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Watch 'Jackie Robinson': Part One @ PBS.org (Expires 04/26/16)
About the Film
Jackie Robinson, a two-part, four-hour film directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon tells the story of an American icon whose life-long battle for first class citizenship for all African Americans transcends even his remarkable athletic achievements. “Jackie Robinson,” Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “was a sit-inner before sit-ins, a freedom rider before freedom rides.”
Part One:
Jack Roosevelt Robinson rose from humble origins to break the color barrier in baseball, becoming one of the most beloved men in America. Born to tenant farmers in rural Georgia and raised in Pasadena, California, Robinson excelled at athletics from an early age, eventually enrolling at UCLA, where he lettered in four sports and met his future wife, a nursing student named Rachel Isum. Facing racism and discrimination everywhere, Robinson refused to give in, defying Jim Crow segregation in Pasadena and, as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, standing up for his rights when ordered to move to the back of a military bus.
Robinson’s tremendous baseball skill, strength of character and insistence on equality made him the perfect choice for Branch Rickey, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, in his search for a black player with the talent and fortitude to integrate Major League Baseball. On April 15, 1947, Robinson, wearing the number 42, became the first African American player in the Major Leagues in more than half a century. He faced slurs, threats and abuse, as fans and managers taunted him, pitchers threw at his head, and runners tried to spike him, but he suppressed his natural instinct to fight back. Despite the torments and pressure, Robinson performed spectacularly on the field, helping the Dodgers clinch the National League pennant and winning the first ever “Rookie of the Year” award.
Part Two:
In 1949, Robinson led the Dodgers to the World Series for the second time in three seasons and won the Most Valuable Player award. He also began to speak out, arguing calls with umpires and challenging opposing players. His outspokenness drew the scorn of fans, a once-adoring press, even his own teammates. He was accused of being “uppity,” a “rabble-rouser,” and urged to be “a player, not a crusader.”
After baseball, he found new ways to use his fame to fight discrimination, writing newspaper columns, raising money for the NAACP and jailed protesters, supporting the political candidates he believed would push for equality and working towards economic empowerment for blacks. But as the civil rights movement he had once seemed to embody became more militant, its demands more strident, he was accused of being out of touch – an Uncle Tom. Yet even as diabetes crippled his body and unspeakable tragedy visited his home, Robinson continued to fight for first class citizenship for all African Americans.
Youtube Videos:
Trailer
Jackie Robinson: An Inside Look
Jackie & Rachel Robinson: Partnership
Ken Burns on Jackie Robinson
Part one is well into its second hour on the east coast, and will re-air immediately following. I only just got home from work, but I'm kind of surprised there hasn't been a thread made already; Ken Burns documentaries are always excellent television.
