00:07:18,839 --> 00:07:20,105 No, you're tired. 140 00:07:20,107 --> 00:07:21,339 Thank you. 141 00:07:21,341 --> 00:07:24,142 May I have a kiss, please? Bye-bye. 142 00:07:24,144 --> 00:07:26,678 "The Cosby Show" centered on a family 143 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:28,230 that valued education, 144 00:07:28,232 --> 00:07:31,483 with a father and mother who loved all five children, 145 00:07:31,485 --> 00:07:33,852 but weren't afraid to discipline. 146 00:07:33,854 --> 00:07:37,355 You are afraid to try because you're afraid 147 00:07:37,357 --> 00:07:40,191 that your brain is going to explode 148 00:07:40,193 --> 00:07:43,328 and it's going to ooze out of your ears. 149 00:07:43,330 --> 00:07:48,884 Now I'm telling you, you are going to try as hard as you can 150 00:07:48,886 --> 00:07:52,304 and you're going to do it because I said so. 151 00:07:52,306 --> 00:07:53,705 I am your father. 152 00:07:53,707 --> 00:07:57,509 I brought you in this world and I'll take you out. 153 00:08:02,398 --> 00:08:06,768 The word is "correction" 154 00:08:06,770 --> 00:08:11,573 and people don't make corrections. 155 00:08:11,575 --> 00:08:18,613 There is too much going on with children in our hands 156 00:08:18,615 --> 00:08:21,449 and we don't make corrections. 157 00:08:21,451 --> 00:08:23,335 And grownups have excuses. 158 00:08:25,621 --> 00:08:27,539 Bill Cosby's interest in children 159 00:08:27,541 --> 00:08:29,541 began long before "The Cosby Show." 160 00:08:31,627 --> 00:08:34,462 He earned a doctorate in education 161 00:08:34,464 --> 00:08:36,848 and even when he was breaking through 162 00:08:36,850 --> 00:08:38,550 in the mid 1960s on "I Spy," 163 00:08:38,552 --> 00:08:42,103 he expected to leave television and get into teaching. 164 00:08:42,105 --> 00:08:47,058 Bill's deepest thoughts that he revealed to me were, 165 00:08:47,060 --> 00:08:49,978 "I'm going to go back and teach. 166 00:08:49,980 --> 00:08:53,398 When this is over, I'm going to go back and get my degree 167 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,099 and I'm going to teach." 168 00:08:55,101 --> 00:08:56,701 And I started laughing. 169 00:08:56,703 --> 00:08:59,487 He said, "Why are you laughing at me?" 170 00:08:59,489 --> 00:09:01,272 He grumbled something and he said, 171 00:09:01,274 --> 00:09:03,441 "Well, that's what I'm going to do anyway." 172 00:09:03,443 --> 00:09:08,630 Well, the end result of that is that 173 00:09:08,632 --> 00:09:11,499 he didn't do it exactly that way, 174 00:09:11,501 --> 00:09:14,169 but he did it better -- 175 00:09:14,171 --> 00:09:16,471 because he has become a teacher to the world. 176 00:09:16,473 --> 00:09:20,759 After "I Spy" ended in 1968, 177 00:09:20,761 --> 00:09:23,228 Bill Cosby was drawn to projects 178 00:09:23,230 --> 00:09:26,181 with educational value, like "Fat Albert" 179 00:09:26,183 --> 00:09:28,800 and "The Electric Company." 180 00:09:28,802 --> 00:09:35,240 Sometimes it sounds like JA as in giant, as in magic. 181 00:09:35,242 --> 00:09:37,409 -Why? -Why? 182 00:09:37,411 --> 00:09:39,077 Yeah, why does G have to have two sounds 183 00:09:39,079 --> 00:09:40,278 when you already got 184 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:41,830 a perfectly good J for the JA sound? 185 00:09:41,832 --> 00:09:44,416 Don't ask me. That's just the way it is. 186 00:09:44,418 --> 00:09:48,920 An education will open up avenues for them, 187 00:09:48,922 --> 00:09:53,091 so that they can say they can do something -- 188 00:09:53,093 --> 00:09:55,760 instead of saying, "I want something but you 189 00:09:55,762 --> 00:09:59,464 have to give it to me, because I don't know how to do anything." 190 00:10:01,884 --> 00:10:05,020 Throughout the 1960s and '70s, Cosby's comedy albums 191 00:10:05,022 --> 00:10:07,689 and standup performances cemented his place 192 00:10:07,691 --> 00:10:09,975 among America's favorite comedians. 193 00:10:09,977 --> 00:10:13,061 And the children get up to go upstairs 194 00:10:13,063 --> 00:10:17,148 and I kiss them good night and I try to warn them. 195 00:10:17,150 --> 00:10:19,534 Please! 196 00:10:19,536 --> 00:10:22,520 Do what your mother says 197 00:10:22,522 --> 00:10:24,623 or somebody's gonna get it tonight. 198 00:10:24,625 --> 00:10:28,243 I mean, nobody tells better stories than he does, 199 00:10:28,245 --> 00:10:31,162 when it comes to the family unit, 200 00:10:31,164 --> 00:10:36,701 and that's why it works, because it was about us. 201 00:10:36,703 --> 00:10:40,138 Think I carried you in my body for nine months 202 00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:43,041 so you can roll your eyes at me? 203 00:10:43,043 --> 00:10:47,045 I'll roll that little head of yours down on the floor. 204 00:10:47,047 --> 00:10:49,898 Nobody tries to emulate Bill Cosby. 205 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:52,734 You know why? They can't do it. 206 00:10:52,736 --> 00:10:57,022 There's nobody even on his level, they can't do it. 207 00:10:57,024 --> 00:10:59,190 He just had a skill level. 208 00:10:59,192 --> 00:11:02,110 Just a ridiculous amount of gifts that he had, 209 00:11:02,112 --> 00:11:07,499 of all kinds -- writing, performing, voices, faces. 210 00:11:07,501 --> 00:11:10,068 He was like the '27 Yankees. 211 00:11:10,070 --> 00:11:14,789 Just very powerful, powerful stuff. 212 00:11:16,375 --> 00:11:19,260 While Bill Cosby's first attempt at a sitcom 213 00:11:19,262 --> 00:11:20,845 failed to get traction, 214 00:11:20,847 --> 00:11:24,382 another television project was an unqualified success -- 215 00:11:24,384 --> 00:11:25,800 a series of commercials 216 00:11:25,802 --> 00:11:27,052 for Jell-O Pudding. 217 00:11:27,054 --> 00:11:28,753 Hey, Bill Cosby, what's that? 218 00:11:28,755 --> 00:11:32,256 New Jell-O Pudding Pops. Frozen pudding on a stick. 219 00:11:32,258 --> 00:11:33,758 Mmm. Tastes good. 220 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:34,943 Yep. It's a home run 221 00:11:34,945 --> 00:11:36,094 with your taste buds 222 00:11:36,096 --> 00:11:37,095 and won't strike out 223 00:11:37,097 --> 00:11:38,096 with your mom 224 00:11:38,098 --> 00:11:39,230 like some snacks do 225 00:11:39,232 --> 00:11:40,231 'cuz it's made 226 00:11:40,233 --> 00:11:41,316 with real pudding. 227 00:11:41,318 --> 00:11:44,319 The commercials reminded Americans 228 00:11:44,321 --> 00:11:48,073 of Bill Cosby's humor, his gentle style, 229 00:11:48,075 --> 00:11:49,440 his love for children. 230 00:11:49,442 --> 00:11:51,326 By the early 1980s, he ranked 231 00:11:51,328 --> 00:11:54,045 among the most popular people in America 232 00:11:54,047 --> 00:11:56,965 and was perfectly positioned for one more try 233 00:11:56,967 --> 00:11:58,500 at a television sitcom. 234 00:11:58,502 --> 00:12:01,335 All I want is his name. 235 00:12:01,337 --> 00:12:03,004 Dad, please don't do this to me. 236 00:12:03,006 --> 00:12:04,055 Denise will kill me. 237 00:12:04,057 --> 00:12:07,458 Well, you're going to tell me his name 238 00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:10,678 because everybody knows you can't keep a secret. 239 00:12:10,680 --> 00:12:12,347 Look at your face. 240 00:12:12,349 --> 00:12:15,433 It's sliding out of your face. 241 00:12:15,435 --> 00:12:18,937 It's David James. 242 00:12:20,439 --> 00:12:22,023 Rudy! 243 00:12:22,025 --> 00:12:26,027 Just slid out of my face. 244 00:12:26,029 --> 00:12:30,532 "The Cosby Show" was a major landmark, 245 00:12:30,534 --> 00:12:34,335 but it wasn't the first sitcom to portray African Americans 246 00:12:34,337 --> 00:12:35,787 in white collar jobs. 247 00:12:35,789 --> 00:12:39,174 Sixteen years earlier, Diahann Carroll 248 00:12:39,176 --> 00:12:41,626 blazed that trail in "Julia." 249 00:12:41,628 --> 00:12:44,162 -You see, Cory... -I know, Mom. 250 00:12:44,164 --> 00:12:45,597 What do you know? 251 00:12:45,599 --> 00:12:48,499 Like in school, there are some kids 252 00:12:48,501 --> 00:12:50,802 who just don't like other kids 253 00:12:50,804 --> 00:12:54,139 if they're not the same color or religion, 254 00:12:54,141 --> 00:12:57,192 even if they don't know anything about them. 255 00:12:57,194 --> 00:13:00,895 And I guess there are some grown-ups like that, too. 256 00:13:00,897 --> 00:13:03,398 It's pretty dumb if you ask me. 257 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:08,453 You are too much, Cory Baker. You are really too much. 258 00:13:08,455 --> 00:13:09,988 And you're right. 