The White Shadow (TV series)

Last updated
The White Shadow
The White Shadow dvd.jpg
DVD cover for the first season
Genre Drama, basketball, school
Created by Bruce Paltrow
Written by
Directed by
Starring Ken Howard
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes54 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer Bruce Paltrow
ProducerMark Tinker
Running time48 minutes
Production companiesCompany Four
MTM Enterprises
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseNovember 27, 1978 (1978-11-27) 
March 16, 1981 (1981-03-16)

The White Shadow is an American drama television series starring Ken Howard that ran on the CBS network from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981, about a white former professional basketball player who takes a job coaching basketball at an impoverished urban high school with a racially mixed basketball team. Although the lead actor Howard was white, the series broke new ground as the first television ensemble drama to feature a mostly African American cast, with African American actors playing the high school principal and vice-principal, the majority of the teenage basketball players, and other supporting roles. The White Shadow also dealt with controversial subject matter such as sexually transmitted disease and gay sexual orientation among high school students.

Contents

Although The White Shadow was not a big ratings hit, it drew praise from critics and helped pave the way for later realistic dramas such as Hill Street Blues and My So-Called Life . It was the first series developed by executive producer Bruce Paltrow, who went on to create and produce the medical drama St. Elsewhere . The show also made popular TV stars of both Howard and Kevin Hooks, who portrayed high school basketball player Morris Thorpe. In the years since its cancellation, a number of journalists have praised the show and in some cases recalled being fans of the show as children or teenagers. In particular, sports columnist Bill Simmons has written about the show's strong influence on his life.

Overview

Ken Howard plays Ken Reeves, a white professional basketball player who is forced to retire from the Chicago Bulls of the NBA due to knee injuries. Upon his retirement, Reeves reluctantly takes a job as the head basketball coach at the fictional Carver High School, a mostly black and Hispanic urban high school in South Central Los Angeles.

Carver's principal is Coach Reeves' former Boston College classmate Jim Willis (Jason Bernard in the pilot, and Ed Bernard — no relation to Jason, but his best friend in real life [1] — for seasons 1 and 2). [2] Sybil Buchanan (Joan Pringle) is the vice principal, who was against Reeves' hiring and frequently clashes with Reeves in the areas of discipline and education. In season 3, Willis is promoted to a position with the Oakland Board of Education and Buchanan becomes principal of Carver High. [3]

The subject matter of episodes included illicit drug use, child abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, gambling, prostitution, sexual orientation, and physical and mental disabilities. However, the show often incorporated humor, such as a joke made by a character, even when dealing with serious subjects. Episodes often ended with an issue left unresolved, contrary to other TV shows where the characters' problems were resolved by the end of the episode.

Cast

Stewart reprised the role of Warren Coolidge, from 1984–88, in the Paltrow-directed series St. Elsewhere . On episodes of St. Elsewhere, Coolidge could often be spotted wearing a Carver High School t-shirt, and he discusses how he had to give up basketball due to injury, later moving to Boston and taking a hospital orderly job at St. Eligius. Van Patten plays a character named Dean in a St. Elsewhere three episode story arc in 1985 in the final episode for Dean, this causes some confusion for Coolidge, who calls out "Heyyy!! Salami!!" when he sees Dean on a St. Eligius elevator, to which Dean replies "You got the wrong guy, pal.", leaving Coolidge trying to plead his case with a confused "No - it's Warren." as the elevator doors close.

Hooks, Van Patten and Carter all later pursued careers as directors.

Development

The concept for the show originated from Ken Howard's own experiences as a high school basketball star at Manhasset High School on Long Island. Howard was one of the few white basketball players at the school and the only white player in the starting lineup, and had been nicknamed "The White Shadow". According to Howard, there were few racial tensions at his own high school, which was also not located in a "ghetto", but the team encountered such tensions when they played elsewhere. Howard has said that the humor in The White Shadow was based on that of his former teammates, who were "really funny". After graduating from high school, Howard went on to be captain of the basketball team at Amherst College.

