Palmerstown, U.S.A.

*Palmerstown, U.S.A.*
Palmerstown, U.S.A.
Also known as	Palmerstown
Genre	Drama
Created by	Alex Haley
Developed by	Norman Lear
Starring	Jonelle Allen; Bill Duke; Star-Shemah Bobatoon; Jermain Hodge Johnson; Beeson Carroll; Janice St. John; Michael J. Fox; Brian Godfrey Wilson; Kenneth White; Iris Korn (1981)
Composers	Al Schackman (season 1); Jerrold Immel (season 2)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	17 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Norman Lear; Alex Haley; Ronald Rubin
Running time	60 minutes
Production companies	Haley Productions; T.A.T. Communications Company
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	March 20, 1980 –; June 9, 1981

Palmerstown, U.S.A.^[2] (shortened to Palmerstown in March 1981)^[3] is a television drama series that aired on CBS from March 20, 1980 to June 9, 1981.^[4] It was created by Norman Lear and Alex Haley,^[1]^[3] whose childhood was the basis for the series.^[5] It tells the story of two nine-year-old boys in the rural Southern community of Palmerstown who become best friends during the Great Depression, despite one being black and the other being white.^[6]

Cast

Jonelle Allen as Bessie Freeman
Bill Duke as Luther Freeman
Star-Shemah Bobatoon as Diana Freeman
Jermain Hodge Johnson as Booker T. Freeman
Beeson Carroll as W.D. Hall
Janice St. John as Coralee Hall
Michael J. Fox as Willy-Joe Hall
Brian Godfrey Wilson as David Hall
Kenneth White as The Sheriff
Iris Korn as Widder Brown (1981)

Episodes

Season 1 (1980)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1 2	1 2	"Palmerstown, U.S.A."	Peter Levin	Ronald Rubin	March 20, 1980 (1980-03-20)
3	3	"The Lesson"	Larry Elikann	Noreen Stone	March 27, 1980 (1980-03-27)
4	4	"A Place for Bo"	Jeffrey Hayden	Robert Price	April 3, 1980 (1980-04-03)
5	5	"The Black Travelers: Part 1"	Jeffrey Hayden	Teleplay by: Ronald Rubin & Alex Haley Story by: Jim Tisdale	April 10, 1980 (1980-04-10)
6	6	"The Black Travelers: Part 2"	Jeffrey Hayden	Teleplay by: Ronald Rubin & Alex Haley Story by: Jim Tisdale	April 17, 1980 (1980-04-17)
7	7	"Kidnapped"	Gilbert Moses	Alex Haley & Ronald Rubin	April 24, 1980 (1980-04-24)
8	8	"The Old Sister"	Jeffrey Hayden	Teleplay by: Odie Hawkins and Ronald Rubin & Alex Haley Story by: Saundra Sharp	May 1, 1980 (1980-05-01)

Season 2 (1981)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Original air date
8	1	"Vendetta"	March 17, 1981 (1981-03-17)
9	2	"Scandal"	March 24, 1981 (1981-03-24)
10	3	"The Hobo"	March 31, 1981 (1981-03-31)
11	4	"Future City"	April 7, 1981 (1981-04-07)
12	5	"Epidemic"	April 14, 1981 (1981-04-14)
13	6	"The Threat"	April 21, 1981 (1981-04-21)
14	7	"Roadhouse"	May 5, 1981 (1981-05-05)
15	8	"Dry Hole"	May 19, 1981 (1981-05-19)
16	9	"The Suitor"	June 2, 1981 (1981-06-02)
17	10	"Crossroads"	June 9, 1981 (1981-06-09)

References

^ ^a ^b Bianculli, David (2017). The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9781101911327. page 290
^ Drew, Bernard Alger (2007). 100 Most Popular African American Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies. Libraries Unlimited. p. 123. ISBN 9781591583226. palmerstown usa.page 123
^ ^a ^b O'Connor, John J. (17 March 1981). "TV: THE RETURN OF 'PALMERSTOWN'". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
^ "'Palmerstown' writer Willard Rodgers dies". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
^ Bogle, Donald (2015). Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781466894457.page 255
^ "The Story Behind HALEY & LEAR Television Team". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 3 April 1980. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

External links

Palmerstown, U.S.A. at IMDb

[book-1] Bianculli, David (2017). The Platinum Age of Television: From I Love Lucy to the Walking Dead, How TV Became Terrific. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9781101911327. page 290

[2] Drew, Bernard Alger (2007). 100 Most Popular African American Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies. Libraries Unlimited. p. 123. ISBN 9781591583226. palmerstown usa.page 123

[nyt-3] O'Connor, John J. (17 March 1981). "TV: THE RETURN OF 'PALMERSTOWN'". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

[4] "'Palmerstown' writer Willard Rodgers dies". The Hollywood Reporter. 13 June 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

[5] Bogle, Donald (2015). Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 9781466894457.page 255

[6] "The Story Behind HALEY & LEAR Television Team". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 3 April 1980. Retrieved 12 February 2018.

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v t e Norman Lear
Created	The Deputy (1959–61) Maude (1972–78) The Nancy Walker Show (1976) All That Glitters (1977) Fernwood 2 Night (1977) America 2-Night (1978) In the Beginning (1978) Apple Pie (1978) Hanging In (1979) Palmerstown, U.S.A. (1980–81) a.k.a. Pablo (1984) Sunday Dinner (1991) 704 Hauser (1994) Guess Who Died (2018)
Developed	All in the Family (1971–79) Sanford and Son (1972–77) Good Times (1974–79) Hot l Baltimore (1975) The Jeffersons (1975–85) One Day at a Time (1975–84) Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976–78) The Dumplings (1976) All's Fair (1976–77) Sanford Arms (1977) The Baxters (1979–81) Channel Umptee-3 (1997–98) One Day at a Time (2017) (2017–20)
Film	Come Blow Your Horn (screenwriter; 1963) Divorce American Style (screenwriter; 1967) The Night They Raided Minsky's (screenwriter; 1968) Cold Turkey (director; 1971) Heartsounds (executive producer; 1984)
Related articles	Tandem Productions ELP Communications Act III Communications People for the American Way Business Enterprise Trust The Powers That Be Live in Front of a Studio Audience