259 00:13:09,990 --> 00:13:11,823 It is very dumb. 260 00:13:13,876 --> 00:13:16,694 Television's track record with African Americans 261 00:13:16,696 --> 00:13:18,129 became painfully clear 262 00:13:18,131 --> 00:13:21,365 on the very first day of production on "Julia" in 1968. 263 00:13:21,367 --> 00:13:25,553 The studio had no makeup for African Americans. 264 00:13:25,555 --> 00:13:27,839 The studio had only dealt 265 00:13:27,841 --> 00:13:30,642 with the little American girls or European girls -- 266 00:13:30,644 --> 00:13:31,759 all the same color. 267 00:13:31,761 --> 00:13:33,761 How could you have a make-up department 268 00:13:33,763 --> 00:13:35,897 and you don't have make-up for every skin 269 00:13:35,899 --> 00:13:37,482 in the United States of America? 270 00:13:39,518 --> 00:13:43,271 Although "Julia" was launched in the turbulent 1960s, 271 00:13:43,273 --> 00:13:46,357 the character stayed far from any racial activism. 272 00:13:46,359 --> 00:13:48,910 For Diahann Carroll, just the presence of 273 00:13:48,912 --> 00:13:52,413 a person of color on television was enough of a first step. 274 00:13:52,415 --> 00:13:56,034 The racial involvement was very minuscule 275 00:13:56,036 --> 00:13:57,952 on all television shows. 276 00:13:57,954 --> 00:14:02,406 It was absolutely "let's stay away from that." 277 00:14:02,408 --> 00:14:04,125 Uh... 278 00:14:04,127 --> 00:14:06,628 "That is too controversial." 279 00:14:06,630 --> 00:14:10,632 So, we knew that going in -- that first you make the success. 280 00:14:10,634 --> 00:14:14,435 After you've done that, then you could make other steps. 281 00:14:14,437 --> 00:14:16,020 There was nothing like 282 00:14:16,022 --> 00:14:18,940 this young successful mother on the air. 283 00:14:18,942 --> 00:14:23,278 And we thought that it might be a very good stepping stone. 284 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,980 While the Julia character was insulated 285 00:14:25,982 --> 00:14:28,266 from the Civil Rights movement, 286 00:14:28,268 --> 00:14:29,901 Diahann Carroll was not. 287 00:14:29,903 --> 00:14:31,653 She actively supported 288 00:14:31,655 --> 00:14:34,605 Shirley Chisolm's run for president 289 00:14:34,607 --> 00:14:38,760 and hosted fundraisers for the controversial Black Panthers. 290 00:14:38,762 --> 00:14:41,880 It was not really the thing that one said 291 00:14:41,882 --> 00:14:46,117 that you are maybe in agreement with the Black Panthers. 292 00:14:46,119 --> 00:14:49,721 But then I had a party at my big Beverly Hills mansion 293 00:14:49,723 --> 00:14:52,090 and invited several people from the Black Panthers 294 00:14:52,092 --> 00:14:53,457 to be a part of it, 295 00:14:53,459 --> 00:14:56,844 to allow them to meet some of the people that I knew. 296 00:14:56,846 --> 00:14:59,496 Everything they did was not wonderful. 297 00:14:59,498 --> 00:15:03,101 I could see some of the good things in the Panthers. 298 00:15:04,570 --> 00:15:06,854 What made "Julia" different was that it was 299 00:15:06,856 --> 00:15:09,607 the first sitcom to portray an African American woman 300 00:15:09,609 --> 00:15:13,477 with a college degree, in a professional position. 301 00:15:13,479 --> 00:15:16,030 At about the same time, Asian Americans 302 00:15:16,032 --> 00:15:18,816 were seeing their first positive role model 303 00:15:18,818 --> 00:15:20,368 on network television -- 304 00:15:20,370 --> 00:15:24,706 a physicist and helmsman named Hikaru Sulu. 305 00:15:24,708 --> 00:15:27,825 How do you figure it, Chekov? 306 00:15:27,827 --> 00:15:30,795 First, we go to Vulcan. Then, we're going to Altair. 307 00:15:30,797 --> 00:15:32,997 Then we're headed to Vulcan again. 308 00:15:32,999 --> 00:15:35,266 Now we're headed back to Altair. 309 00:15:35,268 --> 00:15:37,468 I think I'm going to get space-sick. 310 00:15:37,470 --> 00:15:41,222 For me as an individual Asian American actor, 311 00:15:41,224 --> 00:15:43,507 it was a personal breakthrough. 312 00:15:43,509 --> 00:15:46,527 But for Asians, the image of Asians, 313 00:15:46,529 --> 00:15:48,863 it was a tremendous breakthrough. 314 00:15:48,865 --> 00:15:52,617 We're dead still, Captain. Helm doesn't answer. 315 00:15:52,619 --> 00:15:54,152 We can't move. 316 00:15:54,154 --> 00:15:57,205 For the first time on television, 317 00:15:57,207 --> 00:16:01,525 Americans saw an Asian American speaking without an accent. 318 00:16:01,527 --> 00:16:03,694 It was not a stereotype role. 319 00:16:03,696 --> 00:16:05,830 I was without an accent, 320 00:16:05,832 --> 00:16:10,718 part of the leadership team of the starship Enterprise, 321 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:14,705 the best helmsman in Star Fleet, you know. 322 00:16:14,707 --> 00:16:18,476 And that was at a time when there was this whole stereotype 323 00:16:18,478 --> 00:16:21,479 about Asian drivers being terrible drivers. 324 00:16:21,481 --> 00:16:22,713 Well, I showed them. 325 00:16:22,715 --> 00:16:26,768 I was the best driver in the galaxy. 326 00:16:26,770 --> 00:16:28,653 Progress, Mr. Sulu? 327 00:16:28,655 --> 00:16:31,656 Sectors 1 through 25 charted and examined. 328 00:16:31,658 --> 00:16:33,724 No chance at all of power originating in those areas. 329 00:16:33,726 --> 00:16:39,730 Throughout the history of certainly movies and television, 330 00:16:39,732 --> 00:16:42,784 Asians were seen as "the other," 331 00:16:42,786 --> 00:16:46,587 and usually the scary or the threatening. 332 00:16:46,589 --> 00:16:51,542 That stereotype of Asian Americans as "the enemy" 333 00:16:51,544 --> 00:16:54,429 was all too real for George Takei 334 00:16:54,431 --> 00:16:57,598 from his very youngest days growing up in Los Angeles. 335 00:16:57,600 --> 00:16:59,717 I remember that morning and, in fact, 336 00:16:59,719 --> 00:17:01,602 I can never forget that morning, 337 00:17:01,604 --> 00:17:03,104 it was a terrifying morning. 338 00:17:03,106 --> 00:17:08,192 I was in the living room looking out the front window 339 00:17:08,194 --> 00:17:13,898 and I saw two soldiers come marching up our driveway 340 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:20,154 and I saw, at the end of their rifles, shiny bayonets. 341 00:17:20,156 --> 00:17:23,324 They stomped up to our front door, 342 00:17:23,326 --> 00:17:27,795 at our two-bedroom home on Garnet Street in Los Angeles, 343 00:17:27,797 --> 00:17:30,048 and banged on the front door. 344 00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:31,549 It was terrifying. 345 00:17:31,551 --> 00:17:35,586 My father answered, and we were ordered out of our home. 346 00:17:35,588 --> 00:17:40,141 George Takei's family had committed no crime. 347 00:17:40,143 --> 00:17:43,728 Along with thousands of other law-abiding Japanese-Americans, 348 00:17:43,730 --> 00:17:47,148 they were taken from their home in California in 1942 349 00:17:47,150 --> 00:17:50,568 and forced to relocate to an internment camp. 350 00:17:50,570 --> 00:17:52,070 The reason was this... 351 00:17:54,306 --> 00:17:59,143 On December 7th, 1941, Japan bombed the U.S. Navy base 352 00:17:59,145 --> 00:18:02,196 at Pearl Harbor. 353 00:18:02,198 --> 00:18:06,451 Overnight, America was at war with Japan 354 00:18:06,453 --> 00:18:08,819 and the U.S. government became suspicious 355 00:18:08,821 --> 00:18:10,755 of anyone of Japanese heritage. 356 00:18:10,757 --> 00:18:14,258 As a group, these U.S. citizens were labeled 357 00:18:14,260 --> 00:18:17,795 by their government as "enemy non-aliens." 358 00:18:17,797 --> 00:18:20,214 What's a non-alien? 359 00:18:20,216 --> 00:18:22,467 That's a citizen. 360 00:18:22,469 --> 00:18:25,669 They couldn't even call us citizens then, 361 00:18:25,671 --> 00:18:28,139 we were enemy non-aliens. 362 00:18:28,141 --> 00:18:29,941 Why? 363 00:18:29,943 --> 00:18:31,309 Because of this. 364 00:18:31,311 --> 00:18:35,613 We were taken to the horse stables. 365 00:18:35,615 --> 00:18:41,185 And thinking back now, I can't imagine how degrading 366 00:18:41,187 --> 00:18:46,407 and humiliating it must have been for my parents 367 00:18:46,409 --> 00:18:49,827 to take their three children, one a baby, 368 00:18:49,829 --> 00:18:53,247 from a two-bedroom home and told to sleep 369 00:18:53,249 --> 00:18:58,503 in that narrow, smelly horse stall. 