American Experience (TV Series)
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard (2021)
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- TV-14
- 1h 55min
- Documentary, Biography
- 30 Mar 2021
- TV Episode
Isaac Woodard was a Black World War II veteran who became known to the world as the victim of a horrific act of racist violence that robbed him of his sight.
Director:
Writers:
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Eliza Briggs | ... |
Self - Wife of Harry Briggs
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Nathaniel Briggs | ... |
Self - Son of Harry Briggs
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Mary James Cottrell | ... |
Self - Reporter, The Charlotte Observer (archiveSound) (voice)
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Joseph A. DeLaine Jr. | ... |
Self - Son of Rev. De Laine
(as J.A. De Laine Jr.)
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| Duke Ellington | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Kari Frederickson | ... |
Self - Historian
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Belinda Gergel | ... |
Self - Historian
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Richard Gergel | ... |
Self - Author, Unexampled Courage
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| André Holland | ... |
Narrator (voice)
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| Sherrilyn Ifill | ... |
Self - President, NAACP Legal Defense Fund
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Rawn James | ... |
Self - Writer
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| Brent Jennings | ... |
Isaac Woodard (voice)
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Gilbert King | ... |
Self - Writer
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Kenneth Mack | ... |
Self - Historian
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| Patricia Sullivan | ... |
Self - Historian
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Elizabeth Waring | ... |
Self - Wife of Judge J. Waties Waring (archiveSound) (voice)
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| Orson Welles | ... |
Self (archiveFootage) (voice)
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Laura Williams | ... |
Self - Great-niece of Isaac Woodard
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Isaac Woodard | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
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Robert Young Sr. | ... |
Self - Nephew of Isaac Woodard
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| Eleanor Roosevelt | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Strom Thurmond | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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| Harry S. Truman | ... |
Self (uncredited) (archiveFootage)
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Directed by
| Jamila Ephron | ||
Written by
| Jamila Ephron | ... | () |
| Richard Gergel | ... | (Based on the book Unexampled Courage by) |
| Mark Zwonitzer | ... | () |
Produced by
| Susan Bellows | ... | deputy executive producer: for American Experience |
| Jamila Ephron | ... | producer |
| Cameo George | ... | executive producer: for American Experience |
| Charlotte Porter | ... | development producer: for American Experience |
| Dorin Razam-Grunfeld | ... | supervising producer |
| Caitlin Riggsbee | ... | associate producer |
| Vanessa Ruiz | ... | series producer: for American Experience |
| Nancy Sherman | ... | supervising producer: for American Experience |
| Mark Zwonitzer | ... | senior producer: for American Experience |
Music by
| Joel Goodman | ... | (music by) |
Cinematography by
| Stephen McCarthy | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Nancy Novack | ||
Editorial Department
| Scott Burch | ... | colorist |
| Rob Cabana | ... | on-line editor |
| Kirstin E. McNary | ... | lead assistant editor |
| Rachel Melman | ... | post-production coordinator |
| Lauren Noyes | ... | post production editor: For American Experience |
| Paul Sanni | ... | post production editor: For American Experience |
| Jacob Schwartz | ... | apprentice editor |
| Nicola Shannon | ... | assistant editor |
Production Management
| Stephen Altobello | ... | post-production supervisor |
Art Department
| Andy Cahill | ... | graphics |
| Thomas Curtis | ... | additional graphics |
| Will Rahilly | ... | additional graphics |
Sound Department
| Coll Anderson | ... | re-recording mixer / supervising sound editor |
| Dave Bilodeau | ... | sound recording |
| Steve Bores | ... | sound recording |
| Jeremy Burns | ... | sound recording |
| Duncan Clark | ... | dialogue editor |
| Josh Duncan | ... | sound recording |
| Ashley Foy | ... | VO coordinator |
| Phillip Fuller | ... | chief audio engineer |
