Vbv kc jackie robinson

By

Kevin Clark

NOTE: CONVERSATIONS HERE ARE NOT BASED ON ACTUAL INTERVIEWS. THEY SERVE ONLY AS A MODEL FOR THE CALIBER OF PROGRAM WE INTEND TO PRODUCE.

EXT. EBBETS FIELD Vintage footage of World Series baseball game, Brooklyn Dodgers battling Chicago Cubs, May 18, 1952.

JACKIE ROBINSON is on third base, hedging his way towards home. In a burst of inspiration and fearlessness, he springs towards home plate and is emphatically declared, SAFE.

NARRATOR Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by becoming the first black Major League Baseball player. Although today he remains a hero to baseball fans and players alike, his accomplishments didn’t begin or end then.

CUT TO:

LEGEND: RACHEL ROBINSON-­WIDOW OF JACKIE ROBINSON Rachel Robinson, dignified and articulate, speaks to the camera.

RACHEL ROBINSON Jackie’s greatest achievements are the ones he never lived to see, in my opinion. I remember reading the story about this football hero, and it made me think quite a bit of my late husband.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF TILLMAN PLAYING W/ARIZONA CARDINALS

NARRATOR Pat Tillman was a celebrated football player with an amazing career ahead of him. After 911, he turned down three year, 3.6 million dollar contract extension with the Arizona Cardinals to sign a three year commitment to the Army for his country.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE AND PHOTOGRAPHS OF TILLMAN IN HIS MILITARY UNIFORM.

RACHEL ROBINSON The world of sports is different today.

Players make so much money. It took a man of great dedication to walk away from the career and money and adoration, to join the military. Jackie wasn’t a baseball star yet, but he did walk away from a promising career to serve his country.

Put into perspective-­‐-­‐imagine walking away from a chance at World Series or Super Bowl ring.

Walking away from the people and things that you love. It is unbelievably honorable and noble. Jackie would have been very impressed with Pat Tillman.

ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF A YOUNG JACKIE ROBINSON

NARRATOR Jackie Robinson was born on January 31,1919 in Cairo Georgia. His family, a group of poor sharecroppers eventually settled into Pasadena California.

LEGEND: BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER-­WILLIE MAYS

WILLIE MAYS

From what I understand, Jackie’s athletic talents were recognizable from the start.

He played sports in high school and in Junior College.

NARRATOR It is in college, at UCLA that Robinson’s star really shined.

ARCHIVE PHOTOGRAPHS OF JACKIE ROBINSON AT UCLA

NARRATOR (CONT’D) At UCLA, Robinson became the first student athlete to win varsity letters in four sports, basketball, football, track and baseball. Poised to have a career in sports, Jackie was drafted into the U.S. Army.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF BLACK SOLDIERS IN WWII

NARRATOR (CONT’D) Jackie served in the 9th Calvary where he did his basic training at Fort Riley, Kansas. where he met heavyweight champion boxer, Joe Louis. He was later transferred to Ft. Hood in Texas where he served with 761st Tank Battalion Aka “the Black Panthers”.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS AND FOOTAGE OF JOE LOUIS DURING HIS MILITARY CAREER AND HIS CAREER AS A WORLD-­CLASS BOXER. RACHEL ROBINSON

Even though Jackie went to a prestigious university such as UCLA he couldn’t break the color barrier to go to Officer Candidate School. At that time, black soldiers were enlisted but not allowed to fight in theater.

WILLIE MAYS If Jackie was anything, he was a fighter.

Anything, anyone, anywhere. Nobody was going to keep him down.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF JACKIE IN HIS OFFICER’S GEAR

NARRATOR Joe Louis took Robinson under his wing and used his influence and celebrity to allow Robinson to do something that had never been done before-­‐-­‐fight on the front line. Robinson was ready but society wasn’t.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE OF BLACK SOLDIERS DURING WWII

NARRATOR (CONT’D) In the time of disaster and need, superior character and supreme sacrifice is what is called for.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF PAT TILLMAN ON SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, IN

HIS MILITARY GEAR AND NEWSPAPER HEADLINES ABOUT HIS DEATH AND THE SUBSEQUENT MILITARY COVER-­UP.

