S1. Ep. 0: The Class of '89 Syllabus

Len Webb: Oh, hello. Please make yourself comfortable. My name is Len Webb. 

Vincent Williams: And I'm Vincent Williams. We are the hosts of the Micheaux Mission: two men, one podcast, every Black film ever made. 

Len: We'd like to welcome you to our documentary podcast, the Micheaux Mission Presents: The Class of 1989.

Over the course of six episodes, Vincent and I will examine the importance of six Black films that came out in ‘89 and how they shaped and influenced popular culture, filmmaking, and society in general. We aim to achieve this goal by utilizing a selection of film clips and journalism, as well as conversing with an amazing group of filmmakers, critics, and creatives. 

Elizabeth Wellington: I'm not the Spike Lee fan. 

Darryl Charles: I want to give Eddie Murphy the credit. Nobody was talking about the Black Renaissance.

Bobbi Booker: It's not a movie I pull for my Black History moment update, that's for sure.

Bill Duke: There are two things you'll always recognize: his dignity and his humanity.

Denise James: I think Glory did a better job of that.

Maori Holmes: I believe it's the first time a Black woman is nominated for an Oscar as director, so that's a big deal.

Vincent: But before we start, in this “zero episode,” we just wanted to talk briefly about those six films; the creators, the actors, their plots, their schemes, their ups, their downs. Think of it as a primer if you've never seen some of these movies, and a refresher if you have.

Len: Let's start out with something light, and the only comedy in our project, Harlem Nights.

Clip - Harlem Nights Trailer: In 1938, the nights belonged to Harlem. The place to be was Club Sugar Ray’s. The man to know was Quick. Now when you see Quick, I suggest you guys make plans to go elsewhere. 

Len: Written, directed, and starring Eddie Murphy, Harlem Nights tells the story of a group of lovable Black gangsters running a nightclub in 1930’s New York. What could be more charming? 

Vincent: What could be more charming? 

Len: Co-starring legendary comedians Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx with Danny Aiello and Della Reese serving in supporting roles, Harlem Nights is Murphy's love letter to the generations of Black comedians that came before him, as well as evidence of his power and influence in Hollywood at the time.

Clip - Lean On Me: (Singing) Lean on me.

Vincent: Next up is Lean On Me. 

Len: (Singing) “Lean on Me.”

Vincent: Lean On Me is yet another movie that Hollywood loves. About the power of a teacher changing the lives of his wayward students.

Len: Such as To Sir, With Love, 

Vincent: Such as the Michelle Pfeiffer one that I just forgot its name, such as Stand and Deliver. 

Len: Mm. 

Vincent: It's a well that they keep going back to.

Len: Over and over again. 

Vincent: Morgan Freeman portrays real life educator, Joe “Crazy Joe” “Batman” Clark.

Len: [Singing] Na na na na na na na na na. 

Vincent: And his challenge of raising the test scores in the troubled East Side High. Directed by John Avildsen, with the script written by Michael Schiffer, Lean On Me also features performances from Robert Guillaume, Beverly Todd, Michael Beach, and Lynn Thigpen. 

Len: I believe that's Robert Guillaume. 

Vincent: Robert Guillaume. I added a “Gui.” I felt like he needed more syllables in his name. Robert Guillaume. 

Len: Our third film is one that originally we didn't include, but because of the guidance and advice of several of our interviewees, we saw its importance to this conversation.

Clip - A Dry White Season: - We told him how his son died. And when the time is right, we will tell him where he is buried. - But what are you waiting for? To you, this is just another story. One more murder is news. But let me tell you something: it's news to me.

Len: Based on the novel of the same name, A Dry White Season stars Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon, and Marlon Brando, and is the story of a murder in 1970s apartheid era South Africa. 

More importantly though, it is a Euzhan Palcy film and the first major Hollywood project directed by a Black female director. While the plot and film mostly revolves around whiteness, Palcy’s involvement warranted its inclusion in this documentary. 

