NT-5035

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1964CIVIL RIGHTS
NET At Issue: - Episode #35
Title: Experiment in Ignorance (an on the spot view of the only county in the US without a public school)
Original Broadcast Date: 1964-06-01

Guests: J. Barry Walle, editor and publisher of the Farmville Herald and a member of the Board of the Prince Edward Academy (a private, white only school);
Mr. R. Pearson, chairman of the Board of the Prince Edward Academy;
Rev. L. Francis Griffin, head of the NAACP for Virginia
Dean C. Gordon Moss, Dean of Longwood State Teachers College for Women in Farmville;
Dr. James B. Cooley, principal of the Prince Edward County Free School Association Board;
Dick Moss (son of Dean Moss), the only white student in the graduating class
Anthony Lewis, Reporter New York Times

Description:
This program deals with the Supreme Court decision of Monday, May 25, in which the court ruled that Prince Edward County, Virginia, must reopen its public schools – closed since 1959 to avoid integration, thereby making all public schools private and open to white students only. The program will include on-the-spot coverage and interviews of reactions of citizens of Farmville, Virginia, members of the Free School Association in Farmville, as well as persons involved in the case and issue.

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Video Images Grid Descriptive Log
00:00:33 7.68 thumbnail
NET (National Educational Television) Show graphic overlay slow pan suburban Virginia. Narrator announces show.
00:00:37 11.35 thumbnail
Slate: At Issue: (overlay pan of beautiful brick buildings in suburban Virginia)
00:00:43 17.54 thumbnail
Slate: Prince Edward County, Experiment in Ignorance
(overlay pan of suburban Virginia neighborhood, cars going by, brick buildings) with narration announcing topic of program - Prince Edward County, the only county in the USA without a public school.
00:01:02 36.59 thumbnail
Pan up on monument statue of civil war Confederate soldier in Virginia where the Civil War came to an end.
00:01:09 43.91 thumbnail
Slow pan school campus, beautiful brick school building with white columns and lots of trees in Farmville, Virginia. Students seen walking on campus as narrator talks about the US Supreme Court's segregation decision in 1954. Narrator states that for five years the decision remained in place and unchanged.
00:01:21 55.62 thumbnail
Pan out on sign marking historical Longwood College in Farmville, Virginia. Slow pan of Longwood College, cars going by, with narration.
00:01:25 59.05 thumbnail
Slow pan of brick buildings on Longwood College campus, cars driving by. Narrator, unseen, states in 1959 when the Supreme Court ordered implementation of its earlier decision, rather than to segregate as ordered, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors closed the public schools. A private school system was organized for White children Only.
00:01:40 74.72 thumbnail
Narrator and host of the show, (now seen) standing in front of a tree explains that "for four years the Negro children got their education in other counties and states."
00:01:50 84.19 thumbnail
Narrator continues that "by 1963 a desegregated free school system was established through private funds and attended by Negroes and some Whites. But the White private schools remained open and the public schools remained closed."
00:02:07 101.08 thumbnail
Narrator still standing in front of tree states that last week the Supreme Court mandated to take the steps to reopen the public schools.
00:02:21 115.7 thumbnail
Narrator, Al Perlman, introduces himself and announces the show, At Issue - taking place in Farmville, Virginia.
00:02:28 122.19 thumbnail
Reverend L. Francis Griffin, head of NAACP in Virginia (introduced by Host Perlman, unseen) talking with unseen interviewer states he's very happy about the Supreme Court's decision to reopen the public schools.
00:03:06 160.23 thumbnail
Wide shot, a bit grainy, an old plain brick two story building with striped awnings on the windows. A vertical sign on the side of the building's second floor reads "Herald".
Narrator states the building belongs to the Farmville Herald Newspaper.
00:03:21 175.54 thumbnail
Pan over to J. Barry Walle, White man with bow tie, the Farmville Herald Newspaper Editor and member of the Board of the all White private school. Narrator unseen introduces him.
