Pioneers of Television (2008–…): Season 4, Episode 3 - Breaking Barriers - full transcript

Come on, let's get some
black people in here!

And I remember watching
television and then,

kind of gradually realizing that

I did not look like any
of the people on there.

I was not a domestic.
That was the problem.

The important issues are
dealt with with some shows

very, very well.

That's the first time that
a Latino

has been placed in
that position, ever.

We must not forget the reasons
why so many sacrificed so much

in the cause of freedom.



For Asians, the image of Asians,

it was a tremendous
breakthrough.

Let's have the conversation,
say, "Here's what it was."

"Pioneers of Television"
was made possible by

contributions
to your PBS station

from viewers like you.

They blazed a trail through
American culture.

It was embarrassing to say that
in the United States of America,

I was the first black actress
to have her own series.

You know, Baker,
you've got guts.

Thanks.

You didn't have to be black
or white, or Asian.

He's talking to everybody.

The story is about something



that has nothing to do
with color.

- Cliff!
- Oh!

They overcame unimaginable
obstacles.

Because basically they
stereotype you.

And stereotypes are like
the worst.

I mean, how to kill a culture.

They were going to take our show
off the air

if we didn't get rid of Arthur
because he was black.

Back in that time, you
didn't even have commercials

with African American people,

except for Aunt Jemima
on the pancake box.

They created some of America's

favorite characters.

I always felt, and I still feel
to this day,

it's one of the greatest
comedies ever written.

What do you think, Lightnin'?

This sure is a thin house.

These were actors and they were
brilliant actors.

They made you laugh!

You can't do comedy, there's no
Asians in comedy.

You can't do that, and I didn't
care, I just did it.

Did my mother send you?

Pardon?

She's about so tall,
kind of a Korean Bea Arthur.

Before Gene Roddenberry put
together "Star Trek,"

there were no black people
in the future.

I was always mindful of
the fact that I had

a special responsibility
in the roles that I played.

Maybe you ought to plot a course
back to Vulcan, just in case.

It all sounds wonderful
and I'm thrilled,

but what took us so long?!

There is less programming
focused on people of color

than there used to be.

I don't know why that is.

Together, they broke
through barriers

to make television better.

They are the pioneers
of television.

By 1983, television sitcoms
were in steep decline.

Of the top 10 shows,
none were comedies.

Then, in the fall of 1984,
one man...

Almost singlehandedly...
Revived the sitcom.

$300 a week, $1,200 a month,
alright?

Great, I'll take it!

Yes, you will, and I will take
$350 for taxes.

- Whoa!
- Huh?

Now because, see, the government

comes for the regular
people first.

When I heard Bill was going to
do a show,

I knew exactly what it was
going to be.

And I knew it was going to be
a success,

because it was going to be Bill
talking about

what he had talked about as
a stand-up...

His kids,
the home life, his parents.

Like many good storytellers,

he needed to go to the story
that he told the best,

which was the family stories,
and that's what he did

better than anybody...
Still, you know.

Nobody tells a better story
about their family than he does.

"The Cosby Show" quickly jumped
to number one in the ratings,

lifting the entire network

and earning hundreds
of millions for NBC.

But Bill Cosby wasn't driven
by the money.

He wanted to make a difference.

The shirt goes back.

But, Dad, I told Christine I was
getting a Gordon Gartrell.

Tell Christine you lied.

Dad!

No 14-year-old boy should
have a $95 shirt

unless he is on stage
with his four brothers.

Bill Cosby wanted to make
his point,

but it was a far
different approach

from the shows that came before.

Norman Lear's "All in
the Family," for example,

used in-your-face conflict
to stir up audience emotions.

I want to know what your family
is gonna do about him!

Well, I wanna know what your
family is gonna do about her!

You ain't even the head of
your family.

Why didn't Lionel's father
come over here?

You don't want to
know the answer to that.

Yes, I do.

Alright. He said he ain't never
stepped into

a honkie's household
and he ain't about to start

at the bottom of the heap!

That one black person that shows
up... with this group...

And all of a sudden,
there's this white guy,

he doesn't like him.

And somebody else's always kind
of protecting him,

because the black person
showed up.

I'm very disappointed in you,
Lionel.

I thought you
was one of the good ones.

But I was wrong.

I thought I was your friend.

I mean, I have you into
my house here,

and I mean through the front
door as well as the back.

If you show enough of
those films, films like that,

pretty soon, man,
in a Pavlov sort of way,

you know we're a problem.

All these white people would be
getting along just fine

if it wasn't for that one
black guy

that showed up.

Cosby believed the better way
to influence the culture

was to offer a positive
role model...

a vision of what life could be.

Daddy.

