Welcome back to Magical Rewind, the show that makes you want to grab your friends, your pjs, and your popcorn and go back to a time when all the houses were smart.
The Waves, Tsunamis and the high School's musical.
I'm Wilford Dell and I'm Sabrina Bright.
We've got a special one today for Black History Month. We are diving right onto YouTube again, So apologies for that, but you'll understand why in a second landing again in the Wonderful World of Disney, which is why, of course we had to watch it on YouTube. They refuse to put these things on Disney. Plus, we think it has
something to do with the music or the licensing. We're trying to get an actual answer though, because there's so many gems from the Wonderful World at Disney that we have not been able to dive into yet, or when we do, it's bad quality, or we get half of it, or it's ripped from somebody's vhs.
So this one was a great quality.
It was mine, was okay, it wasn't great, it was okay, And again, I just love being able to see every aspect of the filmmaking, and especially when it's something as important as a period piece.
You know, I want to see the clothes and the.
Cars and all that, so you know, it was a wonderful film, but I I, you know, wished I could have watched it more clearly. And of course that is because it's a wonderful world of Disney, which, as we've talked about a thousand times, is only on the YouTube's which is not good. But anyway, this is the nineteen
ninety nine biographical drama of Revolution Selma, Lord Selma. It premiered on ABC on January seventeenth, nineteen ninety nine, just one day before the federal Martin Luther King Junior Holiday,
which of course was designed to happen by Disney. The film is based on true events that took place in nineteen sixty five, detailing a tragic event in Selma, Alabama, a very dark day for the civil rights movement, where hundreds of marchers led by John Lewis and Josea Williams were met by a wall of state troopers and a posse of white locals who quickly knocked them to the ground and hit them with nightsticks and tear gas, some
beaten unconscious while running away, All televised to an international audience. Seventeen marchers were hospitalized and fifty treated for lesser injuries. Lewis suffered a skull fracture, and one fourteen year old girl needed seven stitches above her right eye.
And twenty eight on the back of her head.
The massacre became known as Bloody Sunday and pushed President Lyndon Johnson to send a voting rights bill to Congress.
Now, there have been obviously a lot.
Of movies and books and TV shows about this very moment in American history, most famously the twenty fourteen award winning movie Selma. But Serena, did you know much about Bloody Sunday before we watched this film?
Yes, I mean what we learned, you know, in school, and of course watching the movie Selma, So I definitely did know about it.
It just doesn't like, it doesn't.
Matter how many times I've talked about it or had stories that I've read. Just seeing it again, it's just it's so heavy, and it's just I mean, I obviously knew what I was going to be watching, and yet as it was going, even just the first couple of things that you're just going, wow, Like, what a different world? For especially the youth to live in you know how scary scary it was.
Sure, yeah, this was it was an important film to watch, have, very heavy film to watch. Yeah, and it's one of those movies where I knew I was going to just sit there angry. Yeah, so you know, you get you you you Yeah, well we'll get into it. But it is, it's it's infuriating to watch what happened, especially you know
when it's quote unquote disneyfied. So it's seen through the eyes of a child, right, it really puts kind of a different spin on what's happening in the world, where you know, one morning you're jump roping and a week later you're running from tear gas. Yeah, so it truly truly all this through the eyes of a child is such an interesting way to watch the events unfolding in our country. And you know, people forget our country is an idea and it's evolving all the time, and sometimes.
It gets it.
It's a horrible jump forward and sometimes it's a horrible jump backwards, and you're seeing kind of this progression.
But oh man, it was.
Just so inspirational to as far as you know, I mean, all I kept thinking was, man, how amazing it.
Be to be in a room with doctor Martin Luther King James.
Yeah, like his aura, his energy, like the way that people talk about him, the way everything that he did. It's just like I could, like the first couple of scenes were into it quickly into like a church, a small little area with him. I kept getting chills like I couldn't imagine literally being in that church with like such an incredible inspirational man who just moved mountains for this country.
Yeah.
And it's also there's something so amazing to me about somebody like a doctor King or Gandhi or somebody like that who essentially says every amount of violence we're met with, we're going to answer with peace and love.
Yes.
And it's just you get that feeling of you're infuriated in watching going like swing back, hit back, grab something, and it's like that's the absolute opposite of everything they're teaching.
It's like everything we're going to meet you with the control.
I mean, someone shuts me off on the freeway and I am like, you know, my marbles in my car, you know what I mean. It's like the level of control and just I mean and showing how it worked like showing that that was the right way to go.
Was just pretty increasing.
It's just wild.
So, yes, this is gonna be again a different film that we're watching this week, and we've done a couple of these now that have kind of again looked at something going.
On in the in the world.
Usually, you know, color Friendship comes to mind, where you know it was about apartheid, and so looking at these incredible things that are happening, these horrible things that are happening throughout the world through the eyes of a child again is.
A much different take, and Disney does it well.
So Selma Lord Selma is based on a nineteen eighty book of the same name written by Cheyenne Webb and Rachel West and of course Frank Sacora, published by the University of Alabama. Disney Picture option the memoir hoping MLK Day could coincide with its release. The book was a memoir from Web and West, two children who witnessed the day as children.
And are of course the main characters of the story.
Compared to some of our past recaps, this film obviously holds a bit more emotional heft and violence than we usually see, but that was always the best part of the Disney Channel produced films. You know, they just did it. The genres and emotions ran the gamut in this one. Viewers got to learn something. It wasn't Fuzzbucket, to say the least.
Critics so we're not so sold on it. They were mixed.
However, it was nominated for the Humanities Prize, which you might remember Color of Friendship did win. It was also nominated for an NAACP Image Award. During researching the movie, it does seem like a lot of schools show this movie to students during Black History Month, which is great because that means they're probably have VHS copies out there. Because, as we said, as is the case with most whatever all of the Disney films, watching.
