W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: @IAMDickGregory on @CharlieSHEen's HIV Status

   

 

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in this show are not the official views, opinions, beliefs or perspectives of  W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News or The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc....W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News is an organization that thoroughly believes in supplementing the information narrative that is usually supplied by the corporate news entities with those viewpoints/expressions which may be marginalized or ignored for a plethora of reasons...We are about informing the general public on alternative perspectives as it relates to news and information and letting the general public be the ultimate judge in deciding on how to use said information...Informed citizens are responsible citizens...Thank you for your support!!!

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 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Dick Gregory on Charlie SHEen's HIV Status

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https://youtu.be/uOzLiIoyf0o

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And The Best Is Yet To Come!!!

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Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Donate online:

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Or send a money order to

the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. 100,000 Strong Fundraising Campaign!!!

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Black Icons, Iconoclasts, Celebrities & History Makers Speak Out About @BillCosby Sex Scandal On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.

    

"Let me say this. I only expect the Black Media to uphold the standards of excellence in journalism and when you do that you have to go in with a neutral mind."~Bill Cosby

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Baba Dick Gregory On Bill Cosby Scandal~12/18/2014

“As the father of seven daughters, I take these allegations seriously. Today’s media moves at the speed of sound. It is important to slow down and allow due process. The contributions that Bill has made to humanity are immeasurable and should allow him at least that. It is challenging for me to comment on what I don’t know. What I do know is both Bill and Camille are my friends. The Bill Cosby I know is a funny, kind, generous man. I am saddened and I pray for the truth to come out.” @IAMDickGregory

WATCH NOW:

http://youtu.be/03uqkEl6s6s

WATCH FULL SHOW:

http://youtu.be/mLzuikNAlIA

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Sonia Sanchez On Bill Cosby And Tiger Woods~12/21/2014

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http://youtu.be/YyDcTcGQCVA

WATCH FULL SHOW:

http://youtu.be/Fm-9aHvRcBU

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Judge Joe Brown On Bill Cosby Scandal~1/3/2015

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http://youtu.be/wDHRVOuTToA

WATCH FULL SHOW:

http://youtu.be/dHVZWD7WrSk

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Sis. Shahrazad Ali On Bill Cosby Sex Scandal~1/29/2015

WATCH NOW:

http://youtu.be/3CPRmnwbFRQ

WATCH FULL SHOW:

http://youtu.be/VT4rz6n9alg

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Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to

the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. 100,000 Strong Fundraising Campaign!!!

CLICK THE LINK FOR DETAILS:

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2014/08/we-all-be-100000-strong-fundraising.html

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "'Hallelujah!': First Hollywood All Black Talkie...Made IN Memphis & Nominated For An Oscar!!!"

    

 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "'Hallelujah!': First Hollywood All Black Talkie...Made IN Memphis & Nominated For An Oscar!!!"  

Sis. Rubye Carter INterview (Daughter Of "Hallelujah" Actor/Singer & Memphis Gospel Music Great Sis. Georgia Woodruff)~1/2009

WATCH NOW:

 http://youtu.be/MgI4qQZS4Hc

"Advertised as an "all-colored" production, the movie was arguably the first major-studio attempt to present the lives of African-Americans with sensitivity and artistry. Although its racial stereotyping may trouble or embarrass viewers today, it remains probably the most significant movie ever shot in the Mid-South, and a milestone on the road that led from Stepin Fetchit to Sidney Poitier to Spike Lee."
~John Beifuss of The Memphis Commercial Appeal
 

'Hallelujah!' Not 'Hustle And Flow' was the film that put Memphis on the cinematic map. This episode highlights the first ever Hollywood produced All Black Cast Talkie Movie featuring the first Black Hollywood Sex Symbol, the great Nina Mae McKinney. W.E. A.L.L. B.E. INterviewed Rubye Carter, the daughter of Georgia Woodruff, a singer in the film and well known Memphis Gospel Music Great, about her mom’s role as well as the historical and cultural significance of the Academy Award nominated film (BEst Director nod for King Vidor) itself.

The majority of the film was shot in South Memphis near what is now known as LeMoyne-Owen College and the Wilson Plantation just across the Mississippi River IN Arkansas...According to the Library of Congress press release, the all-black-cast film "Hallelujah!" was a surprising gamble by normally conservative MGM, allowed chiefly because director King Vidor deferred his salary and MGM had proved slow to convert from silent to sound films. Vidor had to shoot silent film of the mass-river-baptism and swamp-murder Tennessee location scenes. He then painstakingly synchronized the dialogue and music. Around themes of religion, sensuality and family stability, Vidor molded a tale of a cotton sharecropper that begins with him losing his year’s earnings, his brother and his freedom and follows him through the temptations of a dancehall girl (Nina Mae McKinney). The passionate conviction of the melodrama and the resourceful technical experiments make "Hallelujah" among the very first indisputable masterpieces of the sound era.
http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-237.html

In 2008, the vintage 1929 poster for 'Hallelujah!' film was used in a U.S. Postage stamp designed to honor the film as a part of the U.S. postal Service's "Vintage Black Cinema" series. That same year 'Hallelujah' was named along with 24 other films to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, which preserves historic and significant films.