- What?
- What's this word?

Look, let's... why don't we
read this together?

"She played."

"She played...

with it all day."

Got it?

"The end."

Alright.

You want to read something else?

No, you're tired.

Thank you.

May I have a kiss, please?
Bye-bye.

"The Cosby Show" centered
on a family

that valued education,

with a father and mother who
loved all five children,

but weren't afraid to
discipline.

You are afraid to try because
you're afraid

that your brain is going
to explode

and it's going to ooze out
of your ears.

Now I'm telling you, you are
going to try as hard as you can

and you're going to do it
because I said so.

I am your father.

I brought you in this world
and I'll take you out.

The word is "correction"

and people don't make
corrections.

There is too much going on with
children in our hands

and we don't make corrections.

And grownups have excuses.

Bill Cosby's interest
in children

began long before
"The Cosby Show."

He earned a doctorate
in education

and even when he was
breaking through

in the mid 1960s on "I Spy,"

he expected to leave television
and get into teaching.

Bill's deepest thoughts
that he revealed to me were,

"I'm going to go back and teach.

When this is over, I'm going to
go back and get my degree

and I'm going to teach."

And I started laughing.

He said, "Why are you laughing
at me?"

He grumbled something
and he said,

"Well, that's what I'm going
to do anyway."

Well, the end result of that
is that

he didn't do it exactly
that way,

but he did it better...

Because he has become a teacher
to the world.

After "I Spy" ended in 1968,

Bill Cosby was drawn to projects

with educational value,
like "Fat Albert"

and "The Electric Company."

Sometimes it sounds like
JA as in giant, as in magic.

- Why?
- Why?

Yeah, why does G have to
have two sounds

when you already got

a perfectly good J
for the JA sound?

Don't ask me.
That's just the way it is.

An education will open up
avenues for them,

so that they can say they can do
something...

Instead of saying, "I want
something but you

have to give it to me, because I
don't know how to do anything."

Throughout the 1960s and '7 0s,
Cosby's comedy albums

and standup performances
cemented his place

among America's favorite
comedians.

And the children get up to
go upstairs

and I kiss them good night
and I try to warn them.

Please!

Do what your mother says

or somebody's gonna get it
tonight.

I mean, nobody tells better
stories than he does,

when it comes to
the family unit,

and that's why it works,
because it was about us.

Think I carried you in my body
for nine months

so you can roll your eyes at me?

I'll roll that little head of
yours down on the floor.

Nobody tries to emulate
Bill Cosby.

You know why?
They can't do it.

There's nobody even on
his level, they can't do it.

He just had a skill level.

Just a ridiculous amount
of gifts that he had,

of all kinds... writing,
performing, voices, faces.

He was like the '27 Yankees.

Just very powerful,
powerful stuff.

While Bill Cosby's first
attempt at a sitcom

failed to get traction,

another television project was
an unqualified success...

A series of commercials

for Jell-O Pudding.

Hey, Bill Cosby, what's that?

New Jell-O Pudding Pops.
Frozen pudding on a stick.

Mmm. Tastes good.

Yep. It's a home run

with your taste buds

and won't strike out

with your mom

like some snacks do

'cuz it's made

with real pudding.

The commercials reminded
Americans

of Bill Cosby's humor,
his gentle style,

his love for children.

By the early 1980s, he ranked

among the most
popular people in America

and was perfectly positioned
for one more try

at a television sitcom.

All I want is his name.

Dad, please don't do this to me.

Denise will kill me.

Well, you're going to
tell me his name

because everybody knows you
can't keep a secret.

Look at your face.

It's sliding out of your face.

It's David James.

Rudy!

Just slid out of my face.

"The Cosby Show"
was a major landmark,

but it wasn't the first sitcom
to portray African Americans

in white collar jobs.

Sixteen years earlier,
Diahann Carroll

blazed that trail in "Julia."

- You see, Cory...
- I know, Mom.

What do you know?

Like in school, there
are some kids

who just don't like other kids

if they're not the same color
or religion,

even if they don't know anything
about them.

And I guess there are some
grown-ups like that, too.

It's pretty dumb if you ask me.

You are too much, Cory Baker.
You are really too much.

And you're right.

It is very dumb.

Television's track record
with African Americans

became painfully clear

on the very first day of
production on "Julia" in 1968.

The studio had no makeup
for African Americans.

The studio had only dealt

with the little American girls
or European girls...

All the same color.

How could you have a make-up
department

and you don't have make-up
for every skin

in the United States of America?

Although "Julia" was launched
in the turbulent 1960s,

the character stayed far from
any racial activism.

For Diahann Carroll,
just the presence of

a person of color on television
was enough of a first step.