It can be a bit of a scavenger hunt.
But we did find the full version on the YouTube, so that's how we watched it. Just search for Selma, Lord Selma and you'll see a full movie option or pick I guess whatever upload speaks to you. Some might even say, let the movie choose. You don't choose the movie, however, choose the movie. It makes it again. We talked about this, talked about the actual day of Bluddy Sonny, but did you know anything about the film before we reakout?
I didn't.
I didn't, No, I didn't. But then once it popped up and I saw the main young actor, I was just she is just so extraordinary. I was like crepting myself up for a wonderful watch as far as it goes.
By the way, we already got one of our producers saying, I remember watching school growing up, so yeah, this was an important one. And as they were so proud to say in the movie, let's get your marching shoes ready.
Here is the synopsis.
Eleven year old Cheyenne is touched by a speech from Martin Luther King Junior and becomes active in the civil rights movement of nineteen sixty five, but her resolution is tested when she joins others in the infamous Alabama March from Selma to Montgomery. Early thoughts, what did you think of Selma, Lord Selma?
Oh man?
It was you know, heavy, absolutely, but I thought it was done really well. I thought that this was a movie,
I mean not necessary. Obviously, there would be kind of like an age that you wouldn't want to have your any child, like I wouldn't have my kids watch it just yet obviously probably yet yeah, no, But at the same time, I think in a couple years, you know, is such a learning movie and it's done well, it's not it you feel the heaviness, but it's not you know, graphic like, it's not like to where it's like you know that you get you get the the sin, like
the seriousness of what happened. And I love that, you know, it obviously has a great message, but it's I love like period pieces and things that like really guide you through an experience that happened in the world prior.
Yeah, I really liked this film, you know, again taking a snapshot of something so important and showing it through the eyes of a child that now said that a number of times, but it's true because you forget that all the people that are experiencing everything going on. So yeah,
really amazing. And this is one of the few movies again because and I did the same thing with Color of Friendship where I'm pausing the movie and googling the people in the movie, like I'm seriously trying to deep dive the characters because I knew it's based on true events. What's this person doing? Now, what's that person doing. Now, how close is it to the actual story? And we're going to get into some of that, because pretty amazing.
The director is a pioneer of African American cinema, Charles Burnett. He even received an honorary award from the Academy in twenty seventeen for being quote chronicling the lives of Black Americans with eloquence and insight unquote. The South Central LA native graduated from UCLA and helped start a movement called the La Rebellion, rejecting studio stereotypes and instead portraying everyday
African American life with realism and humanism. His senior thesis movie Killer of Sheep was made for under ten thousand dollars and is now considered a landmark of American independent cinema and black filmmaking, named one of the one hundred Essential films of all Time by Time magazine, and his nineteen ninety movie To Sleep with Angels starring Danny Glover is also considered a masterpiece. He has also directed documentaries like Nat Turner, A Troublesome Property and Namibia The Struggle
for Liberation. Burnett was a true legend, and this Disney movie is a memorable addition to his body of work. It stars Journey Smolette as Cheyenne Webb, part of the Smollette dynasty of actors and creators. She's probably best known for her work on the critically loved but quickly canceled HBO show Lovecraft Country, for which she was Emmy nominated.
The former child star first broke out at eleven years old opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the movie Eve's By You, and appeared in fifteen episodes of Full House.
She was also featured on.
Cosby, Friday Night Lights and True Blood, and on the film side, she was most recently in The Order with Jude Law, and she played Black Canary Awesome in the comic book adaptation of Birds of Prey. Mackenzie Aston is Jonathan Daniels. Listeners in my age group will know Aston as Andy on the show Facts of Life, or just as the son of John Aston and Patty Duke. He is also the half brother of Hobbit and president of sag Sewn.
Aston.
Mackenzie has been working steadily since the eighties, starring in the criminally bad Garbage Pale Kids movie, but racking up far less offensive roles in movies like Wyatt RP. And Iron Will, and on TV he's been in it all. I mean seriously, go look pages and pages of credits. So let's just focus on the last few years where he's been on some of TV's biggest shows. Landman, Mayor of Kingstown, The Pit, and Winning Time just to name a few. Dude works all the time, wow and has
his entire life. Clifton Powell has the weighty responsibility of playing Martin Luther King Junior. Powell has also been busy since the eighties, best known for roles in movies like Deep Cover, Menace to Society, Dead Presidents, Next Friday, and Rush Hour, and video game Fans.
He is the voice of.
Big Smoke in the Grand Theft auto franchise Huge. We also have a big cameo here and it is a meaty role. Martin Luther King Junior and Loretta King's firstborn child, Yolanda King, plays Miss Bright, Cheyenne's school teacher who joins her in the March. Yolanda King also played Rosa Parks in the King TV mini series, and she appeared in
movies like Mississippi and TV shows like Jag. Unfortunately, Yolanda King passed away in two thousand and seven from suspected heart related complications at the young age of fifty one years old. And finally, Ella Joyce play I Mean again. The cast is huge, so where we're kind of hitting the big ones here, And finally, Ella Joyce plays Betty Webb. Joyce was best known for her time on the TV show Rock and she appeared in the TLC music video
for Waterfalls. You also saw her on Sabrina, the teenage Witch Seinfeld and the movie set it off.
And you know what sets me off? Sabrina movies that are too long.
And here on Magical Rewind, we yearn for the ninety minute movie. And so where do we land on?
Selma? Lord Selma.
It clocks in at ninety four minutes. It's four minutes heavy. But we're gonna be honest, if any movie is allowed to be heavy, it's this one. So we're just gonna accept it and we're gonna move on, move on.
Yep.