When Howard and Bruce Paltrow pitched the idea for a show about a white coach and a racially mixed basketball team, CBS initially wanted it to be a half-hour sitcom and avoid dealing with controversial material involving sex, drugs and crime. Howard later said that he and Paltrow were "not going to turn this into Welcome Back, Kotter ". They persuaded the network to make it a one-hour drama series and furthermore allow the show to address realistic, controversial subjects, although humorous lines were often included. They also strove for realism in the basketball scenes.

The memorable funk instrumental theme song for the show was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. Although not released on record during the show's run, it later appeared on Post's albums Television Theme Songs (1982) and NYPD Blue: The Best of Mike Post (1999).

Syndication

The program has intermittently been seen in syndication and on cable since ending its network run (including airing on ESPN Classic), and as of 2016, the show airs (intermittently) on the Heroes & Icons classic TV network. [3] Decades also aired the show as part of the Decades Binge August 27–28, 2016, June 9–10, 2018. and March 20–21, 2021. [4] Aired on TV Land in the late 1990s. It currently airs on MeTV+ at 9am central time.

Home media

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1. [5] [6]

Saturday Night Live did a parody skit of the show titled The Black Shadow when NBA star Bill Russell hosted the show on November 3, 1979.

When aired in 1980s Turkey, the series gained a lot of interest and the then little-known sport of basketball attracted millions of youths. [7]

In January 1984, the Beastie Boys played an unreleased song "Where's The White Shadow" on The Scott and Gary Show on the New York City public-access channel.

Aaron McGruder's animated series, The Boondocks , featured a character whom main character Huey Freeman called the White Shadow. He claimed to be a government agent sent to spy on Huey, but was only ever seen by Huey, causing Huey to believe he may just be a figment of his imagination. He only had two appearances, "The Real" and "It's Going Down".

In the Seinfeld episode "The Summer of George", George mentions the show while surfing channels at Jerry's apartment.

In an episode of the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty , Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) mentions he watches the show.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Bob Newhart Show</i> American TV sitcom (1972–1978)

The Bob Newhart Show is an American sitcom television series produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychologist whose interactions with his wife, friends, patients, and colleagues lead to humorous situations and dialogue. The show was filmed before a live audience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlem Globetrotters</span> American exhibition basketball team

The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 countries and territories, mostly against deliberately ineffective opponents, such as the Washington Generals and the New York Nationals (1995–2015). The team's signature song is Brother Bones' whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown", and their mascot is an anthropomorphized globe named "Globie". The team is owned by Herschend Family Entertainment.

<i>Leave It to Beaver</i> American television sitcom (1957–1963)

Leave It to Beaver is an American television sitcom that follows the misadventures of a suburban boy, his family and his friends. It stars Barbara Billingsley, Hugh Beaumont, Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers.

Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police drama television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons and 122 episodes on NBC from January 31, 1993, to May 21, 1999, and was succeeded by Homicide: The Movie (2000), which served as the series finale. The series was created by Paul Attanasio and based on David Simon's book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991). Many of the characters and stories used throughout the show were based on events depicted in the book.

<i>Moonlighting</i> (TV series) American comedy-drama television series (1985–1989)

Moonlighting is an American comedy drama television series that aired on ABC from March 3, 1985, to May 14, 1989. The network aired a total of 67 episodes. Starring Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis as private detectives, Allyce Beasley as their quirky receptionist, and Curtis Armstrong as a temp worker, the show was a mixture of drama, comedy, mystery, and romance, and was considered to be one of the first successful and influential examples of comedy drama, or "dramedy", emerging as a distinct television genre. The show's theme song was co-written and performed by jazz singer Al Jarreau and became a hit. The show is also credited with making Willis a star and relaunching Shepherd's career after a string of lackluster projects. In 1997, the episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" was ranked number 34 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2007, the series was listed as one of Time magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-Time". The relationship between the characters David and Maddie was included in TV Guide's list of the best TV couples of all time.

<i>St. Elsewhere</i> American medical drama television series (1982–1988)

St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as teaching doctors at an aging, run-down Boston hospital who give interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions. The series was produced by MTM Enterprises, which had success with a similar NBC series, the police drama Hill Street Blues, during that same time. The series were often compared to each other for their use of ensemble casts and overlapping serialized storylines.

