EAST SIDE / WEST SIDE: I BEFORE E EXCEPT AFTER C (TV)
Summary
One in this drama series about social worker Neil Brock's wide-ranging cases while working in some of New York City's grittier neighborhoods.
When Power, an inner-city teenager, is late for his class at Public School 10, he incites a riot and drives the teacher out. Neil investigates the incident; the boys involved are being reprimanded by the principal, Mr. Costigan. After the boys are sent away, Neil meets with Mr. Costigan and Mr. Mapes, a teacher at the school. Mr. Mapes argues in favor of altering the school’s curriculum to be more relevant to the student’s lives, to show them more care than their current methods. Mr. Costigan believes such ideas are impractical and silly. Neil tries to cool their argument and takes them out to drink.
Neil manages to convince the Mr. Costigan to try Mr. Mapes’ plan. Frieda calls Neil’s ideas for the school a “pipe dream,” but Jane manages to convince her otherwise after relating a story from her youth about the profound effect of education. Jane instructs some of the teachers in P.S. 10 in Spanish so as to better communicate with their students. The class is taken on a field trip to a printer’s shop, where some of the machines are demonstrated to them. The students seem quite interested, especially a boy named Juano. Power lurks in the background and deliberately breaks a piece of equipment. The printer declares the field trip over and asks the class to leave.
Outside, Neil corners Power and asks him why he did it. He responds that a job in printing could never be available to him since he is Puerto Rican. Later, Power confronts Juano in the schoolyard as he and Power’s gang head to class, calling them “squares” for cooperating with their teachers. Neil meets with Mr. Costigan, who admits that progress is being made, but also that it is an “armed truce” and that the students in his school frighten him. In class, the teacher gives the class a lesson on writing resumes and looking for jobs. Mr. Mapes and Juano work privately with each other on Juano’s reading comprehension, which seems to be progressing well. Pleased at his progress, Mr. Mapes gives him a book as a present.
Neil takes the class on a field trip to spend the day with a major league baseball player. The class seems to have fun and Mr. Mapes reads to all of them out in a park. Afterwards, however, Power convinces his gang that the whole thing is a ploy to keep them in line. Enraged, he and his gang break the school’s windows; Power snatches Juano’s autographed baseball from his hand and throws it as well before running off.
Later, Neil, Mr. Mapes, and Mr. Costigan inspect the damaged window along with the police. Mr. Costigan, upset, calls for police guards for the school and vows to discontinue the new educational program. Finding Juano’s autographed baseball, he determines that he is one of the culprits and asks the police to go after him. Mr. Mapes tries to get Mr. Costigan to reconsider and is shocked to find Juano’s baseball. The other boys involved in the window-breaking have been captured; Neil tries to talk to them but they are not forthcoming with information.
Mr. Mapes is deeply troubled by these recent events. He is worn out and plans to resign from his position at the school, much to Neil’s disappointment. When Neil tries to leave Mr. Mapes’ apartment he finds Juano standing in the doorway. Juano tries to apologize to Mr. Mapes but Mapes lashes out at him, saying that everything he promised was a lie and he’ll never amount to anything. Devastated, Juano runs out into the hall and tears up Mr. Mapes’s book as he bursts into tears. Mr. Mapes, feeling remorseful, apologizes to Juano and changes his mind about resigning. He walks Juano home.
Elizabeth and Jane try to change Mr. Costigan’s mind about shutting down the program, but he will not yield. Mr. Mapes and Neil bring Juano into his office; Juano tells him the truth about the window-breaking incident. Mr. Costigan notices Power and his gang in the schoolyard and goes out alone to confront them. They have a standoff and Mr. Costigan offers them the choice of either reporting to their classroom or leaving school grounds. The gang agrees to go to class, but Power still will not comply and leaves. Mr. Costigan admits to Neil that he has changed, overcoming his fear of his students. He agrees to speak to the school superintendent about re-starting their education program. The episode ends with a preview of the next episode. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 21, 1963 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:55:49
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:15773
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; African-American Collection - Drama
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1963-1964
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV – Commercials – Bobbi Roller Perm hair permanent
- TV – Commercials – Chef Boy-Ar-Dee instant foods
- TV – Commercials – Dri-Brite floor cleaner
- TV – Commercials – Dristan decongestant
- TV – Commercials – Philip Morris cigarettes
- TV – Commercials – White Rain hair spray
CREDITS
- Arnold Perl … Executive Producer, Writer
- Larry Arrick … Producer
- Don Kranze … Producer
- William Levitas … Associate Producer
- Dan Petrie … Director
- Ossie Davis … Writer
- Kenyon Hopkins … Music by
- George C. Scott … Cast, Neil Brock
- Elizabeth Wilson … Cast, Frieda Hechlinger
- Cicely Tyson … Cast, Jane Foster
- Alexander Lopez … Cast, Juano
- Santiago Burgos … Cast, Power
- Joan Croydon … Cast, Mrs. Mapes
- Ben Hammer … Cast, Mr. Packer
- Rebecca Darke … Cast, Miss Foss
- Val Avery … Cast, Lieutenant
- Howard Da Silva … Cast, Wallace Mapes
- William Daniels … Cast, Mr. Costigan
- Augie Dios … Cast
- Carl Trani … Cast
- Florence Stanley … Cast
- Otis Young … Cast
- Jesse Gonder … Cast