On the script side, they give credit to three book authors, Rachel West Nelson and Chyanne Webb, whose true life story is brought here obviously, and Frank Zacora, who was the reporter for the Birmingham News that co authored the book with and the screenplay was from Cynthia Whitcomb, who was a prolific writer who had sold more than seventy screenplays
in her career. Her two most well received though, are both from Disney Studios, Selma, Lord Selma and the nineteen ninety one Disney Channel movie Mark.
Twain and Me.
She also wrote and was Emmy nominated for I Know My Name Is Stephen, a film about which I've seen Strange Enough, which is a film about a kidnapping victim named Stephen Stainer who escaped his captor alongside a five year old and he'd be brought to safety.
Small detail here about Stephen.
His brother Carrie would later go on and become a serial killer.
Ooh not in the movie though, but WHOA.
So let's get into this one. It's a rare Disney movie that covers something really, really important. This is Selma, Lord Selma. We opened with gospel music and establish shots of Alabama, focusing mostly on the Edmund Pettis Bridge. We find ourselves in a black neighborhood and what is easily identifiable as the nineteen sixties. We see the harsh signs of the time, a white and colored water fountain, a
white's only bus benches, and segregated businesses. Doctor Martin Luther King Junior is being driven around and shown the area with hopes that Selma can be a place where blacks.
And whites will eventually live together.
Now to school during recess, we see Cheyenne jump roping with her friend Rachel across the street. At a church, people are lined up in applauding the arrival of doctor King. Cheyenne can't believe he's going.
To be in Selma. She wrote a report on him in school. She has to go see him.
The bell rings, but instead of returning to class, Cheyenne walks right to the church. Reverend Reese is speaking to the congregation about the importance of equality, and he's thrilled that.
Help has come in the form of doctor Martin Luther King.
Doctor King is happy to be in Selma and will help send a powerful message to change America. With black people making up fifty percent of Selma's population, they need more than the two percent registered to vote. Cheyenne tries to sneak into a pew, but everyone notices her. They tell her it's an adult meeting. She isn't allowed to join. She explains she just wants to see Doctor King, and if her dad finds out she skips school, he's going to be furious. And that's when Doctor King calls her
to the front of the church. She nervously pulls out her report and asks him to sign it. He's happy with what she wrote, mentioning his Nobel Peace Prize and his mission to spread love. He says that kids like Cheyenne are the reason they need to fight. As everyone leaves the church, Doctor King invites Cheyenne to sing at his big meeting tonight, and then with a huge smile,
she runs back to school. Cheyenne walks into the class late, catching the attention to the teacher, Miss Bright, who's lecturing about dinosaurs. She shows off Doctor King's autograph, but is told she can't understand Doctor King's message and to stay during recess to make up what she missed. As she passes Rachel, her friend says, I told you so, Oh geez, and I told you so, friend, like Cheyenne needed to hear that. When the bell does ring, Cheyenne stays in
her seat and eventually raises her hand. She tells Miss Bright that she does know what Doctor King was talking about freedom. When asked what that means, Cheyenne answers, doing stuff you want to, but her teacher says it's much more complicated than that. Miss Bright encourages her to focus back on school and leave these things for her elders. The teacher also informs Cheyenne that she has to call
her mom and tell her what she's done. Now, walking home with her snitch neighbor friend Rachel, yeah, I mean, come on, Cheyenne is so excited about singing for Doctor King. She might not be Aretha Franklin, but she's going to give it a try. Then a white reverend pulls up looking for the West Home, which is coincidentally Rachel's last name. The man introduces himself as Jonathan Daniels from New Hampshire and says Rachel's parents asked him to come and stay
at their house. Cheyenne can't believe a white man is staying at her friend's house. Jonathan meets up with Rachel's mom and says that when he heard that doctor King needed volunteers in Selma, he just had to come. He offers to pay room and board, but Rachel's mom insists it's not necessary. Cheyenne still can't get over the fact that he's a preacher but wearing blue jeans. Over at the church, Reverend Daniels is being shown around the grounds
by a woman named Sally. He explains he's in town for the movement, and Sally says she sympathizes with their plight, but doesn't have time to volunteer. She then introduces him to Father Whittaker, a priest he's told to look up by one of his friends back at home. Father Whittaker offers him tea, and Sally says any time he needs help in the town, feel free to call now. Man to man, Jonathan says he's in Selm to help with the civil rights movement, and though he's a man of God,
that does and seemed to excite Father Whittaker. He explains the last thing the town needs are Northerners stirring the kettle. Jonathan can't believe the priest doesn't believe in integration, and Father Whittaker aggressively explains that the South is just different. The two men awkwardly shake hands in part ways. And that's when I was sitting there and I was like I'm gonna I'm gonna hate all these people, like.
I know exactly.
I was just like, Oh, I mean, we've got a priest like in on this.
Oh my god, somebody who's teaching, trying to teach the word of Christ to say things like this.
It's like, okay, like.
All children are a child of God.
Like it's that's just the core basis of the religion is to accept everyone.
And you're just going, Holy cow.
And he wasn't just he did it with an aggressive aspect behind his words.
There's an anger behind all there.
Was an anger, and you're just going, I you know, it's just the opposite of what this person should you know, this mentor should be.
Like there are worlds I'm just unfamiliar with and a lot of the characters. I just I sit there and I'm gfa like, is.
This Yeah, how is that possible?
Yeah?
How is it okay? In any sense?
Yeah? Very very amazing. And again I knew I was going to sit there.
I was like, Oh, this is going to be one of those movies where I'm just going I'm gonna sit here and seethe essentially for ninety minutes. Yes, So now at dinner, the West family is feeding Reverend Daniels, but mister West is forced to stand with his plate because there isn't enough room at the table. Jonathan said he's studying to be a reverend because he wants to fight hatred and bigotry with the word of God. Mister West says in Selma he'll have his work cut out for him,
especially once he meets Sheriff Potts. Rachel is excused from the table because she's going with Cheyenne to see doctor King. But over at Cheyenne she has to beg for permission to go, especially after skipping class today.
