Making Roots

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Making Roots Page 25

by Matthew F. Delmont


  Haley, Bertha (Palmer) (mother), 11, 12

  Haley, Cynthia “Cindy” (daughter), 24, 83, 87–88

  Haley, George (brother), 12, 24–25, 33

  Haley, Julies (brother), 12

  Haley, Juliette. See Collins, Juliette “Julie” (wife)

  Haley, Lydia (daughter), 13, 15, 16

  Haley, My. See Lewis, My (wife)

  Haley, “Queen” Jackson (grandmother), 41, 46, 150

  Haley, Simon (father), 11–12, 13, 33–34, 73

  Haley, William (son), 13, 15, 16

  Hallelujah, Baby! (1968) (play), 111

  Hamilton, George, 118–19

  Handlin, Oscar, 144

  Hardy, Tom (great-grandfather), 112–13

  “Harlem Nobody Knows, The” (Haley), 14

  Harper’s, 16

  Harris, Middleton, 6

  Hartman, Saidiya, 8

  Hatcher, Zeona, 12

  Hayes, Isaac, 110

  Hefner, Hugh, 83

  Henning (Tennessee), 1–2, 3, 11, 12–13, 24, 49–51, 83, 138, 149, 194

  Hicks, Hilly, 106

  Hill, Lawrence, 208

  Hilton, Suzanne, 135–36

  historians, 5, 6–7, 8–9, 62, 132, 133, 138, 141–45, 193–94, 197–98. See also black scholars; scholarship

  historical accuracy: the Gambia and, 132; Gates, Henry Louis on, 205; genealogy and, 26, 62, 113; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather) and, 26, 142–43, 147, 188–89; Ottaway, Mark and, 142–43, 187, 190; popular culture and, 77; reviews and, 6–7, 132; slavery history and, 27, 61–63, 177–78. See also “faction”

  History of the Gambia (Gray, 1940), 45

  Hogan, William, 38

  Hollywood Reporter, 120

  Hollywood Shuffle (1987) (film), 206

  Hooks, Benjamin, 175

  “Hottentot Venus,” 204

  How to Co-exist with Negroes (Haley) (book idea), 19–20, 72

  Hughes, Langston, 73

  Hunter film ranch, 174

  I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Angelou, 1969), 154

  In Cold Blood (Capote, 1966), 57–58, 59

  International Cinematographers Guild, 123

  Invisible Man (Ellison, 1953), 17, 58

  Irish ancestry, 41

  IRS (Internal Revenue Service), 86–87

  Jackson, Easter (great-grandmother), 41, 46

  Jackson, James, 41

  Jackson, Jesse, 10

  James, Henry, 64–65

  Japan, 179

  Jawara, David, 37

  Johnson, Charles, 151

  Johnson, Lyndon, 21, 137

  Jordan, Barbara, 178–79

  Jordan, Winthrop, 184

  Jubilee (Walker, 1966), 74, 190

  Juffure (the Gambia), 2, 46, 48–49, 80, 131–33, 142–43, 154, 158, 189

  Jungle Jim (film), 133

  Kazan, Elia, 32, 42–43, 56–57, 58, 66

  Keizer, Arlene, 204–5

  Kersey, Tom, 115–16

  Kindred (Butler, 1979), 151

  King, Martin Luther, Jr., 15, 22

  King, Woodie, 120–21, 124

  Kinoy, Ernest, 95–96

  Kinte, Binta, 49, 153–55

  Kinte, Demba, 46

  Kinte, Kebba Fofana (uncle), 46, 48, 49–52, 134

  Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather): Africa and, 132–34; Amos, John and, 110, 118; audiences and, 107; birth depiction and, 153–54; casting of, 105, 106–7; film rights and, 57; the Gambia and, 2, 5–6, 49, 80, 147; Haley, Alex and, 4, 26, 49–51, 171, 202–3; historical accuracy and, 26, 142–43, 147, 188–89; Kinte, Kebba Fofana (uncle) and, 49–51; lectures and, 55–56; as the Mandingo, 25; Manga, Ebou and, 40; patriarchalism and, 46; popular culture and, 206; Roots (Haley) and, 8, 80–81, 82, 84–85, 131–32, 134–35, 142–43, 147, 171; sexuality of, 202–3; slavery history and, 26, 59–60, 61–62, 134–35, 159; whipping scene and, 156, 166–68, 169. See also Burton, LeVar

  Kinte, Lamin, 49

  Kinte, Madi, 49

  Kinte, Omoro, 49, 153–55

  Kinte, Suwadu, 49

  Kinte clan, 61fig.

