''The White Shadow'' is an American
drama television series starring
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in '' 1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Wh ...
that ran on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
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
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
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
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
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
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...
and gay sexual orientation among high school students.
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
''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...
'' and ''
My So-Called Life
''My So-Called Life'' is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995. It is distributed by The B ...
''. It was the first series developed by executive producer
Bruce Paltrow
Bruce Weigert Paltrow (November 26, 1943 – October 3, 2002) was an American television and film director and producer. He was the husband of actress Blythe Danner, and the father of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and screenwriter/director Jake Paltro ...
, 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
Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in '' Aaron Loves Angela'' and '' Sounder'', but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's '' The White Shadow''.
Ea ...
, 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 retires from the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
of the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
after a severe knee injury. Upon his retirement, Reeves takes a job as the head basketball coach at the fictional Carver High School, a mostly
black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
and
hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
urban high school in
South Central Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown.
It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...
.
Carver's principal is Coach Reeves' former Boston College classmate Jim Willis (
Jason Bernard
Jason Bernard (born Ronald Carl Johnson, May 17, 1938 – October 16, 1996) was an American actor.
Life and career
Bernard was born in Chicago, Illinois. His first starring role was in the pilot episode of the television series '' The White ...
in the pilot, and
Ed Bernard
Ed Bernard (born July 4, 1939) is an American actor best known for his roles as Detective Joe Styles on '' Police Woman'', Principal Jim Willis on '' The White Shadow'', and as Lieutenant Bill Giles on ''Hardcastle and McCormick''.
Career
Be ...
— no relation to Jason, but his best friend in real life — for seasons 1 and 2). Sybil Buchanon (
Joan Pringle
Joan Pringle (born June 2, 1945) is an American actress known for her roles on ''General Hospital'' (1963), '' The White Shadow'' (1978), and ''Original Sin'' (2001). One of her best-known roles was that of vice principal (and subsequently princi ...
) 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
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
Board of Education and Buchanan becomes principal of Carver High.
[The White Shadow - Heroes and Icons](_blank)
''TV.com
TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
''.
The subject matter of episodes included illicit drug use,
child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
,
sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...
s, gambling,
prostitution
Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...
,
sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...
, 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
*
Ken Howard
Kenneth Joseph Howard Jr. (March 28, 1944 – March 23, 2016) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in '' 1776'' and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show '' The Wh ...
as Coach Ken Reeves
*
Jason Bernard
Jason Bernard (born Ronald Carl Johnson, May 17, 1938 – October 16, 1996) was an American actor.
Life and career
Bernard was born in Chicago, Illinois. His first starring role was in the pilot episode of the television series '' The White ...
as Principal Jim Willis (pilot episode)
*
Ed Bernard
Ed Bernard (born July 4, 1939) is an American actor best known for his roles as Detective Joe Styles on '' Police Woman'', Principal Jim Willis on '' The White Shadow'', and as Lieutenant Bill Giles on ''Hardcastle and McCormick''.
Career
Be ...
as Principal Jim Willis (seasons 1–2)
*
Joan Pringle
Joan Pringle (born June 2, 1945) is an American actress known for her roles on ''General Hospital'' (1963), '' The White Shadow'' (1978), and ''Original Sin'' (2001). One of her best-known roles was that of vice principal (and subsequently princi ...
as Vice-Principal (later Principal) Sybil Buchanon
*
Byron Stewart
Byron Stewart (born May 1, 1956 in Baxter Springs, Kansas) 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''.
Stewart's first ...
as
Warren Coolidge
*
Kevin Hooks
Kevin Hooks (born September 19, 1958) is an American actor, and a television and film director; he is notable for his roles in '' Aaron Loves Angela'' and '' Sounder'', but may be best known as Morris Thorpe from TV's '' The White Shadow''.
Ea ...
as Morris Thorpe
*
Timothy Van Patten
Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of '' Perry Mason'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', ''Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacific ...
as Mario "Salami" Pettrino
*
Thomas Carter as James "Hollywood" Hayward (seasons 1–2, 3 episodes season 3)
*
Nathan Cook as Milton Reese (seasons 1–2, 1 episode season 3)
*
Erik Kilpatrick as Curtis "CJ" Jackson (seasons 1–2)
*
Ira Angustain
Ira Angustain (born August 6, 1958, in Glendale, California) is an American actor best known for his roles as Ricardo "Go Go" Gomez on '' The White Shadow'' and as Freddie Prinze in the made-for-TV movie ''Can You Hear the Laughter? The Story of ...
as Ricardo "Go-Go" Gomez (seasons 1–2, 1 episode season 3)
*
Ken Michelman
Ken Michelman (born May 23, 1955) is an American actor primarily known for his role as Abner Goldstein on the TV series '' The White Shadow''. He also played Gary Greenberg, Cindy Brady's love interest on the short-lived ''Brady Bunch'' spin-off, ...