The Legendary Dr. Eva Jessye, recognized as the first Black woman to achieve international distinction as a choral director, founded and led the Dixie Jubilee Singers. She was the music director for 'Hallelujah' and later Dr. Jessye was also active in the American Civil Rights Movement. Her choir was named the official choir for the historic 1963 March On Washington. Active well into her 80s she later taught music at the Univ. of Michigan.

The film was directed by legendary Hollywood film director King Vidor. ‘Hallelujah!’ was Vidor’s first ‘talkie. He Was Nominated For A 1930 Best Director Oscar For 'Hallelujah!' It starred the underrated and vivaciously talented 16 year old Nina Mae McKinney, arguably Hollywood’s first Black Sex Symbol as the seductress known as Chick. She was dubbed ‘The Black Garbo’ by the press because her stage presence and sex appeal was reminiscent of white actress Greta Garbo. McKinney was discovered by King Vidor in Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1928 Revue. The great Daniel L. Haynes played the male lead as the religious and troubled sharecropper Zeke Johnson who falls for Nina’s character while his life around him falls apart. Early Jazz & Blues great Victoria Spivey was also in the film and played Zeke’s fiancée. Zeke’s father was played by a 86 year former slave named Harry Gray. Zeke's mother was played by veteran Black entertainer Fanny Belle DeKnight. Also featured in the film was the popular Curtis Mosby's Blue Blowers Orchestra. Two of the musical numbers in the film, “Waiting at the End of the Road” and “Swanee Shuffle,” were written by Irving Berlin. Many of the actors who were IN ‘Hallelujah’ were everyday working people living in Memphis. Another Memphis local, Beale St. tap dance performer and comedian, Robert "Bones" Couch, was also featured IN the film. He later BEcame the partner of Memphis music legend Rufus Thomas IN their popular show business duo act known as ‘Rufus & Bones.’

See Also...

All-Black Memphis Film Honored: 1929 Talkie Named 1 Of '25 Important Motion Pictures'...
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2009/01/all-black-memphis-film-honored-1929.html

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Photos Are Courtesy Of The 'Hallelujah!' Collection Of The  Memphis & Shelby County Room Of The Memphis Public Library & INformation Center...To Learn More Please Visit The 'Hallelujah!' Collection Online:http://memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16108coll9
 
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Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to

the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. 100,000 Strong Fundraising Campaign!!!

CLICK THE LINK FOR DETAILS:

http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2014/08/we-all-be-100000-strong-fundraising.html

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Still Good Times: Eric Monte, The GodFather Of The Black TV Sitcom & Visionary BEhind Cooley High"

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Still Good Times: Eric Monte, The GodFather Of The Black TV Sitcom & Visionary BEhind Cooley High"

WATCH NOW:

http://youtu.be/jTDBwFFn7L4


ERIC MONTE’S STORY

I created the television show “Good Times,” the characters George and Louise Jefferson of  “The Jeffersons.” I also wrote the movie “Cooley High,” upon which the television show, “What’s Happening?” was based, not to mention that I created the television show, “The Cosby Show."

“Cooley High” was made for $750 thousand dollars and grossed over $100 million in the box office. All those things were block buster hits and made people hundreds of millions of dollars but yet I ended up living in a homeless shelter because I was cheated out of all the money those things made because of my ignorance and race.

When I came to Hollywood I was a young black high school dropout from the streets of Chicago who’s desire was to improve the images of black people on the screen and in books. In 1970 Norman Lear produced a show called “All in the Family.” He hired a guy named Mike Evans to play a character called Lionel. Lionel’s first line on “All in the Family” was, ‘I’s gwine get an edjumakation.’ The kind of degrading stereotypic thing I had come to Hollywood to change. I knew Mike.

One day Mike came to me and said that he was on this show called “All in the Family,” and that all he had was a walk on, walk off part. He said that there were a lot of people writing for the show and getting paid. He’d heard that I was a good writer and he wanted me to write a show, centering on his character, he would put both our names on it and take it in to Norman Lear. I wrote the episode in which I created Lionel’s mother and father, George and Louise Jefferson. George was a successful black man who didn’t like white people and called them “Honkies.” Mike took the script in to Norman and two weeks later Norman Lear sent for me. The first thing Norman said when I walked into his office was, ‘America will never buy a black man calling white people honky on a sit-com.’ I said, ‘they will if you keep it funny.’ You can’t be that funny he told me. “I can,” I said. He said he wanted to talk about something else. He sent for Mike Evans who was on the set rehearsing “All in the Family.”

