{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/bv79s1mt05/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Robert Berger Story: Al Jolson Imitator, 1986-03-16"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["https://marmia.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/archival_objects/5231"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["1986-03-16 (Creation)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["On tape label: City Line #175 (Container Summary)","Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content. (Content warning)","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program. (Funding note)","Jaki Hall and B.T. Bentley interview Robert Berger about his Black face performances, how he got fired from the Baltimore Police Department, and how opposition leaders feel about his Black face act. (Scope and Content Note)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Format"]},"value":{"en":["1 U-matic"]}},{"label":{"en":["Identifier"]},"value":{"en":["WJZ-CTYLN-005-006 (Identifier)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Series Title"]},"value":{"en":["City Line"]}}],"summary":{"en":["On tape label: City Line #175","Be advised that this video may contain sensitive, triggering, and offensive language and content.","Digitized with funding provided by the Council on Library and Information Resources' \"Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives: Amplifying Unheard Voices\" grant program.","Jaki Hall and B.T. Bentley interview Robert Berger about his Black face performances, how he got fired from the Baltimore Police Department, and how opposition leaders feel about his Black face act."]},"provider":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["MARMIA"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/053/original/cropped-marmia-logo-copy1.png?1586173104","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/206/256/small/thumbnail_206256_1692228490.jpg?1692228494","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - open-uri20230816-805753-tewh69.mp4"]},"duration":3672.979,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/206/256/small/thumbnail_206256_1692228490.jpg?1692228494","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-marmia.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/206/256/original/open-uri20230816-805753-tewh69.mp4?1692227690","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":3672.979,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["AUTO_TRINT_WJZ-CTYLN-005-006.mp4 [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"It's. What did? Only. Here with this is Robert Berger, Al Jolson. Imitator Berger's blackface performances caused a great deal of controversy in the community and his workplace. In 1982, Burger's employer, the Baltimore Police Department, fired him after he refused to stop his off duty performances. Now it's 12 noon. We're live on City Line. Hi, I'm Jackie Hall. I'm Betty Bentley. Baltimore's police department felt that Berger's blackface routines were and would jeopardize their relations with the black community. Berger also met with opposition from the ACP and the Baltimore Welfare rights Organization. Opposition leaders felt that his blackface act were an insult to the black community and a throwback to slavery. Unemployment remains a problem for many black youth. Learning a skill could help change that situation. I'm teen mom Tia and today on News Corp will talk about the upcoming Job Corps opportunity fair. Hi, I'm Harold Anthony. Today we'll find out how destiny like to preschool friends to become one of America's hottest recording duos. It's the latest video by y'all Berlin peoples on today's edition of the Entertainment Page. Join the City Line as we meet Robert Berger, Al Jolson Imitator. We'll discuss the entertainers, blackface performances and the opposition from the black community. Up next, Robert Berger. Berger live on City Line. Going to go back. Good afternoon and thanks for joining us on This Week. Sitting on, as you saw at the top of the show, Robert Burger performs a act, an Al Jolson imitation in blackface and has caused a great deal of controversy in the community. We'd like to welcome Mr. Burger here and find out a little bit more about the story of of where he got that act from and where he is today. Welcome. Thanks for being here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=8.85,288.6"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Thank you so much. Exactly how long have you been doing this? I understand you still do it about eight years now. And at what point did your superiors or colleagues on the police department decide that there was a problem? At the time when we had the incident at the Hilton Hotel in February of 82. Mm hmm. Could you describe that a little bit? Some of our audience might not be as familiar with it as we are. Well, the seminar, the Hilton contacted me. We been performing around town for four years or more, and the staff at the Hilton contacted me. I went down, met with them. They said they wanted to do Monday through Thursday, that kind of thing, for ten weeks. And we made an agreement. And when I went down the first day, well, I was sitting in my house watching the television and it came on the news that the NAACP was going to picket the show. And that as soon as I arrived from Denver, they had been speaking with my agent as soon as I arrived from Denver. They plan to have a meeting with myself and my agent and resolve the problem. I found it rather humorous because I had never been to Denver. I was an island town and I've never had an agent. So obviously at that time the phone started ringing. But then when I got down to the Hilton that afternoon, I ran into a young man that I went to the University of Baltimore with, and we got to talking, you know, How you doing? What are you doing? He said, I'm with the NAACP. I said, That's good, you know? And I said, What are you doing down here? He says, A guy down here going to imitate Al Jolson.