The racial involvement was very
minuscule

on all television shows.

It was absolutely "let's
stay away from that."

Uh...

"That is too controversial."

So, we knew that going in...
That first you make the success.

After you've done that, then
you could make other steps.

There was nothing like

this young successful mother
on the air.

And we thought that it might be
a very good stepping stone.

While the Julia character
was insulated

from the Civil Rights movement,

Diahann Carroll was not.

She actively supported

Shirley Chisolm's run
for president

and hosted fundraisers for the
controversial Black Panthers.

It was not really the thing that
one said

that you are maybe in agreement
with the Black Panthers.

But then I had a party at my big
Beverly Hills mansion

and invited several people
from the Black Panthers

to be a part of it,

to allow them to meet some of
the people that I knew.

Everything they did was not
wonderful.

I could see some of the good
things in the Panthers.

What made "Julia" different
was that it was

the first sitcom to portray
an African American woman

with a college degree,
in a professional position.

At about the same time,
Asian Americans

were seeing their first
positive role model

on network television...

A physicist and helmsman
named Hikaru Sulu.

How do you figure it, Chekov?

First, we go to Vulcan.
Then, we're going to Altair.

Then we're headed to Vulcan
again.

Now we're headed back to Altair.

I think I'm going to get
space-sick.

For me as an individual
Asian American actor,

it was a personal breakthrough.

But for Asians,
the image of Asians,

it was a tremendous
breakthrough.

We're dead still, Captain.
Helm doesn't answer.

We can't move.

For the first time on
television,

Americans saw an Asian American
speaking without an accent.

It was not a stereotype role.

I was without an accent,

part of the leadership team
of the starship Enterprise,

the best helmsman
in Star Fleet, you know.

And that was at a time when
there was this whole stereotype

about Asian drivers being
terrible drivers.

Well, I showed them.

I was the best driver
in the galaxy.

Progress, Mr. Sulu?

Sectors 1 through 25 charted
and examined.

No chance at all of power
originating in those areas.

Throughout the history of
certainly movies and television,

Asians were seen as "the other,"

and usually the scary
or the threatening.

That stereotype of
Asian Americans as "the enemy"

was all too real
for George Takei

from his very youngest days
growing up in Los Angeles.

I remember that morning
and, in fact,

I can never forget that morning,

it was a terrifying morning.

I was in the living room looking
out the front window

and I saw two soldiers
come marching up our driveway

and I saw, at the end
of their rifles, shiny bayonets.

They stomped up to our
front door,

at our two-bedroom home on
Garnet Street in Los Angeles,

and banged on the front door.

It was terrifying.

My father answered, and we were
ordered out of our home.

George Takei's family had
committed no crime.

Along with thousands of other
law-abiding Japanese-Americans,

they were taken from their home
in California in 1942

and forced to relocate to
an internment camp.

The reason was this...

On December 7 th, 1941,
Japan bombed the U.S. Navy base

at Pearl Harbor.

Overnight, America was at war
with Japan

and the U.S. government became
suspicious

of anyone of Japanese heritage.

As a group, these U.S. citizens
were labeled

by their government
as "enemy non-aliens."

What's a non-alien?

That's a citizen.

They couldn't even call us
citizens then,

we were enemy non-aliens.

Why?

Because of this.

We were taken to the horse
stables.

And thinking back now, I can't
imagine how degrading

and humiliating it must have
been for my parents

to take their three children,
one a baby,

from a two-bedroom home
and told to sleep

in that narrow, smelly
horse stall.

I remember the barbed wire
fences and the sentry tower,

the search light
that followed me

when I made the night runs from
our barracks to the latrine.

It was a racist act,
pure and simple.

And it was
an unconstitutional act.

You can't imprison people
for their race,

and that's what we were
imprisoned for.

Because of the internment,
the Takei family...

Like many others... lost their
home and their business.

But George never lost his dream.

In the early 1950s, when he saw
an ad in the newspaper

to dub a Japanese monster
movie, George Takei boldly took

his first steps
into show business.

It was a thrilling experience.

Look. Right out there.
There it is!

Get the squad in position.

I did about not quite a dozen
voices in that.

This was war.

A war of life and death
between man and an enemy

who seemed indestructible.

And I had a lot of fun and they
paid me for it to boot.

And I thought, "Hm, this is
what I enjoy doing."

Soon George was landing
on-camera roles,

but in the early 1960s,
parts for Asian Americans

were hard to come by.

Takei had a small role
in "A Majority of One."

The lead character,
a Japanese businessman,

was played by an
English actor, Alec Guinness.

I came in a taxi

and I got out

and he disappeared.

I've been looking all around.

There are no numbers.

Now it is you who
will cash call.

