NET Playhouse; 245; Biography: The Wright Brothers
- Series
- NET Playhouse
- Episode Number
- 245
- Episode
- Biography: The Wright Brothers
- Producing Organization
- Educational Broadcasting Corporation. NET Division
- South Carolina Educational Television Network
- Contributing Organization
- Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
- AAPB ID
- cpb-aacip/75-687h4d3g
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- Description
- Episode Description
- The invention of the airplane and the drama of man's first successful flight are recaptured on film by Arthur Barron in North Carolina's colorful outer banks region. Stacy Keach and his brother, James Keach, star as Wilbur and Orville Wright. A special feature of the film is the use of flying replicas of the Wright Brothers' first airplane and of the glider they flew prior to the first motor flight. Both were constructed by Jack Lambie of Riverside, California. The flying scenes were filmed not far from Kitty Hawk, site of the original flights in 1903. "The Wright Brothers" has been made possible in part by an outright grant of $50,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities. An additional $50,000 in matching funds has been offered by the Humanities Endowment $25,000 from Treasury funds available for that purpose and a pledged gift of $25,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Barron, whose other productions for NET include "Cash! The Man, His World, His Music" and "Birth and Death," wrote his own screenplay for "The Wright Brothers," based on extensive research by him and co-producer Amanda Pope. The script, however, was followed loosely, with a great deal of improvisation. Barron also directed the production. The dramatic format of the film portrays the complex personalities of Wilbur and Orville as revealed in thousands of artifacts, including letters, papers, and diaries of the Wright family. Sons of a Protestant bishop, the brothers were austere yet colorful, rigid in many ways and yet imaginative enough to pursue the "dreamer's" notion that man could fly. And they braved enormous physical danger in developing their own aircraft. Authenticity is strictly maintained down to the smallest details. Many turn-of-the-century items wee loaned to the film by residents in the area (some of whom play small roles). And most of the footage not recorded in the outer banks region was shot in the Wright Brothers' home and bicycle shop, which have been preserved as part of the Henry Ford Museum near Dearborn, Michigan. The home and shop were moved from Dayton, Ohio. The Keach brothers also have done much research for their roles. Stacy, 29, is currently star of the film "The Travelling Executioner" and also appears in the film "Brewster McCloud" in the fictional role of a third Wright brother (there were, in reality, only Wilbur and Orville). Keach had his first big success in 1967 in a long off-Broadway run of the satiric play "MacBird." Since then he starred in the film "End of the Road" with James Earl Jones and received a Tony nomination for his Broadway role in the highly-acclaimed production of "Indians." James, 24, has had most of his acting experience with New York City's Summer Shakespeare Festival, and has studied under famed director Paul Sills ("Second City," "Story Theatre"). "NET Playhouse Biography; The Wright Brothers" is a production of NET Division, Educational Broadcasting Corporation, in cooperation with the South Carolina Educational Television Network. The program was transmitted nationally by PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. This 90-minute piece was recorded in color on film and aired as an episode of NET Playhouse on June 24, 1971 and as an episode of Playhouse New York Biography on July 5, 1973. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
- Description
- The film highlights the complex personalities of men who, without even having completed high school, developed and flew the first successful motor driven aircraft. With authenticity the prime concern, director Aurther Barron and his co-producers researched thousands of artifacts belonging to the Wright family, including letters, diaries, and papers, before writing the script. Filming was all on location, mostly in two areas -- the outer banks of North Carolina, where the brothers designed and flew their aircraft, and Dearborn, Michigan, where the Wright family home and bicycle shop are preserved as part of the Henry Ford Museum. (They were moved from their original site at Dayton, Ohio.)
- Broadcast Date
- 1973-07-05
- Asset type
- Episode
- Genres
- Drama
- Topics
- Biography
- History
- Technology
- Transportation
- Media type
- Moving Image
- Credits
-
-
Actor: Mitchell, George
Actor: Lawrence, John
Actor: Keach, Stacy
Actor: Schweyer, Irene
Actor: Willett, Jack
Actor: Maclean, Jennie
Actor: Edwards, Woodrow
Actor: Keach, James
Actor: Guard, Cary
Actor: Frye, Katherine
Actor: Hurst, David
Assistant Camera Operator: Slade, Chuck
Assistant Editor: Weiderhorn, Ken
Camera Operator: Goldsmith, Paul
Director: Barron, Arthur
Editor: Voynow, Zina
Executive Producer: Venza, Jac
Producer: Barron, Evelyn (Television producer)
Producer: Barron, Arthur
Producer: Pope, Amanda C.
Producing Organization: Educational Broadcasting Corporation. NET Division
Producing Organization: South Carolina Educational Television Network
Sound: Hiddal, Peter
Writer: Barron, Arthur
- AAPB Contributor Holdings
-
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: wnet_aacip_6850 (WNET Archive)
Format: 2 inch videotape
Generation: Master
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- Citations
- Chicago: “NET Playhouse; 245; Biography: The Wright Brothers,” 1973-07-05, Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed June 16, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-687h4d3g.
- MLA: “NET Playhouse; 245; Biography: The Wright Brothers.” 1973-07-05. Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. June 16, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-687h4d3g>.
- APA: NET Playhouse; 245; Biography: The Wright Brothers. Boston, MA: Thirteen WNET, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-687h4d3g