370 00:18:58,505 --> 00:19:03,707 I remember the barbed wire fences and the sentry tower, 371 00:19:03,709 --> 00:19:06,010 the search light that followed me 372 00:19:06,012 --> 00:19:09,063 when I made the night runs from our barracks to the latrine. 373 00:19:09,065 --> 00:19:14,735 It was a racist act, pure and simple. 374 00:19:14,737 --> 00:19:18,889 And it was an unconstitutional act. 375 00:19:18,891 --> 00:19:23,194 You can't imprison people for their race, 376 00:19:23,196 --> 00:19:25,413 and that's what we were imprisoned for. 377 00:19:27,566 --> 00:19:30,451 Because of the internment, the Takei family -- 378 00:19:30,453 --> 00:19:33,838 like many others -- lost their home and their business. 379 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:35,373 But George never lost his dream. 380 00:19:37,843 --> 00:19:40,761 In the early 1950s, when he saw an ad in the newspaper 381 00:19:40,763 --> 00:19:44,382 to dub a Japanese monster movie, George Takei boldly took 382 00:19:44,384 --> 00:19:46,350 his first steps into show business. 383 00:19:46,352 --> 00:19:48,970 It was a thrilling experience. 384 00:19:48,972 --> 00:19:50,721 Look. Right out there. There it is! 385 00:19:50,723 --> 00:19:54,559 [Godzilla roaring] 386 00:19:54,561 --> 00:19:56,644 Get the squad in position. 387 00:19:56,646 --> 00:20:00,598 [Roaring] 388 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:05,069 I did about not quite a dozen voices in that. 389 00:20:05,071 --> 00:20:07,205 ANNOUNCER: This was war. 390 00:20:07,207 --> 00:20:10,958 A war of life and death between man and an enemy 391 00:20:10,960 --> 00:20:12,994 who seemed indestructible. 392 00:20:12,996 --> 00:20:16,780 And I had a lot of fun and they paid me for it to boot. 393 00:20:16,782 --> 00:20:20,918 And I thought, "Hm, this is what I enjoy doing." 394 00:20:23,005 --> 00:20:26,007 Soon George was landing on-camera roles, 395 00:20:26,009 --> 00:20:29,594 but in the early 1960s, parts for Asian Americans 396 00:20:29,596 --> 00:20:31,178 were hard to come by. 397 00:20:31,180 --> 00:20:33,764 Takei had a small role in "A Majority of One." 398 00:20:33,766 --> 00:20:36,183 The lead character, a Japanese businessman, 399 00:20:36,185 --> 00:20:39,637 was played by an English actor, Alec Guinness. 400 00:20:39,639 --> 00:20:41,072 I came in a taxi 401 00:20:41,074 --> 00:20:42,306 and I got out 402 00:20:42,308 --> 00:20:43,941 and he disappeared. 403 00:20:43,943 --> 00:20:46,244 I've been looking all around. 404 00:20:46,246 --> 00:20:47,995 There are no numbers. 405 00:20:47,997 --> 00:20:50,998 Now it is you who will cash call (catch cold). 406 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:53,668 Please do me the honor to enter my house. 407 00:21:00,008 --> 00:21:03,177 It is customary to remove your shoes. 408 00:21:03,179 --> 00:21:06,213 Oh, I don't mind. 409 00:21:06,215 --> 00:21:13,471 The make-up that he wore, it was so heavy handed. 410 00:21:13,473 --> 00:21:15,139 He looked reptilian 411 00:21:15,141 --> 00:21:22,012 with that layer of plaster or whatever he had on. 412 00:21:22,014 --> 00:21:25,983 In Japan, there's a festival for almost everything. 413 00:21:25,985 --> 00:21:28,452 In the spring it is Sho-non-noi. 414 00:21:28,454 --> 00:21:32,490 We have the same. In the spring, it's Shavuot. 415 00:21:34,293 --> 00:21:35,493 And the way he played it -- 416 00:21:35,495 --> 00:21:39,697 the smile looked reptilian -- you know, that... 417 00:21:39,699 --> 00:21:42,133 Isn't that strange, Mrs. Jacoby? 418 00:21:42,135 --> 00:21:45,386 TAKEI: It made me shiver, that very cavalier attitude 419 00:21:45,388 --> 00:21:50,808 toward the accent that he had, the whole thing was grotesque. 420 00:21:52,844 --> 00:21:55,346 Four years later, George got his chance 421 00:21:55,348 --> 00:21:57,548 to help break down stereotypes 422 00:21:57,550 --> 00:22:00,551 when he landed the role of Sulu on "Star Trek." 423 00:22:00,553 --> 00:22:01,885 You are Lieutenant Sulu. 424 00:22:01,887 --> 00:22:03,771 You were born on the planet Earth. 425 00:22:03,773 --> 00:22:05,773 You are helmsman for the Enterprise. 426 00:22:05,775 --> 00:22:08,693 How do you know this? Where did you get this information? 427 00:22:08,695 --> 00:22:10,911 Are you from this planet? 428 00:22:10,913 --> 00:22:12,396 I am from here. 429 00:22:12,398 --> 00:22:15,950 Then the planet is hollow. Who killed Lt. Diamato? 430 00:22:18,587 --> 00:22:20,504 Alright, the captain will want to talk to you. 431 00:22:20,506 --> 00:22:21,739 That way. 432 00:22:21,741 --> 00:22:24,742 I was always mindful of the fact that I had 433 00:22:24,744 --> 00:22:28,245 a special responsibility in the roles that I played. 434 00:22:28,247 --> 00:22:32,350 The Sulu character was a great step forward 435 00:22:32,352 --> 00:22:34,084 for Asian Americans on television, 436 00:22:34,086 --> 00:22:36,687 but it would be another quarter century 437 00:22:36,689 --> 00:22:39,423 before the nation saw the first TV series 438 00:22:39,425 --> 00:22:41,925 centered on an Asian American family. 439 00:22:41,927 --> 00:22:44,094 What do you think your mom would say if she could see us now? 440 00:22:44,096 --> 00:22:46,814 Oh, I know what she'd say -- "No tongue kissing! 441 00:22:46,816 --> 00:22:49,533 No tongue kissing!" 442 00:22:49,535 --> 00:22:51,902 Well, I guess I'd better take off. 443 00:22:51,904 --> 00:22:53,320 Thanks for the movie. 444 00:22:53,322 --> 00:22:54,955 That was good, huh? 445 00:22:54,957 --> 00:22:57,274 That was weird, though, with all those empty seats, 446 00:22:57,276 --> 00:22:59,243 the way that Korean guy sat right next to you. 447 00:23:02,247 --> 00:23:05,750 "All American Girl" premiered in 1994 448 00:23:05,752 --> 00:23:07,835 as a vehicle for comedian Margaret Cho. 449 00:23:09,504 --> 00:23:12,423 From the beginning, Cho faced enormous pressure 450 00:23:12,425 --> 00:23:14,124 to deliver a mainstream hit. 451 00:23:14,126 --> 00:23:16,627 I didn't have these attributes that they think of 452 00:23:16,629 --> 00:23:18,896 when they think of a female star of a show. 453 00:23:18,898 --> 00:23:21,098 I wasn't thin, I wasn't white -- 454 00:23:21,100 --> 00:23:24,802 I think that because I wasn't white, 455 00:23:24,804 --> 00:23:29,607 they had to somehow make me conform in other ways that 456 00:23:29,609 --> 00:23:33,277 would make me more palatable to an audience. 457 00:23:33,279 --> 00:23:36,447 The major problem was that I was too overweight 458 00:23:36,449 --> 00:23:38,482 to play the role of myself, 459 00:23:38,484 --> 00:23:40,317 which is insane if you think about it, 460 00:23:40,319 --> 00:23:42,953 but I didn't know that then, I just wanted to keep my job. 461 00:23:42,955 --> 00:23:46,424 Just before this first episode was filmed, 462 00:23:46,426 --> 00:23:49,827 Cho was encouraged to go on a crash diet, 463 00:23:49,829 --> 00:23:52,162 losing 30 pounds in two weeks. 464 00:23:52,164 --> 00:23:56,016 Her kidneys shut down, leading to long term health problems. 465 00:23:56,018 --> 00:23:59,220 Oh, she makes me so crazy. Why does she make me so crazy? 466 00:23:59,222 --> 00:24:01,505 Maybe because you're so much alike. 467 00:24:01,507 --> 00:24:03,841 -Alike? Mom and me? -Oh, yeah. 468 00:24:03,843 --> 00:24:06,510 Please, how are we alike? 469 00:24:06,512 --> 00:24:10,231 For starters, you're both very beautiful, very smart. 470 00:24:10,233 --> 00:24:13,400 Well, yeah, in that way. 471 00:24:13,402 --> 00:24:16,320 When you're the first person 472 00:24:16,322 --> 00:24:19,874 to kind of cross over this racial barrier, 473 00:24:19,876 --> 00:24:23,077 then you're scrutinized 474 00:24:23,079 --> 00:24:25,329 for all these other things that have nothing to do with race, 475 00:24:25,331 --> 00:24:26,914 but they have everything to do with race. 476 00:24:26,916 --> 00:24:29,199 It's a very strange thing. 477 00:24:29,201 --> 00:24:32,920 The scrutiny extended beyond just Cho. 478 00:24:32,922 --> 00:24:35,673 Although the series portrayed a Korean family, 479 00:24:35,675 --> 00:24:38,342 some of the actors were Chinese and Japanese. 480 00:24:38,344 --> 00:24:41,011 There was like an issue with that, 481 00:24:41,013 --> 00:24:43,097 that they weren't all Korean. 482 00:24:43,099 --> 00:24:45,716 And yet, there's always actors -- 483 00:24:45,718 --> 00:24:48,018 white actors doing different accents, 484 00:24:48,020 --> 00:24:50,554 doing things that are not of their origin. 