Yeah, you just broke the rules. You don't get to now go do other stuff.
But eventually her mom does agree and instructs her to hurry back home afterwards. Sadly, she can't come see her daughter singing because she has a baby to take care of and her dad is working late. With the two girls now walking and singing on the way to church, a white sheriff stopped them to ask where they're going. When they answer church, the cop cryptically reminds them of the four little girls in Birmingham who were bombed in their church. This awful moment in American history is also
chronicled in the movie. It's a documentary for HBO by Spike Lee called Four Little Girls. It's it's another one that's a heavy watch, obviously, but absolutely worth seeing. The sheriff hints that their church could be bombed too, and so they run off in fear.
It's one one moment after another.
And oh, these just young girls minding their business. I was just like, oh my god, I.
Can't I yeah, yeah, it's it's people, neighbors, neighbors that don't know.
It's I can't even explain it.
I just because I don't know what any of these these people were going through.
I have no context to it.
So watching it is very difficult because I just I can't relate in any way, shape or form. Yeah, And it's and so watching it, you almost there's a party. It's like, oh, this can't be real, and you realize it is and and as been for centuries.
I'm just I mean, it just feels makes you feel proud that that's not where we're at, that we.
Have moved forward.
Yeah, that we're going so many ways, and then there's a lot more I'm sure to continue to do, but that that's not what we're doing anymore. It was like it was like heartbreaking. Even just that was just like, oh my god. I just was just like cool, Yeah, it is over.
At the church, Cheyenne isn't letting that cops scare her away from singing for Doctor King, and once inside, the girl see Doctor King's talking to an eager man named Jimmy Lee Jackson and the two men who will be running the Selma movement, John and Josea. The girls are still shaken by the cops warning and searching the church for a bomb because of course, the cop just scared the hell out of them. Eventually, Doctor King spots Cheyenne,
his designated singer. He also meets Rachel and explains the meeting's goal is freedom, but you need to want it bad enough, and the girls make it clear that they're motivated for freedom and ready to march. Then Doctor King takes the stage and preaches nonviolence and equality, eventually calling up Cheyenne to sing Ain't gonna let nobody turn me round?
Which I loved this song. Moment was just the song too. I loved this song. I did, really did, and.
I don't I've never heard this song before, and it was like I so it was interesting, like is I had like the question of like is that the song? Like the person that kind of leads it says the first line and then it's the push back, and it was like, I mean, the way the grit. I already knew,
I've I've seen her sing before. I knew she had a great voice, and even as she's like younger in this movie, but like her grit and like the way she was like when she said like the governor and like this, like I mean, it was like such a great, wonderful, unifying moment.
I loved it.
The congregation loves it too, clapping and dancing along. She is a natural. We also noticed that Jonathan and the Wests are in the audience smiling at the performance. She concludes to a loud route of applause, a hug from Rachel and words of encouragement from Reverend Jonathan. The group will start marching tomorrow and everyone in the church is feeling optimistic, but Doctor King reminds them it will be difficult. Many cities across the country are being met with violence.
Doctor King is also introduced to Reverend Jonathan, who is very nervous to meet one of his heroes. Once Doctor King leaves, Jonathan meets Willie Hill, who'll be working with to register new voters in the town. Back at Cheyenne's house, she is still so excited about her performance she wishes her mom could have been there to see it. Cheyenne says that Doctor King thinks that black people are still slaves, but her mom explains the difference between them and her
grandmother of one hundred years before. A lot has changed, but Cheyenne reminds her they still can't vote, which is the reason Doctor King is marching, and with that she's off to bed. Later that night, Cheyenne's dad returns from work. He hears all about the Doctor King's stuff, including Cheyenne's big musical debut. Her mom is excited that she's showing interest in something, but her dad thinks if Chyan gets
mixed up in this, she could get hurt. He mentions that they've already lost one daughter to this movement, and with that they go inside and soak.
His sore muscles from his day at work.
But first he swings by Cheyne's bedroom and she's wide awake, having trouble falling asleep. She wishes her dad was involved in the movement like Rachel's dad is. Her dad just wants her to stay safe and says the movement will get along fine without her.
They embrace and say good night.
Meanwhile, Reverend Jonathan arrives at the church to work with Willie and is welcomed by a handful of clan members about to light a cross on fire in the front yard. He jumps out of his car and screams for them to stop. They ignore his pleas and light the cross on fire anyway. One masked man tells the reverend they don't like outsiders, and he slowly approaches him.
Jonathan darts off to get help.
Now at the police station, the officers laugh off the reverend's claim. They swear there hasn't been Clan and Selma for over twenty years. He begs them to go check out the cross at the chapel, but they warn him not to stir up trouble in the name of voter registration, and then the cops just drown him and busy work, making it impossible.
For him to file her report.
A defeated Reverend Jonathan eventually leaves the station and runs into Sally from the church. He tells her about the clan, and she says the town just turns a blind eye to their existence. He promises Doctor King will bring change to Selma. Sally calls him idealistic and warns him to be careful. And now a crowd has gathered at the chapel smoldering cross. Everyone is disturbed and Cheyenna and rachelar's skins. Rachel thinks the march should be canceled, but Cheyenne isn't
going anywhere. She's marching with Doctor King no matter what. Jonathan is also there. When a somber Doctor King arrives, he says they need God's blessing more than ever, then prays for strength to fight the hatred. He tells everyone to look deep in their hearts for the ability to march tomorrow, and everyone agrees that hatred will not deter them. The entire group, including Cheyenne, breakout and song and celebrate
to kick off the march. The group, led by Doctor King, John and Hosea Sin kumbaya while walking down the street, but before they can even get to the courthouse, cops arrive and block the front door. Immediately, Sheriff Potts warns the marchers no more than three of them can gather at any time and suggest they leave, but doctor King explains they just want to register voters and they'll wait as long as needed to get it done, since the registration office is only open two days a month. One
woman says she needs to sign up today. The sheriff understands and shows her the door. The crowd applauds, but when she enters the courthouse, she's told that before she can register, she has to guess how many jelly beans are in a jar.
