For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story

For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story is a 1983 American made-for-television biographical film based on the 1967 book, For Us, the Living, by Myrlie Evers-Williams and William Peters. It was broadcast on the PBS television program American Playhouse on March 22, 1983.

Medgar Evers' gravesite
For other uses, see We the Living (disambiguation).
For Us the Living: The Medgar Evers Story
GenreDrama
Written byMyrlie Evers-Williams (book)
William Peters (book)
Ossie Davis
J. Rotcop
Directed byMichael Schulz
StarringHoward Rollins
Irene Cara
Margaret Avery
Roscoe Lee Browne
Music byGerald Fried
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerCharles W. Fries
ProducersKen Rotcop
Sy Levin (associate producer)
CinematographyAlan Kozlowski
EditorsHarry Keramidas
Thomas Penick
Running time90 min.
Production companyCharles Fries Productions
DistributorPBS
Release
Original networkPBS
Picture formatColor
Audio formatMono
Original release
  • March 22, 1983 (1983-03-22)

Plot

Howard Rollins stars as assassinated NAACP civil rights activist Medgar Evers, while Irene Cara co-stars as his wife (and future NAACP chairperson) Myrlie. The film concentrates on Medgar Evers, an ex-insurance agent turned activist, in the final years of his life as the first NAACP field secretary in Mississippi. In 1954, he is involved in a boycott against white merchants and was instrumental in eventually desegregating the University of Mississippi in 1962. His home in Jackson, Mississippi is besieged by bigots, and he and his family are threatened with dire consequences. Myrtle Evers with her children were often at home alone when fire bombs and bricks were thrown against their home and through their windows. However, The Everses continued to work towards the goal of integrating the racially polarized. Medgar Evers truly believed The Constitution to include the rights within were for each American citizen, no matter color, age, class or education. On June 12, 1963, however, the 37-year-old Medgar Evers is shot to death in front of his home by white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith.

Cast
ActorRole
Howard RollinsMedgar Evers
Irene CaraMyrlie Evers
Margaret AveryDottie
Roscoe Lee BrowneGloster Current
Laurence FishburneJimbo Collins
Janet MacLachlanMildred
Selema Perry Berry Community Member in Church
  • Location: The scene where Medgar Evers solicit community leaders and community members to sign the first petition, actually was filmed in an Atlanta, Georgia Church Located on 470 Whitehall Street: Denson Temple Peoples Free Methodist Church.
  • The Cast Member Selema Perry Berry was a member of Denson Temple Peoples Free Methodist Church as Superintendent of Sunday School. She sat on the back row with her Pastor Rev. James Brown.
Home depicted in For Us The Living: The Medgar Evers Story, where Evers and his family lived.

Awards
Year Result Award Category Recipient
1984WinnerWriters Guild of America AwardAdapted Drama AnthologyOssie Davis and J. Rotcop
June 13, 1963, the rifle used to kill Medgar Evers contained latent fingerprints on the telescopic site. Evers was shot off Delta Drive, Jackson, Mississippi

See also


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