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=288.72,395.14"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"I said, No kidding. He said, Yeah. He wasn't aware that it was you. He said, What's his name? I said, What's his name? He said, Bobby. He said That you, man? Yeah. So he said, Not you. So after we got to talking and I found out and they found out that when I asked him what the problem was, they said, We want all skits and dialog and jokes removed and props removed from the show. I said, Well, is that what you want? And said, Yeah. I said, okay, done. To remain. I said, I'll take it all out of there. So we're not going to do the show. And that certainly I'm going to do the show, but I'll take all it out. So how can you do that and do the show? Because it was never in there. There is no jokes, that kind of thing. So they said, okay, but after we talked, it was obvious to them that it was different than they had envisioned. So we made an agreement, myself and those two gentlemen and the management at the Hilton, that we would do the first show that night without makeup, which was blackface, without the makeup. But your makeup is blackface. And if, in fact, the show didn't have any negative jokes, that kind of thing, any dialog prompter, then it would be it wouldn't be a problem. So we did the show and it wasn't a problem. We did it to a standing ovation at the end, including a representative of the NAACP, at which time the one gentleman gave me a business card telling me he was a booking agent, that he could book the show. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it as they saw it. Let's do some quick jumping, only because we were going to have to summarize it and put it in focus and then really kind of talk about some of the aspects of it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=396.4,508.38"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"How long had you been doing a performing the same routine prior to 1982 when this Hilton incident occurred? Four years, Four years prior to. Had you ever performed in front of members of the Baltimore City Police Department? I had written permission from the Baltimore City Police Department to perform it in front of them. Yes, they used to come. A lot of them came where I was performing on numerous occasions. You never got any flack or any feedback, Negative feedback. Contrarily, I was introduced around the city by the Echelon as Baltimore's Al Jolson. Okay. Let me ask you one other quick question. Had you ever identified yourself as a Baltimore police officer during any of this promotional information regarding your performance? No and no time. Okay. We're going to take a break right now, but we'll be back to continue our discussion in just a minute. Please stay with us. Gerardo, that all of you got out of training without giving up your career, that, Hey, Grand Slam home. Okay. Welcome back. Live on Silly line. We're talking to Robert Burger, former police officer. Is that correct, Robert Berger at this point? Okay. Who performed in blackface, The Al Jolson routine, basically. We're going to take a look at another clip from one of his performances so that we can share with our audience those who are not as familiar with it, how his performance goes. Let's look at that now. But I would just tell my friend, I don't mind him bragging about the loss of my mother in my home dream. Now I don't ever owe. Oh. Although I. Man. Found out about a man. Never, never, never. Obviously. Maybe I'm both from Illinois now. Oh, no. No. 00809. No, I. So now that our audience knows exactly what we're talking about, Mr.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=508.71,768.38"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Berger's act is performing in blackface. And I think we have a number of questions in that regard. Yes, sir. Yes. I would like to know why did you have to resort to Mr. Jolson's act? Obviously, you have talent and you could use your face to express that. Why did you the result back the use of blackface? Well, to keep. To keep it as as pure as possible. When you say you have talent. That's what I do best. Imitating you talking about Jolson routine. That's what I do best. That's imitation. Like right out of job of the Jolson thing. We do a lot more than Jolson, But that's what we do best. That's the headline. But let me ask Mr. Berger. At what point did it come to your awareness that there were people who were offended by the blackface, not the routine itself, so much as you're aware of the blackface? I personally have never. When I did the show. I've never had anybody come to me and say they were offended by it. So it was really the incident at the Hilton Hotel in 82 that at least created some kind of controversy. Exactly. That was the first time and the only time. Let me ask you, in kind of tagging along on that question, we just got, would your imitation of Jolson be just as effective without blackface? I don't think so, primarily because when you look just as we were sitting here talking, you said to me, you don't look the same, you know, that kind of thing. When you look at me doing Jolson without makeup and without costume, you look at me doing Jolson. When you look at me in costume and with makeup, you look at Al Jolson. But you do perform other parts of your show.