[The Roosevelt Experiment demo]
Silent footage of the demo reel for the Jeff Spitz documentary about Roosevelt College, now Roosevelt University.
Silent footage of the demo reel for the Jeff Spitz documentary about Roosevelt College, now Roosevelt University.
Why and how did an integrated college in a segregated city start in downtown Chicago just as World War II was ending? In 1984 an independent documentary filmmaker, Jeff Spitz, found old pictures and film footage about Roosevelt University including a magazine article that referred to the school as “The Roosevelt Experiment.”
Tapping the memories of former students who crossed the color line, particularly Blacks and Jews, the film blends archival images and interviews into an exploration of race, racial quotas and democratic ideals. Former students recall being questioned during an anti-communist investigation that targeted their school.
Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, a former student council president, shares poignant memories of getting into political
arguments in the cafeteria. He called it an “insane but interesting place.”
Shortly after the film’s release Spitz returned to City Hall to interview Mayor Washington about fairness, diversity and clashing visions of government. Mayor Washington’s additional commentary appears at the end of the video.
Watch a series of onstage performances at the Chicago Cultural Center!
A brief portrait of Joann Elam who delivers the mail in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. She talks about being a woman in a traditionally male job. She comments on responses from job supervisors and how she derives personal benefit from this kind of employment. Produced for the Chicago Video Makers’ Coalition program, SLICES OF CHICAGO, a show for broadcast consisting of small format “alternative” videos on subjects not normally seen on broadcast television.
See what various newspapermen, and even the late film critic, Roger Ebert, have to say about media mogul Rupert Murdoch!
Some of the newspaper columns written by Mike Royko are reenacted, parodied, and read live on stage!
Watch the pilot episode for the wild and whimsical Chicago talk show entitled, “The Cheap Show”!