  Kinte Corporation, 93, 198

  Kirkhorn, Michael, 55–56

  Kizzy, 26–27, 46, 110–11, 170, 171–74, 175–76, 202–3. See also Uggams, Leslie

  Know Your Ancestors (Williams, 1968), 135–36

  Lamar, Kendrick, 206

  Landau, Genevieve Millet, 198

  Larmore, Phoebe, 11

  Larsen, Nella, 161

  Lask, Thomas, 145

  Laurent, Lawrence, 128–29

  lawsuits, 2, 181–82, 186–87, 190–96

  Lea, George “Chicken George” (great-great grandfather), 26, 29, 46, 65, 111, 171, 172, 174

  Lea, Tom, 172

  Leadbelly (1976) (film), 110–11, 123

  Lear, Norman, 110

  Learning Tree, The (1969) (film), 123

  lectures, 53–78; as advance marketing, 4–5, 54–55, 66–67, 75, 89; audiences and, 4, 63, 72–73, 77, 85, 103–4; Autobiography of Malcolm X, The (Haley) and, 40, 53; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 40, 53–56; black history and, 71, 72, 73–74; Blinn, Bill and, 103; copyright and, 195; Doubleday and, 54, 66; film rights and, 66; financial concerns and, 4, 54, 87; the Gambia and, 56; Haley, Alex and, 23, 55–56, 63, 76–77, 88, 195–96; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather) and, 55–56; Manga, Ebou and, 39–40; “My Furthest Back Person—‘The African,’” (Haley) and, 67; the New York Times and, 55; Playboy and, 53; popular culture and, 63; Roots (Haley) and, 23, 54, 74–75, 79, 87, 99; W. Colston Leigh speakers’ bureau and, 3, 53–54, 55fig., 195; writing interference and, 54, 74–75, 79, 87, 99; X, Malcolm and, 23

  Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher, 142

  Leigh, Colston, 54. See also W. Colston Leigh speakers’ bureau

  Leslie Uggams Show, The (television), 111

  “Letter From a Birmingham Jail” (King), 15

  Levine, Lawrence, 6

  Lewis, My (wife), 102

  licensing deals, 183–85

  Like it Is (television), 77–78

  Lincoln, C. Eric, 73, 144–45, 193–94

  London Times, 142–43, 187–88

  Lonely Are the Brave (film), 158–59

  Lord Ligonier (ship), 2, 60–62, 151, 157, 158

  Los Angeles Sentinel, 136–37, 177

  Los Angeles Times, 7, 156

  Madinka (Mandingo), the, 3, 25, 28, 38, 46, 85

  Mandingo (film), 156

  Manga, Ebou, 39–41, 42, 43, 45, 113

  manuscript collection auction, 196–98

  Margulies, Stan: advance marketing and, 130; birth depiction and, 154; black film professionals and, 120, 122–23, 124; Blinn, Bill and, 97, 103–5; breast nudity depiction and, 116; Drew, Lisa and, 126; Emmy award and, 92fig.; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather) casting and, 105, 106–7; the Middle Passage and, 159; Reader’s Digest and, 91; Roots (Haley) and, 5, 9, 65, 91–97; scripts and, 103–5, 226n9; on woman’s show in series, 173

  marketing. See advance marketing

  mass culture. See popular culture

  Maynard, Robert, 145

  McCabe, Robert, 185fig.

  McCormick, Ken, 9, 11, 30, 38, 59, 126, 146, 186

  McQueen, Steve, 208

  Melcher Book Award, 199

  merchandise, 93, 182–85

  Merrick, David, 93

  Miami-Dade Community College, 183–84, 185fig.

