You would think, even people not with The NAACP (who brought the lawsuit against the federal government), would have made a very large noise about this horrific study. BUT - I was one of those uninfomed people; I had no idea the study was being conducted, and I'm from Mississippi, not TOO far from Tuskegee. I've mentioned in other comments that I was doing an exhaustive research into AIDS; I eventually got a whole room full of reports and documents from The Department of Health under the Freedom of Information Act.......some of the studies contained more than a hundred-thousand pages, including a huge one on the study of syphilis in Black males in Macon County, Alabama. I'm not really certain just when I became aware of this large-scale murder: my AIDS-research was done in the early '80s, but the Tuskegee Study ended in 1972. All of my research was done through reading several newspapers and making contact with the people who wrote them or was mentioned in them. I eventually was corresponding with scientists, researchers both American and foreign - all of the major parties involved around the world: I planned to write an expose'. I just happened to read an article about The Tuskegee Study in a newspaper; the weight of my correspondence and this shocking discovery were the main reasons why I finally gave-up.
I don't recall any loud noise about this scandal in 1972 - it's a mystery to me why I didn't know about it, or why some of the scientists I was corresponding with never mentioned it. The Senate hearings must have been very quiet, because I didn't hear didley-poop about them. As the messages at the end of "Miss Evers' Boys" state, President Clinton apologized in the '90s. This leaves me to wonder if all the presidents before him, back to 1932, knew about the study. If they did, shame on them ! Shocking ! I believe President Truman halted the whole business. "Drop the bomb, but don't fund The Tuskegee Study....."
To "smokehill_retrievers", I am appalled that you think this whole scandal was a hoax. "Google" has all the data - including "spiked". I agree with another "user" who states that ethnic discrimination is still a dark secret in this country. How dare we scream about "Darfur" and "Hotel Rwanda"? If our hypocrisy isn't being taught in OUR schools, I'm sure schools all around the world are teaching what an uninformed society we still are. Spreading democracy in Iraq?......
Joseph Sargent directed a marvelous movie, even for TV. I find no fault with it, and feel all of the cast were brilliant. Walter Bernstein wrote an outstanding script. Laurence Fishburne, the smart guy who "read the book" and got himself healed was stellar; Craig Sheffer (Dr. Douglas) and Joe Marton (Dr. Sam Brooks) did their dirty work brilliantly, to prove that "colored" people weren't physically different than anyone else; Obba Babatunde's dreams of dancing at The Cotton Club in NY City breaks the heart, still trying to dance after 40 years of untreated suffering; Ossie David (Mr. Evers) made a statement how all dads should nuture their children; E.G. Marshal was effective as the Senate-committee Chairman, as all of the rest were.
Alfre Woodman deserves an Oscar; she is the Black Bette Davis. She portrays a devoted individual who does all the ingenious dirty work to get the men enrolled; is the epitome of "the doctor knows best", when she knows better; her dramatic acting is brilliant, especially with Fishburne and the man who had reverted to voodoo to attempt to curing himself, not to mention her ethnic comedy. Her accusing the entire Congress of sweeping this monstrous scandal under the carpet for so many years, "then trying to blame me", is a scene to use a whole box of tissues on. BTW, the actual nurse's name was "Rivers". Why do we not see this lady in other film ?
Bravo! for all who had a part in this wonderful movie. Too bad that major studios in Hollywood didn't recognize this is a story that needs to be told, and then told again. Nearly the entire cast is African-American, and what a performance they all give. This movie deserves a release in major theaters, without ANY changes. There should also be a major release on DVD, but who would be alive to talk about it? The NIH in Bethesda (Maryland) is still mired in scandal over their researchers being highly paid by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs, and then take high-paid positions with them to keep them quiet. Disgraceful.....
I recommend this movie to everyone who is breathing - if you haven't seen it, then do - then buy it. It deserves a 20.....
I don't recall any loud noise about this scandal in 1972 - it's a mystery to me why I didn't know about it, or why some of the scientists I was corresponding with never mentioned it. The Senate hearings must have been very quiet, because I didn't hear didley-poop about them. As the messages at the end of "Miss Evers' Boys" state, President Clinton apologized in the '90s. This leaves me to wonder if all the presidents before him, back to 1932, knew about the study. If they did, shame on them ! Shocking ! I believe President Truman halted the whole business. "Drop the bomb, but don't fund The Tuskegee Study....."
To "smokehill_retrievers", I am appalled that you think this whole scandal was a hoax. "Google" has all the data - including "spiked". I agree with another "user" who states that ethnic discrimination is still a dark secret in this country. How dare we scream about "Darfur" and "Hotel Rwanda"? If our hypocrisy isn't being taught in OUR schools, I'm sure schools all around the world are teaching what an uninformed society we still are. Spreading democracy in Iraq?......
Joseph Sargent directed a marvelous movie, even for TV. I find no fault with it, and feel all of the cast were brilliant. Walter Bernstein wrote an outstanding script. Laurence Fishburne, the smart guy who "read the book" and got himself healed was stellar; Craig Sheffer (Dr. Douglas) and Joe Marton (Dr. Sam Brooks) did their dirty work brilliantly, to prove that "colored" people weren't physically different than anyone else; Obba Babatunde's dreams of dancing at The Cotton Club in NY City breaks the heart, still trying to dance after 40 years of untreated suffering; Ossie David (Mr. Evers) made a statement how all dads should nuture their children; E.G. Marshal was effective as the Senate-committee Chairman, as all of the rest were.
Alfre Woodman deserves an Oscar; she is the Black Bette Davis. She portrays a devoted individual who does all the ingenious dirty work to get the men enrolled; is the epitome of "the doctor knows best", when she knows better; her dramatic acting is brilliant, especially with Fishburne and the man who had reverted to voodoo to attempt to curing himself, not to mention her ethnic comedy. Her accusing the entire Congress of sweeping this monstrous scandal under the carpet for so many years, "then trying to blame me", is a scene to use a whole box of tissues on. BTW, the actual nurse's name was "Rivers". Why do we not see this lady in other film ?
Bravo! for all who had a part in this wonderful movie. Too bad that major studios in Hollywood didn't recognize this is a story that needs to be told, and then told again. Nearly the entire cast is African-American, and what a performance they all give. This movie deserves a release in major theaters, without ANY changes. There should also be a major release on DVD, but who would be alive to talk about it? The NIH in Bethesda (Maryland) is still mired in scandal over their researchers being highly paid by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs, and then take high-paid positions with them to keep them quiet. Disgraceful.....
I recommend this movie to everyone who is breathing - if you haven't seen it, then do - then buy it. It deserves a 20.....