The White Shadow - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

09-05-2001, 09:37 PM

enough said

10-13-2001, 10:42 PM

Personally, I don't think enough can be said about this series. It was often nominated for an Emmy, but it lost (at least twice if my memory serves me) to another MTM series, Lou Grant. One reason that the show did not last is that it was always on in the 8 pm slot. It might have fared better in the ratings if it had been a 10 pm show. I do not know of anyone who watched the White Shadow with regularity that did not refer to it as "Excellent."

10-13-2001, 10:47 PM

Personally, enough cannot be said about this great series. I do not know of anyone who was a fan of the Carver High basketball team that did not describe this show as "Excellent." It was nominated for an emmy, but lost out to another MTM series, Lou Grant.

jamesanthony · 12-03-2004, 08:15 PM

This show was outstanding. Ken Howard deserved at least 1 emmy nomination for his underplayed acting in the show and the show seemlessly mixed comedy into the drama. Almost every actor was outstanding and the show was a good showcase for African American actors; virtually every up and coming black actor of that era who was available to do tv turns up in an episode and they didn't have to resort to casting them in more than one role since the show only lasted 50 something episodes. Even the third year which is clearly not as good as the other 2 is quite entertaining.

One complaint is that the actors who played the team members weren't teenagers, but in their 20s (some were pushing 30!), yet the drama and acting that was required to pull this show off probably required actors who were a bit more seasoned to make it work. Those guys in their 20s looked like 20 somethings but they acted like inner city teens.

Still for a show that didn't run that long, I remember it doing well in reruns, so justice was served in the end.

Jrnygrl · 12-03-2004, 09:54 PM

Does anyone know if there are plans for it to be on DVD soon?

vashti1999 · 12-03-2004, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jrnygrl
Does anyone know if there are plans for it to be on DVD soon?

It's my #2 most wanted show on dvd, so I've been actively looking out for info. Unfortunately, nothing yet.

Jrnygrl · 12-03-2004, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by vashti1999
It's my #2 most wanted show on dvd, so I've been actively looking out for info. Unfortunately, nothing yet.

I know I want this one so bad. I remember ESPN Classic used to show it in the mornings and I would always run late for work because I was watching.

What is everyone's favorite episode?

Mine would have to be:

The one where the autistic kid was placed on the team.

The one where Peter Horton had to change schools because everyone thought he was gay.

The one with the Harlem Globetrotters.

When Coolidge almost left school to go pro.

When Salami and his cousin got jobs as repo men.

When the team busted Jackson for stealing and found out he was a junky. And when Jackson's girlfriend comes back and he finds out she is working the streets.

The reunion of the team, and we get to see what happened to them after they left Carver.

The one where the guy from Police Academy has a mental problem.

vashti1999 · 12-04-2004, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jrnygrl
I know I want this one so bad. I remember ESPN Classic used to show it in the mornings and I would always run late for work because I was watching.

What is everyone's favorite episode?

Mine would have to be:

The one where the autistic kid was placed on the team.

The one where Peter Horton had to change schools because everyone thought he was gay.

When Coolidge almost left school to go pro.

Off the top of my head those three are just a few of my favorites. I'll have to look at an episode guide to jog my memory on some of the episodes, but I had a bunch of favorites. Unfortunately I didn't catch it much when it was on ESPN Classic, but I did back when it aired on Nick at Nite. I'm wishing some channel would show it now if it's not going to be released on dvd sometime in the near future.

Dr. Jazz · 12-04-2004, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jrnygrl
The one where the autistic kid was placed on the team.

I just watched that episode the other night (I taped most of the episodes off Nick at Nite in 1994 & '95). I've been trying to find the episode where they get a new player & he collapses & dies during practice (can't remember what he died from though). I haven't seen it in a while but I remember the boy's family wouldn't speak to Reeves at the funeral or something. I know it's on one of my tapes, I just haven't come across that episode yet because I'm gonna end up watching all the episodes again lol
2 of my favorite episodes are:

When Reeves takes the team to play golf at a racist country club
&
The one where Gonzales' father is beating him

One thing I like about the show is how each player on the team had episodes centered around them individually

Jrnygrl · 12-04-2004, 01:09 AM

OMG Dr. Jazz, I completely forgot about that episode where the guy dies, wasn't he played by Lorenze Tate???

What about the episode where Jackson is murdered, I actually cried during that episode.

Dr. Jazz · 12-04-2004, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jrnygrl
OMG Dr. Jazz, I completely forgot about that episode where the guy dies, wasn't he played by Lorenze Tate???

I don't know who played him but it wasn't Larenz Tate because he would've only been 4 or 5 years old when they made that episode

Jrnygrl · 12-04-2004, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dr. Jazz
I don't know who played him but it wasn't Larenz Tate because he would've only been 4 or 5 years old when they made that episode

Okay your right.

jamesanthony · 12-04-2004, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jrnygrl
I know I want this one so bad. I remember ESPN Classic used to show it in the mornings and I would always run late for work because I was watching.

