Friday, April 3, 2009

Part 3, First Interview with Martin Luther King, PBS

Part 3 of the interview with Martin Luther King, from 1957 on the PBS show, Open Mind. They called it Open Mind. This show was called "New Negro" and they talked exclusively to Dr. King about how African American's could fit into the world and into the US. Quite interesting and provocative interview.. or grilling almost.

1 comment:

NEWSGUY said...

Wow, I am very sorry I missed those programs. That was really in the infancy of television, it was only about ten years old at that point as a commercial medium. And I can remember that it was popular to stage interviews like this in "limbo" all black no set, just the people lit dramatically. I think it is still an effective way to do serious TV, Charlie Rose still uses the technique.

I remember doing interviews in the mid-60s at a small station using the same technique even without the table, just a couple of facing chairs. We did it that way because it was cheap.

But beyond that, I wish I had seen the reruns of the King interviews for the historical interest. Maybe they will eventually come out on DVD.

The interviews BTW, had to be kinescoped--a film camera backed up to a video screen. That was before videotape. I remember when two inch videotape came in. I still have a reel of my early work on two inch tape which I will never be able to see because the big old Ampex machines, as big as a kitchen stove are now antiques.