Description: Interview with Li'l Abner cartoonist and political satirist Al Capp in his Cambridge home. He talks about evading his father's creditors, and scheming to take semesters at various arts schools around the city. He says he likes the Boston view of the world, and talks about the influence Boston has had on his work. He talks about turning conservative. He criticizes American presidents, calling Gerald Ford ‘clumsy’ and Jimmy Carter ‘weak.’ He talks about working on Li'l Abner with a team of men.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 11/04/1977
Description: Marcus Jones reports that Alex Haley discussed African American history and his work at a Black History Month event at Harvard University. Haley is in great demand as a speaker during Black History Month. Haley speaks to students and faculty. Interview with Haley, who talks about how he came to write the novel Roots. Haley also discusses the importance of African American history and the importance of Black History Month. Haley believes that Black History Month is important because it draws attention to African American history; he is concerned about a lack of historical awareness among African Americans. Jones's report is accompanied by footage from the television series based on Roots.
1:00:10: Visual: Footage of Alex Haley (author) walking into a building with two other men. Marcus Jones reports that February is the busiest month of the year for Haley; that February is known as Black History Month. V: Shot of Haley standing up as an a small audience applauds for him. Footage of Haley being interviewed by Jones. Haley says that he will speak at thirty-two different venues during the month of February, 1991. Jones reports that Haley discussed history and his work with students and faculty at Harvard University today; that Haley will speak at Salem State College this evening. V: Shots of Haley speaking to students in a room at Harvard University. Shots of the students. Shot of the cover of Haley's novel, Roots. Jones reports that Haley told the story of his own family in Roots; that Haley is in great demand as a speaker during Black History Month. V: Footage Haley being interviewed by Jones. Haley says that people tend to talk about black history as if it is separate from American history. Haley says that black history is a part of American history; that people who claim to know American history must be familiar with black history. Haley says that American history has many components; that historians of American history must also know Native American history. Jones reports that Haley says that he does not court controversy. Jones reports that Haley is known for documenting the life of Malcolm X (African-American leader); that Malcolm X is a controversial figure. V: Shot of the cover of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Footage from the TV series, Roots. Jones reports that history is always controversial; that Haley learned the power of history when he traced his family tree back to Africa. Footage of Haley being interviewed by Jones. Jones asks Haley about his motivation for writing Roots. Haley says that he had heard family stories from his grandmother and her sisters; that his initial motivation was curiousity. Haley says that the civil rights movement made him begin to think about Africa and his roots there; that his grandmother had told him stories handed down about Africa. Footage from Roots. Jones reports that all newcomers to the US are aware of their roots; that Haley is concerned about the lack of historical awareness among African Americans. V: Footage of Haley being interviewed by Jones. Haley says that most images of cowboys in the old west are of white cowboys; that more than half of the cowboys in the old west were African American. Haley says that it is important for young African Americans to know that African Americans were also cowboys. Haley says that young African Americans need to know the part played by their people in American history. Haley says that young African Americans cannot grow up thinking that they are the same as white people. Haley says that young African Americans need to be able to identify with other African Americans. Shots of Haley speaking to students at Harvard; of the students. Jones reports that Haley is not a critic of the limited attention given to black history during one month per year. Jones reports that Haley does not see Black History Month as "tokenism." Jones says that Haley sees Black History Month as an opportunity to encourage people to explore their roots. V: Footage of Haley being interviewed by Jones. Haley says that Black History Month is necessary because it sets aside a block of time to concentrate of black history. Haley says that he hopes that successive Black History Months in the coming years will leave a strong imprint on the popular perception of black history. Footage from Roots.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 02/25/1991
Description: Exterior shot of the West Newton Savings bank in Sherborn. B-roll of women working inside and the bank manager on the phone. Interview with the bank manager about a man who used to work there. Sound and wild sound. This is 2 of 2 reels.
Collection: WCVB Collection
Date Created: 11/29/1978
Description: Story about the West Newton Savings bank in Sherborn, which has an all women staff. Interview with one of the bank managers, interview cutaways, and reporter standup in front of the bank. Mix of sound and silent. This is 1 of 2 reels.