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=769.13,886.07"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"That is not an Al Jolson imitation. Oh, yeah, but it's all in blackface. No, no, no. Oh, wait a minute. If. And while we're doing this show, you know, if you had anybody if you're going to do two, two and a half hour's worth of show. I don't want to listen to Joseph for two and a half hours straight just so you do other things. So we'll jump into. Yeah. Like Frankie Laine or Johnny Ray or Billy Eckstine or Platters kind of thing. Okay, we've got another question. Yes, sir. What I wanted to ask you were was there any time you were threatened at the police by the police force or after in one of your shows by anyone by doing this imitation threatened? I was threatened with getting fired. I was. They took my badge and gun and sent me to a psychiatrist and told me I was crazy several times. The only threat I ever received was from Bobby Cheeks in the courtroom, where they said that if they allowed me if the court ruled in my favor and allowed me to continue this act, that I wouldn't be safe on the streets as a police officer. And Bobby Cheeks is the director of the welfare rights organization, just by way of identification for our audience already. Let's take a call from home. Hi, you're on City Line. Oh, okay. Um, what I would like to say to your guest is that this country is only 30 or 40 years down the road away from segregation. And we have some most of our black people have grandparents that remember segregation and remember slavery. And what he's doing to a lot of black people is derogatory and and demeaning. But he doesn't really understand it because he's a white man.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=887.09,989.75"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And white people in this country have always had the upper hand. I like your guest. Respond to that. Well, in response, I'm still waiting for that upper hand myself. I'm waiting for the. As far as what I'm doing is demeaning. I think that that. You'd have to know what I'm doing. Do say it to me now. If you're saying it in context that the black makeup is demeaning. When Al Jolson did it. Black people have no W.A.S.P. or anybody like that to stand up for them when he did it. Now, today we do have somebody they can say, Hey, man, you know, all this is hurting people. People can remember, you know, and I'm not saying you personally, I'm saying the white race is an upper hand. CALLER Let me ask you a question. Are you offended by this? To a degree, I am. I'm a musician myself, so I can understand him wanting to do what he does artistically. All right. But in this day and age, when people are trying to get away from the polarization of black and white against each other, this thing kind of kind of puts black and white people against each other. Okay. Thank you for the call. Thank you. Robert, do you want to respond to that? I think on the contrary, I think it brings black and white people closer together. For instance, as we talked about Ernest and myself on the phone when we just finished Wildwood, I did a show for anywhere from 2 to 3000 black people over a two month period. And since they home before the Hilton, I never had any qualms at all. We did the Inner Harbor several times. We did films point without a problem. But since the Hilton, sometimes, you know, you just get nervous with it to see how it's going to be accepted.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=990.2,1106.27"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"But when I tell you that every man going out the door shook my hand, and every woman either pecked me on the cheek or peck on the cheek in makeup and promised to say a prayer to St Jude. For me, that tells me that's not what St Jude is a patron saint of hopeless and despair. Was there a reference in that way for my my ship to come look? Do you. Is there any particular reason? I mean, what do you think caused this sudden, uh, negative reaction to the act? Was there someone in particular? I see. I think the only negative reaction, which is the reason I came on the show so far, the only input into the black community has been through the NAACP and through the papers. The NAACP is a respected organization within the black community, says this is bad, therefore it must be bad. But when you do it, I've been doing this for eight years now. For black people. White people, All kind of people. Did the state fair for six days in a row with thousands of people with never a negative response before the Hilton? Naw, since with nice people we're not talking about, you know, bad people without a problem. Then it tells me I'm not doing anything wrong. Okay, we'll take another call from home. Hi. CALLER you on city line? Yes. Good morning. Good morning. The big word here, I think, is controversy. I think the world need to relax themselves and just cool out from all the controversy because I look at it in the context. Whereas the original. The Al Jolson. As a Jewish man. He came from a very, very Jewish religious family and he wanted to sing, but he was not allowed to.