Just because then I'm going there's no way there, there's oh.
My goodness, like taking oh gosh.
So upset obviously, she returns outside and calls the test an insult. She reminds the sheriff that citizens pay his salary through taxes, and as a result, she gets arrested. The shot crowd watches on as she's put in the police car. One of the protesters calls the cops a racist like Hitler, and out of nowhere, the sheriff.
Punches him in the stomach, then arrests him too.
But even though they and they portrayed it pretty well as far as Disney goes right like, it didn't go over the top.
With her.
But the way he is.
Man handling her and getting aggressive putting her in the car was obviously to provoke that anger from the group. Sure, you know what I mean, Like, especially with it being a woman, you know, and so of course they're thinking, oh, if I do this to a woman, one of them guys is gonna step up and start trying to swing or whatever, you know, and it's just like, oh, you're just.
Such a jog Yeah you do. You just get you do? You just sit there angry for.
Yes, I mean that would have floored me had someone's done that in front of me to day with another woman, like you know what I mean, just just not necessarily in any way, rough housing a woman into a cop car like that would have It would have gotten my heart going and my I'm for sure my mouth would have gotten of course hands.
Yeah, it's yeah.
So it's but you know, again, as they show back in the day, anytime the black community stood up, especially in the South in the sixties, they were marching with peace and met with violence. Yes, so we're gonna sing and you're gonna attack us with sticks, I mean right.
And the even the idea of him saying they could have gotten in trouble because there was more than three of them at one time, Like, there's seventeen of you and there's three of us.
Are bothering you? Are you kidding?
Yeah?
It's oh my gosh, yeah, so mid old, yeah, wild, and an everyday occurrence for black people throughout this country in the South.
In the sixties, I mean, just torrible.
Everyone is silent as the cop asks Cheyenne why she's there, She replies to be free. Doctor King and Jonathan love her answer, but the sheriff tells her to go home. She looks to Jonathan for advice and does end up leaving, and with that everyone else is placed under arrest and herded like sheep, off to jail. When Cheyenne returns to school later, Miss Bright is mad again. Chyanne reveals she's
been marching and Doctor King was arrested. Her teacher's quick to reminder they don't talk about that stuff in class, but since Chyenne is clearly emotional right now, the teacher decides they can broach the subject. Miss Bright explains that some white people just don't want them to vote because that'll mean that black people could overcome their surroundings and actually make changes and white people want to keep their
control intact. She writes freedom on the chalkboard and tells Cheyenne she won't tell her parents that she skips school, but Cheyenne says, thank you, ma'am.
I will in the jail.
Policemen have cleared the cell, so Doctor King and his black followers can enter.
The next day, with the girls at school, Rachel's.
Parents admit that they're proud their daughter wants a better life, and with that, Jonathan finally returns home from jail. He was released, but Doctor King is still in custody. Jimmy and Willie then arrive and they were released from jail as well. The three want to register more voters, knowing that even just one.
Can make a difference, but decide to eat first at the West House.
Back in Miss Bride's class, the teacher mentions their discussion about freedom the other day and says as a result, the teachers voted to march, so class has been canceled. The class celebrates and follow their teacher to the church to help make a statement. Meanwhile, Sheriff Potts has been alerted about the walkout, and since he thinks the teachers are quote the smartest blacks in town. He wonders if
they've all gone crazy. Back outside the courthouse, the teachers are singing in unison as the mayor and sheriff watch on from across the street. The mayor doesn't want any problems from these highly regarded members of their community, but the sheriff argues they're still unlawfully gathered. But since the teachers being thrown in jail would be terrible optics, the
mayor instructs the sheriff to just let them protest. Now, on their day off from school, Cheyenne and Rachel are outside the courthouse waiting in a long line for a colored water fountain. Schyane notices that no one's waiting at the white fountain, so she cautiously tiptoes over with her cup and starts to fill it. That's when a nearby white kid calls her a very horrible slur and knocks the cup out of her hand. Yane runs back to Rachel and joins Miss Bright in the protest. The teacher
is thankful for Schyane's interest in voting and freedom. She's already made a real difference at their school.
Now.
Later in the day, Sane and Rachel are doing school work outside. Chyenne wants her parents to join the movement so badly, so when Jonathan arrives, chyan asks him to help her in her recruitment of her dad, and he promises that he will talk to him on her behalf. Back at the jail, the sheriff is bragging to two white visitors about their most famous inmate, doctor Martin Luther King.
He promises to keep him.
Around a little while longer to show off the Southern hospitality.
They're literally treating him like an animal in a zoo.
And now Jonathan has arrived with Mister to talk to Chyanne's dad about the movement. They congregate at the dinner table, but Yan's dad says he just doesn't have time. He mentions his oldest daughter, Vivian, who was in the movement and got arrested, so they had to send her up north for her own good, and now he's lost her completely. He's not gonna let another child of his join the movement.
He just isn't hearing it now. The thing I liked about this is all he cared about was her safety, And like, I just don't want you to involved because I lost a daughter.
But he was never angry about it. No, you know it was.
I think you easily could have gone the route of because I said so and we're not gonna I don't want to hear this anymore.
You're staying home and out of danger. But it was never like that.
It was it was from a place of love and from a place of I'm not gonna.
Lose you too, right, which was very powerful.
I think, I absolutely and I feel like, I mean, he's he wasn't wrong to be nervous and not excited about his daughter wanting to be a part of something that was very dangerous.
Yeah, right, Like.
I mean it would like even just that that one scene with the cross in front of the church with the ku kuks Klan guys was scary enough to.
Go there are people that are off their rock or here, like.
