Partners of the Heart (10 Feb. 2003)

During World War II and the era of staunch racial segregation, a Black carpenter's son named Vivien Thomas, who had a talent for surgery, along with a white surgeon named Dr. Alfred Blalock... See full summary »

Directors:

Andrea Kalin, Bill Duke

Writers:

Andrea Kalin, Lou Potter

Stars:

Alfred Blalock, Denton A. Cooley, John Dryden

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Alfred Blalock	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Dr. Alfred Blalock)
Denton A. Cooley	...	Himself (as Dr. Denton A. Cooley)
John Dryden	...	Newsreel Voice (voice)
Koco Eaton	...	Himself (as Dr. Koco Eaton)
Morgan Freeman	...	Himself (Narrator) (voice)
Christopher Haley	...	Dr. Vivien Thomas
J. Alex Haller Jr.	...	Himself (as Dr. J. Alex Haller Jr.)
Beau James	...	Dr. Alfred Blalock
Jane Leuders	...	Dr. Helen Taussig
Rowena Spencer	...	Herself (as Dr. Rowena Spencer)
Helen Taussig	...	Herself (archive footage) (as Dr. Helen Taussig)
Vivien Thomas	...	Himself (archive footage) (as Dr. Vivien Thomas)
Courtney B. Vance	...	Dr. Vivien Thomas (voice)
Levi Watkins	...	Himself (as Dr. Levi Watkins)
Tony Williams	...	Dr. Vivien Thomas at the Train Tracks

Storyline

During World War II and the era of staunch racial segregation, a Black carpenter's son named Vivien Thomas, who had a talent for surgery, along with a white surgeon named Dr. Alfred Blalock, who defied the medical establishment created a partnership that changed the course of cardiac surgery. With only a high school diploma, Thomas became a leading cardiac pioneer and educator of two generations of the United States' premiere heart surgeons. This moving documentary tells the story of Thomas and his relationship with Blalock, one that ushered in advances in surgery that are still in existence today.

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Plot Keywords:

surgeon | segregation | heart surgeon | nashville tennessee | johns hopkins university | 

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Taglines:

A Black man, a Blue baby, and a Miracle

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Genres:

Documentary | History

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 2003 (USA)

Box Office

Budget:

$600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Duke Media, Spark Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Coming to Baltimore"
Written and Performed by Joe Delia

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