Please do me the
honor to enter my house.

It is customary to
remove your shoes.

Oh, I don't mind.

The make-up that he wore,
it was so heavy handed.

He looked reptilian

with that layer of plaster
or whatever he had on.

In Japan, there's a festival for
almost everything.

In the spring it is Sho-non-noi.

We have the same.
In the spring, it's Shavuot.

And the way he played it...

The smile looked reptilian...
You know, that...

Isn't that strange,
Mrs. Jacoby?

It made me shiver,
that very cavalier attitude

toward the accent that he had,
the whole thing was grotesque.

Four years later, George got
his chance

to help break down stereotypes

when he landed the role
of Sulu on "Star Trek."

You are Lieutenant Sulu.

You were born
on the planet Earth.

You are helmsman
for the Enterprise.

How do you know this? Where did
you get this information?

Are you from this planet?

I am from here.

Then the planet is hollow.
Who killed Lt. Diamato?

Alright, the captain will want
to talk to you.

That way.

I was always mindful of
the fact that I had

a special responsibility
in the roles that I played.

The Sulu character was a great
step forward

for Asian Americans
on television,

but it would be another
quarter century

before the nation saw the first
TV series

centered on an Asian
American family.

What do you think your mom would
say if she could see us now?

Oh, I know what she'd say...
"No tongue kissing!

No tongue kissing!"

Well, I guess I'd
better take off.

Thanks for the movie.

That was good, huh?

That was weird, though,
with all those empty seats,

the way that Korean guy
sat right next to you.

"All American Girl" premiered
in 1994

as a vehicle for comedian
Margaret Cho.

From the beginning, Cho faced
enormous pressure

to deliver a mainstream hit.

I didn't have these attributes
that they think of

when they think of a female star
of a show.

I wasn't thin, I wasn't white...

I think that because I wasn't
white,

they had to somehow make
me conform in other ways that

would make me more palatable
to an audience.

The major problem was that I was
too overweight

to play the role of myself,

which is insane if you think
about it,

but I didn't know that then,
I just wanted to keep my job.

Just before this first episode
was filmed,

Cho was encouraged
to go on a crash diet,

losing 30 pounds in two weeks.

Her kidneys shut down, leading
to long term health problems.

Oh, she makes me so crazy.
Why does she make me so crazy?

Maybe because you're
so much alike.

- Alike? Mom and me?
- Oh, yeah.

Please, how are we alike?

For starters, you're both
very beautiful, very smart.

Well, yeah, in that way.

When you're the first person

to kind of cross over
this racial barrier,

then you're scrutinized

for all these other things that
have nothing to do with race,

but they have everything to do
with race.

It's a very strange thing.

The scrutiny extended beyond
just Cho.

Although the series
portrayed a Korean family,

some of the actors were
Chinese and Japanese.

There was like an issue
with that,

that they weren't all Korean.

And yet, there's always
actors...

White actors doing
different accents,

doing things
that are not of their origin.

And so for some reason,
we were held up

into this sort of
scrutiny or this need

for cultural authenticity that
white people were not.

"All American Girl"
lasted just two seasons,

a casualty of too much pressure
from too many forces.

Decades later,
Cho's sitcom remains

the only broadcast series ever
to focus

on an Asian American family.

So much emphasis was put on
our ethnicity

and the fact that we were
Asian-American.

That took us out of comedy.

It took us out of the job that
we were supposed to do,

which was to be 22
minutes of comedy.

Unlike Asian Americans,
Latinos were visible

in TV's earliest years,

thanks to a leading role on
the biggest show of the era.

Lucy, before I kill you,

would you mind telling me
the details?

Well, you were so smart
last night and you knew

all the answers and I thought
you were a cinch

to win all the money so
I called the radio station...

And why did you call the station
without asking me first?

Well, how did know that
you were faking?

I thought you were an overgrown
Cuban quiz kid.

"I Love Lucy" made Lucille Ball
a beloved icon,

but, at the time, few
understood the key role

her husband, Desi Arnaz,
played in Lucy's success.

She said, "I used to come in.

Desi would have done everything
with the scripts

and this and that and all I had
to do is be Lucy."

Desi oversaw every aspect
of production,

including the creation
of the first sitcom

filmed in front
of a live audience.

In the early 1950s,
the technical challenge

of coordinating three cameras
and an audience in real time

was considered insurmountable.

But Desi found a way.

And bless Desi Arnaz for
creating three camera.

Because I think Lucy liked
an audience.

You could find out what's funny
or not with an audience.

They're faster than anything.

From scratch, Arnaz built
Desilu into a powerhouse studio

that would go on to produce
"The Untouchables,"

"Mission Impossible," "Mannix,"
and "Star Trek."