You don't know who is ever going to be around the wrong corner and when you're involved in something like this.
So, I but you're right.
I did love how he never got angry. You know, he was never mad at her. He was just trying to be the parent that's saying, I'm just trying to keep you safe.
Yep, that's your safety is my only priority right right back at the courthouse, the group has congregated again to see Doctor King finally released from the steps he preaches and says they're not going to take it anymore.
Meanwhile, Reverend Jonathan and.
The boys are still going door to door to register black voters, but no one wants to put a.
Target on their back.
People are getting fired from their jobs just for speaking up. Later that night, the Reverend chats with Cheyenne.
And Rachel and the Stoop.
They all wish on a star, which Jonathan thinks are deceased loved ones. Sensing her wish, Jonathan gives Cheyenne his enamel crosspin from his church. The next day, Shane is awakened by her mom saying, Oh my God. And everyone has gathered at the church while helping someone register to vote, Jimmy was shot by a trooper and died an hour ago. Everyone's obviously distraught and crying, especially Cheyenne. Nobody can believe something so senseless was allowed to happen.
Now.
At Jimmy's funeral, Doctor King explains that his death is going to try their principles of nonviolence, but they must stay strong and remember that God has a plan. The church choir sings their hearts out, and Reverend Jonathan is obviously amazingly sad and distraught because he was there when it happened and actually saw the murder. Later, Cheyenne visits
Doctor King in his office. He says he has a daughter her age, and sometimes he thinks about Jimmy's mom and admits he has trouble keeping his faith knowing what she's going through at the That's always what goes through my head.
It's like, how can you watch all this and.
Still keep moving forward and still preaching and staying with the non violence. It's a level of passion and peace and love andria.
But also thinking for him especially, I'm sure his family was under.
Direct attack and oh yeah.
You know, in such a vulnerable place during all of this, you know them tart trying to target him through them.
Well, this was sixty five, so he was murdered three years later. I mean, doctor King only has three years left to live at this point. I believe if memory serves, he was killed in nineteen sixty eight, So I mean, this is it's yeah, it's really incredible.
Now.
At the same time, Jonathan Willie are having car troubles pulled over on the side of the bridge. Willy has noticed that people are much more willing to listen and register after Jimmy was killed. Jonathan reveals that he made a promise to Jimmy to rally voters in Mary in his hometown, then tells the story about the night he died. Jimmy was just trying to pray when a state trooper attacked him. Jimmy was nonviolent, but he was still shot and killed. Willy is adamant they must start fighting back.
He's been talking to other young people in Selma and they all agree it's time to get more confrontational. Jonathan asked what the Bible would say, and Willie reminds the Reverend and I for an eye. That night, we see Cyan writing in what we think is a journal, but it actually turns out to be her own obituary. Cheyenne Webb, eleven years old, was killed today in Selma. She was one of Doctor King's freedom fighters. She was a student at Abbott Street School, Selma. Cheyenne wanted all people to
be free and happy. Then she yeah, I know it's oh this got me, this got me.
I I was down for the County.
A number of things in this movie just rip my heart out. Yes.
Then she cuts an article about Jimmy out of the newspaper. The headline reads one dead after troopers attacks civil rights marchers at night. Just then, her mother walks in and shyan admits she's scared of dying young. Her mom doesn't get it, so Shyane explains, if they can shoot Jimmy, they can shoot anybody here, maybe even me. Her mom promises no one will hurt her baby, but still warns her to be careful in town. The next day, reverendj
Jonathan spots Father Whittaker and says hello. Father Whittaker asked what he's been up to, and Jonathan says he's still happily part of the civil rights movement, though he's saddened by what's happened lately. Father Whittaker heard about Jimmy and agrees it's very sad. Jonathan explains that by encouraging segregation, he's actually participating in his death. The father says he doesn't encourage segregation, he just believes that black people are
more comfortable within their own kind. Jonathan leaves, saying he doesn't think God wants people to be divided. Back at church, doctor King is concerned because people expect him to lead the march, but he has to work in Washington, d C. John and Josea assure him that they have it covered and people will understand. But it might not even matter because the governor has rescinded their marching permit, claiming it's not in the public interest. But the mayor is not
excited by this proclamation. He warns the police don't let it get out of hand, especially with Sheriff Potts out of town. It's time for the march in the crowd is much bigger than expected. The leaders are concerned though they don't have a permit, and women and children showed up to march obviously, and this could get bad, But they're thinking with Sheriff pots out of town, it might
be their best chance to cause some change. Back at Cheyenne, she's too excited for the march to even eat breakfast. Sensing her dad still might approve, she politely asks if he wants her to stay home. He tells her to do what she thinks is right, and a completely different type of prepace happening across the city. At the police station Sheriff Potts is actually rushed home from Washington, DC and is giving random white guys police badges to defend
the city against the march. He's just deputizing people and handing.
Them sticks, horrifyings.
And over at the church, John and Josea are telling the large group what to do if they're tear gassed. Cheyenne is still so innocently excited, showing Jonathan her marching shoes.
The group begins the fifty.
Four mile march with a freedom song to start the day. They eventually get to the Edmund Pettis Bridge and slowly make their way across it, holding hands in American flags, but only halfway they stop dead in their tracks. Dozens of officers, both officially in uniform and citizens they just recruited, are patiently waiting on the other side. John and Joseah take a deep breath and continue their march, now face to face with the police. The march is called an
unlawful assembly, meaning they have two minutes to disperse. It's a silent standoff as the clock counts down, and just like that, officers are instructed to quote break these people up unquote, the cops charge into battle it's a one sided affair of billy clubs and tear gases. Peaceful protesters scream in pain and run at full speed away as fast as they can. Even with the gast marchers retreating home. The police don't let up, chasing after them to attack,
following them all back to their homes. Cheyenne has been thrown to the ground and is having trouble breathing. Eventually, Reverend Jonathan comes to rescue her and grabs her and starts to flee as the sheriff barks out commands. He drops her and Rachel off at their house and tells their parents to lock the door. Now safe inside and crying, Shan cries to her father, you said be careful, but I thought you were just being a daddy.