  Michelman, Herbert, 191

  Middle Passage (Johnson, 1990), 151

  Middle Passage, the, 4, 113, 151, 159–160, 161–66, 171, 193, 201–2, 205

  Miles, Tiya, 8

  Mills, Elizabeth and Gary, 61–62

  Modern Romances, 13–14

  Morgan, Edmund, 6, 143

  Morning Herald, 95

  Morrison, Toni, 6, 8, 151, 198–99, 201–2

  Morrow, Vic, 108, 166, 168

  Moses, Gilbert, 121–23, 124, 174

  Moynihan, Daniel Patrick, 137–38, 139

  Murray, Pauli, 73

  Murr
ay, Tom (grandfather), 194

  Murrays, the, 30, 33–34

  “My Furthest Back Person—‘The African,’” (Haley), 67

  “My Most Unforgettable Character” (Reader’s Digest), 23

  My Search for Roots (documentary film) and, 93

  “My Search for Roots” (Haley) (unpublished manuscript), 148–49, 150

  NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), 7–8, 120

  Nakamura, Naohiro, 179

  National Book Award, 145–46

  National Museum of African American History and Culture, 208

  Nat Turner (2003) (film), 181

  NBC (National Broadcasting Company), 8, 83, 120, 207

  Negro Ensemble Company, 110

  Negro History Week (Black History Month), 74

  Nelson, Alondra, 205–6

  network television racial realities, 109–10, 180

  New American Library, 58

  New Federal Theater, 120

  New Journalism, 58

  Newsweek, 127, 136, 163

  New Times, 182

  New York Age, 14

  New York Amsterdam News, 207

  New Yorker, 58

  New York Historical Society, 208

  New York Review of Books, 132

  New York Times: Capote, Truman and the, 58; the Gambia and the, 37, 188; Haley, Alex and the, 21, 89; lectures and the, 55; Moses, Gilbert and the, 121; Roots (Haley) and the, 142, 143, 145; Roots (television) and the, 178

  New York Times Magazine, 67, 68–69, 70, 75

  Nigeria, 179

  N’Jie, M. D., 43

  Noble, Gil, 77–78

  nonfiction/fiction, 58, 86, 126–27, 145–46, 189–190. See also “faction”

  Norrell, Robert, 12

  Northup, Solomon, 208

  Norton Anthology of African American Literature, 8

  novel v nonfiction, 58, 86, 126–27, 145–46, 189–190. See also “faction”

  nudity depiction, 115–17, 119–120, 163–64, 165

  Oakland Tribune, 182

  O’Conner, Carroll, 158

  Old Sister Dinti, 148–49

  Ottaway, Mark, 51, 142–43, 144, 147, 187, 190

  Owens, Nathaniel, 139–140

  Oyotunji African Village, 114–15

  Palmer, Cynthia (grandmother), 1–2, 12, 26

  Palmerstown U.S.A. (1980–81) (television), 196

  paperback rights, 35, 58, 59, 75, 186–87

  Parents Magazine, 198

  Paris Exposition (1900), 7

  Park, Mungo, 38

  Parks, Gordon, 122, 123

  patriarchalism, 46, 149, 171

  Paul R. Reynolds, Inc., 195. See also Reynolds, Paul Revere

  PBS (Public Broadcasting Service), 156, 181, 205

  Peculiar Institution, The (Stampp, 1956), 181

  People, 188

  Philadelphia Daily News, 90

  Phillips, Thomas, 150–51

  Pippin (1973) play, 111

  plagiarism lawsuits, 2, 181–82, 190–95, 196

  Playboy, 17–18, 22, 53, 82, 83, 138

  Poitier, Sidney, 110

  popular culture: advance marketing and, 54–55; black history and, 2, 74; historical accuracy and, 6–7, 77; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather) and, 206; lectures and, 63; Roots (Haley) and, 3; Roots (television) and, 156; slavery history and, 64, 140–41, 156, 200, 208; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 65; Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Stowe) and, 64–65

  Price, Charles, 137

  production. See Roots (television)

  Pryor, Richard, 110

  Pulitzer Prize, 44, 145–46

  Putnam Publishing, 21–22

  Quicksand (Larsen, 1928), 161

  race depictions, 7–8, 111–12, 133–34

  race relations, 20–21, 176, 178–79

  racism: Africa and, 133–34; beauty ideals and, 106, 161; black celebrities and, 100–101; Haley, Alex and, 14–15, 17; How to Co-exist with Negroes (book idea) and, 19–20; legacies and, 207–8; nudity depiction and, 117; television and, 17, 110, 180; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 20–21

  Radio Gambia, 43

  Ragsdale, Maurice, 41–42

  Rampersad, Arnold, 8, 141

  Random House, 6, 183–84

  Rangel, Charles, 179

  Rasulala, Thalmus, 154, 155fig.

  ratings, 109, 133, 175, 198

  Rawick, George, 6

  Reader’s Digest: copyright and, 194; financial support and, 39, 89; Fisher, Murray and, 82–83; Haley, Alex and, 16; “Harlem Nobody Knows, The” (Haley), 14; lectures and, 63; Lord Ligonier (ship) and, 60; “My Most Unforgettable Character” and, 23; Roots (Haley) and, 3, 5, 73, 75, 79–80, 86–87, 89–91, 93, 94, 97; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 39, 41, 42, 59, 65–66; World Press Institute, 89, 104

