"The White Shadow" (1978) TV series 1978-1981

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Creator:

Bruce Paltrow

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | unknown

Release Date:

27 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

A white former NBA professional retires from the pro game and gets a job as a basketball coach in a predominantly black inner-city high school.

Plot Keywords:

School | Basketball | Coach | High School | Baseball

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Ken Howard	...	Ken Reeves (54 episodes, 1978-1981)
Kevin Hooks	...	Morris Thorpe (33 episodes, 1978-1981)
Timothy Van Patten	...	Mario 'Salami' Pettrino / ... (33 episodes, 1978-1981)
Byron Stewart	...	Warren Coolidge (33 episodes, 1978-1981)
Thomas Carter	...	James Hayward (29 episodes, 1978-1981)
Joan Pringle	...	Sybil Buchanan (28 episodes, 1978-1981)
Ken Michelman	...	Abner Goldstein (28 episodes, 1978-1981)
Ira Angustain	...	Ricky Gomez / ... (28 episodes, 1978-1981)
Nathan Cook	...	Milton Reese (27 episodes, 1978-1981)
Erik Kilpatrick	...	Curtis Jackson (25 episodes, 1978-1980)
John Mengatti	...	Nick Vitaglia (23 episodes, 1979-1981)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Company Four

Trivia:

In the pilot, Reeves drives a snazzy red Mustang convertible sports car. In subsequent episodes, he is seen driving only an old station wagon, probably in an attempt to show Reeves as more down-to-earth instead of a glamorous ex-NBA player.

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the end of the following episodes, "Wanna Bet?" and "That Old Gang of Mine". The roman numeral of the year 1979 at the end of the credits, was MCMLXXVIX. There was confusion of that because, the "V" should've been removed. The remaining first season episodes were finalized as MCMLXXIX, which was 1979 when the "V" was deleted.

Quotes:

Ken Reeves: [Coach Reeves has just pulled all of his starting players from a game except his center] I'd pull you too Coolidge but you're so fat, you need to run.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Superdome (#1.15)" (1989)

A Show Ahead of its Time

Count me among the many others who loved this show. As an 11 year old kid who ate, drank and slept sports, this show was one of the best things going. As a young adult, I viewed it with the same love but with a much different perspective. The show tackled sensitive issues in an honest, believable manner and dealt with the often grim realities facing both kids and teachers in an inner city setting. The basketball action was also very well done- impressive considering many feature films depicting athletics show actors trying unconvincingly to play or compete.

It is hard to believe this show is nearly 30 years old. The subject matter on The White Shadow could easily be depicted today- things change and yet they stay the same. Sadly, this is yet another show that didn't last long that nonetheless was both entertaining and worthwhile on so many levels.

Today, I am a high school teacher and coach partly because of the influence this show had on me personally. I really wish we could turn back the clock and get shows of this quality and long term impact again.