With the degrading nickname of "George" given to the thousands of hardworking dignified black Pullman porters on the luxury trains of decades gone by, the need for a union had to be fought due to the lack of protections they had. These men put up with all sorts of degrading treatment, from thieving passengers, drunk white college students testing them and white women trying to get them into bed, and no protection from legitimate complaints. Pullman through his large number of thugs threatened and beat those who sided with the creation of a union, and it's through the perseverance of leaders Andre Braugher and Charles D. Dutton and the few powerful white men on their legal team (who saw their issues as legit) that the union could be created.
When Braugher has to force a nude white woman to take her hands off of him, the shock is real because the fear of him being accused of attempted rape seems real. Fortunately, the story doesn't go in that direction, and it's his integrity that has him getting away and doing something to instigate change. But there's a betrayal within their ranks, and the culprit is a shocker. A well written, beautifully detailed history lesson, this shows another issue of the turbulent 1930's that led the way for more civil rights. Veteran actors Brock Peters, Ellen Holly, Ernestine Jackson and Mario Van Peebles round out a great ensemble. The indignities of Pullman porter treatment has been glossed over in classic movies (they all seem to be treated nicely), but this sheds light on the truths often overlooked.
When Braugher has to force a nude white woman to take her hands off of him, the shock is real because the fear of him being accused of attempted rape seems real. Fortunately, the story doesn't go in that direction, and it's his integrity that has him getting away and doing something to instigate change. But there's a betrayal within their ranks, and the culprit is a shocker. A well written, beautifully detailed history lesson, this shows another issue of the turbulent 1930's that led the way for more civil rights. Veteran actors Brock Peters, Ellen Holly, Ernestine Jackson and Mario Van Peebles round out a great ensemble. The indignities of Pullman porter treatment has been glossed over in classic movies (they all seem to be treated nicely), but this sheds light on the truths often overlooked.