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1106.78,1215.86"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"So he painted his face as a black person or just colored his faith. We picked up black person. I step I'm not sure where it all came from, but the bottom line here, I think, is that Mr. Berger is an entertainer, a performer. Okay. What if a black man painted his face white and wanted to pick up and sing Frank Sinatra? Would it be still the controversy here? I think it's just an act, a performer, an entertainer, doing what he feels like. I like the little skit that I saw on TV because I remember growing up watching stories of Al Jolson on The Late Late Show. And I was just a little girl. Okay. Congratulations, Mr. Bergen. I think the world needs to cool out and just enjoy life for what they see. It can feel it to be if its feeling is true and meaningful and no harm done to anybody, let the world live and be happy. All righty. Thank you. CALLER. Beautiful. Thank you. Beautiful. We're going to come back and have you respond to that call because she's made some interesting points. But right now, as in television land, we're going to take a break and we'll be back in just a moment. Oh, I all. Yeah. Girl. Bom bom from now on. And. Now, here's this week's community calendar. Hello. My name is Willie Mason. The Carver High School class of 76 is celebrating its 10th year reunion on Friday, April 11th at Martin's Tulsa Market Place from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. There will be lots of fine food, refreshments, live entertainment and interesting people with tickets and further information call now in at 2811258. That number again 2811258. My name is Elsie Ayers. The Ladies Auxiliary of the Knights of Peter Clover Presents the Xavier University Choir of New Orleans, Louisiana in concert on Sunday, March 30th at the Walbrook Senior High School beginning at 2:30 p.m.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1217.18,1474.35"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The concert is open to the public and you are invited to attend. Proceeds will benefit educational charities for 1986 and 87. For tickets and further information, call 2337909. Hello, my name is Charles Duggan. You are invited to attend the first annual Duvall Stokes Memorial concert on Sunday, March 23rd at the Booker T Washington Middle School 1300 Madison Avenue from three until 7 p.m.. Some of the featured guests will be saxophonist Gary Bonds, vocalist Elijah's fabulous trumpeter John Lamkin, and also poetry by Robert Sonny Wood and Rasheeda Imani. Proceeds will benefit the Duvall Stokes Scholarship Fund. For tickets and further information, please call 66912816691281. Thank you. If your group or organization would like to announce an event, please write us in care of City Line WJC TV Television Hill, Baltimore, Maryland 212, one one. Or call us for further information at 4660013. Between the hours of nine and five. Call her up to your home. And she has a very real key with us. We are on a very. On her own little corner of the room on Pyramid of On general manager Rick Greenbaum, their mother Day. Santa. ROMANS Welcome back to City Life. We're talking with Robert Burger. Mr. Burger's Black Face Act has raised a great deal of controversy that eventually resulted in the loss of his job and several court suits. Mr. Burger, the last caller before we went on break, I was discussing the blackface, uh, makeup itself and that, uh, in her eyes, it was not worth the controversy. But in fact, back when Al Jolson performed that act, uh, it was perceived then in some circles as a a net negative caricature of blacks. Do you feel that continuing to to use that blackface, uh, may may promote the same sort of negative, uh, ideas about blacks on Al Jolson was doing it, whether blackface.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1475.29,1647.41"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"I'm trying to separate two things. Minstrels and Jolson. Jolson was one man on a stage minstrel show was 50 guys, all in blackface, doing whatever they do. Jolson was on stage with Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, all those guys in make up Duke Ellington. Therefore, I don't think those men would get on a stage with somebody that's that's knocking black people. So I have to believe that that characterizing Jolson as a problem is not a good characterization. Okay. Do you have a question? Okay. What impact do you think your performance has on young people with regards of race relations? Well, I think it. We don't have a common ground or I don't see any other than than a work force. You know, black people, white people get together at work. Other than that, it's still a lightly. But. Through entertainment. Entertainment is suppose to make you forget your gas bill for an hour. You get the gas electric bill. Forget you got to pay the rent. That's what it's designed for. And I think at least with the controversy, if nothing else, it's got us talking. So the NAACP felt that much like Diana Ross does, that the ACP felt that your your performance, though, was negative to the black community and would hamper race relations and so did the police department. You don't agree with that? This is you don't. I really want to get this across. First of all, the NAACP has never seen my show. Never. Never at no time and not having ever seen it. They've managed to ostracize me not only in law enforcement, but in entertainment, and they branded me a racist. And that's the qualms I have with the NAACP. And I feel that that was malicious because they've had numerous opportunities to come see the show as far as the police department.