1964CIVIL RIGHTS
At Issue: (Events and commentary on the current news)
Episode #40 broadcast on NET
NET - National Educational Television network
Title: A Conversation with James W. Silver
Guests: James W. Silver, Professor and Author; Ronnie Dugger, Editor The Texas Observer
Original Broadcast Date: 7/6/1964
Description:
Outside rainy day interview.
Professor James W. Silver of the University of Mississippi one of the South’s most severe critics of segregation, will give his views on the racial crisis in Mississippi and the prospects for integration there.
Professor Silver came into the national spotlight two years ago when he defended the admission of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. He was verbally denounced by members of the state legislature and threatened with suspension.
“At Issue” camera teams traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to record a dialogue between Professor Silver and Ronnie Dugger, editor and general manager of the Texas Observer, a bi-weekly newspaper in Austin, Texas.
In his recent highly praised book “Mississippi: The Closed Society,” the controversial professor writes that the state has turned in upon itself and has built an invisible wall to protect itself from the ultimate changes underway outside of its border. A southerner by adoption, Professor Silver has taught history at the University of Mississippi since 1936.
“At Issue” is broadcast across the country on the National Educational Television network of 82 affiliated non-commercial stations.
Executive producer: Alvin Perlmutter
Producer: Andrew Stern
Episode #40 broadcast on NET
NET - National Educational Television network
Title: A Conversation with James W. Silver
Guests: James W. Silver, Professor and Author; Ronnie Dugger, Editor The Texas Observer
Original Broadcast Date: 7/6/1964
Description:
Outside rainy day interview.
Professor James W. Silver of the University of Mississippi one of the South’s most severe critics of segregation, will give his views on the racial crisis in Mississippi and the prospects for integration there.
Professor Silver came into the national spotlight two years ago when he defended the admission of James Meredith at the University of Mississippi. He was verbally denounced by members of the state legislature and threatened with suspension.
“At Issue” camera teams traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to record a dialogue between Professor Silver and Ronnie Dugger, editor and general manager of the Texas Observer, a bi-weekly newspaper in Austin, Texas.
In his recent highly praised book “Mississippi: The Closed Society,” the controversial professor writes that the state has turned in upon itself and has built an invisible wall to protect itself from the ultimate changes underway outside of its border. A southerner by adoption, Professor Silver has taught history at the University of Mississippi since 1936.
“At Issue” is broadcast across the country on the National Educational Television network of 82 affiliated non-commercial stations.
Executive producer: Alvin Perlmutter
Producer: Andrew Stern
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| 01:00:01 1.27 |
Reel opens on pan University of Mississippi campus
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| 01:00:03 3.25 |
Slate: NET graphic overlay University of Mississippi college campus. Announcer introduces show.
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| 01:00:10 10.27 |
Slate: At Issue: (show graphic)
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| 01:00:14 14.48 |
Slate: Mississippi, A Conversation with James W. Silver overlay pan of college campus. Announcer (unseen) introduces program.
Men outside in rain on bench conducting interview. |
| 01:00:22 22.57 |
zoom in on monument of confederate soldier on University of Mississippi campus.
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| 01:00:27 27.74 |
Pan campus grounds, lots of trees, grassy areas
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| 01:00:34 34.83 |
Slate: Ronnie Dugger
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| 01:00:43 43.09 |
Ronnie Dugger, Editor the Texas Observer and Interviewer with James W. Silver, Professor and Author of "The Closed Society" wearing raincoats walking slowly and casually toward camera in the rain having casual conversation.
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| 01:01:29 89.67 |
They stop walking and Silver, is casually talking with Dugger about the riot and the aftermath at the University of Mississippi, (early 1960's) and the inspiration for writing his book.
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| 01:02:22 142.87 |
Dugger asks Silver to explain why he feels Mississippi is nearly a police state and is what Silver calls a "closed society". Silver explains why he came to this conclusion - he talks about how Mississippi does not participate in Society itself, and the majority of Whites agree on what he calls "the official orthodoxy" which in 1850's was slavery and which today is "White Supremacy". This is backed up by fundamentalism and religion. He states that the citizens that don't go along with this are told to keep quiet and if they don't keep quiet they are threatened, run out of the state, and/or suffer violence.