While we were waiting he told me that “All in the Family,” was originally an English show and that he had another English
show that he was getting ready to produce about a junkman called “Steptoe and Son.” I recommended Redd Foxx for the part because Redd was playing a junk man in a movie called “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” and I’d been a fan of Redd’s for years. Norman, who had never heard of Redd Foxx, told me that it was a white show and that it wouldn’t work with a black actor.

Mike came up and Norman said he wanted to do a black show and asked if we had any ideas. I immediately pitched “The Black Family,” which came on the air three years later as “Good Times.”

A few months after that first meeting he started shooting “Sanford and Son,” with Redd Foxx as the lead character. I tried out for the role as Lamont but Norman told me that I was a writer not an actor.

Tha Artivist Says:

In 1977, Eric Monte filed a $400 Million Dollar lawsuit against Norman Lear, ABC, CBS and Bud Yorkin for theft of his intellectual property…He won the case and only got $1 million dollars…With the exception of writing an episode for “Moesha” and another one for “The Wayans Bro. Show,” he was effectively Blacklisted & never worked full-time in Hollywood again…

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And The Best Is Yet To Come!!!

***

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to
the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175

    

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Harpo's Revenge: Willard Pugh Talks 'Color Purple,' Oprah & 'Hollywood'~12/25/2010

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: Harpo's Revenge: Willard Pugh Talks 'Color Purple,' Oprah & 'Hollywood'~12/25/2010

WATCH NOW:

http://youtu.be/K26M98ZPXJE

About The Guest & Show

Born June 16, 1959, in Memphis, TN, Willard E. Pugh is one of the most underrated and underutilized character actors of his generation.  You probably recognize his face in some of your favorite actors' favorite movies...Whether he is playing the seemingly emasculated yet likable Harpo in the classic The Color Purple, the nefariously comical and audacious record exec Trustus in CB4 or the bombastic, corrupt and audacious Mayor Kuzak of Detroit in the Robocop movie franchise, Bro. Willard proves time and time again in his invaluable sliver of time shared on the silver screen that it is the quality of the performance and not quantity of lines that wins over an audience and that separates the amateurs from the immortals.

In our nearly marathon conversation conducted on Christmas Day 2010, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio discussed his rise from his humble beginnings in Memphis, TN, and into the stratosphere with the chance of the lifetime he got when he was picked to act in arguably one of the greatest African American themed films ever created with a tour de force ensemble cast, a cast which also featured a relative newcomer and a popular regional Chicago talk show host at that time, Oprah Winfrey.

Willard E. Pugh leaves no stones unturned and no bridges untorched in discussing the triumphs and disappointments of his career...The highs are really high while the lows are really low...He mercilessly offers with brilliant comedic timing and riveting social commentary, insight that Richard Pryor or a Chris Rock could enjoy, his thoughts on some very touchy and controversial subjects including...

* A scathing critique of the Hollywood Machine

* The real truth about the Oscars

*The disturbing things not shown on the The Color Purple 25th Anniversary Special produced by The
Oprah Show

*The Backlash from the African American Community concerning The Color Purple release and the short
term and long term consequences of that the backlash.

*The movie Precious

*Tyler Perry and his business practices


AND SO MUCH MORE!!!*The State of Black Hollywood 2010

*The history of Black entertainment in America

*Pres. Barack Obama

*His Dream Movie Project

And check out the filmography of this unsung acting legend...He got cred yo!!!

    1982 : Divided We Fall .... Runaway Slave
    1984 : Toy Soldiers .... Ace
    1985 : Moving Violations .... Jeff Roth
    1985 : The Hills Have Eyes Part II .... Foster
    1985 : Stand Alone .... Macombers
    1985 : The Color Purple .... Harpo
    1986 : Blue City .... Leroy
    1986 : Native Son .... Gus
    1987 : Amazon Women on the Moon .... Speaking Cop (segment "Video Date")
    1987 : Made in Heaven .... Guy Blanchard / Brian Dalton
    1988 : Traxx .... Deeter
    1990 : RoboCop 2 .... Mayor Kuzak
    1991 : Guyver .... Col. Castle
    1991 : A Rage in Harlem (A Rage in Harlem) .... Claude X
    1991 : Ambition .... Freddie
    1992 : Eddie Presley .... Nick
    1993 : CB4 .... Trustus
    1994 : Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter .... Jason
    1995 : Under the Hula Moon .... Duane
    1997 : Air Force One .... White House Communications Officer
    1998 : High Freakquency .... Dale
    1998 : Progeny (Progeny) .... Eric Davidson
    1998 : Spoiler .... Bounty #2
    2000 : Today's Life .... The PR Man
    2000 : Up Against Amanda .... Officer Wharton
    2001 : The Big Leaf Tobacco Company .... Mr. Franklin
    2007 : Mil Mascaras vs. the Aztec Mummy
    2010 :Kings Of The Evening

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And The Best Is Yet To Come!!!

***

Support The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Movement!!!

Donate online:

http://bit.ly/VfaE1N

Or send a money order to
the following address:

Attn: Ron Herd II

The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group Inc.

P.O. Box 752062

Memphis, TN 38175