  Reagan, Ronald, 176

  Reagon, Bernice, 71

  Reed, Robert, 108–9

  research: the Gambia and, 27, 41–42, 43–52, 56, 57, 59–60, 77, 142–43, 188; Haley, Alex and, 8–9, 27, 41–42, 43–52, 57, 59–60, 77, 85–86, 132, 142–43; Reader’s Digest and, 60; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 9, 71–72, 197; Sims, George and, 12, 30, 40, 50fig., 71, 146, 194; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 38

  Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, The (Greenwood, 1974), 135–36

  reviews: “faction” and, 141–45; historical accuracy and, 6–7, 132; Roots (Haley) and, 6–7, 132, 136–37, 140, 141–45; Roots (television) and, 6–7, 156, 162–63, 165, 178, 179–180; white guilt and, 140

  Revolutionary War, 170

  Reynolds, Paul Revere: copyright and, 195; film rights and, 56–57, 92–93, 224n46; financial concerns and, 19, 22, 32–33, 34–36, 39, 56–57, 87–88; finishing Roots (Haley) and, 84, 86, 87–88, 94–95, 96–97; the Gambia and, 39, 44, 45; Haley, Alex as client and, 19, 85; How to Co-exist with Negroes (book idea) and, 19–20; Paul R. Reynolds, Inc., 195; publications for writers and, 18; Reader’s Digest and, 39; as Roots co-creator, 9; Before This Anger (Haley) and, 11, 18, 19, 20–22, 24–30, 33, 34–36, 44, 54, 56–57, 59, 66–67, 83; X, Malcolm and, 28–29

  Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) (television), 107, 125–26, 128

  Richter, Conrad, 19

  Ridley, John, 208

  Roberts, Warren, 144

  Robeson, Eslanda Goode, 74

  Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made (Genovese, 1974), 6

  Rootlessness (Arceneaux, 2002) (art installation), 201

  Roots (Haley), 79–102, 131–152; ABC (American Broadcasting Company) and, 82, 94, 95–96; advance marketing and, 4–5, 54–55, 66, 75, 87, 89, 95, 102; Africa and, 133–34; African linguistics and, 26–27; Angelou, Maya and, 133–34, 151–52; anticipation for, 75, 79; audiences and, 3, 70, 77, 90–91, 140–41; Autobiography of Malcolm X, The (Haley) and, 80, 89; awards and, 145–46; Baldwin, James and, 150, 151–52; black Americans and, 62; Black Family: A Case for National Action, The (Moynihan, 1965) (report) and, 137–38, 139; black history and, 90, 136–37, 145; black interests and, 100–101; commercialization and, 2, 27, 28, 62, 63, 93, 127–28, 130, 181, 182–87, 200; controversy and, 143–45, 147, 187–190; copyright and, 190, 193, 194–95; critics and, 2, 132, 141–42, 151, 156, 178; Doubleday and, 2, 82, 87, 93, 94, 95–96, 136, 186, 189–190; Drew, Lisa and, 9, 59, 95–96; “faction” and, 5–6, 8, 10, 27, 58, 77, 90, 141–47, 188–190; as family story, 135, 136; female characters and, 149; film rights and, 75, 86, 91–93, 224n46; financial concerns and, 3–4, 86–88, 93–94, 96–97, 98–99, 102; finishing and, 2, 3, 70, 82–84, 86, 87–89, 91–92, 94–100, 101–2; Fisher, Murray and, 2, 9, 82–84, 85–87, 89, 96–102, 188, 194; genealogy and, 8, 60, 61–62, 67, 68–69, 113, 135–36, 150; haunting and, 149–150; Juffure (the Gambia) and, 131–33, 142–43; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather) and, 8, 80–81, 82, 84–85, 131–32, 134–35, 142–43, 147, 171; lectures and, 23, 54, 74–75, 79, 87, 99; Margulies, Stan and, 91–97; merchandise and, 93, 182–85; My Search for Roots (documentary film), 93; “My Search for Roots” (Hal
ey) (unpublished manuscript) and, 148–49, 150; mythic qualities and, 68, 144, 147, 189; New York Times and, 142, 143, 145; novel v nonfiction and, 86, 126–27, 145–46, 189–190; Ottaway, Mark and, 51, 142–43, 144, 147, 187, 190; paperback rights and, 75, 186–87; plagiarism lawsuits and, 2, 181–82, 190–95, 196; popular culture and, 3; profits and, 181–82, 198; Reader’s Digest and, 3, 5, 73, 75, 79–80, 86–87, 89–91, 93, 94, 97; reviews of, 6–7, 132, 136–37, 140, 141–45; Reynolds, Paul Revere and, 84, 85, 86, 87–88, 94–95, 96–97; Roots (television) v, 3, 109, 125–26, 154, 157, 158fig., 173; sales and, 66, 130, 186; scholarship and, 2, 6, 8–9, 141–45, 184, 208; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and, 9, 71–72, 197; scrutiny and, 100, 113; sexuality and, 31, 202–3; slavery history and, 2, 6–7, 52, 60, 132–141, 143–44, 145, 149–151, 200–208; television rights and, 75, 92–102; title change to, 67, 125; white guilt and, 140–41; Wolper, David and, 3, 5, 65, 82, 91–96; writing preferences and, 81–82, 84. See also Before This Anger (Haley); Doubleday; historical accuracy; popular culture