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| 01:03:26 206.81 |
Interview continues as they walk along the college campus grounds, stopping along the way, raincoats wet with rain.
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| 01:05:34 334.1 |
Close up Professor James W. Silver.
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| 01:06:13 373.7 |
Silver and Dugger sitting down on park bench.
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| 01:07:49 469.39 |
Silver talking with Dugger about Mississippi being a police state. He discusses the police brutality toward African Americans, their experiences and the fact that African Americans are living in a society they can't participate in.
He says "there isn't a single Negro office holder" for 100 years, and they're at the complete mercy of the Whites. Silver states, "So instead of asking for justice they have to come hat in hands begging for something from the White man"." |
| 01:09:16 556.51 |
Close up on Silver discussing Civil Rights, he states there is not a single lawyer in the State of Mississippi who would take a Civil Rights case.
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| 01:09:35 575.35 |
Dugger with Dr. Silver casually sitting on park (campus) bench
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| 01:09:55 595.31 |
Dr. Silver talking, gesturing, still wearing wet raincoat. He discusses how he's given most of his adult life to the University (of MS) and feels it's his State and is not going to turn on the State. His vision is that Mississippi must give up what it has taken for granted in the last 10 years. His main point in writing his book was to bring out in the open the inevitability of this transition.
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| 01:12:59 779.63 |
Wide shot Dr. Silver and Dugger sitting on bench. Dr. Silver talks about how his friendships have held up in light of the subject of his book.
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| 01:15:30 930.82 |
Interview continues.
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| 01:18:04 1084.86 |
Close up Dr. Silver discusses his personal history and his history with the University.
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| 01:20:55 1255.83 |
Dugger brings up the topic of all the out of state young folks coming in to the State, outside influencers. They discuss what their motives are. Dr. Silver states "the young people are strangers but they are idealistic and are there to help the Negroes gain basic rights, primarily the Right to Vote."
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| 01:23:51 1431.18 |
Dugger refers to William Faulkner's opinion that Mississippi would not give up segregation without outside force,
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| 01:24:10 1450.47 |
Dugger looking down at his notes, quotes a passage from Dr. Silver's book whereby Silver writes that action from the federal government would bring about change to Mississippi. Dugger challenges Silver in terms of troops, court orders, and Marshalls - violence?
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| 01:24:26 1466.5 |
Wide shot Dugger and Silver. Slow pan in and Silver states sadly that he doesn't think Mississippi can change without outside help.
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| 01:25:30 1530.64 |
Dugger (unseen) challenges Dr. Silver about the use of force in Mississippi to bring about change. Close up on Silver states presence in the Courts would be enough and hopefully they won't need Marshalls.
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| 01:25:45 1545.16 |
Dr. Silver (Dugger unseen) talking, gesturing with his hands, emphatically stating that if the kind of leadership in place from 1959 to this year (1962) prevails, then "I see nothing but more September 30ths, that's the night of the riot".
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| 01:26:20 1580.15 |
Dugger and Dr. Silver still sitting on bench talking, their raincoats very wet. Interview continues and Dugger asks if Silver is tempted to leave there.
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| 01:26:58 1618.27 |
Dr. Silver close up states he stays in Mississippi because he has a right to stay.
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| 01:27:39 1659.89 |
Wide shot Dugger and Silver. Dugger thanks Dr. Silver, camera pans out on them and up toward trees
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| 01:27:47 1667.69 |
Show ends. Pan out on tree lined road, cars parked. Music begins to play. Var shots of campus.
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| 01:27:57 1677.03 |
Slate: Mississippi a Conversation with James W. Silver overlay pan of University of Mississippi campus.
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| 01:28:02 1682.23 |
Slate: Ronnie Dugger overlay road on campus, cars driving by
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| 01:28:07 1687.65 |
Show credits overlay zoom in of college campus building
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| 01:28:39 1719.11 |
Slate: At Issue:
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| 01:28:50 1730.06 |
NET graphic. Announcer states National Educational Television
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| 01:29:03 1743.74 |
End Reel
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