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1648.4,1776.89"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The police commissioner at that time, Frank Battaglia, was just intimidated by the hue and cry from the NAACP, and he thought that that in front of the police building was going to be 500,000 black people trying to tear the building down, you know. So I believe that's why that happened. Okay. We've got another question here in the audience. Yes, sir. You know, at one point that you made that people didn't know that you were the same person when they didn't see you in black blackface. You know, as black people we had we have had to deal with disguises a long time. We don't know who the Ku Klux Klan is either when they don't have the sheets on. And I know one of the first movies of consequence in this country was D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation. And whites played most of the parts wearing black face. And when whites left the movie after seeing Birth of a Nation, which depicts the birth of the Ku Klux Klan, blacks were summarily lynched in some southern cities. And even when we saw Indian movies, a lot of time, whites played the part of Indians saying all this. To say that I believe we need a civilian review board of the police department, particularly in light of you're saying that police saw you and some of them felt that you were the Al Jolson of the other time and so forth. You know, so much of the black experience in this country is reacting to the insecurity of white people or white people telling us how we are. And I think, again, if you creative, any of us will create a we need to tap within ourselves not trying to be somebody else. Because, again, as the young lady's question is, our children are our future.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1778.43,1866.6"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"They see enough confusion all in the family, good times. And none of these things that a lot of us weren't funny. You know, and I go whole heartedly in agreement with the NAACP. It is a malicious kind of thing. I don't see how in your conscientiousness you can say otherwise. Well, it's just it's see. You have three sets of people, as I said. You've got the the medium, the average person that just wants to live and pay the gas bill and hope to get through it with a couple of dollars at the end of the week. On the other end, on both the black and white side, you have people that however I feel ever I explain or answer you, I'm not going to satisfy you because it seems that that's the way you're looking and it's America. You're entitled to that, that opinion, but I'm entitled to mine. Let me ask some questions that perhaps a caller or a viewer that we can't we can't reach right now might be asking. And I'm going to play devil's advocate. Are you a racist? No. And the best example that I can give you is when you when I say the police came, both black and white police came and you have about eight or 900 black policemen. And through all that controversy, all the hue and cry. You never heard one word from one black policeman. But the question was, are you a racist? And my answer was no. Then the rest of it doesn't really follow, because that's the answer to the question. Okay, another question. Are you insensitive to the issues raised about it's being objectionable? I'm very sensitive to it. The problem I have with it is when somebody objects to it that hasn't seen it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1867.41,1975.85"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"You know, objected to it without knowing what it is, but knowing that there has been some objection to it, you don't feel that there's any need to alter your stance on it? No, because I know that that I'm not a racist. And I know that that I'm not doing anything racist. For instance, the big thing was made it a song. Manning. Manning is simply a guy that left home and trying to get back home for his mother dies and say, I that's that's Mammy. And of course, that's Al Jolson's key song in terms of identification. Exactly. Okay. We're going to take a break, but we'll be back in just a minute. Please stay with us. Why they do it and know why. Well, they have a way of. Everyone has a moment here when you. Fans are rooting out. Oh. Then I got in your bed. Now you can sleep through that. You can keep the collection. Mind telling you that that is okay. We're back on completing our discussion with Robert Berger, whom you just saw perform. We're going to go to the phones right now. We have another caller on online. Hi. How you doing? Fine. Go ahead. Sam, I'm a police officer in the city. I would like to say to Mr. Berger, first of all, I'd like to congratulate him on his decision, and I'd like to time, I think my opinion about 99% of the black boys, black and white boys together for Mr. Berger and his decision and and I know of Mr. Berger. I've seen his show. I know it is very, very good. And I would like to say, if you know him, you love him. And if everybody came out there to see him, then that's all I have to say.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=1977.61,2171.72"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Well, thank you for that call. How does it make you feel, Robert Berger? Real good. Okay. Let's find out exactly what your status is. Now, know you've been through litigation. You lost one suit. I understand you won on appeal. What is your status at this point? We want to we won on appeal. But I'm informed that the department is going to appeal again. We're going to Supreme Court. So my status is relatively the same. Other than the fact that that people are calling me and saying, congratulations for winning all that big money, but I haven't gotten anything that's going to be two years. Let me ask you, if if you do in the in the end prevail, would you go back on the police force? Sure. I've got I'm 14 credits away from a master's degree in law enforcement, and I can't do anything worth. And on top of that, I'm a good boy. Do you miss the fourth grade? I missed the entertainment and police work are kind of synonymous with entertainment. You you help people and with police work, you help people. You know, that's what it's all about. So basically, your argument before the courts was that your constitutional rights were being violated by the suit. Is that correct? And still be involved? See, what I'm trying to tell you is that 12 years on a police department, four years is school and always trying to do right. Okay. And in one day, one night, they've taken 12 years. You know, you got input and throw it out. Four years of college, throw it out and had me in almost an unemployment line. But fortunately, we've been doing the show five, six days a week all over the country. Now you are.