FOR GOLD AND GLORY
Price: $310.00 Code: 2137 |
Directed By: Todd Gould
Narrated by Ossie Davis
2004, 56 mins
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Closed Captioned
For Gold & Glory chronicles the history of the black auto racing league through the life of the circuit's greatest driver, Charlie Wiggins, a four-time champion revered as the "Negro Speed King." During the 1920s, before athletes such as slugger Jackie Robinson, Olympic great Jesse Owens, and boxer Joe Louis blazed new trails in the fight for equal rights, a forgotten group of African-American sportsmen risked their reputations, their careers, and even their very lives on a barnstorming motor sports tour.
It was a time when heroes were measured not by the number of home runs hit or touchdowns scored, but rather by their ability to survive in an era of intense racial prejudice. The humble mechanic and racecar owner Charlie Wiggins who lived in Indianapolis , Indiana was one of these forgotten heroes. When auto racing's governing body turned away the talented black driver, Wiggins helped create a national racing league for African Americans. The most widely celebrated race for black drivers was the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, an annual sporting event so grand it attracted the attention of national news agencies, as well as thousands of spectators coast to coast.
Set to a memorable retro jazz score by Pulitzer and Grammy nominee Dr. David Baker, For Gold & Glory spotlights first-hand conversations with Charlie's wife Roberta (voice dramatist Ruby Dee), and features interviews with former Gold and Glory drivers, families, historians and witnesses to the old African-American auto racing events.
Seven Emmy Awards – Cleveland Chapter of NTA
The E.P. Ingersoll Award from the Society of Automotive Historians
Highly Recommended “Narrated by actor Ossie Davis, this documentary has brilliantly rescued from obscurity an aspect of black history unfamiliar to many Americans today that provides an interesting chapter in the African-American journey to greater recognition and respect… Public libraries with large black history collections will want to purchase this title for its original and primary sources. Collections offering resources about the history of racing car circuits will want to include this lesser known chapter of history. High school teachers seeking to provide their student with a glimpse into black history before the civil rights movement will find much for discussion here.”--School Library Journal
Narrated by Ossie Davis
2004, 56 mins
Purchase: $310 Classroom Rental: $125
Closed Captioned
For Gold & Glory chronicles the history of the black auto racing league through the life of the circuit's greatest driver, Charlie Wiggins, a four-time champion revered as the "Negro Speed King." During the 1920s, before athletes such as slugger Jackie Robinson, Olympic great Jesse Owens, and boxer Joe Louis blazed new trails in the fight for equal rights, a forgotten group of African-American sportsmen risked their reputations, their careers, and even their very lives on a barnstorming motor sports tour.
It was a time when heroes were measured not by the number of home runs hit or touchdowns scored, but rather by their ability to survive in an era of intense racial prejudice. The humble mechanic and racecar owner Charlie Wiggins who lived in Indianapolis , Indiana was one of these forgotten heroes. When auto racing's governing body turned away the talented black driver, Wiggins helped create a national racing league for African Americans. The most widely celebrated race for black drivers was the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes, an annual sporting event so grand it attracted the attention of national news agencies, as well as thousands of spectators coast to coast.
Set to a memorable retro jazz score by Pulitzer and Grammy nominee Dr. David Baker, For Gold & Glory spotlights first-hand conversations with Charlie's wife Roberta (voice dramatist Ruby Dee), and features interviews with former Gold and Glory drivers, families, historians and witnesses to the old African-American auto racing events.
Subjects & Collections
Festivals & Awards
Heartland Film Festival-Crystal Heart Award for Best DocumentarySeven Emmy Awards – Cleveland Chapter of NTA
The E.P. Ingersoll Award from the Society of Automotive Historians
Reviews
“Highly Recommended -(for) African American Studies, Political Science, Sports, Sociology .” -- Educational Media Reviews Online.Highly Recommended “Narrated by actor Ossie Davis, this documentary has brilliantly rescued from obscurity an aspect of black history unfamiliar to many Americans today that provides an interesting chapter in the African-American journey to greater recognition and respect… Public libraries with large black history collections will want to purchase this title for its original and primary sources. Collections offering resources about the history of racing car circuits will want to include this lesser known chapter of history. High school teachers seeking to provide their student with a glimpse into black history before the civil rights movement will find much for discussion here.”--School Library Journal