00:03:32 186.23 thumbnail
Walle reading editorial from the Farmville Herald Newspaper
00:03:46 200.91 thumbnail
Close up on a page in the Farmville Herald Newspaper. Pan down on the page and editorial, "Law of Man" is seen and Wall is heard reading
00:04:02 216.47 thumbnail
J. Barry Walle continues reading editorial.
00:04:07 221.75 thumbnail
School busses and a few vintage cars driving down curvy rural country road - with narration about the educational crises and states "the Negroes in Prince Edward County have been subjected to an "experiment in ignorance"."
00:04:22 236.94 thumbnail
American flag hanging off the top of a large blackboard (in classroom).
Narrator talking about "the school segreagation issue stating that the Negro children had four years without educational facilities." He speaks of the partial resolution - the formation of the Preschool Association.
00:04:30 244.94 thumbnail
School bus driving by a brick pillar on a rural country dirt road.
00:04:34 248.68 thumbnail
Large vintage wing tipped car on same rural country dirt road, other cars seen parked in bkgd.
00:04:43 257.63 thumbnail
Interior school classroom with vintage classroom desks, lots of windows with some flowers on the window sills, a teacher's desk is partially seen and an easel by the windows.
Narrator speaking of a partial resolution.
00:05:05 279.05 thumbnail
Cut away to a wide shot of Interviewer ( could be Al Perlman) standing out on the lawn in front of the school in Farmville with the Principal, James Cooley.
00:05:24 298.61 thumbnail
Cooley speaking into Interviewer's mic states he feels the progress has been successful, kids are motivated and excited. Interviewer unseen continues questioning Cooley. Cooley remains positive about the future and that the kids will hopefully make up for the loss.
00:06:40 374.57 thumbnail
Interior classroom shot, with all Black students mostly young studious looking females at their desks looking down at their notebooks. Large blackboard on the wall, a flower poster hangs from blackboard.
00:06:47 381.09 thumbnail
Pan interior classroom back to front revealing the male African American teacher (Mr. C. J. Covey, General Science Teacher) standing at his desk, blackboard behind him. He addresses the classroom
00:07:11 405.4 thumbnail
Close up shot of African American students in the classroom as they are listening intently to teacher (unseen).
00:07:17 411.7 thumbnail
Young female student, getting up from her desk in classroom approaches the blackboard as directed by her teacher.
00:07:25 419.82 thumbnail
The female student writing on blackboard as teacher standing at desk facing classroom is approached by the Interviewer with mic.
00:07:43 437.55 thumbnail
Teacher, Mr. Covey, talking into the Interviewer's mic and answering questions about the effects on the students (regarding the segregation issue in Farmville) states that there have been some lack of reading and writing skills but feels that with a year of Free School some difficulties have been ironed out, however, lots of work needs to get the students caught up.
00:08:23 477.94 thumbnail
Mr. Covey still being interviewed answers questions about methods they are using to get the students up to par, and students are enthusiastic.
00:09:06 520.2 thumbnail
Close up on Mr. Covey, interviewer thanks him and interview concludes.
00:09:11 525.42 thumbnail
Mr. Covey addressing classroom as female student continues writing at blackboard
00:09:21 535.46 thumbnail
Cute teenage African American female student with short curly hair, standing in classroom and reading from her science notes
00:09:36 550.58 thumbnail
Wide shot school auditorium. Stage is seen with piano and some chairs, and rows of seats in the auditorium.
00:09:42 556.44 thumbnail
Interviewer, Leonard Swag(sp?) sitting in auditorium with rows of empty seats, speaking with mic into camera, introduces one of the students who didn't go to school for four years, a 17 year old female, Martha, camera pans out.
00:10:08 582.33 thumbnail
Close up on cute 17 year old African American student, Martha, in auditorium speaking with interviewer, Leonard Swag. She tells of her experiences and answers interviewers questions.
00:10:23 597.07 thumbnail
Wide shot male interviewer holding mic speaking with Martha (student) sitting in empty auditorium.
00:10:51 625.68 thumbnail
Interviewer thanks Martha and introduces one of the only two White students in the Free School, Dick Moss, son of the Dean of Longwood College for Women in Farmville.
00:11:10 644.35 thumbnail
Young teenaged white male student, Dick Moss, wearing horn rimmed glasses and seated in empty auditorium answering interviewer's questions. He states his father encouraged him to attend the Free School, and he chose to do it to support everything his father who had been fighting for the reopening of the public schools for four years.