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2172.08,2280.32"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Uh huh. I'm going to one when I leave here. But in a nutshell, what I'm trying to say to the black community is I'm not saying that you're going to like this show, but what I'm saying is, instead of saying I don't like it and he's a racist and that kind of thing, come and see it. We're at the Fox Regional and Raven and Taylor commercial Friday and Saturday. Come and see it. We have not a deluge of black patrons, but we have black patrons and. My keyboard player is a black lady, so believe me, it's not a racist thing. Let me ask you the reverse. What if you do not prevail in the end? Will you simply continue to perform the act? Well, I have to continue to perform the act because I can't get a job. Nobody's going to hire me. So that music would be then be my livelihood. But I can't imagine not prevailing. So what's the next step now in terms of the case itself? Technically, a year, year and a half down the road, we're going to the Supreme Court. Whether or not the powers that be are going to give me the job back. It is still up in the air. Whether or not they should is is obvious. You need good policemen in this town. You need people that care. I'm one of those people. So every day that they keep me out of that job. They heard me in the community. Okay. Robert Berger, Al Jolson, imitator, we thank you for coming by City Line, I think. And we'll be watching your case and two years down the road return and let us know what has happened. Okay. Okay. We'll take a break and come right back.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2281.22,2392.88"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Good afternoon. I'm teen mom tia topping today's news cab. Unemployment has been a constant problem in the black community for a number of years now. For black adults, the unemployment rate has constantly hovered around the 20% mark. For black teens, the problem has been even more severe, with the majority of them over 50% remaining in the ranks of the unemployed. Finding a job is not easy. Learning a skill is an opportunity. And the Job Corps wants to help. Young women between the ages of 16 and 21 are invited to attend an upcoming Job Corps recruitment fair, where demonstrations will be given on vocational skill areas available to them as Job Corps enrollees. Joining me now to talk about the specifics of the fair is called Costly coordinator of the Job Corps program here in Baltimore. Miss Cost, we thank you for joining us this afternoon. Briefly tell us, what is the Job Corps opportunity fair? The Job Corps Opportunities Fair is a conglomerate of various Job Corps centers demonstrating their skills to females interested in going into the program as Job Corps. How would you describe Job Corps? For those of us who are not too familiar with it, we may have heard the name before, but how would you describe it? Job Corps is a vocational skills educational program for youth between the ages of 16 and 21 years of age. It's a residential and or nonresidential training program. We have about 110 centers at the US A and we have 11 local centers in the Maryland and surrounding areas that we feed into. Is it primarily geared to those who have not completed high school education? No, it's not. Job Corps is a program for folks who have dropped out of school and or completed school, and they can continue their education and even go to college while they're in Job Corps.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2489.39,2606.24"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Job pool will help pay for some of those costs for going to college. Yes, Job Corps will pay for about three years of college in its advanced educational program. Let's talk specifically a bit about what the fair will offer. I understand that there will be ten specific areas that you will be covering, skill areas that you'll be covering at the Job Corps Opportunity Fair. What are those areas? The areas will be cosmetology, clerical skills, carpentry, word processing, health, field, bricklaying, plumbing, electrical, drywall and automotives. We also have some photographs of some students actually doing the work. Now. Those are the areas that will be covered. But if someone goes to the fair, will they be expected to learn the skill in that day? No. We will have various centers demonstrating their skills. We will have corps members that are in Job Corps right now. And what they will be doing is showing the the the members what type of skills are offered on center. Actual hands on. Why is it that you all have selected to go with young females between the ages of 16 to 21 for this opportunity fair. The females I don't think, really realize that Job Corps is a coed program and they're not taking advantage of the opportunities offered in Job Corps. We have a great deal of males in the program, but the females have kind of she are not. I'm not taking advantage of the opportunities that are available to the job centers. Basically, now we haven't said mentioned. When and where, when and where will the job opportunities fair take place? The Job Corps Opportunity Fair will be held March 2/31 at the War Memorial Plaza. It's going to start around 10:00 and it'll be a half a day affair.