Collection: WCVB Collection
Date Created: 11/29/1978
Description: Interview with South End based artist Allan Rohan Crite. He tells a story about selling paintings in the 1940s, tracking them down, and recently finding them. He talks about his paintings, inspired by different parts of African American lives, including religion. He also talks about the poetry and essays he's been working on recently. They focus on his version of the African American experience. They shoot cutaways with no sound.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/04/1982
Description: Allston Brighton environs. Busy intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Harvard Street. Storefronts of Macy's Liquors, Ken's Pub, Great Scott, Gladstone's. People get off green line trolley, close up on the T logo. Cars drive by, pedestrians cross the street and walk down the sidewalk. Cleveland Circle storefronts (small markets, CVS, bank, hardware). Beacon Street traffic approaches head on. Massachusetts Turnpike traffic in Allston; freight containers in adjacent rail yard.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/26/1979
Description: Electric power station in Allston. Grid of insulators, transformers and cables. Danger High Voltage sign. Line of utility poles and railroad tracks along Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) looking toward TV38 (WSBK) transmission tower.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 04/30/1976
Description: Hope Kelly reports on a dispute between the tenants and the landlords of a building in Allston on Parkvale St. Kelly notes that the tenants have brought suit against the landlords for discriminatory practices. Kelly reports that a fire damaged the building in February. She notes that the landlords have aided white tenants with temporary relocation and have assured them an eventual return to their apartments. Kelly reports that African American tenants have been ignored. Kelly reports that the tenants have been barred from the building altogether. Kelly's report includes footage of a protest outside the apartment building by tenants and city officials. Brian McLoughlin (Boston City Council), Mel King (community activist), Domenic Bozzotto (Hotel Workers Union), and David Scondras (Boston City Council) are among those present. Tenants and city officials condemn the owners of the building and demand the return of tenants to the building. Kelly reviews the status of the lawsuit and gives the names of the owners of the building. She attempts to interview David Spada (owner) when he arrives at the building. Spada refuses to be interviewed.
1:00:16: Visual: Footage of Thomas Gallagher (New England Equity Institute) addressing a group of protesters under the awning of an apartment building at 56 Parkvale Avenue in Allston. Gallagher says, "It's a sorry state of affairs." Shots of protesters standing under the awning to get out of the rain. Hope Kelly reports that workmen are working on the interior of the apartment building; that tenants cannot enter the building. V: Footage of Etta Anderson (tenant) addressing the gathered protesters. Anderson says that the building looks habitable; that the building is empty. Shot of a street sign for Parkvale Avenue in Allston. Shots of the exterior of the building on Parkvale Avenue. Kelly reports that a fire damaged parts of the sixteen-unit building on January 15. V: Footage of Brian McLoughlin (Boston City Council) addressing the gathered protesters. McLoughlin criticizes the property owners for not allowing the tenants to return to their homes. Shots of the protesters under the awning. Several protesters hold signs. One of the signs reads, "Evict racist landlords, not tenants of color." Shots of Mel King (community activist) and Domenic Bozzotto (President, Hotel Workers Union) standing among the protesters. Kelly reports that the tenants say that the landlords are racist; that the tenants say that the landlords do not want the tenants to return to the building. Kelly reports that Pat Roberts (tenant) said that the landlords told her that they didn't want "colored people" in their building. V: Footage of Roberts addressing the gathering. Roberts says that she is living with her sister and her three children in a one-room apartment. Kelly reports that white tenants have testified that the landlords have helped them find temporary housing; that white tenants say that the landlords have assured them of an eventual return to their apartments. V: Shots of the protesters under the awning. Shots of signs reading, "Burned out" and "Real people, not real estate." Kelly reports that the tenants have brought suit against the landlords. V: Footage of Marian Glaser (Greater Boston Legal Services) saying that the tenants were first in court in February. Glaser says that the landlords said in February that the tenants could return to the building. Glaser says that the landlords changed their story at a second hearing. Glaser says that the landlords told the tenants that they could return to the building only if they dropped their legal claims against the landlords. Shots of the protesters. Kelly reports that the tenants have brought suit against the landlords for racial discrimination, retaliation, code violations from before the fire, and property loss since the fire. V: Shot of a man addressing the protesters. Shots through a window of a construction worker inside of the building. A sign in the window of the building reads, "Private Property." Footage of David Scondras (Boston City Council) addressing the gathering. Scondras accuses the landlords of suspicious behavior. Scondras wonders if the landlords wanted the fire to happen. Footage of King addressing the protesters. King says that the issue is of larger importance to the city of Boston. On-screen text details specifics of the building's ownership. Kelly reports that the property is owned by the Lightfoot Realty Trust and Bay State Property Management; that the owners are identified as Robert Kingman, Roman Zar, Charles M. Bernstein, and David Spada. V: Footage of David Spada (owner) saying that he will not comment on the case. Shots of protesters standing beneath the awning; of Spada passing by the protesters as he enters the building. Kelly reports that the case returns to housing court on Monday morning.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 05/19/1988
Description: Berths from the previous year's America's Cup in Newport are being plowed over to create a time-share complex. Review of what happened last year and what the New York Yacht club would have to do to win the cup back from Australia. Footage of the construction, the marina, shots from the American Cup race, interview with Executive Director of the New York Yacht Club Tom Ehman, a boat unveiling, and Australia tourism commercial with the winner of the America's Cup. Reporter voice-over through reel. Sound.
Collection: WCVB Collection
Date Created: 09/26/1984
Description: Women in a room singing, several women come through a door with a large banner and the students cheer, girls stream out of the door cheering. Wild sound. Slug = "U Mass Feminists" Additional description from the Original WCVB Rundown for this story reads: "The women who have been sitting in the office of the UMass school newspaper leave without getting satisfaction."
Collection: WCVB Collection
Date Created: 05/12/1978