Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson
- Producing Organization
- New Jersey Council for the Humanities
- Union County College
- New Jersey Network
- Contributing Organization
- Film and Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, Missouri)
- The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip-151-4t6f18ss6s
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip-151-4t6f18ss6s).
- Description
- Program Description
- "Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson is a one-hour documentary that captures the struggles and triumphs of the baseball heroes who played in the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson became the first African American in the Majors. "The personal recollections of Negro League veterans, some who played both in the Negro and Major Leagues, give viewers a true sense of times on and off the field. Hall of Famers Monte Irvin and Ray Dandridge recount their childhood aspirations of playing in the Negro Leagues. Later, having accomplished their dream, they and other Negro Leaguers relate their experiences barnstorming throughout north and south America during the 1930's and '40's playing the game they loved. "This exciting period in the American experience is also explored by fans who crowded stadiums to cheer on the Negro Leaguers and journalists who wrote about players of near mythological proportion such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson. "Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson is rich with rare archival footage and photographs of the period. A broader sense of the segregated times is further enhanced by the historical commentary of the renowned historian Dr. Clement Price and appearances by former baseball commissioner Peter Uberoth and baseball superstar Dave Winfield. "Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson ends with the 1987 induction of Ray Dandridge into the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown, New York. Dandridge's acceptance speech moved the crowd just as his exploits on the baseball field had moved fans four decades earlier. 'I love the game of baseball,' Dandridge says, 'and today it looks like the game of baseball loves me.' "The strongest argument for why Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson merits Peabody consideration comes from Giles Wright, New Jersey Historical Commission's Director of Afro-American History, who writes, 'In re-telling the experience of Negro baseball players at a time when the chasm in American race relations was considerable, the film indeed reveals the injustice inherent in any denial of an equal opportunity to have one's talent and skill amply rewarded. The film has the capacity to sensitize its viewers, especially those of younger generations, with the ongoing need for greater racial and ethnic understanding in American society.'"--1994 Peabody Awards entry form.The program contains interviews with former Negro Leagues baseball players, journalists, and fans, who share their memories of the Negro Leagues and talk about how they impacted both black culture and baseball culture. The program follows five former players of the Negro Leagues as they return to Hinchcliffe Stadium in Patterson, New Jersey, where they played, and as they reminisce on the old days. Historian Clement Price talks about the era of segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, and the players remember the discrimination and racism they faced. The people interviewed discuss other important players and their memories of them. Ray Dandridge talks about playing in Mexican and Cuban leagues, because they paid better. The players discuss serving in World War Two and how the war changed the game. Several journalists discuss the synergy between the Negro Press and Negro Baseball Leagues. The final segment of the program features Ray Dandridge's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame and his acceptance speech.
- Broadcast Date
- 1994-09-25
- Asset type
- Program
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Duration
- 01:05:11.674
- Credits
-
-
: Miles Educational Film Productions, Inc.
Producing Organization: New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Producing Organization: Union County College
Producing Organization: New Jersey Network
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Film & Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis
Identifier: cpb-aacip-c7216c563a7 (Filename)
Format: VHS
-
Film & Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis
Identifier: cpb-aacip-346be4e8a7a (Filename)
Format: VHS
Generation: Copy: Access
-
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the
University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-537745534b7 (Filename)
Format: U-matic
Duration: 00:59:40
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
- Citations
- Chicago: “Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson,” 1994-09-25, Film and Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 18, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-151-4t6f18ss6s.
- MLA: “Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson.” 1994-09-25. Film and Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 18, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-151-4t6f18ss6s>.
- APA: Before You Can Say Jackie Robinson. Boston, MA: Film and Media Archive, Washington University in St. Louis, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-151-4t6f18ss6s