as Abner Goldstein (seasons 1–2, 1 episode season 3)
*Russell Philip Robinson as Team Manager Phil Jeffers (seasons 1–2)
*
John Mengatti as Nick "New York" Vitaglia (seasons 2–3)
*Art Holliday as Eddie Franklin (season 3)
*
Larry "Flash" Jenkins
Larry "Flash" Jenkins (May 10, 1955 – April 25, 2019) was an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Early life, family and education
Jenkins was born on Long Island, New York. He graduated from Fenger High School i ...
as Wardell Stone (season 3)
*
John Laughlin as Paddy Falahey (season 3)
*
Stoney Jackson
Stonewall W. "Stoney" Jackson (born Alwyn Jackson on February 27, 1960) is an American actor. Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia.
Career
He was featured in numerous teen magazines in the 1970s and 1980s, including ''Right On'', ''Teen Beat ...
as Jesse B. Mitchell (season 3)
*
Wolfe Perry
Lieutenant Wolfe Perry, Jr. (born January 22, 1957) is an American actor and former basketball player. He played college basketball for Stanford University.
Life and career
Perry was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended St. Elizabeth High ...
as Teddy Rutherford (season 3)
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
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
. 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
A ghetto, often called ''the'' ghetto, is a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially as a result of political, social, legal, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished t ...
", 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 high school, Howard went on to be captain of the basketball team at
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
.
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
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
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
''Welcome Back, Kotter'' is an American sitcom starring Gabe Kaplan as a high-school teacher in charge of a racially and ethnically diverse remedial education class called the "Sweathogs." Recorded in front of a live studio audience, the seri ...
''". They persuaded the network to make it a one-hour drama series and furthermore allow the show to address realistic, controversial subjects. They also strove for realism in the basketball scenes.
The memorable
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
instrumental theme song for the show was composed by
Mike Post
Mike Post (born Leland Michael Postil, September 29, 1944) is an American composer, best known for his TV theme music for various shows, including ''Law & Order''; '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''; ''The A-Team''; ''NYPD Blue''; ''Renegad ...
and
Pete Carpenter
Clarence E. "Pete" Carpenter (April 1, 1914 – October 18, 1987) was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and veteran of television theme music sheet music. After a long career playing the trombone in bands and as a studio musician, 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
ESPN Classic was an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns 20%).
The channel was originally l ...
), and as of 2016, the show airs (intermittently) on the
Heroes & Icons
Heroes & Icons (H&I) is an American Digital terrestrial television, digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Usually carried on the digital subchannels of its affiliated television station in most markets, the network ai ...
classic TV network.
Decades
A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years.
Usage
Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "du ...
also aired the show as part of the Decades Binge August 27–28, 2016, June 9–10, 2018. and March 20-21, 2021. Aired on
TV Land
TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...
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.
In popular culture
When aired in the 1980s in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
the series gained a lot of interest and the then little-known sport of basketball attracted millions of youths.
''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...
'' did a parody skit of the show titled ''The Black Shadow'' when
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
star
Bill Russell
William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...
hosted the show on November 3, 1979.
In January 1984, the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
played an unreleased song "Where's The White Shadow" on ''
The Scott and Gary Show
''The Scott and Gary Show'' was a public-access television cable TV variety show that ran from 1983 to 1989 and featured punk and indie bands, live audience dance parties, and comedy skits. Created and hosted by Scott Lewis and Gary Winter, the ...
'' on the New York City
public-access channel.
The animated show by
Aaron McGruder
Aaron Vincent McGruder (born May 29, 1974) is an American writer, cartoonist, and producer best known for creating ''The Boondocks'', a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip and its animated TV series adaptation.
Early life and education
Aaron ...
, ''
The Boondocks
Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas.
Boondocks may also refer to:
* The Boondocks (band), an Estonian rock band
* ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder
** ''The Boondocks'' (2005 TV series), the television ser ...
'', had a character whom Huey 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 first being in "The Real" and in the last episode of season 3 "
It's Going Down".
See also
*
List of ''The White Shadow'' episodes
*
White savior § Appearance in television
References
External links
*
*
Thamel, Pete. "In the Bird and Magic Era, Inspired by Coolidge and Salami," ''The New York Times'', Friday, September 10, 2010.
{{DEFAULTSORT:White Shadow, The
1970s American black television series
1970s American high school television series
1970s American workplace drama television series
1978 American television series debuts
1980s American black television series
1980s American high school television series
1980s American workplace drama television series
1981 American television series endings
American sports television series
Basketball television series
CBS original programming
English-language television shows
Television series about educators
Television series about teenagers
Television shows set in Los Angeles
Television series by MTM Enterprises