But it was "I Love Lucy"
that made Desi Arnaz

a household name.

♪ I'm on my way to Cuba ♪

♪ That's where I'm goin' ♪

♪ Cuba,
that's where I'll stay ♪♪

Given Desi's role

as the highest profile Latino
in America,

Ball and Arnaz worked hard
to ensure "I Love Lucy"

didn't perpetuate ethnic
stereotypes.

Ricky Ricardo was
an intelligent,

successful businessman.

And the only person allowed
to make jokes

about his accent was his wife.

Lucy, this is
absolutely fantastic.

It's just unbelievable.

I would like a logical
explanation of it.

Well, I'd like a lo-gical
'splanation of it, too.

Desi and Lucy divorced in 1960,

but they remained friends
for decades.

Betty White was with Lucy
on the day Desi died.

And it was such a shock to her,
because, let's face it,

there's a certain part of a real
love that never goes away.

And it was an experience
to see her react to that.

After Desi Arnaz left the air,

Latinos found themselves
relegated to secondary parts.

Television wouldn't see another
Latino in a marquee role

until the 1980s.

- Listen, Lou.
- No, you listen!

I haven't heard word one from
you for a whole stinkin' week.

No case reviews, no updates,

no progress reports
and no backups!

In the first few episodes
of "Miami Vice,"

Gregory Sierra played
the lieutenant in charge.

But the Crockett and Tubbs
characters

had so so little
respect for their boss,

Sierra left the series.

Go home, you guys,
get some rest.

I mean it.

Replacing Sierra was
Edward James Olmos.

Lieutenant, I want you to meet
my boss.

This is Lt. Martin Castillo,
Lt. John Malone.

Good to meet you, Lieutenant.

Olmos had negotiated

for creative control
over his character,

and he didn't want to see
a Latino authority figure

get disrespected.

And the very first scene
that I did,

I was supposed to say one thing,

and when Philip Michael Thomas
gets into my face...

Hey, whose side are you on?

I'm supposed to say one thing,
and I say,

"Don't ever come up into my face
like this again, Detective."

Don't ever come up to my face
like this again, Detective.

And that's not written.
It was not written.

So, I say that, and he is
standing right in front of me

and now he's stuck, because
he wasn't expecting that.

C'mon.

From that day,
for the next 12 shows,

I never looked at either one
of those two guys

on camera again... ever.

Everything was like...

you know, they'd come walking in
and I just listened

to the things that they were
talking about

and I'd talk to the wall.

C'mon, let us in on the sweep.

Go home.
Get some rest.

I would stand up and talk to
the wall...

Literally talk to the wall.

Gentlemen, we're looking at
about $75 million on the street.

Is it Jorgensen's?

- It's somebody's.
- Let's sit on it.

So, the tension was built

and it became a beautiful,
beautiful example

of really construction of scene

and it really worked very well.

The show took off.

Before "Miami Vice,"

Edward James Olmos had mostly
played ethnic "bad guys."

To land better roles,
one casting director suggested

he change his stage name from
Eddy Olmos

to something more "Anglo."

"Don't use Eddy Olmos."

I said, "Excuse me?"

He says, "That's not a name.
It's not a star name.

It's not a name that's gonna
get you

any kind of recognition,
and it's kind of ethnic."

I said, "Oh, I get it,
oh my god.

You're absolutely right.

What am I doing here,
you're so right.

My name, thank you, I forever
will thank you for this, man.

From now on, everyone is going
to have to use

Edward James Olmos...
Write the whole thing out."

And I walked out the door and
the guy just shook his head

and said, "Well, you didn't
get it at all."

After "Miami Vice,"

Olmos starred in a range of
important Latino themed roles.

But it was his starring turn on
"Battlestar Galactica"

that Olmos believed had
the greatest impact

in changing racial views.

Commander Adama.

Thank you very much.

The Silon war is long over.

Yet, we must not forget
the reasons

why so many sacrificed so much
in the cause of freedom.

"Battlestar Galactica" is
the best use of television

I've ever been a part of, ever.

You know, when we fought
the Silons,

we did it to save ourselves
from extinction,

but we never answered
the question "Why?

Why are we, as a people,
worth saving?"

There's only one race and that's
what the show is really about.

It's the human race.
Period.

That's the first time that
a Latino

has been placed in that
position, ever.

How long until you
storm the ship?

I'm hoping that won't be
necessary.

I think that you and I can
come up

with some kind of
an understanding.

This is not the only crisis that
I'm dealing with.

Water shortage affects
the entire fleet.

Your men are on their
way even as we speak.

There's still time to work
this out.

Have the president step down
and call for elections.