485 00:24:50,556 --> 00:24:53,524 And so for some reason, we were held up 486 00:24:53,526 --> 00:24:56,494 into this sort of scrutiny or this need 487 00:24:56,496 --> 00:25:00,364 for cultural authenticity that white people were not. 488 00:25:00,366 --> 00:25:03,233 "All American Girl" lasted just two seasons, 489 00:25:03,235 --> 00:25:06,587 a casualty of too much pressure from too many forces. 490 00:25:06,589 --> 00:25:09,573 Decades later, Cho's sitcom remains 491 00:25:09,575 --> 00:25:12,793 the only broadcast series ever to focus 492 00:25:12,795 --> 00:25:14,628 on an Asian American family. 493 00:25:14,630 --> 00:25:19,216 So much emphasis was put on our ethnicity 494 00:25:19,218 --> 00:25:21,352 and the fact that we were Asian-American. 495 00:25:21,354 --> 00:25:22,853 That took us out of comedy. 496 00:25:22,855 --> 00:25:26,256 It took us out of the job that we were supposed to do, 497 00:25:26,258 --> 00:25:29,894 which was to be 22 minutes of comedy. 498 00:25:32,063 --> 00:25:35,933 Unlike Asian Americans, Latinos were visible 499 00:25:35,935 --> 00:25:37,985 in TV's earliest years, 500 00:25:37,987 --> 00:25:41,155 thanks to a leading role on the biggest show of the era. 501 00:25:41,157 --> 00:25:47,161 Lucy, before I kill you, 502 00:25:47,163 --> 00:25:49,129 would you mind telling me the details? 503 00:25:49,131 --> 00:25:50,948 Well, you were so smart last night and you knew 504 00:25:50,950 --> 00:25:52,716 all the answers and I thought you were a cinch 505 00:25:52,718 --> 00:25:54,718 to win all the money so I called the radio station... 506 00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:56,837 And why did you call the station without asking me first? 507 00:25:56,839 --> 00:25:58,839 Well, how did know that you were faking? 508 00:25:58,841 --> 00:26:01,141 I thought you were an overgrown Cuban quiz kid. 509 00:26:04,963 --> 00:26:08,632 "I Love Lucy" made Lucille Ball a beloved icon, 510 00:26:08,634 --> 00:26:11,485 but, at the time, few understood the key role 511 00:26:11,487 --> 00:26:14,605 her husband, Desi Arnaz, played in Lucy's success. 512 00:26:14,607 --> 00:26:16,574 She said, "I used to come in. 513 00:26:16,576 --> 00:26:19,142 Desi would have done everything with the scripts 514 00:26:19,144 --> 00:26:21,779 and this and that and all I had to do is be Lucy." 515 00:26:23,782 --> 00:26:26,700 Desi oversaw every aspect of production, 516 00:26:26,702 --> 00:26:28,986 including the creation of the first sitcom 517 00:26:28,988 --> 00:26:30,955 filmed in front of a live audience. 518 00:26:30,957 --> 00:26:33,591 In the early 1950s, the technical challenge 519 00:26:33,593 --> 00:26:36,994 of coordinating three cameras and an audience in real time 520 00:26:36,996 --> 00:26:38,762 was considered insurmountable. 521 00:26:38,764 --> 00:26:41,265 But Desi found a way. 522 00:26:41,267 --> 00:26:47,304 And bless Desi Arnaz for creating three camera. 523 00:26:47,306 --> 00:26:49,273 Because I think Lucy liked an audience. 524 00:26:49,275 --> 00:26:51,942 You could find out what's funny or not with an audience. 525 00:26:51,944 --> 00:26:53,644 They're faster than anything. 526 00:26:53,646 --> 00:26:57,314 From scratch, Arnaz built Desilu into a powerhouse studio 527 00:26:57,316 --> 00:27:00,401 that would go on to produce "The Untouchables," 528 00:27:00,403 --> 00:27:03,570 "Mission Impossible," "Mannix," and "Star Trek." 529 00:27:03,572 --> 00:27:07,041 But it was "I Love Lucy" that made Desi Arnaz 530 00:27:07,043 --> 00:27:08,492 a household name. 531 00:27:08,494 --> 00:27:12,046 ¶ I'm on my way to Cuba ¶ 532 00:27:12,048 --> 00:27:15,966 ¶ That's where I'm goin' ¶ 533 00:27:15,968 --> 00:27:20,971 ¶ Cuba, that's where I'll stay ¶¶ 534 00:27:20,973 --> 00:27:23,173 Given Desi's role 535 00:27:23,175 --> 00:27:25,759 as the highest profile Latino in America, 536 00:27:25,761 --> 00:27:28,562 Ball and Arnaz worked hard to ensure "I Love Lucy" 537 00:27:28,564 --> 00:27:30,981 didn't perpetuate ethnic stereotypes. 538 00:27:30,983 --> 00:27:33,400 Ricky Ricardo was an intelligent, 539 00:27:33,402 --> 00:27:35,052 successful businessman. 540 00:27:35,054 --> 00:27:37,688 And the only person allowed to make jokes 541 00:27:37,690 --> 00:27:39,523 about his accent was his wife. 542 00:27:39,525 --> 00:27:42,893 Lucy, this is absolutely fantastic. 543 00:27:42,895 --> 00:27:45,029 It's just unbelievable. 544 00:27:45,031 --> 00:27:47,064 I would like a logical explanation of it. 545 00:27:47,066 --> 00:27:51,085 Well, I'd like a lo-gical 'splanation of it, too. 546 00:27:54,589 --> 00:27:56,790 Desi and Lucy divorced in 1960, 547 00:27:56,792 --> 00:27:59,710 but they remained friends for decades. 548 00:27:59,712 --> 00:28:03,780 Betty White was with Lucy on the day Desi died. 549 00:28:03,782 --> 00:28:07,417 And it was such a shock to her, because, let's face it, 550 00:28:07,419 --> 00:28:12,022 there's a certain part of a real love that never goes away. 551 00:28:12,024 --> 00:28:15,976 And it was an experience to see her react to that. 552 00:28:18,096 --> 00:28:20,430 After Desi Arnaz left the air, 553 00:28:20,432 --> 00:28:24,267 Latinos found themselves relegated to secondary parts. 554 00:28:24,269 --> 00:28:27,104 Television wouldn't see another Latino in a marquee role 555 00:28:27,106 --> 00:28:28,605 until the 1980s. 556 00:28:28,607 --> 00:28:31,125 -Listen, Lou. -No, you listen! 557 00:28:31,127 --> 00:28:35,662 I haven't heard word one from you for a whole stinkin' week. 558 00:28:35,664 --> 00:28:37,214 No case reviews, no updates, 559 00:28:37,216 --> 00:28:39,299 no progress reports and no backups! 560 00:28:41,469 --> 00:28:44,254 In the first few episodes of "Miami Vice," 561 00:28:44,256 --> 00:28:47,057 Gregory Sierra played the lieutenant in charge. 562 00:28:47,059 --> 00:28:49,309 But the Crockett and Tubbs characters 563 00:28:49,311 --> 00:28:51,729 had so so little respect for their boss, 564 00:28:51,731 --> 00:28:53,130 Sierra left the series. 565 00:28:53,132 --> 00:28:55,599 Go home, you guys, get some rest. 566 00:28:57,318 --> 00:28:58,852 I mean it. 567 00:29:03,975 --> 00:29:07,978 Replacing Sierra was Edward James Olmos. 568 00:29:07,980 --> 00:29:10,197 Lieutenant, I want you to meet my boss. 569 00:29:10,199 --> 00:29:12,649 This is Lt. Martin Castillo, Lt. John Malone. 570 00:29:12,651 --> 00:29:14,118 Good to meet you, Lieutenant. 571 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,987 Olmos had negotiated 572 00:29:16,989 --> 00:29:19,456 for creative control over his character, 573 00:29:19,458 --> 00:29:22,176 and he didn't want to see a Latino authority figure 574 00:29:22,178 --> 00:29:23,627 get disrespected. 575 00:29:23,629 --> 00:29:26,213 And the very first scene that I did, 576 00:29:26,215 --> 00:29:28,382 I was supposed to say one thing, 577 00:29:28,384 --> 00:29:31,185 and when Philip Michael Thomas gets into my face... 578 00:29:31,187 --> 00:29:33,554 Hey, whose side are you on? 579 00:29:33,556 --> 00:29:35,839 I'm supposed to say one thing, and I say, 580 00:29:35,841 --> 00:29:38,675 "Don't ever come up into my face like this again, Detective." 581 00:29:38,677 --> 00:29:43,897 Don't ever come up to my face like this again, Detective. 582 00:29:43,899 --> 00:29:47,317 And that's not written. It was not written. 583 00:29:47,319 --> 00:29:50,621 So, I say that, and he is standing right in front of me 584 00:29:50,623 --> 00:29:52,623 and now he's stuck, because he wasn't expecting that. 585 00:29:54,025 --> 00:29:55,209 C'mon. 586 00:29:56,411 --> 00:30:00,297 From that day, for the next 12 shows, 587 00:30:00,299 --> 00:30:03,667 I never looked at either one of those two guys 588 00:30:03,669 --> 00:30:05,469 on camera again -- ever. 589 00:30:05,471 --> 00:30:08,205 Everything was like... 590 00:30:08,207 --> 00:30:10,207 you know, they'd come walking in and I just listened 591 00:30:10,209 --> 00:30:11,875 to the things that they were talking about 592 00:30:11,877 --> 00:30:13,010 and I'd talk to the wall. 593 00:30:13,012 --> 00:30:15,596 C'mon, let us in on the sweep. 594 00:30:15,598 --> 00:30:18,381 Go home. Get some rest. 595 00:30:18,383 --> 00:30:21,351 I would stand up and talk to the wall -- 596 00:30:21,353 --> 00:30:23,270 literally talk to the wall. 597 00:30:23,272 --> 00:30:27,057 Gentlemen, we're looking at about $75 million on the street. 