What is everyone's favorite episode?

.

Haywood Nelson played the kid who died during practice. This show had so many good episodes though. I liked:

The one when Haywood gets a gun to avenge his cousin's death from a drug overdose,

The one where Thorpe gets VD from Coolidge's girlfriend (he was going to set Coolidge up with a skank to play it off),

The one where Thorpe gets shot by the police,

The one where Wardell accidentally saves the woman from the car,

The next to last episode with Richard Lawson as the burnt out teacher.

The one where Jackson is murdered- I liked that they had the same actors playing his father and little brother in this as in an earlier episode- the actor that played his father on the show was the actor's father in real life. The guy who played Thorpe's father was his father in real life too. And they also had the same actors playing Haywood's family in about 3 different episodes. Great consistency!

The actors in this show were really good and they were cast for their acting abilities, not their looks. None of the team members (well except for Stoney jackson with the dripping jheri curls and tight trousers) were ovewhelmingly good looking or there merely to draw female viewers.

vashti1999 · 12-04-2004, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamesanthony
None of the team members (well except for Stoney jackson with the dripping jheri curls and tight trousers) were ovewhelmingly good looking or there merely to draw female viewers.

Wolfe Perry (Teddy Rutherford) was good looking. He looks just like me.

Jrnygrl · 12-04-2004, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jamesanthony
Haywood Nelson played the kid who died during practice. This show had so many good episodes though. I liked:

The one when Haywood gets a gun to avenge his cousin's death from a drug overdose,

The one where Thorpe gets VD from Coolidge's girlfriend (he was going to set Coolidge up with a skank to play it off),

The one where Thorpe gets shot by the police,

The one where Wardell accidentally saves the woman from the car,

The next to last episode with Richard Lawson as the burnt out teacher.

The one where Jackson is murdered- I liked that they had the same actors playing his father and little brother in this as in an earlier episode- the actor that played his father on the show was the actor's father in real life. The guy who played Thorpe's father was his father in real life too. And they also had the same actors playing Haywood's family in about 3 different episodes. Great consistency!

The actors in this show were really good and they were cast for their acting abilities, not their looks. None of the team members (well except for Stoney jackson with the dripping jheri curls and tight trousers) were ovewhelmingly good looking or there merely to draw female viewers.

Thanks for posting the info about Haywood Nelson being the kid who dies.

And sorry to disappoint you but, even though this was a great show and the actors were wonderful, and the storylines wonderful, there were a lot of us girls who were in love with the guys on the show. I had a major crush on Kevin Hooks and Thomas Carter. The next day at school that is all we talked about, them and the story too.

09-05-2001, 09:37 PM	#1
DinoDinoson Guest Posts: n/a	The White Shadow enough said
DinoDinoson Guest Posts: n/a

10-13-2001, 10:47 PM	#3
major Guest Posts: n/a	Personally, enough cannot be said about this great series. I do not know of anyone who was a fan of the Carver High basketball team that did not describe this show as "Excellent." It was nominated for an emmy, but lost out to another MTM series, Lou Grant.
major Guest Posts: n/a

10-13-2001, 10:42 PM	#2
major Guest Posts: n/a	Personally, I don't think enough can be said about this series. It was often nominated for an Emmy, but it lost (at least twice if my memory serves me) to another MTM series, Lou Grant. One reason that the show did not last is that it was always on in the 8 pm slot. It might have fared better in the ratings if it had been a 10 pm show. I do not know of anyone who watched the White Shadow with regularity that did not refer to it as "Excellent."
major Guest Posts: n/a

12-03-2004, 08:15 PM	#4
jamesanthony Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 30, 2004 Posts: 2,180	This show was outstanding. Ken Howard deserved at least 1 emmy nomination for his underplayed acting in the show and the show seemlessly mixed comedy into the drama. Almost every actor was outstanding and the show was a good showcase for African American actors; virtually every up and coming black actor of that era who was available to do tv turns up in an episode and they didn't have to resort to casting them in more than one role since the show only lasted 50 something episodes. Even the third year which is clearly not as good as the other 2 is quite entertaining. One complaint is that the actors who played the team members weren't teenagers, but in their 20s (some were pushing 30!), yet the drama and acting that was required to pull this show off probably required actors who were a bit more seasoned to make it work. Those guys in their 20s looked like 20 somethings but they acted like inner city teens. Still for a show that didn't run that long, I remember it doing well in reruns, so justice was served in the end.

12-03-2004, 09:54 PM	#5
Jrnygrl Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 03, 2003 Location: wheel in the sky Posts: 4,540	Does anyone know if there are plans for it to be on DVD soon?

12-04-2004, 01:09 AM	#10
Jrnygrl Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 03, 2003 Location: wheel in the sky Posts: 4,540	OMG Dr. Jazz, I completely forgot about that episode where the guy dies, wasn't he played by Lorenze Tate??? What about the episode where Jackson is murdered, I actually cried during that episode.