That's not gonna happen.

Then I look forward to meeting
your men.

I'll never forget the phone call
I received

from a very close
and dear friend.

She was crying on the phone, and
I said, "What's the matter?"

She goes, "My nephew just called

and he's 12 years old
and he was so excited.

He just couldn't, he just kept
on saying,

We're in the future.
We're in the future.

I saw it.

You know, I saw 'Battlestar'
and we're in the future."

Shows like "Battlestar"
and "Star Trek"

visualized a future in which

people of every ethnicity
worked together.

But an alien watching

the first 30 years of
American television

would have drawn a very
different conclusion

about America's past.

Because television of the 1950s
and '60s

portrayed a nation where people
of color

were all but invisible.

From its beginnings
in the late 1940s,

television was a nearly
all-white medium.

Yet even in its infancy,

there were forces pressing
for integration.

For example, Milton Berle

championed
African American acts,

beginning with
the Four Step Brothers.

Here they are,

the dynamic Four Stepbrothers.

Ed Sullivan fought to book
African Americans on his show,

as did daytime talk show host
Betty White.

And I had this wonderful dancer,
Arthur Duncan.

And all through the South
there was this whole ruckus.

They were going to take our show
off the air

if we didn't get rid of Arthur
because he was black.

So I said, "I'm sorry but,
you know,

he stays or...
live with it."

In most TV shows, people of
color were visible

only in highly
stereotyped roles...

Like the Mexican banditos
of "The Cisco Kid."

So why do we have to ride so far
to look for trouble

when we had plenty trouble
where we was?

A little trouble here and
a little trouble there.

Yeah, a little trouble here,
a little trouble there.

You put them all together
they spell Cisco.

Ha ha ha! Come on!
IAndale!

"Oh Poncho, oh Cisco,
oh Poncho, oh Cisco!"

It was like "Ohh, Cisco!"

And then he would be smoking
his little cigarillos...

And then he would put it in
the back here

while it was lit.

I remember seeing "Secrets
of the Sierra Madre," you know,

in which...

"I don't need no
stinking badges"

was, you know, put forth.

And that was like the epitome of
the stereotype of the bandito.

We are federales,
you know, the mounted police.

If you're the police,
where are your badges?

Badges?
We ain't got no badges.

We don't need no badges.

I don't have to show you
any stinking badges!

Native Americans faced an even
bigger obstacle.

Not only were they portrayed
on television as stereotypes,

the acting jobs often went
to Caucasians.

Nowadays, by the way,
the chances are...

And rightfully so...

They probably would have got
a very good Indian actor

to play that part, but in those
days, they didn't do that.

They used Caucasian guys
to play Indians.

The exception was
Jay Silverheels,

a Mohawk who landed the role of
Tonto on "The Lone Ranger."

Here hat.

Me wash in stream, dry in sun,
make whiter.

Thanks, Tonto.

Here gun to kill bad men.

I'm not going to do any killing.

You will not defend yourself?

Oh, I'll shoot if I have to,

but I'll shoot to
wound, not to kill.

That's right, Kemosabe.

Silverheels was never content

with Tonto's one-dimensional
personality,

but when the series ended,
other roles were scarce.

When you think of all the cowboy
and Indian movies

that were made,

that they would not have even
asked him to be part of.

And I don't know that he would
have wanted to be part of it,

because it told
a very skewed story.

You all alone now.
Last man.

You are Lone Ranger.

Yes, Tonto, I am a Lone Ranger.

In the '50s and early '60s,

African Americans were also
marginalized

in largely one-dimensional
roles...

nearly always playing
the servant.

Eddie Anderson on "Jack Benny,"

Ethel Waters on "Beulah,"

Amanda Randolph on
"Make Room For Daddy."

Louise is going to play for you

now a selection from

her latest album entitled

"Music to Fry Pancakes By."

♪ I can't give you anything ♪

♪ But love, baby ♪

♪ That's the only thing ♪

♪ I've plenty of, baby ♪♪

Asian Americans faced similar
stereotyping.

Even martial arts master
Bruce Lee was relegated

to the role of subservient
houseboy on "The Green Hornet."

We're heading for another clash
with the Caped Crusaders

and I don't like it.

Why not? We've never
run away from trouble before.

Yes, but this double identity
poses extra problems this time.

We know they're
heroic crime fighters.

They think we're criminals.

We must come out on top

but they mustn't suffer.

Kung Fu is Kung Fu.

It's not child's play.

The fact is that Asian Americans
were so invisible in television

that when one does appear,

they can't just appear
on their own,

there has to be a whole
back story

to justify their existence.

And you see this on crime shows,

like when you see an Asian
person,

there is always
a "trouble in Chinatown."

