Bird of the Iron Feather

Genre

soap opera

Country

United States

How it feels

This soap opera follows a Black police detective in Chicago as he deals with crime and racism in his community. It was the first all-Black television soap opera and aired on public TV in 1970.

educationaltopicalseriousslow-paceddatedthoughtfullow-budgettalkydramatic

What happens

Bird of the Iron Feather is an American television soap opera that aired on the National Educational Television network from January 19 to March 6, 1970. Created by script writer and radio producer Richard Durham, the series was notable as the first all-Black television soap opera. Bird of the Iron Feather starred African American actor Bernard Ward as fictional Chicago Police Detective Jonah Rhodes. The series addressed social issues like racism, school desegregation and the complicated relationship between Black people and the police. Produced in Chicago, Illinois, the series won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award, and was the highest-rated local show ever broadcast by WTTW-TV in Chicago. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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