<i>Adventures of Superman</i> (TV series) US 1950s television series

Adventures of Superman is an American superhero television series based on comic book characters and concepts that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created in 1938. The show was the first television series to feature Superman and began filming in 1951 in California on RKO-Pathé stages and the RKO Forty Acres back lot. Cereal manufacturer Kellogg's sponsored the show. The first and last airdates of the show, which was produced for first-run syndication rather than for a network, are disputed, but they are generally accepted as September 19, 1952, and April 28, 1958. The show's first two seasons were filmed in black-and-white; seasons three to six were filmed in color.

<i>A Different World</i> American sitcom (1987-1993)

A Different World is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of The Cosby Show. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional historically black college in Virginia. It was inspired by student life at historically black colleges and universities.

<i>Room 222</i> American comedy TV series

Room 222 is an American comedy-drama television series produced by 20th Century Fox Television that aired on ABC for 112 episodes, from September 17, 1969, until January 11, 1974. The show was broadcast on Wednesday evenings at 8:30 (ET) for its first two seasons, before settling into Friday evenings at 9:00, following The Brady Bunch and The Partridge Family, and preceding The Odd Couple and Love, American Style.

<i>Head of the Class</i> American sitcom television series

Head of the Class is an American sitcom television series that ran from 1986 to 1991 on the ABC television network.

Thomas Colbert Carter is an American director, producer and actor, known for Swing Kids, Save the Last Dance and Coach Carter.

Timothy Van Patten is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has received numerous accolades including two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and two Directors Guild of America Awards as well as nominations for two BAFTA Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Flanders</span> American actor (1934–1995)

Edward Paul Flanders was an American actor. He is best known for playing Dr. Donald Westphall in the medical drama series St. Elsewhere (1982–1988). Flanders was nominated for eight Primetime Emmys and won three times in 1976, 1977, and 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Howard</span> American actor (1944–2016)

Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 (1972) and as high school basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow (1978–1981). Howard won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1970 for his performance in Child's Play, and won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his work in Grey Gardens (2009).

<i>Superman</i> (TV series) 1988 American animated television series

Superman is a 1988 American animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Enterprises for Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS from September 17 to December 10, 1988, featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name. Veteran comic book writer Marv Wolfman was the head story editor, and comic book artist Gil Kane provided character designs.

<i>Mr. Novak</i> 1963 American TV series or program

Mr. Novak is an American television drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award in 1963.

Joan Pringle is an American actress known for her role as vice principal Sybil Buchanan in the CBS drama series, The White Shadow (1978–1981), for which she received NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. She later starred in the soap opera, Generations from 1989 to 1991 and had the recurring roles in One on One and Girlfriends.

Byron Stewart is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Warren Coolidge in the television series The White Shadow and the television medical drama St. Elsewhere.

Lieutenant Wolfe Perry Jr. is an American actor and former basketball player. He played college basketball for Stanford University.

The Substitute (<i>Glee</i>) 7th episode of the 2nd season of Glee

"The Substitute" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the twenty-ninth episode overall. It was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Ryan Murphy, and premiered on Fox on November 16, 2010. The episode guest stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Holly Holliday, a substitute teacher who takes the place of glee club director Will Schuester while he is ill. Cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester causes problems as the fill-in substitute principal of William McKinley High School after she gets Principal Figgins infected with the flu, and glee club members Mercedes Jones and Kurt Hummel experience tension in their friendship.

References

  1. Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014). Historical Dictionary of African American Television. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 57. ISBN   978-0-8108-7917-1.
  2. "The White Shadow". distribution-point.com.[ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 The White Shadow - Heroes and Icons. TV.com .
  4. "Decades schedule". Decades.
  5. "The White Shadow DVD news: Season 1 Release Info". TVShowsOnDVD.com . Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.
  6. "The White Shadow DVD news: Season 2 artwork". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 22, 2012.
  7. Thamel, Pete (September 9, 2010). "Turkey Channeled 'White Shadow' as Basketball Caught On". The New York Times . Retrieved March 13, 2022.