In the 1950s and '60s,
just one network show

featured an all-black cast...

And it quickly became a
lightning rod for controversy.

What kind of fur is this anyway,
Kingfish?

Andy, that's the rarest
of all wildlife,

the rare and beautiful
and elusive mink.

Mink?

Yeah, Andy, just like
this animal here.

That looks more like
a fox to me.

Oh, Andy, that's
a long legged mink.

I seen a mink in a window once

but it didn't look nothin'
like this.

"Amos 'n' Andy" premiered
on television in 1951.

It was hysterical.

It was not just funny,
it was hysterical.

Amos and Andy, of course,
were hysterical.

I think I know a lot of people
like Amos and Andy.

Amos and Andy...
These are actors

and they were brilliant actors,
they made you laugh.

First and foremost, yeah,
it was funny.

I mean...

they were good.

Would you mind telling the court

under just what circumstances
you met the defendant?

Well, it was about 18 years ago
at a carnival.

I reached into my pocket to get
my wallet

and shook hands
with Mr. Stevens.

My mother would make me watch it
from outside the house.

I mean, I'd have to watch it in
the backyard,

looking through my bedroom
window at the TV,

because I would laugh so hard,
I mean, it got physical.

My mother said, "Amos 'n' Andy
is coming on, you go outside.

You're not going to break
my furniture tonight."

Despite its popularity,

"Amos 'n' Andy" was seen by many

as perpetuating
racial stereotypes.

Pressure from the NAACP
and others

led to the series' cancellation.

So I didn't see that

as perpetuating a negative
stereotype, some people did.

And then the NAACP got involved

and they got "Amos 'n' Andy"
taken off the air

and they wanted every black
character on television

to carry an attache case
and wear a suit and a tie...

Which, that's just taking it to
the extreme in the other way.

How about a little ditty called
"Just You, Just Me"?

In 1956, Nat King Cole became
the first African American

to star
in a network variety show.

♪ Just you ♪

♪ Just me ♪

♪ Let's find a cozy spot
to cuddle and woo ♪

Ratings were good,
and NBC did all it could

to keep Nat King Cole's series
on the air

but no national advertiser

would buy commercial time
on the show.

In an era when ad agencies
controlled television,

it was Madison Avenue that
killed Cole's show,

after just one year.

♪ Pretend you're happy
when you're blue ♪

♪ It isn't very hard to do ♪

♪ And you'll find
happiness without an end ♪

♪ Whenever you pretend ♪

Gradually in the 1960s,

producers began to push networks

to allow more roles for people
of color.

But the networks were nervous.

When producer Bruce Geller

cast Greg Morris on
"Mission Impossible,"

the network wanted to ensure

there would never be even
a hint of romance

between Morris' character
and Barbara Bain.

It became an issue of panic
for the network

before we went on the air.

They just were really
frightened.

The network repeatedly
instructed Bain

to avoid getting anywhere
near Morris

when the camera was rolling.

So we managed
to get them together

in the apartment scene all
the time as much as we could.

Will there be any flames?

Yes,

an effluence

of carbonaceous opaque material.

Thanks.

A lot of smoke.

Nobody likes a...

Sorry.

When Bruce Geller took
the reins on "Mannix,"

he pushed the envelope further,

by casting Gail Fisher in
a lead role

opposite Mike Connors.

CBS balked, but Geller
was persistent.

He said, "CBS is not too hot
on it."

He said, "They're giving me
a bad time."

And I said, "Why?
He says, "Well, she's black."

And finally they said,
"Okay, I'll tell you what.

If we get any mail from
the South or any place

that is negative about her,
she's off the show."

No such letters came,
and in 19 7 0, Gail Fisher became

the first African American woman

to win an Emmy Award.

So we look for somebody with
the name Kelly Green.

That's, uh, what
the computer said.

I took the liberty of going to
a certain organization.

Now, don't be angry
because it worked.

Intertec put Kelly Green through
the computer

and what do you think?

That I'm gonna strangle you.

Well, there's a girl named
Margaret Green

who is the daughter of
a prominent judge,

Francis M. Green, and her
nickname just happens to be...

- Kelly.
- Right.

Premiering a year before
"Mannix" was "Star Trek,"

presenting, for the first time
on a television drama,

a leadership role for
an African American woman.

The first important
non-traditional role,

non-stereotypical role...
The first.

Lieutenant Uhura,

take over navigation.

She was a smart, intelligent
part of the crew.

Ship to ship, Uhura.
Put this on the screen.

Hailing frequencies open, sir.

On that bridge,

as part of the command crew,
she was always business.

It was always about the mission.

Things could not happen without
talking to her as well,

so I loved that.

