EPIX Original Documentary Profiles Four African American Athletes Who Broke the Color Barrier
July 28 2014 - 12:36PM
Business Wire
Forgotten Four: The Integration of Pro
Football, narrated by Jeffrey Wright, premieres September 23
at 8PM ET
EPIX and the National Football League Honor
the Story of the Forgotten Four with Local Screenings
Nationwide
Premium entertainment network EPIX announced today that
Forgotten Four: The Integration of Pro Football, an EPIX
Original Documentary, will make its World Premiere on
Tuesday, September 23, 2014, at 8PM ET. The 60-minute
documentary, narrated by Tony Award® winner Jeffrey Wright and
produced by 52 time Emmy® award winner Ross Greenburg, tells the
little-known story of four outstanding and brave African American
men – Kenny Washington, Woody Strode, Marion Motley and
Bill Willis – who broke the color barrier in pro football in
1946, one year before Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey were
credited with integrating Major League Baseball. EPIX has joined
forces with the National Football League to celebrate the
achievements of the Forgotten Four with local screenings in NFL
team markets across the country, followed by panel discussions on
the current state of race relations and athletics. The first team
to kick off the commemoration is the Denver Broncos on August 2,
2014. Other NFL teams confirmed to host events as of now include
the Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago
Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers,
Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami
Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams,
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins.
More teams will be announced over the coming weeks.
The hardships and triumphs of the Forgotten Four are told
through the recollections of their families and those who have
researched these remarkable pioneers. Those interviewed for this
Epix Original Documentary include Forgotten Four family members
Tony Motley (Marion Motley's grandson), Mike Brown (Paul Brown's
son), Clem and William Willis, Jr. (Bill Willis' sons), Karin L.
Cohen (Kenny Washington's daughter) and Kalai Strode (Woody
Strode's son). An all-star lineup of football legends also shares
its insights, including: Don Shula (Hall of Fame coach who
also played for the Cleveland Browns), Bob Gain, Sherman
Howard, Jim Hardy (Los Angeles Rams) and George
Taliaferro (Indiana University). Participating
writers/historians include Joe Horrigan (Pro Football Hall of
Fame), Lonnie G. Bunch (National Museum of African American History
and Culture), Khalil Gibran Muhammad (Schomburg Center for Research
in Black Culture), Jarrett Bell (USA Today) and Brad Pye, Jr. (Los
Angeles Sentinel).
"EPIX is pleased to work with the National Football League to
bring the story of these trailblazers in civil rights and
professional sports to a new national audience," said Mark
Greenberg, President and CEO, EPIX. "We believe Forgotten Four
presents an insightful and informative account of the profound
impact these courageous men had on the sport."
Join the conversation about #ForgottenFour on Twitter
http://Twitter.com/EpixHD, on Facebook http://Facebook.com/EPIX and
on the EPIX webpage
http://www.epix.com/forgotten-four-the-integration-of-pro-football/.
Forgotten Four: The Integration of Pro Football, an EPIX
Original Documentary, was produced by Ross Greenburg and directed
by Johnson McKelvy. Ross Greenburg and Wesley E. Smith are
executive producers. Ross Bernard is executive producer and Jill
Burkhart is producer for EPIX. Donovan McNabb, former star
NFL quarterback with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington
Redskins, served as creative consultant for the film.
About EPIX
EPIX is a premium movie and original programming entertainment
service delivering the latest movie releases, classic film
franchises, original documentaries, comedy and music events on TV,
on demand, online and on devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX
has pioneered the development and proliferation of “TV Everywhere.”
It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access
to its content online at EPIX.com and was the first premium network
to launch on Xbox, PlayStation®, Android tablets and phones,
Windows 8.1 and Roku® players. EPIX is available to authenticated
subscribers on hundreds of devices including Apple® iPads® and
iPhones® and is the only premium service providing all its
programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other
premium network, with thousands of titles available for
streaming.
EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and
VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with
cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50
million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go
to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD
(http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX),
Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+
(http://plus.google.com/+EPIX) and Pinterest
(http://pinterest.com/EPIX).
EPIXMarlea Willis,
212-846-6748MWillis@epixhd.comorChelsea Burrell,
212-846-6891Cburrell@epixhd.comorJOE FAVORITO
PRJoe Favorito,
201-746-0005fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.comorFRANK
PR646-861-0843Clare Anne
DarraghClareAnne@FrankPublicity.comLina
PlathLina@FrankPublicity.com
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