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Date Posted: 15:50:55 09/16/12 Sun
Author: SWC
Subject: Look to the Stars
In reply to: Jarrod 's message, "Ethnic stereotypes abound on BONANZA" on 09:25:17 09/16/12 Sun

This episode, (Season 3, Episode 26, 3/18/62), fascinates me. William Schallert plays a teacher who hss expelled a series of "trouble makers" or students who couldn't keep up from his class. At a hearing it's pointed out that they represent every ethinic group but his own and he realizes that his judgements were informed by his own bigotry.(Strangely, he didn't realize this before but I guess there is such a thing as subtle bigotry).

But what I noticed the most is that while Jewish and Indian and Mexican and Chjinese children and some others were represented, there was no black children. I wondered if the network decided, as they often did in those days, that people in the south wouldn't watch if there were any black characters, unless they conformed to stereotypes.

Two years later, Bonanza did "Enter Thomas Bowers, (Season 5, Episode 30, 4/26/64), which was aobut a black man and specifically about racial prejudice. My interpetation is that after two years of mostly favorable news coverage about the civil rights movement, TV executives were willing to attack bigotry, rather than support it in their decisions.

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Replies:

[> [> Re: Look to the Stars -- Jarrod, 16:09:54 09/16/12 Sun [1]

Thanks, I will look into reviewing these episodes you have mentioned.


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[> [> [> Re: Any BONANZA episode is better than... -- Rick, 00:09:57 09/17/12 Mon [1]

... the TV-movies and its next generation!




R :)


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[> [> [> Re: Look to the Stars -- Steve, 12:24:23 09/19/12 Wed [1]

Here is "Look to the Stars"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiMHoozJeC4&feature=related

Re-watching it, I wondered if the absence of a back student was simply the writer or producer's decision that it was unlikely that there would have been a black child in Virginia City at that time. The general idea was that the episodes were taking place 100 years before they were first viewed and in 1862 the Civil War was far from voer and Lincoln had not emancipated the slaves so the surge of former slaves into the west would not have taken place yet.

Still, there could have been: the gold and silver rushes drew people form all over the place and ex- or escaped slaves might well have been there. And it would have been a good move for the producers to put a black child in the picture, considering what was going on in America in 1972. I have to feel that it was considered at some point and that somebody decided not to.

By the way, That's Penny Stanton as the mother.

"Enter Thomas Bowers", two years later:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-t_JZetIs


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[> [> [> [> Question for Rick -- SWC, 10:24:35 09/22/12 Sat [1]

Do you know what opera singer dubbed Willaim Marshall's singing voice in "Enter Thomas Bowers"?

By the way, Thomas Bowers was a real person:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bowers_(singer)


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[> [> [> [> [> Re: Question for Rick -- Rick, 18:25:50 09/22/12 Sat [1]

SWC,

Marshall did his own singing in the show. I don't think his voice was dubbed over. When I compiled rerun info, I came across two TV Guide listings in Texas and Georgia and "Bowers" was not aired that summer on those affiliates.



Rick


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[> [> [> [> [> [> Thanks -- SWC, 20:53:20 09/22/12 Sat [1]

I assumed he was dubbed but I note his Wikipedia article says he was an opera singer as well as an actor. His voice in the episode sure sounds terrific.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Marshall_(actor)


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[> [> [> [> [> [> [> Re: You're welcome -- Rick, 02:42:56 09/24/12 Mon [1]

You're welcome. I recall reading he sang opera. You can tell by listening to his voice--as he sings, it matches his speaking voice.




Rick :)


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