Rare Film Discovered Showing The First Public Appearance Ever By The Reverend Louis Farrakhan Minister Of The Nation Of Islam

The first time The Rev. Louis Farrakhan ever stepped onto a stage to appear in public was as a high school violin player in 1949. It was on the classic television series: "Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour," a precursor to "American Idol." For the first time, the film of his performance and interview is being offered to major media outlets along with photographs taken from the film.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 30, 2006 -- The first time The Rev. Louis Farrakhan ever stepped onto a stage to appear in public was as a high school violin player in 1949. It was on the classic television series: "Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour," a precursor to "American Idol." For the first time, the film of his performance and interview is being offered to major media outlets along with photographs taken from the film.

This rare kinescope recording was made on May 15, 1949 when then high school student Louis Eugene Walcott (later to become The Rev. Louis Farrakhan) appeared as a classical violin solo performer on one of the first editions of the classic television series: "Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour".

To the best of our knowledge, this film has never been seen in public since it first aired in 1949 on the old DuMont Television Network.

It is now being made available to selected media outlets along with still photographs taken from the film.

The date was May 15, 1949. The new medium of television was in its infancy. One of the hottest shows on the old DuMont Television Network was "Ted Mack and The Original Amateur Hour" the precursor to shows like "American Idol."

A teenage high school student from Boston, Mass. Louis Eugene Walcott appeared playing the classical violin. He would later go on to become one of the most controversial black leaders in America and would become known world-wide as The Reverend Louis Farrakhan, Minister of The Nation of Islam.

In 1949, the only way to record live television shows was by setting a motion picture camera in front of a TV screen and filming the show. It was called a kinescope.

Details:

Black and White kinescope to tape/DVD transfer

Length: 3:00

(Includes the entire 40 second interview between TV host Ted Mack and Louis Walcott in which Walcott (Farrakhan) talks about being a high school track runner who hopes to break some records some day. Ted Mack calls him "...a champion at heart".)

Walcott plays the classical composition: "Czardas" by Monte on his violin to thunderous audience applause. (full transcript follows)

Transcript:

TED MACK: "All right, this is Louis Walcott from Boston. Louis Walcott...front and center. Louis, I see here you're quite a fellow up there in Boston. Says here that you're a track runner at English High School and that you've equaled every record in school. Right?"

WALCOTT (Farrakhan): "Yes sir. I hope to break some next year when I put on a little more weight".

TED MACK: "You do, huh?"

WALCOTT: "Yes."

TED MACK: "How about your violin. Can you play that as fast as you can run?"

WALCOTT: "Well, not quite. I've got a lot to learn and I hope to break some records with this some day."

TED MACK: "You're just a champion at heart, aren't you? What are you going to play?"

WALCOTT: "I'm going to play 'Czardas' by Monte."

TED MACK: "Monte's 'Czardas'. Ladies and gentlemen...Louis Walcott."

(Walcott performs solo violin for 2:10 followed by thunderous applause from the studio audience and with Ted Mack closing by saying:)

TED MACK: "All right, thank you...thank you. That was Louis Walcott, from Boston."

More information on "The Original Amateur Hour" can be found at the official web site: http://www.originalamateurhour.com.

To screen or for more information, contact:

Albert Fisher

Fisher Television Productions, Inc.

Los Angeles, CA

(323) 692-0991

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