Miss Evers' Boys (1997)

The true story of the U.S. Government's 1932 Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, in which a group of black test subjects were allowed to die, despite a cure having been developed.

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

David Feldshuh (play), Walter Bernstein (teleplay)

Stars:

Alfre Woodard, Laurence Fishburne, Craig Sheffer

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 16 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alfre Woodard	...	Eunice Evers, R.N.
Laurence Fishburne	...	Caleb Humphries
Craig Sheffer	...	Dr. Douglas
Joe Morton	...	Dr. Sam Brodus
Obba Babatundé	...	Willie Johnson
Von Coulter	...	Hodman Bryan
Thom Gossom Jr.	...	Ben Washington
Ossie Davis	...	Mr. Evers
E.G. Marshall	...	The Senate Chairman
Robert Benedetti	...	Senator
Peter Stelzer	...	Senator
Donzaleigh Abernathy	...	Nurse Betty
Tommy Cresswell	...	Dr. Larkin
Judson Vaughn	...	Dr. Davis
Larry Black	...	Dr. Hamilton

Storyline

In 1932 Macon County, Alabama, the federal government launched into a medical study called The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Blacks with Syphilis. The study selected 412 men infected with the disease and faked long term treatment, while really only giving them placebos and liniments. The premise of the action was to determine if blacks reacted similar to whites to the overall effects of the disease. The experiment was only discontinued 40 years later when a Senate investigation was initiated. At that time, only 127 of the original study group were left alive. The story is told from the point of view of Nurse Eunice Evers, who was well aware of the lack of treatment being offered, but felt her role was to console the involved men, many of whom were her direct friends. In fact, the movie's name comes from the fact that a performing dancer and three musicians named their act for her - "Miss Evers' Boys". All had the disease. A romance with one goes unrequited even after he joins the Army ...

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Plot Keywords:

study | experiment | syphilis | nurse | dancer | 

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Taglines:

A government lie. A woman's secret. A story that must be told.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for theme and related elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Miss Evers' Boys - Die Gerechtigkeit siegt

Filming Locations:

Porterdale, Georgia, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO NYC Productions,Anasazi Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Eunice Evers, R.N.: I love what I'm doing here. The treatment, the program... know that I'm doing good.
Caleb Humphries: For us, sinners.
Eunice Evers, R.N.: The disease is the sin, Caleb, not the people, the disease.

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Connections

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998)

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Soundtracks

Show Me Lord
Music and Lyrics by Charles Bernstein
Vocals by Carmen Twillie

User Reviews

Response to "Pure Propaganda for the Ignorant"

I went to the "Spiked" website and read the article mentioned in the previous post. That article is a fancy bit of rationalization. The bottom line is you don't promise anyone hope in the face of possible death when that hope was nothing more than a lie to begin with. That is the heart and soul of why this movie is so important. It does expose a terrible lie perpetrated upon unsuspecting people. If they had been told the truth, it would have been morally different. In fact, the eventual monetary compensation the men and families received was too small for a lifetime of hopes and deception.

The article on "Spiked" only made me appreciate the movie and the excellent acting all that much more.

The acting was powerful, and it looked like a labor of love. I think everyone involved with this film must have felt the weight of purpose for getting out the truth of what had happened. It is one of the best acted, most well written movies ever and I encourage people to see it.