1977: A Madman Turns 40: 2017- Day 23

 

Roots is the main topic of this January 27th copy of Jet.

Yesterday I promised that I'd be covering a big cultural touchstone today. It fact, it's pretty massive. 40 years ago today, the epic miniseries Roots debuted on ABC. Based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel of the same, it was a massive hit featuring a slew of stars. Over the course of 8-nights, Root was literally the only thing anyone watched.

First Edition Cover of the novel.

     Roots was the number one program watched on all 8 nights it aired. Forty years later, every episode still ranks in the top 100 viewed American TV shows of all-time. In 1977 in an America which still had a long way to go in the ways of Civil Rights and race relations, this program attracted viewers of all races and ages. In fact, there's been documented proof that some viewers even changes their views on race (for the better) thanks to Roots. I think one reason Roots appealed to everyone was it's huge all-star cast!

     Beloved actors like Ed Asner (Lou Grant) and Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch) shocked views as sadistic slave traders and owners. Louis Gossett Jr. (Enemy Mine), Ben Vereen (Pippin), John Amos (Good Times), and Cicely Tyson wowed in their performances as slaves forced to work in a world that was not their own, and really didn't want them either. Big names such as Sandy Duncan, Yvonne DeCarlo, Burl Ives, and Lorne Greene also played bit roles throughout the course of this epic program. But the actor who literally stole the show was newcomer LeVar Burton.

Author Alex Haley, circa 1986.

     Burton played the younger version of Kunta Kinte, a young African male who Alex Haley credits as his first descendant into the New World. I later feel in love with LeVar Burton thanks to his tireless work as on Reading Rainbow and as Star Trek: The Next Generation's  Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge. 

Publicity still of LeVar Burton as Kunta Kinte.

      The aftermath of Roots was mixed. As I mentioned, lives changed for the better and the miniseries racked up over a dozen Emmy and Golden Globes. But Roots also resulted in 2 lawsuits. Haley was sued by two authors for plagiarism and the author actually settled with one of them, confessing that he took some parts from a 1967 book called The African.

     Despite the scandal behind Roots, it's legacy has been long and positive. Two sequels and a spin-off  were produced. One of which was a 1988 Christmas themed film, that saw Burton returning to the role that made him a star, Kunta Kinte. In 2016, a remake aired on the History Channel but it didn't garner nowhere near as many viewers as the original ever did.

Online advertisement for the 2016 History Channel remake.

    I have to admit that I've only seen about half of Roots. At 9 hours, it's long. Add commercials and for a child or teen, it can be darn right infinite. But I remember watching some of it during a holiday break of some sort. I wish I could just remember when I saw what I did.

    Honestly, I also lost interest after LeVar Burton's role in the film was done. Don't get mad- there's nothing wrong with that. Shows lose actors all the time and when they go, so do viewers. Oddly enough, when Roots first aired, the ratings for the later episodes improved! 

      Speaking of odd, I can't find a listing of Roots airing in some sort of celebratory fashion on TV. So many other great shows get anniversary specials. So why not this one? Yes, Roots has gotten lots of due respect and love on many other retrospective programs. But really, TV Land or BET or even ABC dropped the ball on this one by not airing the program or even an anniversary special about it. 

     Maybe you can Netflix it...