A white former NBA professional retires from the pro game and gets a job as a basketball coach in a predominantly black inner-city high school.
Top-Rated Episodes
S1.E11
Reeves is teaching gym. A kid refuses to conform and hits him. Coach returns a punch but feels being an adult he is more responsible. As the story unfolds Reeves is hit with the fact that not all ...
S2.E11
Jackson, was unaware that his former girlfriend, turns out to be a prostitute.
S1.E6
Coach Reeves sees a kid hustling basketball on a playground. Reeves challenges him to a one on one where if Reeves wins, this kid comes to Carver to play basketball and finish his schooling. Coach ...
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Title: The White Shadow (1978–1981)
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Ken Reeves was a professional basketball player who had to retire because of injuries. Against his sister Katie's advice, Ken takes a job as the basketball coach at Carver High School in Los Angeles, a tough, mixed-race school. Jim Willis, Ken's friend, was the principal for the first two seasons and was replaced by Sybil Buchanan, the former vice-principal, in the third year. Written by J.E. McKillop <jack-mckillop@worldnet.att.net>
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Can a straight shooter cut it with this bunch of rough, razor-sharp kids from the street? (season 1) See more »Certificate:
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Ken Howard was nicknamed "The White Shadow" while he played for Manhasset High School 's basketball team. He was the only white starter on his team. Howard based his performance on his high school basketball coach, Fritz Mueller. Carver's team colors, orange and blue, were based on the the colors of Howard's school, . See more »Goofs
Ken Reeves' NBA career is referred to several times in the series, but the number of years and the teams he played on seem to change each time. For instance, he tells reporter Sally Adams in "The Offer" that he was in the Chicago Bulls' starting lineup for 10 seasons. In "Wanna Bet", street hustler Bobby Magum remembers Reeves playing for Chicago, Denver, and Milwaukee. Finally, in "Little Orphan Abner", he tells Abner Goldstein's grandparents he spent the last six years of his career with the Bulls. See more »Quotes
Ken Reeves: A foul shot is a free shot. A missed free shot is a missed free opportunity. There are very few free opportunities in basketball. You cannot take that which is free for granted. It is a stationary target, nobody's playing defense, there is no reason to miss. Unless you do not concentrate. And you must concentrate because concentration is the key to every game. It is a form of discipline, and discipline is the key to life.See more »
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USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
27 November 1978 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The White Shadow See more »Filming Locations:
CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
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Good television does not just entertain but make you wonder. This show makes me wonder several things...
* Why did it take another 20 years for executives to find another good series for Ken Howard?
* Why did this show survive only three years while CBS allowed "Alice", "One Day At A Time", "The Jeffersons" and "All In The Family" to die pathetically three years after they stopped being entertaining?
* Who makes these decisions, anyhow?
This was by far one of the best shows ever. Set in an inner city, the directors worked hard to make it realistic. And they did. Jackson got killed. Thorpe and Coolidge got herpes from the same woman. Reese fell victim to an unscrupulous high school coach. Salami had an affair with a teacher. Hayward's cousin died of a drug overdose. Goldstein struggled with his faith. Coach Reeves struggled with the death of a player during practice. Gomez joined a gang. The show's honesty and wonderful direction and script was so good it was even played on public television in some areas.
Coach Reeves mentored the kids, but never patronized them or tried to be "down" with them. His attitude was "Believe it or not, I've been where you are. So I'll offer you my advice. You can take it or not, but you will have to live with the results either way, so choose carefully." And Reeves also learned from the kids and they learned from each other.
It was a show with limitless potential, but was on a network with limited vision. Pity.