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The White Shadow(TV series)

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The White Shadow
DVD cover for the first season
GenreDrama,basketball, school
Created byBruce Paltrow
Written by
Directed by
StarringKen Howard
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No.of seasons3
No.of episodes54(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerBruce Paltrow
ProducerMark Tinker
Running time48 minutes
Production companiesCompany Four
MTM Enterprises
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseNovember 27, 1978(1978-11-27)–
March 16, 1981(1981-03-16)

The White Shadowis an Americandrama televisionseries starringKen Howardthat ran on theCBSnetwork from November 27, 1978, to March 16, 1981, about a white former professional basketball player who takes a job coaching basketball at an impoverished urbanhigh schoolwith 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 mostlyAfrican Americancast, 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 Shadowalso dealt with controversial subject matter such assexually transmitted diseaseand gay sexual orientation among high school students.

AlthoughThe White Shadowwas not a big ratings hit, it drew praise from critics and helped pave the way for later realistic dramas such asHill Street BluesandMy So-Called Life.It was the first series developed by executive producerBruce Paltrow,who went on to create and produce the medical dramaSt. Elsewhere.The show also made popular TV stars of both Howard andKevin 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 columnistBill Simmonshas written about the show's strong influence on his life.

Overview

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Ken Howard plays Ken Reeves, a white professional basketball player who is forced to retire from theChicago Bullsof theNBAdue to knee injuries. Upon his retirement, Reeves reluctantly takes a job as the head basketball coach at the fictional Carver High School, a mostlyblackandhispanicurban high school inSouth Central Los Angeles.

Carver's principal is Coach Reeves' formerBoston Collegeclassmate Jim Willis (Jason Bernardin the pilot, andEd 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 theOaklandBoard 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

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Stewartreprised the role of Warren Coolidge,from 1984–88, in the Paltrow-directed seriesSt. Elsewhere.On episodes ofSt. 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 aSt. Elsewherethree episode story arc in 1985 – in thefinal 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

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The concept for the show originated from Ken Howard's own experiences as a high school basketball star atManhasset High SchoolonLong 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 inThe White Shadowwas 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 atAmherst 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-hoursitcomand avoid dealing with controversial material involving sex, drugs and crime. Howard later said that he and Paltrow were "not going to turn this intoWelcome 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 memorablefunkinstrumental theme song for the show was composed byMike PostandPete Carpenter.Although not released on record during the show's run, it later appeared on Post's albumsTelevision Theme Songs(1982) andNYPD Blue: The Best of Mike Post(1999).

Syndication

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

Home media

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

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Saturday Night Livedid a parody skit of the show titledThe Black ShadowwhenNBAstarBill Russellhosted 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, theBeastie Boysplayed an unreleased song "Where's The White Shadow" onThe Scott and Gary Showon the New York Citypublic-accesschannel.

Aaron McGruder'sanimated series,The Boondocks,featured a character whom main characterHuey Freemancalled 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 theSeinfeldepisode "The Summer of George",Georgementions the show while surfing channels atJerry's apartment.

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^Fearn-Banks, Kathleen; Burford-Johnson, Anne (October 3, 2014).Historical Dictionary of African American Television.Rowman & Littlefield. p. 57.ISBN978-0-8108-7917-1.
  2. ^"The White Shadow".distribution-point.[dead link]
  3. ^abThe White Shadow - Heroes and Icons.TV.
  4. ^"Decades schedule".Decades.
  5. ^"The White Shadow DVD news: Season 1 Release Info".TVShowsOnDVD.Archived fromthe originalon January 22, 2012.
  6. ^"The White Shadow DVD news: Season 2 artwork".TVShowsOnDVD.Archived fromthe originalon January 22, 2012.
  7. ^Thamel, Pete(September 9, 2010)."Turkey Channeled 'White Shadow' as Basketball Caught On".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 13,2022.
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