He calls her brave and tells her to relax.
That night, Cheyenne decides to visit church, now set up with a triage area where everyone is still reeling and healing. Reverend Jonathan is helping the wounded, and spirits are obviously very low. As Cheyenne surveys the dismal scene, she decides to do the only thing she can, and she starts to sing that same freedom song. The entire church immediately joins in. No one can stop them. And this was another moment where I was like, ugh, like like one of those gutted kind of amazing moments.
Yeah, you know, I love this aspect of for it to be the child of the group that stands up and reminds them of their cause, reminds them of what they're fighting for.
Oh, really amazing.
And now it's March fifteenth and Lyndon Johnson is speaking on the TV. He condemns the actions of Bloody Sunday and demands equal rights for millions of oppressed Americans. Doctor King has returned to Salem and is happy to hear about the president's newly announced civil rights bill, but doctor King knows that this isn't the end. What the President says is one thing, but they need the local government
to follow orders. John and Hosea suggests marching again, but doctor King is wory about pushing it too far, but he admits that this is the moment to me their commitment to nonviolence. And yet downtown there are still marches and celebrations being monitored and discouraged by the police. The city has set up a barricade they're calling the wall that no black people can go beyond. Tension is rising and back home, Chyenne asks Reverend Jonathan if he's going
down there to the wall to protest. He says he is, but first he wants to recruit some others. As he drives off, Cheyenne tells him to stay safe. Jonathan and Willy stop by a gas station to fill up, but are told by the owner they don't serve black people. Jonathan insists is his car, and the man gives in, but asks why he hangs around with people like that. The Reverend tries to reason with the racist, but he eventually just sprays him with gasoline and tells him to
watch his back. Over at the Wall, police are on standby, ready to attack if instructed. Jonathan Willy are now papering the neighborhood and talking to residents, but they know the wall can only stand for so long.
Willy doesn't care if it means more bloodshed.
It's time to send a message, but Reverend Jonathan praises patience, hope, and God, and just then a cop arrives and notices the flyers.
He immediately arrests.
Jonathan Willy for of course quote unquote defacing property. Then, after spending some more time in a cell, Jonathan is set free, but Willy is kept behind bars. The reverend promises he'll get him out, and so now Jonathan is walking the streets and very paranoid when he notices he's being followed. It's one of the klansmen from before, at least he thinks it is, now asking him questions and
acting very threatening. Jonathan tries to explain his motives of love and peace, but the man pushes him against the wall and pulls out a gun, and just like that, he's killed in broad daylight. Now I do want to say something here because, as I said, I googled everybody, and so when I google his story, his story is actually even more.
Amazing than what they did in the film.
Really, what happened was he and I think they kind of put in amalgamation of the characters, so I think they made it Willy. But in real life, he and another black protester were put in jail. When they were released from jail, they met up with two. He also taught a lot of children how to read in Selma and in the town. That was one of the things he was doing. He was helping the children of the town and he was registering voters.
He ended up.
Going with two young black girls teenagers to the only place in town that served the young black people drinks, serve them sodas. So they were going to get sodas during the middle of the day, four of them, when a white man stepped on the porch and said the stores closed and raised a shotgun at the four of them. The reverend grabbed the shotgun and pushed it to the
side while he pushed one of the girls aside. The guy shot him and killed him right there, while the other black teen he threw the girl behind the car and he was shot as well. So he literally died saving other people's lives.
As he was there.
And as I'm reading the story, one of the things that was attached to the story was a letter he had written his mother from jail saying, like, I'm in jail again. They just keep arresting me, but I'm keeping with my faith. It's really truly an amazing story, which then led me down the rabbit hole of the two girls that actually wrote the book, what their lives are doing now. It's really This was one of those movies that I just stopped and just started googling everybody. Yeah,
so check out the stories of these people. They're really amazing. Chyanne returns home to see Rachel and their families crying on the stoop. Chyanne breaks the news about Jonathan, and everyone of course with sobbing, including me. At this point, I don't cry much, but I teared up, which for me is the equivalent of sobbing. And now we are at Jonathan's funeral. Another funeral, Doctor King is praising the work of the reverend and reminding the congregation that this
is everyone's fight, not just that of black people. Father Whittaker and Sally are also in attendance. Everyone says their final goodbyes, and Chyann whispers to the coffin that there will be another star in.
The sky tonight and I was like, oh, God killed me. She will keep an eye out.
The girls give their condolences to Jonathan's family and leave for the park, where they just.
Sit and cry.
Obviously, they just can't find any energy to play anymore.
They tell Miss Bright how angry they are.
They just want to hurt somebody in retaliation, but their teacher reminds them you can't hurt someone else just because you're hurting inside. There's a reason for everything. But Cheyenne doesn't believe in the movement anymore. Miss Bright reminds her Jonathan wouldn't want her to give up. They need to keep pushing because God is testing her strength. And then it's Chyanne's birthday. Her dad reveals her gift, his own
marching shoes. He's going to be joining her today, and she's so happy she jumps into his arms with a huge bear hug. And so Doctor King is back and ready to march, but now with legal permission to do so, they're going to march over that bridge, and this time no one's going to turn them around. The group, now much noticeably larger and with more white allies, starts the trek,
singing freedom songs and standing strong. When they get to the edge of the bridge, officers are once again waiting for him, but now they're accompanied by their mayor, who demands the sheriff remove the barricades immediately. He begrudgingly follows orders, allowing Doctor King to lead the way to their destination. As they progress, we get some updates. In August of nineteen sixty five, President Johnson did in fact sign the
Voting Rights Act into law. Cheyenne is still in Alabama and now directs a youth program for children of all races. Rachel is also still in Alabama and her brother was a two term city councilman and now every year on the third Sunday in feb r a memorial service is held in Marion for Jimmy Lee Jackson and Jonathan Daniels was canonized by the Church in nineteen ninety four. He's now included in the Calendar of Saints.