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2606.87,2733.55"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"For more information, where should someone call? They can call my office at 396746, five. Was constantly. I want to thank you for taking this time with us this afternoon. Thank you for having me here. Costly job opportunity fair. And finally, Shante Booker, an energetic and creative fourth grade student at Gardnerville Elementary School, is Cityline student of the Week. Nine year old Charlotte is a student in the gifted and talented program with special emphasis on math and science. Shantay is one of the younger members of the school's science club, and she says science is one of her favorite subjects. To balance out her academic pursuits, Shantay plays clarinet and participates in the school's music club. Her hobbies include arts and crafts and beginning ceramics. Reading is also one of Chanties favorite pastimes. Shante says. When she grows up, she may want to become a nuclear scientist or a musician. NewsCorp wishes her all the best in her future endeavors. Tyshawn T Booker, City Line Student of the Week. And that is today's news cap. I'm t mom tia more exciting line up next. Have a good afternoon. I'm. It's been. My desire for to get stronger. Hi, I'm Harold Anthony. You know, with them both being from musical families. Kevin Yarber and Alisa peoples were encouraged by their parents to learn music at an early age. The family of all Berlin people send Kevin and Alisa to the same piano teacher. It was in the studio of their piano teacher that their collaboration began. As they matured, both joined the church choir, where in time Caven became a male lead singer and Elisa female lead singer. Kevin was the first to venture out and try to make a living from his music while playing in a local band called Grand Theft Cave.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2734.6,2991.49"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"And the Wilson Brothers, now known as The Gap Band and gain valuable experience touring with Leon Russell and Mary McRae. Alisa, pursuing her own life, soon found music, drawing her out to the clubs where Grand Theft was performing. Once there, Caven would invite her to sing along with them. Five years ago, you all Berlin peoples joined forces and began to seriously pursue a career together. They were soon writing their own material and performing for pop and R\u0026B audiences in various Dallas clubs. According to Alisa, their big break came one night when they were performing in a club in Dallas. The Gap band came in to see the show, and after that, things started to happen pretty fast, meaning a mixture of different musical styles in their playing. Playing, they incorporate elements of pop, rock, R\u0026B, contemporary new wave and country Western and are free flowing, uptempo, yet easy listening style that they simply call smooth wave. Just as American audiences have done already, international audiences will be clamoring for the duo not to stop the music and to take them to the heart with their latest video. Guilty is You All Berlin Peoples. Sweet. You said she died. I don't know. But I guess that's why. Tom. I can't hear what you. I can't resist your time and your sex. It's all because I'm guilty. What else? I mean. Oh. I want you. I mean. I'm a white. I'm. I can. ISIS is getting stronger. To. I can fantasizing how my whole. I. It's all. I'm you. Oh. I'm allowed. Give me. Yes, we. Allow me. I'm going to. Oh. Oh. Yes. I will keep. With their bid for the number one slot. That was your Berlin people. You know, Della Reese is a name that is synonymous with entertainment par excellence.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2991.75,3301.44"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Her singing style for romantic ballads and hard driving songs, utilizing her unique jazz blues gospel sound is unmistakable. Della, who was born. Della Reese Taliaferro in Detroit, Michigan, began singing when she was six years old. Throughout her formative years, Della was involved in spiritual singing, and in age 13, she was hired by the late Mahalia Jackson to sing with her group. You know, you still have a chance to catch Della in this once in a lifetime treat. Tonight at Ethel's place, located at 1225 Cathedral Street. Tonight is our last night in town, so you'll have to hurry and make your reservations. So for more information, you just call at those place at 7277077. And as an entertainment page, extra City Line and Johnson's products presents Black Entertainment Trivia. Now, this is how it works. If you know the answer to this trivia question, send in a postcard with your name, address and telephone number to City Line TV. Baltimore, Maryland. Two one, two, one, one. That address again is City line wjz tv. Baltimore, maryland. Two one, two, one, one. Now here's this week's trivia question. Who was the first black male actor to portray the Shakespearean character of Othello? Was it A Sidney Poitier? B Ira Aldridge. C, Paul Robeson. Or D, James Earl Jones. Again, who was the first black male actor to portray the Shakespearean character on Othello? A. Was it Sidney Poitier? The Ira Aldridge? C. Paul Robeson. Or D. James Earl Jones. DEADLINE for entries is Friday, March 28th. And as often as you like. All correct entries will be eligible for our prize drawing on Sunday, March 30th. The third place winner will receive gentle treatment hair care products. Including a classy girl styling kit and ultra clean cosmetics in addition to the cosmetics and the hair care products.