Althea Gibson (1927-2003)

Althea is a documentary film about Althea Gibson, the first African-American to win the Wimbledon and the US Nationals, two times in a row (1957 and 1958). 

 

It is an episode of the long-running program American Masters (season 29, episode 5). 

 

It was shown on US television (PBS) and released on DVD in 2015. Here is some basic information about it:

** Executive producers: Billie Jean King, William Ackman, and John Amos

** Director: Rex Miller

** Producer: Nancy Buirski

** Run time: 84 minutes

This is a film about tennis, but before you stop reading, because you are not into sports, I have to tell you that this film is much more than that. It is about the connection between sports and society. This is why it will appeal to many people who are not very interested in sports.

Althea Gibson (1927-2003) was a US athlete who played tennis. She played quite well. In fact, she won so many important competitions in the US and in other countries around the world that a list of her victories would be very long.

This film offers a portrait of her career as a tennis player and of her life in general. When she started out, US tennis was segregated as were all other types of sports. She broke the colour barrier in tennis. Since she was a woman, she also broke the gender barrier. She paved the way for others who could follow in her footsteps.

Many people were interviewed for this film. The list of names is quite long, but it is included here in order to show you how much effort the film-makers put into this project. The list includes a 1984 interview with Gibson herself. Here are the names in the order of appearance:

** Leslie Allen, ex-professional player

** Bob Davis, Althea’s practice partner

** Art Carrington, ex-professional player, tennis historian, Althea’s friend

** Lenny Simpson, Althea’s friend, tennis professional

** Althea Gibson (1984)

** Bill Davis, tennis coach, Althea’s friend

** Lange Johnson, grandson of Dr Johnson

** Dr Hubert Easton, Jr.

** Doug Smith, ATA player, tennis journalist

** Nick Bollettieri, Hall of Fame tennis coach

** Barry Murtha, tennis coach

** David Dinkins, former mayor of NYC, Althea’s childhood friend

** Dan Rivkind, tennis coach, Althea’s friend

** Bob Ryland, ATA champion, Althea’s friend

** Billie Jean King, tennis champion

** Dick Savitt, Wimbledon champion, 1951

** Arvelia Myers, Althea’s friend, tennis professional

** Angela “Angie” Buxton, Althea’s double partner, friend

** Donald Dell, ex-professional player, sports agent

** Bobby Schiffman, owner, Apollo Theater

** Sandra Terry, William Darben’s niece

** William Hayling, Althea’s doctor and friend

** Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, widow of Arthur Ashe

Between “the talking heads,” there is a lot of old footage, photos as well as film. The old footage is well-chosen. For obvious reasons, most of it is in black-and-white. The combination of new interviews and old footage makes a good variation.

For the record, Althea was married two times:

** First time to William Darben 1965-1976

** Second time to Sydney Llewellyn 1983-1988

In this film we hear about her victories. We also hear about the problems she faced during her career and once her career was over.

It is a warm portrait, which is not surprising given that many of the people interviewed were her friends, but it is not uncritical. She is portrayed as a great tennis player, but not as a saint. She was not always easy to get along with.

While she was a trailblazer for African-Americans and for women in general, she did not wish for this role. She just wanted to play tennis. The black movement wanted her to give speeches in support of the emerging civil rights movement. But she did not want to get involved in this kind of activity. Some members of the civil rights movement were disappointed with her because of this. But even if she did not talk much about it, she still was a trailblazer. Her talent helped break down the colour barriers in tennis – and, by extension, the colour barriers of society in general.

What do reviewers say about this film? On IMDb it has a rating of 71 per cent, which corresponds to 3.6 stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low. Why?

This film is a powerful document about Althea Gibson; her career as well as her life. It is about tennis. But it is much more than that. It is also a social history of the US during the 1940s and the 1950s. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

If you are interested in modern history - in particular the history of human rights - then this portrait of Althea Gibson is definitely something for you.

PS # 1. For more information, see the following books:

** Born to Win: The Authorized Biography of Althea Gibson by Frances Clayton Gray and Yanick Rice Lamb (2005)

** The Match: Althea Gibson and the Portrait of a Friendship by Bruce Schoenfeld (2005)

PS # 2. I always wanted to be somebody (Althea's autobiography) was first published in 1958.

PS # 3. The Battle of the Sexes is a documentary film from 2017 about a famous tennis match that took place in 1973.

PS # 4. Nancy Buirski is the producer of several films, including The Loving Story (2011) and Loving (2016). 

 

At the moment, she is working on a film about the case of Recy Taylor, a black woman, who was kidnapped and raped by six white men in 1944. This film is scheduled to be released later in 2017.

PS # 5. This disc is from the US (region 1). Do not worry about region codes. The disc runs without any problems on my European laptop when I use a program called VLC Media Player.

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Althea Gibson (1927-2003)

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