598 00:30:27,059 --> 00:30:28,391 Is it Jorgensen's? 599 00:30:28,393 --> 00:30:30,911 -It's somebody's. -Let's sit on it. 600 00:30:30,913 --> 00:30:32,663 So, the tension was built 601 00:30:32,665 --> 00:30:37,400 and it became a beautiful, beautiful example 602 00:30:37,402 --> 00:30:40,904 of really construction of scene 603 00:30:40,906 --> 00:30:42,506 and it really worked very well. 604 00:30:42,508 --> 00:30:43,624 The show took off. 605 00:30:43,626 --> 00:30:46,260 Before "Miami Vice," 606 00:30:46,262 --> 00:30:51,081 Edward James Olmos had mostly played ethnic "bad guys." 607 00:30:51,083 --> 00:30:54,351 To land better roles, one casting director suggested 608 00:30:54,353 --> 00:30:56,970 he change his stage name from Eddy Olmos 609 00:30:56,972 --> 00:30:59,056 to something more "Anglo." 610 00:30:59,058 --> 00:31:00,390 "Don't use Eddy Olmos." 611 00:31:00,392 --> 00:31:02,025 I said, "Excuse me?" 612 00:31:02,027 --> 00:31:08,031 He says, "That's not a name. It's not a star name. 613 00:31:08,033 --> 00:31:10,234 It's not a name that's gonna get you 614 00:31:10,236 --> 00:31:13,103 any kind of recognition, and it's kind of ethnic." 615 00:31:13,105 --> 00:31:15,122 I said, "Oh, I get it, oh my god. 616 00:31:15,124 --> 00:31:16,540 You're absolutely right. 617 00:31:16,542 --> 00:31:18,876 What am I doing here, you're so right. 618 00:31:18,878 --> 00:31:22,913 My name, thank you, I forever will thank you for this, man. 619 00:31:22,915 --> 00:31:25,749 From now on, everyone is going to have to use 620 00:31:25,751 --> 00:31:31,171 Edward James Olmos -- write the whole thing out." 621 00:31:31,173 --> 00:31:34,057 And I walked out the door and the guy just shook his head 622 00:31:34,059 --> 00:31:36,426 and said, "Well, you didn't get it at all." 623 00:31:36,428 --> 00:31:39,179 After "Miami Vice," 624 00:31:39,181 --> 00:31:44,151 Olmos starred in a range of important Latino themed roles. 625 00:31:44,153 --> 00:31:47,654 But it was his starring turn on "Battlestar Galactica" 626 00:31:47,656 --> 00:31:50,107 that Olmos believed had the greatest impact 627 00:31:50,109 --> 00:31:51,325 in changing racial views. 628 00:31:51,327 --> 00:31:54,077 Commander Adama. 629 00:31:58,316 --> 00:31:59,666 Thank you very much. 630 00:31:59,668 --> 00:32:04,671 The Silon war is long over. 631 00:32:04,673 --> 00:32:07,374 Yet, we must not forget the reasons 632 00:32:07,376 --> 00:32:12,162 why so many sacrificed so much in the cause of freedom. 633 00:32:12,164 --> 00:32:15,999 "Battlestar Galactica" is the best use of television 634 00:32:16,001 --> 00:32:17,884 I've ever been a part of, ever. 635 00:32:17,886 --> 00:32:21,355 You know, when we fought the Silons, 636 00:32:21,357 --> 00:32:24,441 we did it to save ourselves from extinction, 637 00:32:24,443 --> 00:32:27,010 but we never answered the question "Why? 638 00:32:27,012 --> 00:32:32,282 Why are we, as a people, worth saving?" 639 00:32:32,284 --> 00:32:35,185 There's only one race and that's what the show is really about. 640 00:32:35,187 --> 00:32:36,653 It's the human race. Period. 641 00:32:36,655 --> 00:32:39,039 That's the first time that a Latino 642 00:32:39,041 --> 00:32:41,658 has been placed in that position, ever. 643 00:32:41,660 --> 00:32:43,660 How long until you storm the ship? 644 00:32:43,662 --> 00:32:45,829 I'm hoping that won't be necessary. 645 00:32:45,831 --> 00:32:48,165 I think that you and I can come up 646 00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:50,550 with some kind of an understanding. 647 00:32:50,552 --> 00:32:55,138 This is not the only crisis that I'm dealing with. 648 00:32:55,140 --> 00:32:57,174 Water shortage affects the entire fleet. 649 00:32:57,176 --> 00:33:01,678 Your men are on their way even as we speak. 650 00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:03,814 There's still time to work this out. 651 00:33:03,816 --> 00:33:06,383 Have the president step down and call for elections. 652 00:33:06,385 --> 00:33:08,118 That's not gonna happen. 653 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:08,185 Then I look forward to meeting your men 654 00:33:08,187 --> 00:33:11,054 That's not gonna happen. 655 00:33:11,056 --> 00:33:13,240 I'll never forget the phone call I received 656 00:33:13,242 --> 00:33:15,058 from a very close and dear friend. 657 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:17,911 She was crying on the phone, and I said, "What's the matter?" 658 00:33:17,913 --> 00:33:21,415 She goes, "My nephew just called 659 00:33:21,417 --> 00:33:27,371 and he's 12 years old and he was so excited. 660 00:33:27,373 --> 00:33:30,624 He just couldn't, he just kept on saying, 661 00:33:30,626 --> 00:33:34,594 We're in the future. We're in the future. 662 00:33:34,596 --> 00:33:36,596 I saw it. 663 00:33:36,598 --> 00:33:40,550 You know, I saw 'Battlestar' and we're in the future." 664 00:33:43,587 --> 00:33:45,439 Shows like "Battlestar" and "Star Trek" 665 00:33:45,441 --> 00:33:47,024 visualized a future in which 666 00:33:47,026 --> 00:33:49,192 people of every ethnicity worked together. 667 00:33:51,729 --> 00:33:53,030 But an alien watching 668 00:33:53,032 --> 00:33:55,532 the first 30 years of American television 669 00:33:55,534 --> 00:33:58,201 would have drawn a very different conclusion 670 00:33:58,203 --> 00:33:59,486 about America's past. 671 00:33:59,488 --> 00:34:01,955 Because television of the 1950s and '60s 672 00:34:01,957 --> 00:34:04,324 portrayed a nation where people of color 673 00:34:04,326 --> 00:34:05,709 were all but invisible. 674 00:34:07,745 --> 00:34:10,664 From its beginnings in the late 1940s, 675 00:34:10,666 --> 00:34:13,800 television was a nearly all-white medium. 676 00:34:13,802 --> 00:34:15,952 Yet even in its infancy, 677 00:34:15,954 --> 00:34:19,806 there were forces pressing for integration. 678 00:34:19,808 --> 00:34:21,341 For example, Milton Berle 679 00:34:21,343 --> 00:34:23,477 championed African American acts, 680 00:34:23,479 --> 00:34:25,896 beginning with the Four Step Brothers. 681 00:34:25,898 --> 00:34:27,097 Here they are, 682 00:34:27,099 --> 00:34:29,316 the dynamic Four Stepbrothers. 683 00:34:40,361 --> 00:34:42,412 [Cheering] 684 00:34:46,117 --> 00:34:50,087 Ed Sullivan fought to book African Americans on his show, 685 00:34:50,089 --> 00:34:53,006 as did daytime talk show host Betty White. 686 00:34:53,008 --> 00:34:55,542 And I had this wonderful dancer, Arthur Duncan. 687 00:34:55,544 --> 00:35:00,130 And all through the South there was this whole ruckus. 688 00:35:00,132 --> 00:35:02,499 They were going to take our show off the air 689 00:35:02,501 --> 00:35:05,218 if we didn't get rid of Arthur because he was black. 690 00:35:05,220 --> 00:35:07,971 So I said, "I'm sorry but, you know, 691 00:35:07,973 --> 00:35:10,307 he stays or... live with it." 692 00:35:10,309 --> 00:35:14,277 In most TV shows, people of color were visible 693 00:35:14,279 --> 00:35:16,613 only in highly stereotyped roles -- 694 00:35:16,615 --> 00:35:19,382 like the Mexican banditos of "The Cisco Kid." 695 00:35:19,384 --> 00:35:22,235 So why do we have to ride so far to look for trouble 696 00:35:22,237 --> 00:35:24,538 when we had plenty trouble where we was? 697 00:35:24,540 --> 00:35:28,241 A little trouble here and a little trouble there. 698 00:35:28,243 --> 00:35:30,827 Yeah, a little trouble here, a little trouble there. 699 00:35:30,829 --> 00:35:33,029 You put them all together they spell Cisco. 700 00:35:33,031 --> 00:35:37,167 Ha ha ha! Come on! iAndale! 701 00:35:37,169 --> 00:35:40,137 "Oh Poncho, oh Cisco, oh Poncho, oh Cisco!" 702 00:35:40,139 --> 00:35:43,140 It was like "Ohh, Cisco!" 703 00:35:43,142 --> 00:35:46,376 And then he would be smoking his little cigarillos -- 704 00:35:46,378 --> 00:35:49,846 and then he would put it in the back here 705 00:35:49,848 --> 00:35:51,148 while it was lit. 706 00:35:56,554 --> 00:36:02,492 I remember seeing "Secrets of the Sierra Madre," you know, 707 00:36:02,494 --> 00:36:04,227 in which... 708 00:36:04,229 --> 00:36:06,613 "I don't need no stinking badges" 709 00:36:06,615 --> 00:36:08,331 was, you know, put forth. 710 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:13,203 And that was like the epitome of the stereotype of the bandito. 711 00:36:13,205 --> 00:36:17,424 We are federales, you know, the mounted police. 