Palmerstown, U.S.A.[2] (shortened to Palmerstown in March 1981)[3] is a television drama series that aired on CBS from March 20, 1980 to June 9, 1981.[4] It was created by Norman Lear and Alex Haley,[1][3] whose childhood was the basis for the series.[5] It tells the story of two nine-year-old boys in the rural Southern community of Palmerstown who become best friends during the Great Depression, despite one being black and the other being white.[6]
Cast
- Jonelle Allen as Bessie Freeman
- Bill Duke as Luther Freeman
- Star-Shemah Bobatoon as Diana Freeman
- Jermain Hodge Johnson as Booker T. Freeman
- Beeson Carroll as W.D. Hall
- Janice St. John as Coralee Hall
- Michael J. Fox as Willy-Joe Hall
- Brian Godfrey Wilson as David Hall
- Kenneth White as The Sheriff
- Iris Korn as Widder Brown (1981)
Episodes
Season 1 (1980)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Palmerstown, U.S.A." | Peter Levin | Ronald Rubin | March 20, 1980 |
| 2 | 2 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "The Lesson" | Larry Elikann | Noreen Stone | March 27, 1980 |
| 4 | 4 | "A Place for Bo" | Jeffrey Hayden | Robert E. Price | April 3, 1980 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Black Travelers: Part 1" | Jeffrey Hayden | Story by : Jim Tisdale Teleplay by : Ronald Rubin & Alex Haley | April 10, 1980 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Black Travelers: Part 2" | Jeffrey Hayden | Story by : Jim Tisdale Teleplay by : Ronald Rubin & Alex Haley | April 17, 1980 |
| 7 | 7 | "Kidnapped" | Gilbert Moses | Alex Haley & Ronald Rubin | April 24, 1980 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Old Sister" | Jeffrey Hayden | Story by : Saundra Sharp Teleplay by : Odie Hawkins, Ronald Rubin, & Alex Haley | May 1, 1980 |
Season 2 (1981)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Vendetta" | Ivan Dixon | Ernie Wallengren | March 17, 1981 |
| 10 | 2 | "Scandal" | Peter Levin | Juliet Packer | March 24, 1981 |
| 11 | 3 | "The Hobo" | Kenneth Gilbert | Max Hodge | March 31, 1981 |
| 12 | 4 | "Future City" | Ivan Dixon | Ronald Rubin | April 7, 1981 |
| 13 | 5 | "Epidemic" | Larry Elikann | Story by : Frank Dandridge Teleplay by : Frank Dandridge & Michael McGreevey | April 14, 1981 |
| 14 | 6 | "The Threat" | Joseph Pevney | Michael McGreevey | April 21, 1981 |
| 15 | 7 | "Roadhouse" | Larry Elikann | Bud Freeman | May 5, 1981 |
| 16 | 8 | "Dry Hole" | Georg Stanford Brown | Bud Freeman | May 19, 1981 |
| 17 | 9 | "The Suitor" | Kenneth Gilbert | Juliet Packer | June 2, 1981 |
| 18 | 10 | "Crossroads" | Larry Elikann | Noreen Stone | June 9, 1981 |
See also
References
- ^ a b Bianculli, David (2017). The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9781101911327. page 290
- ^ Drew, Bernard Alger (2007). 100 Most Popular African American Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies. Libraries Unlimited. p. 123. ISBN 9781591583226.
palmerstown usa.
page 123 - ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (17 March 1981). "TV: THE RETURN OF 'PALMERSTOWN'". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "'Palmerstown' writer Willard Rodgers dies". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Bogle, Donald (2015). Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781466894457.page 255
- ^ "The Story Behind HALEY & LEAR Television Team". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 3 April 1980. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
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