You know, I loved that,

that it wasn't just,
"Oh, she's cooking."

By the mid 19 7 0s, producer
Norman Lear was bringing

a new wave of African Americans
to television

in "Sanford and Son,"
"The Jeffersons,"

and "Good Times."

Mama, Daddy can I ask you
an important question?

Uh-huh.

If you meet a brother on
the street who was tired

and hungry and had no place
to go, would you help him?

I guess so... that would be
the Christian thing to do.

I thought so, Mama.

Come on in, brother!

Ned the wino?
Oh, not in my apartment today.

Norman Lear made
a special effort

to include people of color
in all facets of production.

Norman did more

for black writing,
black behind the scenes,

black behind whatever...

Producers, directors,
associates, hair girls,

makeup people, writers,
grips, whatever...

He did more for that
than anybody.

Lear also introduced

television's first interracial
couple,

on "The Jeffersons."

Remember when you first told
your mother about us, Tom?

I never heard such yelling
and screaming.

That was my father.
My mother didn't say a word.

Because she fainted.

Then there was
the disinheritance.

The folks cut us off
without a cent.

Oh, that's terrible.

Were your folks that mad, Tom?

Oh, not my folks... hers.

Norman Lear is such a genius,
you know.

He wanted them to be

a real couple,

and they treated each other

like anybody else would.

People could believe
it was a normal relationship.

I'd like to speak to my wife
if you don't mind.

Helen, I can't find
my fountain pen.

Use one of the ballpoint pens.

There are lots of them
on your desk.

Ballpoint pens are not
for writing.

They're for making marks.
I need a pen with a point.

Now, what have you done
with my pen?

I don't know, I might have taken
it to do the marketing list.

You wrote with it?

In 19 77, NBC took a chance

on the most original African
American comic of the era...

Richard Pryor.

The show would break new ground
from the very first shot.

One of the greatest openings
of all time, he said,

"Hey, it's me, Richard Pryor.
I'm on TV.

I don't have to give up
anything."

You know, there's a lot
of things written about me.

People wondering if I'm gonna
have a show,

if I'm not gonna have a show.

Well, I'm havin' a show.

People say,
"How can you have a show?

You've got to compromise.
You gotta give up everything."

Is that a joke or what?

And they pan and he's
totally naked.

And you think, where'd they go?

Well, look at me.
I'm standing here naked.

I've given up absolutely
nothing.

"I didn't give up anything
to be on TV."

And they get down to right
about here,

he's a Ken doll...
There's nothing.

You know, at that point
I went, Yes!

So enjoy the show!

And you see him running towards
a white woman,

and then you see a shotgun
come up, and he runs past her.

I mean, it's fantastic.

It's like seeing great jazz.

When you saw him kick it hard,

it was just like broken-field
running.

Or he'd find a character
that would just be so...

so painful... but at the same
time so funny.

It's beyond comedy.

It's...
there's another level.

It's uber-comedy or something,
but it's beyond...

It's poignant, it's accurate,
it's hysterically funny.

He has thrown what you realize
is all these pill-looking things

out to the kids

And by the end of the piece,
they're all done.

They're all down,
and it ends with him just going,

"Heh heh heh!"

Let's hear it for Black Death!

Far out.

It...

was the scariest thing
I'd ever seen,

but I totally understood it,
like I got it.

Richard Pryor ranks among the
most influential entertainers

of the 20th century,

but his footprint on television
was small.

His show was cancelled after
just one season.

It's a story repeated over
and over for people of color,

often pushed to the sidelines
of the biggest medium.

My parents told me that I
was the first person,

the first Asian person
that they saw on television

that they could be proud of.

It was people that
looked like me.

And it was a joy just to see
people like that on television.

It's strange how television
is today

as compared to what it was then.

It's not out-and-out racism
that we're dealing with,

it is that subtle non-inclusion
that is very hard to overcome.

They have the one black cop
on the show.

Boom, the end of it.
Thank you, we're covered.

You know,
that's the way it goes.

The indigenous,
the Asian American

and the Latino are very, very...

they don't even exist in
this culture of television.

At a time in our history
when you cannot walk

into almost any neighborhood
without seeing

varied people of different
cultures and colors,

it seems strange that that
should be missing on television,

which is the primary source
of information.

The performers who have broken
through

have made a significant
impact on American culture.

Their contributions make them

true pioneers of television.

To make it real,

and to get the audience to
believe that we believe,

we had to personalize the panel.

And Warp 1 is there,
Warp 2 is there,

Warp 3 is there, and so forth.

And all of the other buttons
for me had a definite meaning.

And this director wanted me to
go up there for Warp 9.

Which was not where it was.

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