  Roots (television), 103–30, 153–180; advance marketing and, 4–5, 54–55, 66, 75, 95, 102, 125–130; African linguistics and, 113; audiences and, 3, 77, 106–10, 121, 130, 163, 164, 168–69, 175–180; Bess, Rebecca and, 163–65; birth depiction and, 153–54; Birth of a Nation (Griffith) (film) and, 156; black Americans and, 178–79; black extras and, 160–65; black film professionals and, 101–2, 120–24; black history and, 180; the book v, 3, 125–26, 154, 157, 158fig., 173; breast nudity depiction and, 115–17, 119–120, 163–64, 165; budget and, 113, 174–75; cinematography and, 123–24, 159; civil rights and, 101, 178; commercialization and, 2, 93, 109–10, 127–28, 130, 180, 182–87, 200; copyright and, 184–85; costs of, 130; Crain, Mary Beth and, 7, 156; critics and, 156, 178, 200; Davies, Thomas and, 157, 158fig., 163; Donaldson, James William and, 175; Doubleday and, 126–28; educational markets and, 93, 183–85; Emmy award and, 92fig.; Erman, John, 167–68; extras and, 160–65, 174–75; “faction” and, 5–6, 190; as family story, 125; female characters and, 165, 170–71; Fight against Slavery, The (1975) (BBC series) and, 156; the Gambia and, 113–15, 154; global broadcasts and, 179; Gone with the Wind (film) and, 175; Greene, David and, 105, 107, 114, 154, 159–160, 161, 164, 170; as groundbreaking, 112, 180; historical accuracy and, 178; Hooks, Benjamin and, 175; Juffure (the Gambia) and, 154, 158; Kizzy and, 170, 171–74, 175–76; Larsen, Nella, 161; Lea, George “Chicken George” (great-great grandfather) and, 171, 172, 174; licensing deals and, 183–85; Lord Ligonier (ship) and, 157, 158; Los Angeles Sentinel and, 177; Los Angeles Times and, 7, 156; Mandingo (film) and, 156; Manga, Ebou and, 113; manuscript collection auction and, 197; merchandise and, 182–85; the Middle Passage and, 159–160, 161–66, 171; Newsweek and, 127, 163; New York Times and, 178; novel v nonfiction and, 125–26; patriarchalism and, 171; popular culture and, 156; profits and, 181–82, 198; Quicksand (Larsen, 1928) and, 161; race relations and, 176, 178–79; racism and, 110, 180; ratings and, 109, 133, 175, 198; Reagan, Ronald and, 176; reviews and, 6–7, 151–52, 156, 162–63, 165, 178, 179–180; Roots (Haley) v, 3, 109, 125–26, 154, 157, 158fig., 173; Schickel, Richard and, 156; scholarship and, 2, 208; Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and, 197; Scott, Jan and, 159; scripts and, 95–96, 103–5, 158–59, 197, 226n9; sexuality and, 116, 156; slavery history and, 2, 162–64, 200–208; Standards and Practices office (ABC) and, 115–17, 165; Stone, Chuck and, 180; television rights, 75, 92–102; Time and, 156, 179–180; VCRs (videocassette recorders) and, 184–85; Washington Post and, 128–29, 162; whipping scene and, 156, 166–68, 169; white actors and, 107–9, 130, 168; white audiences and, 106–10, 130; white characters and, 109, 157, 158; white guilt and, 108, 177, 180; “Why ‘Roots’ Hit Home” (Time) and, 179–180; Wolper Productions, 91, 102, 127, 185; women film professionals and, 171. See also ABC (American Broadcasting Company); black actors; Blinn, Bill; Kinte, Kunta (fourth great-grandfather); Margulies, Stan; Roots (Haley); television; Wolper, David; individual actors

 

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