712 00:36:17,426 --> 00:36:19,543 If you're the police, where are your badges? 713 00:36:19,545 --> 00:36:23,763 Badges? We ain't got no badges. 714 00:36:23,765 --> 00:36:25,799 We don't need no badges. 715 00:36:25,801 --> 00:36:28,051 I don't have to show you any stinking badges! 716 00:36:30,221 --> 00:36:33,223 Native Americans faced an even bigger obstacle. 717 00:36:33,225 --> 00:36:37,277 Not only were they portrayed on television as stereotypes, 718 00:36:37,279 --> 00:36:39,946 the acting jobs often went to Caucasians. 719 00:36:39,948 --> 00:36:42,449 Nowadays, by the way, the chances are -- 720 00:36:42,451 --> 00:36:43,733 and rightfully so -- 721 00:36:43,735 --> 00:36:46,769 they probably would have got a very good Indian actor 722 00:36:46,771 --> 00:36:50,073 to play that part, but in those days, they didn't do that. 723 00:36:50,075 --> 00:36:52,742 They used Caucasian guys to play Indians. 724 00:36:52,744 --> 00:36:56,580 The exception was Jay Silverheels, 725 00:36:56,582 --> 00:36:59,833 a Mohawk who landed the role of Tonto on "The Lone Ranger." 726 00:36:59,835 --> 00:37:01,635 Here hat. 727 00:37:01,637 --> 00:37:05,121 Me wash in stream, dry in sun, make whiter. 728 00:37:05,123 --> 00:37:07,624 Thanks, Tonto. 729 00:37:07,626 --> 00:37:10,343 Here gun to kill bad men. 730 00:37:10,345 --> 00:37:12,596 I'm not going to do any killing. 731 00:37:12,598 --> 00:37:14,130 You will not defend yourself? 732 00:37:14,132 --> 00:37:16,149 Oh, I'll shoot if I have to, 733 00:37:16,151 --> 00:37:19,019 but I'll shoot to wound, not to kill. 734 00:37:19,021 --> 00:37:20,487 That's right, Kemosabe. 735 00:37:20,489 --> 00:37:24,074 Silverheels was never content 736 00:37:24,076 --> 00:37:26,576 with Tonto's one-dimensional personality, 737 00:37:26,578 --> 00:37:30,113 but when the series ended, other roles were scarce. 738 00:37:30,115 --> 00:37:33,199 When you think of all the cowboy and Indian movies 739 00:37:33,201 --> 00:37:34,501 that were made, 740 00:37:34,503 --> 00:37:38,004 that they would not have even asked him to be part of. 741 00:37:38,006 --> 00:37:41,625 And I don't know that he would have wanted to be part of it, 742 00:37:41,627 --> 00:37:45,795 because it told a very skewed story. 743 00:37:45,797 --> 00:37:48,715 You all alone now. Last man. 744 00:37:48,717 --> 00:37:51,017 You are Lone Ranger. 745 00:37:51,019 --> 00:37:56,222 Yes, Tonto, I am a Lone Ranger. 746 00:37:58,643 --> 00:38:01,278 In the '50s and early '60s, 747 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,530 African Americans were also marginalized 748 00:38:03,532 --> 00:38:05,615 in largely one-dimensional roles... 749 00:38:05,617 --> 00:38:07,517 nearly always playing the servant. 750 00:38:07,519 --> 00:38:09,619 Eddie Anderson on "Jack Benny," 751 00:38:09,621 --> 00:38:11,805 Ethel Waters on "Beulah," 752 00:38:11,807 --> 00:38:14,074 Amanda Randolph on "Make Room For Daddy." 753 00:38:14,076 --> 00:38:15,792 Louise is going to play for you 754 00:38:15,794 --> 00:38:16,993 now a selection from 755 00:38:16,995 --> 00:38:18,411 her latest album entitled 756 00:38:18,413 --> 00:38:22,198 "Music to Fry Pancakes By." 757 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:25,635 ¶ I can't give you anything ¶ 758 00:38:25,637 --> 00:38:29,038 ¶ But love, baby ¶ 759 00:38:29,040 --> 00:38:30,974 ¶ That's the only thing ¶ 760 00:38:30,976 --> 00:38:34,844 ¶ I've plenty of, baby ¶¶ 761 00:38:34,846 --> 00:38:39,933 Asian Americans faced similar stereotyping. 762 00:38:39,935 --> 00:38:42,885 Even martial arts master Bruce Lee was relegated 763 00:38:42,887 --> 00:38:46,406 to the role of subservient houseboy on "The Green Hornet." 764 00:38:46,408 --> 00:38:50,110 We're heading for another clash with the Caped Crusaders 765 00:38:50,112 --> 00:38:51,578 and I don't like it. 766 00:38:51,580 --> 00:38:54,998 Why not? We've never run away from trouble before. 767 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,401 Yes, but this double identity poses extra problems this time. 768 00:38:58,403 --> 00:39:00,670 We know they're heroic crime fighters. 769 00:39:00,672 --> 00:39:02,205 They think we're criminals. 770 00:39:02,207 --> 00:39:03,573 We must come out on top 771 00:39:03,575 --> 00:39:06,376 but they mustn't suffer. 772 00:39:06,378 --> 00:39:07,761 Kung Fu is Kung Fu. 773 00:39:07,763 --> 00:39:09,379 It's not child's play. 774 00:39:09,381 --> 00:39:13,416 The fact is that Asian Americans were so invisible in television 775 00:39:13,418 --> 00:39:15,418 that when one does appear, 776 00:39:15,420 --> 00:39:18,304 they can't just appear on their own, 777 00:39:18,306 --> 00:39:21,024 there has to be a whole back story 778 00:39:21,026 --> 00:39:23,059 to justify their existence. 779 00:39:23,061 --> 00:39:25,111 And you see this on crime shows, 780 00:39:25,113 --> 00:39:27,280 like when you see an Asian person, 781 00:39:27,282 --> 00:39:29,816 there is always a "trouble in Chinatown." 782 00:39:29,818 --> 00:39:34,571 In the 1950s and '60s, just one network show 783 00:39:34,573 --> 00:39:36,289 featured an all-black cast -- 784 00:39:36,291 --> 00:39:39,492 and it quickly became a lightning rod for controversy. 785 00:39:39,494 --> 00:39:42,078 What kind of fur is this anyway, Kingfish? 786 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:45,165 Andy, that's the rarest of all wildlife, 787 00:39:45,167 --> 00:39:49,285 the rare and beautiful and elusive mink. 788 00:39:49,287 --> 00:39:50,420 Mink? 789 00:39:50,422 --> 00:39:54,891 Yeah, Andy, just like this animal here. 790 00:39:54,893 --> 00:39:57,761 That looks more like a fox to me. 791 00:39:57,763 --> 00:40:01,464 Oh, Andy, that's a long legged mink. 792 00:40:01,466 --> 00:40:02,849 I seen a mink in a window once 793 00:40:02,851 --> 00:40:04,768 but it didn't look nothin' like this. 794 00:40:06,987 --> 00:40:11,006 "Amos 'n' Andy" premiered on television in 1951. 795 00:40:11,008 --> 00:40:12,075 It was hysterical. 796 00:40:12,077 --> 00:40:14,477 It was not just funny, it was hysterical. 797 00:40:14,479 --> 00:40:17,914 Amos and Andy, of course, were hysterical. 798 00:40:17,916 --> 00:40:20,250 I think I know a lot of people like Amos and Andy. 799 00:40:20,252 --> 00:40:22,118 Amos and Andy -- these are actors 800 00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:24,871 and they were brilliant actors, they made you laugh. 801 00:40:24,873 --> 00:40:28,541 First and foremost, yeah, it was funny. 802 00:40:28,543 --> 00:40:30,427 I mean... 803 00:40:30,429 --> 00:40:31,494 they were good. 804 00:40:31,496 --> 00:40:32,995 Would you mind telling the court 805 00:40:32,997 --> 00:40:35,515 under just what circumstances you met the defendant? 806 00:40:35,517 --> 00:40:39,803 Well, it was about 18 years ago at a carnival. 807 00:40:39,805 --> 00:40:41,387 I reached into my pocket to get my wallet 808 00:40:41,389 --> 00:40:42,722 and shook hands with Mr. Stevens. 809 00:40:42,724 --> 00:40:46,559 [Laughter] 810 00:40:46,561 --> 00:40:49,846 My mother would make me watch it from outside the house. 811 00:40:49,848 --> 00:40:52,198 I mean, I'd have to watch it in the backyard, 812 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:54,534 looking through my bedroom window at the TV, 813 00:40:54,536 --> 00:40:59,372 because I would laugh so hard, I mean, it got physical. 814 00:40:59,374 --> 00:41:01,958 My mother said, "Amos 'n' Andy is coming on, you go outside. 815 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,027 You're not going to break my furniture tonight." 816 00:41:04,029 --> 00:41:07,297 Despite its popularity, 817 00:41:07,299 --> 00:41:09,599 "Amos 'n' Andy" was seen by many 818 00:41:09,601 --> 00:41:12,068 as perpetuating racial stereotypes. 819 00:41:12,070 --> 00:41:14,704 Pressure from the NAACP and others 820 00:41:14,706 --> 00:41:16,506 led to the series' cancellation. 821 00:41:16,508 --> 00:41:18,107 So I didn't see that 822 00:41:18,109 --> 00:41:21,644 as perpetuating a negative stereotype, some people did. 823 00:41:21,646 --> 00:41:23,713 And then the NAACP got involved 824 00:41:23,715 --> 00:41:26,766 and they got "Amos 'n' Andy" taken off the air 825 00:41:26,768 --> 00:41:29,652 and they wanted every black character on television 826 00:41:29,654 --> 00:41:32,689 to carry an attache case and wear a suit and a tie -- 827 00:41:32,691 --> 00:41:36,860 which, that's just taking it to the extreme in the other way. 828 00:41:36,862 --> 00:41:40,079 How about a little ditty called "Just You, Just Me"? 