Vincent: Fourth on the docket is Glory. Directed by Edward Zwick with a screenplay by Kevin Jarre, and based on the journals of Captain Robert Gould Shaw, Glory is the fictionalized account of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, one of the first all-Black regiments in the Union Army during the Civil War.

Clip - Glory: [Soldier’s shouting]

Vincent: The film stars Matthew Broderick in the role of Shaw and also boasts performances from Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher, and of course, Denzel Washington, who went on to win the best supporting actor Oscar for his role as Private Trip, a man who shows no emotion except for one lonely tear. 

Len: The power of one tear. 

And then we come to Driving Miss Daisy. Morgan Freeman stars as Hoke Colburn, the chauffeur to Daisy Werthan, played by Jessica Tandy.

Clip - Driving Miss Daisy: - Hoke? - Yes. - You are my best friend. - Now don’t go on now, Ms. Daisy. - No, really You are. Yes.

Len: Directed by Bruce Beresford and based on the play of the same name by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy begins in 1948 and details the decades-long relationship of Hoke and Daisy and how their friendship comes to transcend segregation, racism, and the chasm of difference between the two. The film went on to famously, or infamously depending on your point of view, win the Academy Award for Best Picture of the year, and again, based on your perspective, is either a heartwarming, life-affirming testament to the power of humanity, or whitewashed a-historical drivel that America ate up because of the racial turbulence of the moment. You decide. 

Vincent: And finally, we have Do the Right Thing.

Clip - Do the Right Thing Trailer: - Universal Pictures presents a new film from Spike Lee. - Good morning, Ms. Mother Sister. - Now, Mookie, don't work too hard today. The man says it's gonna be hot as the devil. - I've been here 25 years and Sal's famous Pizzeria is here to stay. Trust me. - Mookie, the last time I trusted you, we ended up with a son. - Hey Sal, how come there are no brothers up on the wall here?

Vincent: Generally acknowledged as director, writer, producer Spike Lee's magnum opus, Do the Right Thing outlines a tense and angry Saturday on the hottest day of the year in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and the volatile relationships that make up one neighborhood. Starring a murderer's row of actors, including Ossie Davis, Ruby D, Danny Aiello, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, Roger Guenveur Smith, Bill Nunn, and featuring arguably Lee's best performance as an actor, Do The Right Thing is an incendiary, bombastic, tour de force that, while controversy swirled around it when it premiered, ironically, has aged the most gracefully in terms of criticism and good will. More so than any of the other films that we'll be discussing. 

Len: Indeed. And those, ladies and gentlemen, are the films that serve as the subject matter of our documentary, the Class of 1989. While we haven't reviewed either A Dry White Season or Do the Right Thing yet, the Micheaux Mission has entire episodes devoted to Harlem Nights, Lean On Me, Glory, and Driving Miss Daisy. So, if you're interested in more in-depth analysis of those movies, please check out our episodes in the archives. 

Vincent: Oh, that's nice. That had real LeVar Burton Reading Rainbow energy to it. If you'd like to learn more, please go to your local library. 

Len: [Singing] I can do anything. Take a look. It's in a book, the Reading Rainbow. 

Vincent: Thanks for listening and we look forward to you joining us for the Micheaux Mission Presents: The class of 1989. 

Len: How much do you think they're going to charge for the Reading Rainbow theme song? 

Vincent: Hopefully LeVar Burton gives us a solid.

Tune in next week for the first episode of the Class of 1989: “Ladies First and Last.”

The Class of 1989 is produced by Len Webb, Vincent Williams, and Moe Poplar

Written by Len Webb, Vincent Williams and Moe Poplar

Edited by Len Webb 

Mix and mastered by Chris Boniello

Production help from Jordan Aaron 

Marketing by Joni Deutsch, Matt Keeley, and Annabella Pena

Music by Alexa Gold 

Art by Tom Grillo

Special thanks to Dan Christo

And executive produced by Jeff Umbro and the Podglomerate 

Alright ladies and gentlemen, until next time, he's Vince, I'm Len. And in parting we say – 

Vincent: We'll see you when it's time to meet again.