Viewing page 223 of 356

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

black teen-age male whose bravado and self-confidence all too often crumbles into a kind of modern-day Uncle Tomism. Dee, the sister in "What's Happening," reinforces the commonly held idea of the woman controlling the males in black families, and George Jefferson of "The Jeffersons" portrays what some whites predict successful blacks would be like — superficial and braggadocious.

The situation is not much better when the action/adventure/detective series that include black characters are examined. Although Bill Cosby was acclaimed for his performances in the "I Spy" series, the character he portrayed could just as readily have been played as a hip white detective; there was little or no distinctive "blackness" to the character other than the fact that a handsome, winning black actor was cast in it. The black detective in the "Tenafly" series of a couple of seasons ago reinforced the idea that today's blackmail is a tough, woman-chaser.

Even when TV a few seasons back tried to "blacken up" its semi-serious portrayals of middle-class America, the best it could produce was "Julia," a sepia version of Jane Doe, R. N.

The respectable ratings for such serious TV productions as "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," "A Woman Called Moses" (the story of Harriet Tubman, the "conductor" of the Underground Railroad) and the recent biographical account of Detroit Tiger baseball star Ron LaFleur (touring the far burden of "Roots" fame) attest to the fact that the television audience will respond favorably to meaningful portrayals of the black experience. But occasional specials are just not enough when it comes to giving a picture of the lives, hopes, fears and joys of black Americans the mere fact the television must conjure up a "special" to tell about the real situation of blacks is an indication of how shortsighted the decision-makers of the industry are in their attempts to include blacks as a part of the TV world.

Even dramatic programs that do not focus specifically on the black experience but that have significant black characters often tend to perpetuate the familiar stereotypes. Consider, for example, NBC's mini-series "Backstairs at the White House," the fourth and final installment of which will be shown tomorrow evening. Although faithful in its retelling of the real-life story of Lillian Rogers Parks and her mother, who were maids to Presidents from Taft through Eisenhower, the roles of the "backstairs" blacks — the maids and butlers — perpetuate the stereotype of the loyal, dutiful, all-knowing servant.

Black viewers might watch programs with black characters as a welcome variation from white-only programming, but television's decision-makers should visit a supermarket or at beauty shop or a church center in a black community to eavesdrop on what blacks really think about some of these shows. These programs invariably present a white man's imaginings of what a black man's existence, his life, is like. One probable explanation for this is that the decision-makers in television are mostly white males, which also accounts for the fact that women, too, as cited in the Civil Rights Commission study, are so often portrayed in stereotypic roles.

Public television's fair with such programs as "Black Perspective on the News," produced in large measure with actual input for blacks, is often commendable; yet, in light of public television is relatively small audiences in comparison with the vast numbers of viewers of commercial programming, the impact is minimal some of the local public-affairs programming by commercial stations, such as WABC TV's "Like It Is," produced by Gil Noble, present a valid picture of black concerns; however, these programs are all too often relegated to unpopular hours in the TV schedule, the aptly nicknamed "Sunday morning ghetto."

Even though the vast majority of Americans saw the first telecast of "Roots," a Lou Harris poll published in April 1977 indicated that the miniseries 

'It is possible to portray black family life on television without making every family member a caricature.'

had little impact on their racial attitudes. Eighty-two percent of those polled felt that "Roots" was "beautifully produced and acted — a real work of art," as opposed to 12 percent who felt it was not. But fewer, 55 percent of the total surveyed, felt that "Roots" was a "highly accurate history of how blacks were treated in slavery." Blacks predictably responded more favorably (76 precent) than whites (52 percent) in the sample. The survey's inquiry as to beliefs held by whites about discrimination against blacks revealed that a majority of white viewers (73 percent) still believe that blacks were not victims of discrimination in obtaining a quality public education as compared with 75 percent of the year before.

The general reaction to "Roots" was certainly favorable and, in the context of what a specific program could do, undoubtedly created a positive climate for discussions of black/white relations. Given the depth of racial attitudes in this country, however, it is probably unrealistic to expect a single TV series to have a lasting and significant influence on race relations.

Television has a lot more to do if it is to portray the black experience with any real honesty. It is possible to portray black family life on television without making every family member a caricature. There have been a few recent efforts along these lines, such as the NBC pilot last spring called "Love Is Not Enough," starring Bernie Casey as a black father raising his children alone. The network, I am told, is preparing a series based on that pilot, which it expects to put on its schedule later this season. 

There are any number of dramatic and important factual stories that could show black Americans as strong personalities with commitments to human justice and dignity. One such portrayal could be a televised biography of Dr. Charles Drew, the black doctor who developed the procedure for producing blood plasma. (It is ironic that Dr. Drew died after an automobile accident in a Southern town when he was not given blood transfusions because he was black.) A source that has all the dramatic potential of anything that has been done on television about World War II is a story of the 332d Fighter Group (of which this writer was a member), which was stationed in southern Italy and flew fighter escort and staffing missions throughout southern Europe. Many of the pilots and support personnel of this group of men are leaders in today's society, including Coleman Young, the Mayor of Detroit; Percy Sutton, the former Manhattan Borough President; Otis Smith, the general counsel of General Motors; William Coleman, the former Secretary of Transportation; Lee Archer Jr., president of North Street Capitol Corporation, and scores of physicians, lawyers, and Ph.D.'s. 

One of the most culturally sensitive epochs in this country's history is part of the story of James Weldon Johnson, the first black Executive Secretary of the N.A.A.C.P. and the co-composer of what has become known as the black national anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Johnson was one of the most universal men of his time, an ambassador to Latin American countries, a Broadway composer of note, and one of the leaders in the Harlem Renaissance. 

If life at the White House is to be dramatized, why not tell the story of the relationship between Franklin Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor, and Mary McLeod Bethune, a member of F.D.R's "Black Cabinet," who with Mrs. Roosevelt shattered many of the racist traditions at the White House. 

These accounts and others like them could provide sorely needed role models for young people -- black and white -- on TV screens all across the country.