00:12:40 734.2 thumbnail
Exterior wide shot of a wall at the Prince Edward Academy school with weird cut out circles - sound of school bell ringing loudly
00:12:49 743.29 thumbnail
Mostly male teenage students exiting Prince Edward Academy at end of day, filing enthusiastically out of the building carrying books and backpacks.
00:13:00 754.37 thumbnail
Lots of students coming out of school, male and female teenagers carrying books
00:13:35 789.16 thumbnail
Wide shot students getting into parked school busses.
Narrator explaining how officials of private schools are mad because of the mandate by the Federal District Court in 1961 that the state and county could not support private schools as long as the public schools remained closed. since then tuition charges are very high.
00:13:43 797.4 thumbnail
More students carrying books walking out of the Prince Edward Academy School. Front of school circa 1950's architectural design.
00:13:58 812.89 thumbnail
Roy Pearson, President of the Prince Edward School Foundation talking with unseen interviewer expresses his dismay over the integration of the schools and the way it was handled at the time- states his case.
00:19:20 1134.21 thumbnail
Leonard Swag (Interviewer) introduces T.J. McIlwayne Superintendent of Public Schools and asks him if he can get the public schools operating by September. McIlwayne talks about what it will take - getting the funds approved and the employment of experienced teachers.
00:20:58 1232.19 thumbnail
Wide shot of interviewer seated with two teenaged girls on lawn chairs out on the sidewalk across street from segregated, Longwood College (all white all female) campus. He turns to face camera and speaks into it, introducing the two girls.
00:21:25 1259.11 thumbnail
The two female students, Dana and Donna, sitting on lawn chairs next to each other and talking with interviewer as cars are driving by behind them. Serious students they talk about their attempt and efforts to have a biracial movement and integration of the schools.
00:22:39 1333.57 thumbnail
Pan out from exterior shot of front Longwood College with many columns, trees surrounding it.
00:22:43 1337.97 thumbnail
Pan across Longwood State Teacher's College campus, trees and greenery, cars driving by.
00:22:52 1346.07 thumbnail
Interviewer, Leonard Swag, seated on a porch introduces Dr. C. Gordon Moss, Academic Dean of Longwood and teacher there since 1926 years. Swag, looking into camera, states that Dr. Moss took an unpopular stance when integration became an issue.
00:23:12 1366.26 thumbnail
Close up on Dr. Moss as he speaks to interviewer about his decision to NOT send his son Dick to Prince Edward Academy because of the school being segregated, a principle he could Not accept and refused to subject his son to. The principle being , "there should be differences between the opportunities given people because of the color of their skin". Moss stands firmly against this principle.
00:24:12 1426.38 thumbnail
Interview continues with close ups on Dr. Moss and Leonard Swag. Dr. Moss being a historian, student of history and teacher of history, cannot believe the opposition to integration in Prince Edward County is based on the inborn prejudices we have in regard to race, he states the far more compelling reason is "...their desire to retain the attitude of condescending patronage to the Negroes..."
00:26:30 1564.96 thumbnail
Interview concludes, Swag thanks Dr. Moss. Fade out to wide shot of Longwood College.
00:26:37 1571.24 thumbnail
Back to host, Al Perlman, he reviews the Supreme Court decision of keeping the schools integrated, the opposition sees this as a potential disaster of their cause and will continue to fight for all white schools. Perlman introduces introduces Anthony Lewis who reports on the Supreme Court for the New York Times.
00:27:05 1599.18 thumbnail
Blank
00:27:09 1603.95 thumbnail
Reporter for New York Times, Anthony Lewis, looking into camera and reviews the Supreme Court's decision for desecration, and its impact on the South.
00:28:15 1669.63 thumbnail
Blank
00:28:19 1673.8 thumbnail
Civil War Confederate soldier monument standing tall in Virginia
00:28:23 1677.83 thumbnail
Show credits overlay pan of suburban Virginia town
00:29:03 1716.95 thumbnail
At Issue: show graphic overlay
00:29:12 1726.34 thumbnail
NET graphic, announcer introduces program.
00:29:18 1732 thumbnail
End reel.
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