829 00:41:42,566 --> 00:41:46,503 In 1956, Nat King Cole became the first African American 830 00:41:46,505 --> 00:41:49,088 to star in a network variety show. 831 00:41:49,090 --> 00:41:52,509 ¶ Just you ¶ 832 00:41:52,511 --> 00:41:54,511 ¶ Just me ¶ 833 00:41:54,513 --> 00:41:59,248 ¶ Let's find a cozy spot to cuddle and woo ¶ 834 00:41:59,250 --> 00:42:04,354 Ratings were good, and NBC did all it could 835 00:42:04,356 --> 00:42:07,106 to keep Nat King Cole's series on the air 836 00:42:07,108 --> 00:42:08,808 but no national advertiser 837 00:42:08,810 --> 00:42:11,444 would buy commercial time on the show. 838 00:42:11,446 --> 00:42:15,264 In an era when ad agencies controlled television, 839 00:42:15,266 --> 00:42:18,234 it was Madison Avenue that killed Cole's show, 840 00:42:18,236 --> 00:42:21,037 after just one year. 841 00:42:21,039 --> 00:42:28,444 ¶ Pretend you're happy when you're blue ¶ 842 00:42:28,446 --> 00:42:34,300 ¶ It isn't very hard to do ¶ 843 00:42:34,302 --> 00:42:40,423 ¶ And you'll find happiness without an end ¶ 844 00:42:40,425 --> 00:42:45,178 ¶ Whenever you pretend ¶ 845 00:42:47,130 --> 00:42:48,648 Gradually in the 1960s, 846 00:42:48,650 --> 00:42:50,967 producers began to push networks 847 00:42:50,969 --> 00:42:53,653 to allow more roles for people of color. 848 00:42:53,655 --> 00:42:55,572 But the networks were nervous. 849 00:42:55,574 --> 00:42:57,323 When producer Bruce Geller 850 00:42:57,325 --> 00:42:59,742 cast Greg Morris on "Mission Impossible," 851 00:42:59,744 --> 00:43:01,194 the network wanted to ensure 852 00:43:01,196 --> 00:43:03,413 there would never be even a hint of romance 853 00:43:03,415 --> 00:43:05,865 between Morris' character and Barbara Bain. 854 00:43:05,867 --> 00:43:10,486 It became an issue of panic for the network 855 00:43:10,488 --> 00:43:13,840 before we went on the air. 856 00:43:13,842 --> 00:43:16,826 They just were really frightened. 857 00:43:16,828 --> 00:43:19,345 The network repeatedly instructed Bain 858 00:43:19,347 --> 00:43:21,831 to avoid getting anywhere near Morris 859 00:43:21,833 --> 00:43:23,549 when the camera was rolling. 860 00:43:23,551 --> 00:43:25,351 So we managed to get them together 861 00:43:25,353 --> 00:43:29,505 in the apartment scene all the time as much as we could. 862 00:43:29,507 --> 00:43:32,558 Will there be any flames? 863 00:43:32,560 --> 00:43:33,676 Yes, 864 00:43:33,678 --> 00:43:34,861 an effluence 865 00:43:34,863 --> 00:43:37,513 of carbonaceous opaque material. 866 00:43:37,515 --> 00:43:38,514 Thanks. 867 00:43:38,516 --> 00:43:40,617 A lot of smoke. 868 00:43:40,619 --> 00:43:41,701 Nobody likes a -- 869 00:43:41,703 --> 00:43:43,953 Sorry. 870 00:43:46,690 --> 00:43:49,358 When Bruce Geller took the reins on "Mannix," 871 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:51,160 he pushed the envelope further, 872 00:43:51,162 --> 00:43:54,196 by casting Gail Fisher in a lead role 873 00:43:54,198 --> 00:43:55,965 opposite Mike Connors. 874 00:43:55,967 --> 00:43:59,502 CBS balked, but Geller was persistent. 875 00:43:59,504 --> 00:44:03,306 He said, "CBS is not too hot on it." 876 00:44:03,308 --> 00:44:05,224 He said, "They're giving me a bad time." 877 00:44:05,226 --> 00:44:07,710 And I said, "Why? He says, "Well, she's black." 878 00:44:07,712 --> 00:44:10,430 And finally they said, "Okay, I'll tell you what. 879 00:44:10,432 --> 00:44:15,551 If we get any mail from the South or any place 880 00:44:15,553 --> 00:44:19,022 that is negative about her, she's off the show." 881 00:44:20,941 --> 00:44:24,494 No such letters came, and in 1970, Gail Fisher became 882 00:44:24,496 --> 00:44:26,829 the first African American woman 883 00:44:26,831 --> 00:44:28,331 to win an Emmy Award. 884 00:44:28,333 --> 00:44:31,417 So we look for somebody with the name Kelly Green. 885 00:44:31,419 --> 00:44:34,253 That's, uh, what the computer said. 886 00:44:35,706 --> 00:44:39,459 I took the liberty of going to a certain organization. 887 00:44:39,461 --> 00:44:42,845 Now, don't be angry because it worked. 888 00:44:42,847 --> 00:44:45,014 Intertec put Kelly Green through the computer 889 00:44:45,016 --> 00:44:46,099 and what do you think? 890 00:44:46,101 --> 00:44:48,468 That I'm gonna strangle you. 891 00:44:48,470 --> 00:44:50,636 Well, there's a girl named Margaret Green 892 00:44:50,638 --> 00:44:52,805 who is the daughter of a prominent judge, 893 00:44:52,807 --> 00:44:55,641 Francis M. Green, and her nickname just happens to be... 894 00:44:55,643 --> 00:44:58,311 -Kelly. -Right. 895 00:45:00,781 --> 00:45:04,317 Premiering a year before "Mannix" was "Star Trek," 896 00:45:04,319 --> 00:45:07,286 presenting, for the first time on a television drama, 897 00:45:07,288 --> 00:45:10,105 a leadership role for an African American woman. 898 00:45:10,107 --> 00:45:17,046 The first important non-traditional role, 899 00:45:17,048 --> 00:45:20,783 non-stereotypical role -- the first. 900 00:45:20,785 --> 00:45:22,218 Lieutenant Uhura, 901 00:45:22,220 --> 00:45:23,920 take over navigation. 902 00:45:23,922 --> 00:45:27,957 She was a smart, intelligent part of the crew. 903 00:45:27,959 --> 00:45:31,344 Ship to ship, Uhura. Put this on the screen. 904 00:45:31,346 --> 00:45:34,764 Hailing frequencies open, sir. 905 00:45:34,766 --> 00:45:36,632 On that bridge, 906 00:45:36,634 --> 00:45:40,853 as part of the command crew, she was always business. 907 00:45:40,855 --> 00:45:42,355 It was always about the mission. 908 00:45:42,357 --> 00:45:46,359 Things could not happen without talking to her as well, 909 00:45:46,361 --> 00:45:47,693 so I loved that. 910 00:45:47,695 --> 00:45:49,478 You know, I loved that, 911 00:45:49,480 --> 00:45:51,164 that it wasn't just, "Oh, she's cooking." 912 00:45:54,034 --> 00:45:57,503 By the mid 1970s, producer Norman Lear was bringing 913 00:45:57,505 --> 00:46:00,656 a new wave of African Americans to television 914 00:46:00,658 --> 00:46:02,491 in "Sanford and Son," "The Jeffersons," 915 00:46:02,493 --> 00:46:05,160 and "Good Times." 916 00:46:05,162 --> 00:46:07,964 Mama, Daddy can I ask you an important question? 917 00:46:07,966 --> 00:46:09,098 Uh-huh. 918 00:46:09,100 --> 00:46:11,167 If you meet a brother on the street who was tired 919 00:46:11,169 --> 00:46:13,386 and hungry and had no place to go, would you help him? 920 00:46:13,388 --> 00:46:16,472 I guess so -- that would be the Christian thing to do. 921 00:46:16,474 --> 00:46:18,007 I thought so, Mama. 922 00:46:18,009 --> 00:46:20,026 Come on in, brother! 923 00:46:28,902 --> 00:46:34,040 Ned the wino? Oh, not in my apartment today. 924 00:46:36,410 --> 00:46:38,294 Norman Lear made a special effort 925 00:46:38,296 --> 00:46:41,080 to include people of color in all facets of production. 926 00:46:41,082 --> 00:46:42,598 Norman did more 927 00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:46,469 for black writing, black behind the scenes, 928 00:46:46,471 --> 00:46:48,805 black behind whatever -- 929 00:46:48,807 --> 00:46:53,092 producers, directors, associates, hair girls, 930 00:46:53,094 --> 00:46:56,712 makeup people, writers, grips, whatever -- 931 00:46:56,714 --> 00:46:58,714 he did more for that than anybody. 932 00:46:58,716 --> 00:47:01,484 Lear also introduced 933 00:47:01,486 --> 00:47:04,237 television's first interracial couple, 934 00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:06,189 on "The Jeffersons." 935 00:47:06,191 --> 00:47:09,242 Remember when you first told your mother about us, Tom? 936 00:47:09,244 --> 00:47:11,828 I never heard such yelling and screaming. 937 00:47:11,830 --> 00:47:13,830 That was my father. My mother didn't say a word. 938 00:47:13,832 --> 00:47:16,332 Because she fainted. 939 00:47:16,334 --> 00:47:18,000 Then there was the disinheritance. 940 00:47:18,002 --> 00:47:20,036 The folks cut us off without a cent. 941 00:47:20,038 --> 00:47:22,505 Oh, that's terrible. 942 00:47:22,507 --> 00:47:24,907 Were your folks that mad, Tom? 943 00:47:24,909 --> 00:47:28,377 Oh, not my folks -- hers. 944 00:47:28,379 --> 00:47:30,630 Norman Lear is such a genius, you know. 945 00:47:30,632 --> 00:47:32,098 He wanted them to be 946 00:47:32,100 --> 00:47:33,216 a real couple, 947 00:47:33,218 --> 00:47:35,051 and they treated each other 948 00:47:35,053 --> 00:47:36,752 like anybody else would. 