And that is our movie.
There's no laughs in this one, guys, nor should there be. But this is an important movie that everyone should watch.
Really good. Can we do some real reviews?
Yes, I've got the five star this week from George C. This movie is one of my all time faiths. It never sees since bire me so good.
And Okay, So it's difficult to find bad reviews of this movie, I'll be honest, But when you do, it's usually involved some changes that were made for the movie.
And this is the most common and it's what we were just talking about. I watched this movie.
It was outraged at the portrayal of the murder of the young Episcopal Samaran Jonathan Daniels. The movie showed him being shot while alone on a side street in Selma. In reality, was killed by a shotgun in Haynesville as he pushed Ruby Sales out of the line of fire.
A Roman Catholic priest was also wounded in the attack.
The Disney version does a great injustice to Jonathan's memory and to the heroism of the priest who was wounded.
Agreed by the way, yes, can we do have a Sabrina? Ses? Are we doing Sabrina?
Ses?
Should we not do Sabrinasse?
I think it's just more of the stuff of like kind of like what we've already said. The shock one of the things that I felt was a little, I guess questionable because again, the movie.
Was so good when we get to the.
Church, you know, when Cheyenne's going there to sing. This clearly was a place that was not a comfortable place to be, this town of Selma, and was not.
Safe for especially the youth.
It kind of shocked me. It's just one of those things like once we saw we were in the church, and we see Rachel's parents were there, and so was the priest. Jonathan, and I'm like, if they were going there anyway, why wouldn't they have been walking the kids.
That kind of was kind.
Of like a oh my gosh, Like if this place was really which I believe it was very unsafe for two young girls to be walking around by themselves, right, and they were going there, So that was just kind of like a oh my gosh.
And then there was one moment where again it was.
Kind of just looking at like I had never seen. It just was a moment that I had never seen any of the pictures of the videos and things that I've seen that documented doctor.
Luther King's journey with him in like such a casual outfit.
He was at one point in like a denim top and jeans, and I was like, I'd only ever seen him in suits everything that I've seen from what I've have watched over the years.
So that was just like a.
Thing like, Oh, he's looking at mister mister King junior.
All casual. That's literally the only thing it was.
And then the jail tours drove me crazy. This tour of a jail with a random white couple.
Yeah, I think that was famous. They used to do that quite a bit with Nelson Mandela too. They used to constantly bring tours in his prison in South Africa to just show him off in prison.
That's just the strangest thing.
Yeah, I couldn't. I couldn't wrap my head around most of this. I just I don't have the context. I just know that's the privileged life you get to lead when you watch things like this, and you just can't relate in any way, shape or form to the lives that some people haven't had.
Yea.
So it's yeah, this is an important film. And because it's such an important film, and I don't feel right doing one of our feature games this week. It just doesn't seem like we should. It seems weird. We're also not going to do a whole bunch of options. We're going to do one out of ten when we rank civil rights leaders, is what we're going to this week. And I think this time you go first.
So I do Do.
You think I loved this movie? However? You know me?
I love living on a bright, shiny rainbow filled with glitter and pixie dust. Right, So the more serious movies, I do love watching them as well. I love watching period pieces that helped teach about history.
That has happened.
And the actors in this movie I thought were wonderful. I thought they were so good. And I thought this movie was, like I said earlier, done in such a
great Disney way. It was heavy, the seriousness was there, it was felt, but it didn't it didn't go I would say into the actual level of graphics that it could have been like, it could have been very gory, it could have been, you know, to where you wouldn't really as like a younger audience wouldn't be able to handle, and that it was done for an all family audience.
And so I really loved this. I thought I one hundred percent have been locking it into my bank as far as things that I want my kids to see out at some point when they're ready for it. So I'm this is right up there with Color of Friendship for me. I'm giving this one a ten civil rights leaders.
You're right up there with me.
Again, I Disney can do it sometimes where they can they just punch in the gut like we've seen a couple of these. And again when you take these incredibly important moments and put them through the eyes of a child, especially when it's a true story. Again like color of Friendship or like like something like this, It really takes it to another level. I mean, again, Selma, brilliant film, and you're watching all these movies that are incredible about.
This time in the South.
But again, to take it through the eyes of an eleven year old girl who's going through all this, who's finding the movement herself, who has her whole life ahead of her, and is wondering what the world's going to be like for her when she grows up, it really just takes it to kind of another level.
Then, filmmaking wise, is what I look at next.
Obviously when I'm looking at my scores, it was beautifully made. I also when I ever do a when I look at any kind of period piece, I'm one of those guys with the Hawkeyes looking for are there any modern cars driving by in the background by accident?
Are the outfits? And this seemed impeccable.
Everything seemed so authentic.
Again, yes, it really did. It really did. It was and this is one that you should watch.
And again you're probably right if you've got a five or six year old kid, probably not the best thing.
Hi twelve ten, eleven twelve. This is one to sit down and watch with the family.
It's a very very heavy, emotional, important movie and it does it shows what Disney can do when they want to go the serious route, and they did it well. So I'm giving it nine civil rights leaders.
This was a great movie. Well, thank you everybody for joining us on. Obviously, what is not supposed to.
Be, nor was it going to be a funny episode of Magical Rewind.
This is an important episode of Magical Rewind.
We hope, we hope at least, let's say, the episode of Magical Rewind might not have been important, but the film was the film, and as important as the film was, the subject matter is extraordinarily important. So please go and check it out and never forget. We have a backlog of recaps and interviews featuring some of your favorite names
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