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=3302.52,3422.41"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"The second place winner will receive this handsome pair of Pierre Cardin calculators, and the grand prize winners will receive the second and third prizes, along with this beautiful Toshiba AM FM stereo cassette recorder. Remember, enter as often as you like and listen for the drawings on March 30. And with that, I'll have to wrap up another edition of the entertainment page. I'm Howard Anthony saying have a pleasant week. Thank you. How exciting. Contessa. Yes. These Medicare stuff. I know, right? We're going to thank Robert Berger for being with us today. A very interesting show. I think we'll get a lot of reaction from it. And it'll be interesting to to kind of watch what happens between now and the time he takes it to the Supreme Court. Yes, that story isn't over yet. Speaking of something that isn't over yet. Seven weeks ago, the great jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis was on our show. And we have a letter here from a writer expressing a particular point of view. The writer says, I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms. The remarks made on your station Sunday, March 1st, by Wynton Marsalis. His assertion that no whites have contributed to American music and jazz in particular are just one more example of the ugly, racist form of communication that TV or any medium cannot allow to pass out to the public unnoticed. Okay. And we received another important letter to that same show, which adds an opposite point of view. And it goes, I wish to commend you on your fine program, televised on March 1st, 1986, which featured Wynton Marsalis. I look forward to future Telecasts of City Life, where they provide me with quality entertainment. And that was from Paulette Goddard of Baltimore.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=3423.13,3532.57"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Okay. So we've got kind of a balanced point of view there. If you have an idea that you would like to express to us about today's show, in particular about Robert Berger and his Black versus Black Face act, please feel free to write in at City Line, ETV Television Hill, Baltimore, Maryland, two one, two, one, one Show's show topics or any other suggestions you might have. Because as we've said in the past, we haven't done letters in a long time, but we've always said in the past that many of our show ideas come from you. That's right. And so we'd like for you to think of some good topics, bad topics. Send them to us so that we can do them on the show. What about next week? Next week, a topic very close to my heart. We're going to have weight loss success stories. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And yes, we have some ladies on who were overweight who were not content with being overweight and decided to do something about it. And they were successful. Yes. Battle of the Bulge. On March 30th, they won the battle. On March 30th, the Moorish American community will be our guest. If you'd like to be a member of the studio audience, call us now for that March 30th show at 481 1313 4113, 13. Be sure to call now. Okay. Thanks for being with us. I'm Betty Bentley. I'm Jacqui Hall. Have a good good bye bye.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=3533.26,3608.29"}]},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["English [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/transcript/48898/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"subtitling","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/048/898/original/open-uri20230816-377871-pxidy3?1692230175","format":"text/vtt","language":"en"},"target":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/file_transcripts/associated_files/000/048/898/original/open-uri20230816-377871-pxidy3?1692230175"}]},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Robert Berger Story: Al Jolson Imitator, 1986-03-16 02-08-2024 17:43 [Index]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Robert Berger Blackface performance clip","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=147.0,267.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Guest interview","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=267.0,679.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Robert Berger, Al Jolson Imitator ","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=267.0,679.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Robert Berger Blackface performance clip","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=679.0,2484.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Newscap with Tea Montier","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2484.0,2953.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Unemployment; Interview with Caludette Costley, Coordinator, Job Corps Program; Student of the week: Chanta Booker, Gardenville Elementary","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2484.0,2953.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Entertainment Page with Harold Anthony","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2953.0,3483.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Yarbrough and Peoples; Della Reese; Black Entertainment Trivia","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Synopsis"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=2953.0,3483.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Letters from viewers","format":"text/plain","label":{"en":["Title"]}}],"target":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256#t=3483.0"},{"id":"https://marmia.aviaryplatform.com/collections/948/collection_resources/105495/file/206256/index/82310/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"supplementing","body":[{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Wynton Marsalis; 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