949 00:47:36,754 --> 00:47:39,438 People could believe it was a normal relationship. 950 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:42,642 I'd like to speak to my wife if you don't mind. 951 00:47:42,644 --> 00:47:44,110 Helen, I can't find my fountain pen. 952 00:47:44,112 --> 00:47:45,561 Use one of the ballpoint pens. 953 00:47:45,563 --> 00:47:47,429 There are lots of them on your desk. 954 00:47:47,431 --> 00:47:49,949 Ballpoint pens are not for writing. 955 00:47:49,951 --> 00:47:52,401 They're for making marks. I need a pen with a point. 956 00:47:52,403 --> 00:47:54,153 Now, what have you done with my pen? 957 00:47:54,155 --> 00:47:57,240 I don't know, I might have taken it to do the marketing list. 958 00:47:57,242 --> 00:48:02,795 You wrote with it? 959 00:48:02,797 --> 00:48:06,415 In 1977, NBC took a chance 960 00:48:06,417 --> 00:48:09,719 on the most original African American comic of the era -- 961 00:48:09,721 --> 00:48:11,220 Richard Pryor. 962 00:48:11,222 --> 00:48:14,473 The show would break new ground from the very first shot. 963 00:48:14,475 --> 00:48:17,093 One of the greatest openings of all time, he said, 964 00:48:17,095 --> 00:48:19,262 "Hey, it's me, Richard Pryor. I'm on TV. 965 00:48:19,264 --> 00:48:21,147 I don't have to give up anything." 966 00:48:21,149 --> 00:48:23,683 You know, there's a lot of things written about me. 967 00:48:23,685 --> 00:48:25,851 People wondering if I'm gonna have a show, 968 00:48:25,853 --> 00:48:27,303 if I'm not gonna have a show. 969 00:48:27,305 --> 00:48:29,655 Well, I'm havin' a show. 970 00:48:29,657 --> 00:48:32,241 People say, "How can you have a show? 971 00:48:32,243 --> 00:48:35,828 You've got to compromise. You gotta give up everything." 972 00:48:35,830 --> 00:48:37,613 Is that a joke or what? 973 00:48:37,615 --> 00:48:39,115 And they pan and he's totally naked. 974 00:48:39,117 --> 00:48:40,449 And you think, where'd they go? 975 00:48:40,451 --> 00:48:44,921 Well, look at me. I'm standing here naked. 976 00:48:44,923 --> 00:48:48,991 I've given up absolutely nothing. 977 00:48:48,993 --> 00:48:50,593 "I didn't give up anything to be on TV." 978 00:48:50,595 --> 00:48:52,161 And they get down to right about here, 979 00:48:52,163 --> 00:48:53,629 he's a Ken doll -- there's nothing. 980 00:48:53,631 --> 00:48:55,131 You know, at that point I went, Yes! 981 00:49:00,771 --> 00:49:03,723 So enjoy the show! 982 00:49:03,725 --> 00:49:07,059 And you see him running towards a white woman, 983 00:49:07,061 --> 00:49:11,030 and then you see a shotgun come up, and he runs past her. 984 00:49:11,032 --> 00:49:12,732 I mean, it's fantastic. 985 00:49:12,734 --> 00:49:14,734 It's like seeing great jazz. 986 00:49:14,736 --> 00:49:16,569 When you saw him kick it hard, 987 00:49:16,571 --> 00:49:19,038 it was just like broken-field running. 988 00:49:19,040 --> 00:49:23,359 Or he'd find a character that would just be so... 989 00:49:23,361 --> 00:49:25,411 so painful... but at the same time so funny. 990 00:49:25,413 --> 00:49:27,413 It's beyond comedy. 991 00:49:27,415 --> 00:49:30,883 It's... there's another level. 992 00:49:30,885 --> 00:49:35,171 It's uber-comedy or something, but it's beyond... 993 00:49:35,173 --> 00:49:39,642 It's poignant, it's accurate, it's hysterically funny. 994 00:49:47,434 --> 00:49:50,486 He has thrown what you realize is all these pill-looking things 995 00:49:50,488 --> 00:49:51,737 out to the kids 996 00:49:59,529 --> 00:50:03,366 And by the end of the piece, they're all done. 997 00:50:09,072 --> 00:50:14,260 They're all down, and it ends with him just going, 998 00:50:14,262 --> 00:50:15,761 "Heh heh heh!" 999 00:50:15,763 --> 00:50:18,547 Let's hear it for Black Death! 1000 00:50:18,549 --> 00:50:20,933 [Silence] 1001 00:50:20,935 --> 00:50:22,551 Far out. 1002 00:50:24,438 --> 00:50:27,273 It... 1003 00:50:27,275 --> 00:50:29,525 was the scariest thing I'd ever seen, 1004 00:50:29,527 --> 00:50:32,228 but I totally understood it, like I got it. 1005 00:50:33,930 --> 00:50:37,400 Richard Pryor ranks among the most influential entertainers 1006 00:50:37,402 --> 00:50:38,701 of the 20th century, 1007 00:50:38,703 --> 00:50:41,320 but his footprint on television was small. 1008 00:50:41,322 --> 00:50:43,873 His show was cancelled after just one season. 1009 00:50:46,243 --> 00:50:50,496 It's a story repeated over and over for people of color, 1010 00:50:50,498 --> 00:50:54,583 often pushed to the sidelines of the biggest medium. 1011 00:50:54,585 --> 00:50:58,888 My parents told me that I was the first person, 1012 00:50:58,890 --> 00:51:02,341 the first Asian person that they saw on television 1013 00:51:02,343 --> 00:51:03,592 that they could be proud of. 1014 00:51:03,594 --> 00:51:06,812 It was people that looked like me. 1015 00:51:06,814 --> 00:51:11,100 And it was a joy just to see people like that on television. 1016 00:51:11,102 --> 00:51:14,636 It's strange how television is today 1017 00:51:14,638 --> 00:51:16,772 as compared to what it was then. 1018 00:51:16,774 --> 00:51:19,808 It's not out-and-out racism that we're dealing with, 1019 00:51:19,810 --> 00:51:26,031 it is that subtle non-inclusion that is very hard to overcome. 1020 00:51:26,033 --> 00:51:28,250 They have the one black cop on the show. 1021 00:51:28,252 --> 00:51:30,703 Boom, the end of it. Thank you, we're covered. 1022 00:51:30,705 --> 00:51:32,621 You know, that's the way it goes. 1023 00:51:32,623 --> 00:51:35,708 The indigenous, the Asian American 1024 00:51:35,710 --> 00:51:39,044 and the Latino are very, very... 1025 00:51:39,046 --> 00:51:42,831 they don't even exist in this culture of television. 1026 00:51:42,833 --> 00:51:48,304 At a time in our history when you cannot walk 1027 00:51:48,306 --> 00:51:50,773 into almost any neighborhood without seeing 1028 00:51:50,775 --> 00:51:53,609 varied people of different cultures and colors, 1029 00:51:53,611 --> 00:51:57,029 it seems strange that that should be missing on television, 1030 00:51:57,031 --> 00:51:59,698 which is the primary source of information. 1031 00:52:01,868 --> 00:52:04,520 The performers who have broken through 1032 00:52:04,522 --> 00:52:08,073 have made a significant impact on American culture. 1033 00:52:08,075 --> 00:52:10,126 Their contributions make them 1034 00:52:10,128 --> 00:52:12,661 true pioneers of television. 1035 00:52:18,435 --> 00:52:20,936 Next time on "Pioneers of Television"... 1036 00:52:20,938 --> 00:52:23,272 Since this is PBS, good luck using this. 1037 00:52:23,274 --> 00:52:26,509 Oh, God, I wish Ethel was there to see this! 1038 00:52:26,511 --> 00:52:28,944 I grew up in a house where we watched a lot of comedy 1039 00:52:28,946 --> 00:52:30,379 and we would imitate it. 1040 00:52:30,381 --> 00:52:32,715 I'm willing to be silly and dumb and foolish 1041 00:52:32,717 --> 00:52:33,782 and fall on my ass. 1042 00:52:33,784 --> 00:52:35,284 I came out to be funny. 1043 00:52:35,286 --> 00:52:38,621 I don't think anybody else on the show was trying to do that. 1044 00:52:38,623 --> 00:52:40,456 I got lucky. I won the lottery. 1045 00:54:48,351 --> 00:54:50,719 I don't think anybody else on the show was trying to do that. 1046 00:54:50,787 --> 00:54:53,289 contributions to your PBS station 1047 00:54:53,356 --> 00:54:55,124 from viewers like you. 1048 00:54:56,159 --> 00:54:57,593 To make it real, 1049 00:54:57,595 --> 00:55:00,629 and to get the audience to believe that we believe, 1050 00:55:00,631 --> 00:55:03,198 we had to personalize the panel. 1051 00:55:03,200 --> 00:55:05,467 And Warp 1 is there, Warp 2 is there, 1052 00:55:05,469 --> 00:55:07,403 Warp 3 is there, and so forth. 1053 00:55:07,405 --> 00:55:13,809 And all of the other buttons for me had a definite meaning. 1054 00:55:13,811 --> 00:55:18,914 And this director wanted me to go up there for Warp 9. 1055 00:55:18,916 --> 00:55:22,384 Which was not where it was. 1056 00:55:22,386 --> 00:55:23,719 [Chuckles] 1057 00:55:26,556 --> 00:55:29,792 For more insider features about your favorite TV stars, 1058 00:55:29,794 --> 00:55:32,194 stories you won't hear anywhere else, 1059 00:55:32,196 --> 00:55:34,630 visit pbs.org. 1060 00:55:39,269 --> 00:55:42,137 To order this program, visit us online 1061 00:55:42,139 --> 00:55:44,039 at shopPBS.org 1062 00:55:44,041 --> 00:55:44,039 or call us at 1-800-PLAY-PBS.