| Katrina Henson | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Paul Schmitz | ... | sound recording |
| Jared Seidman | ... | VO recordist |
| Matt Snedecor | ... | sound effects editor |
| Chris White | ... | VO recordist |
| John Zecca | ... | sound recording |
| Jeremy Zunk | ... | sound recording |
Animation Department
| Andrew Griffin | ... | animations |
| Martin O'Neill | ... | collage illustrations |
Music Department
| Joel Goodman | ... | orchestrations / score producer |
| Benjamin Krause | ... | additional music |
| Alex Riak | ... | orchestrations |
| Aaron Srdoc | ... | additional music (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Victoria Allende | ... | accounting clerk |
| Kirstin Butler | ... | digital: for American Experience |
| Colby Cadman | ... | intern |
| John Campbell | ... | special projects assistant: for American Experience |
| June Coleman | ... | production accountant |
| Elias Ephron | ... | transcription by |
| Susana Fernandes | ... | senior contracts & rights manager: for American Experience |
| Jay Fialkov | ... | legal and business affairs: for American Experience |
| Janice Flood | ... | talent relations: for American Experience |
| Jaime Lyn Gaudet | ... | business manager: for American Experience |
| Richard Gergel | ... | senior advisor |
| Ben Greenberg | ... | director of digital content: for American Experience |
| Eric Gulliver | ... | digital: for American Experience |
| Susan Hormuth | ... | archival research |
| Diana Khong | ... | intern |
| Leslie Leonard | ... | production assistant |
| Mary Lugo | ... | publicity: for American Experience |
| Carolyn MacLeod | ... | audience engagement editor: for American Experience |
| Alexa Miguel | ... | production coordinator: for American Experience |
| Deysi Montero | ... | intern |
| Chika Offurum | ... | director of audience development: for American Experience |
| Elle Rinaldi | ... | intern |
| Sarah Schneider | ... | production assistant |
| Wyatt Stone | ... | archival research |
| Bonnie Wade-Mucia | ... | additional research (as Bonnie Wade Mucia) |
| Cara White | ... | publicity: for American Experience |
| Tsering Yangzom | ... | digital: for American Experience |
| Violet Zarriello | ... | marketing manager: for American Experience |
Production Companies
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (for)
- Robert Stone Productions
- WGBH (produced by)
Distributors
- PBS Home Video (1988) (United States) (video)
- PBS International (1987) (World-wide) (tv)
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1987) (United States) (tv)
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (2021) (United States) (tv)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (2021) (Finland) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Aetna Life Insurance Co. (funding)
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (funding)
- American Mutoscope & Biograph (archival film)
- Arthur Vining Davis Foundations (funding)
- Ashland (funding)
- Berkeley Sound Artists (post-production sound services)
- CLK Transcription (transcription by)
- Consumer Cellular (funding)
- Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) (funding)
- Kentucky River Coal (funding)
- Klaris Law (legal services provided by)
- Liberty Mutual Insurance Company (funding)
- OutoftheBlueNY (online and color grading)
- Park Foundation (funding)
- Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation (funding)
- String and Can (sound post-production)
- The Documentary Investment Group (funding)
- The Ford Foundation (funding)
- The National Endowment for the Humanities (funding)
- The Scotts Company (funding)
- Viewers Like You (sound post-production)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
The Blinding of Isaac Woodard: How a horrific incident of racial violence became a powerful catalyst for the civil rights movement. In 1946, Isaac Woodard, a Black army sergeant on his way home to South Carolina after serving in WWII, was pulled from a bus for arguing with the driver. The local chief of police savagely beat him, leaving him unconscious and permanently blind. The shocking incident made national headlines and, when the police chief was acquitted by an all-white jury, the blatant injustice would change the course of American history. Based on Richard Gergel's book "Unexampled Courage", the film details how the crime led to the racial awakening of President Harry Truman, who desegregated federal offices and the military two years later. The event also ultimately set the stage for the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 "Brown v. Board of Education" decision, which finally outlawed segregation in public schools and jump-started the modern civil rights movement. Written by PBS |
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