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The nation’s first continuing tv drama about a black family,BIRD OF THE IRON FEATHER, will premiere on WTTW Channel 11 Monday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. Produced by WTTW, the series concerns the family of Jonah T. Rhodes, a black policeman from the Chicago ghetto who is killed during a racial uprising. The series, which is made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation, will be seen in color for half an hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. The title is from an 1847 speech by Frederick Douglass in which he talks about the ‘‘sons and daughters of Africa in the United States,’’ saying ‘‘They have ‘been a bird for the hunter’s gun, but a bird of iron feathers, unable to fly to freedom.”’ Based on an original story by Richard Durham, the drama is told through the diary taken from the locker of the dead man, Jonah T. Rhodes. The story explores his evolution as a black man and the repercussions of his death on his family. Actor Bernard Ward, who portrays Jonah, explains that the hero of the series is a ‘‘sensitive man who is ambitious and wants to get his family out of the ghetto.” He goes on to say that the series ‘‘can stimulate an in terest in the community and delve into areas that have never been explored before.”’ The Rhodes household also includes Jonah’s wife Jean (portrayed by actress and singer Yolande Bryant); Jonah’s father, Maceo Rhodes, Sr., a piano player from Alabama _ (Curley Ellison); his two younger brothers (Nel Tinner and Michael Lowe); his sister (Suki Jones); his grand mother (Louise Dumetz); his mother-in-law (Melva Williams); his aunt and uncle (Katie and Robert Brown); his cousin (Charles Meek); and his uncle Funky Frank (Ira Rogers). Also starring in the cast is CAPCC president, Milton Lamb, as Sgt. Vines. Clarence McIntosh is the executive producer of BIRD OF THE IRON FEATHER. The directors are Lou Abraham, Roy Inman, Harold Johnson, and Peter Strand. Dorothy Scher is the associate producer. Production assistants are Sam Gresham, Birdie Miller, Jim White, Virgie Williams and George Ward.
Newspaper Details
Woodlawn Booster
Chicago, Illinois, US
Tue, Jan 06, 1970
Page 12
Full Page
Clipped by
Jane M.
USA 13 Feb 2026
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