RACHEL ROBINSON Pat Tillman’s story ended on a sad note.

He was killed by friendly fire and there was controversy over the information the military offered his family. But it doesn’t take anything away from his achievements.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF JACKIE ROBINSON LEAVING THE MILITARY AND RETURNING TO LIFE BACK IN THE U.S.

NARRATOR Jackie received an honorable discharge and returned home. After a few false starts, Jackie was signed by Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

ARCHIVE FOOTAGE AND PHOTOS OF MINOR LEAGUE 1945 BASEBALL.

WILLIE MAYS He was in the minor leagues for a bit, but finally they called him up. In 1947 he was playing for the Dodgers.

LEGEND: LTC Gregory Gadson-­Director of the Army Wounded Warrior Program.

LTC Gregory Gadson, speaks to the camera.

LT. GADSON I was in Iraq on May 7th, 2007. I was wounded by an Improvised Explosive Device. It was bad. I lost both my legs and normal use of my right arm. I had played football at West Point-­‐-­‐I’ve always been an extremely active person-­‐-­‐ so this was going to be the biggest challenge of my life.

ARCHIVE PHOTOS OF LT. GADSON IN HIS MILITARY GEAR

LT. GADSON (CONT’D) It wasn’t over for me. I pushed forward.

And there are many other soldiers in my situation-­‐-­‐we don’t know the meaning of the word, surrender.

NARRATOR Instead of retiring, Lt. Gregory Gadson became the director of the Army Wounded Warrior program. And then, he become part of history once more. In 2008 he played a key role in the New York Giant’s Super Bowl Victory

FOOTAGE OF THE NY GIANTS AT THE SUPERBOWL

NARRATOR (CONT’D) LTC Gadson was brought in to inspire the players. The team was struck by his leadership, courage and camaraderie. He was named the Giant’s Honorary Co-­‐Captain at the NFC Championship game.

LT. GADSON That was a singular and particular honor. There’s a big connection to sports and the military. I mean, I knew all about Jackie Robinson-­‐-­‐he was my hero and my inspiration.

But I had no idea that he was in the Army, and an officer no less-­‐-­‐ like me.

I think there’s an interesting connection to being in the military and playing sports-­‐-­‐it takes a special kind of person to push themselves to greatness. I firmly believe this: You don't get to pick your circumstances. It's your obligation to be your best no matter what you're asked to do.

RACHEL ROBINSON I think Jackie would have loved that saying. It encompasses everything he believed in.

ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE AND PHOTOS OF JACKIE ROBINSON’S AMAZING CAREER IN BASEBALL.

RACHEL ROBINSON (CONT’D) He retired in 1957. No one had a career like Jackie’s. In 1972 the Dodgers retired his number, good old number 42.

WILLIE MAYS I often wondered, what made Jackie so brave. (laughing) You ever see him steal home plate? He was fearless. Maybe it was his Army experience that taught him how to stand up for what is right. By fighting for his country he felt invested in the American dream.

LT. GADSON Heroes aren’t manufactured. First, you have to have that spark. That spark exists in every man and woman. But you have to do something with it. The military is what empowered me to have bigger dreams, and to believe I could achieve them. There are no walls, nothing stopping us. Jackie Robinson knew and understood that.

WILLIE MAYS What is a hero anyway? He is someone that does something unpopular at a time that is inconvenient while being the recipient of great opposition. That’s the definition of Jackie right there.

RACHEL ROBINSON Jackie would have liked that. He always said he was just a man doing what anyone in his situation would do. But he was more than that. He really was one of America’s greatest heroes. And now you know how he got there