Set in New York City, the show explored issues of urban life, some of them grim. Though it won critical praise, it also generated some controversy. TV Guide ranked it #6 on their 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".[1]
Synopsis
The series centers on Scott in the role of Neil Brock, a New York City social worker who works for the private agency Community Welfare Service, with his secretary, Jane Foster, played by actress Cicely Tyson. (Diana Sands played this character in the pilot, which was broadcast as the 17th episode of the show. Sands played a different role in episode 7, for which she received an Emmy nomination.) Tyson was the first African-American actor to star in a regular role in a television drama.[2] Brock's superior at the agency, Frieda "Hecky" Hechlinger, was played by Elizabeth Wilson.
Episodes of East Side/West Side addressed topics relevant to the inner city, with many controversial issues explored. A typical example came in the first two episodes, when Brock investigated a prostitute and her child ("The Sinner"), followed by a story involving statutory rape (“Age of Consent”).
The character of Brock often felt stymied -- and angered -- by the inadequacy of the resources he had to work with, and the vast number of people with problems he wasn't able to help solve. In an effort to treat the root causes of social ills on a wider scale, in episode 22 (out of 26) Brock resigned from his job to go to work for progressive (but pragmatic) New York state congressman Charles W. Hanson (Linden Chiles), who had been seen in a couple of earlier episodes. Now instead of being a social worker, Brock was essentially a congressional consultant with a roving brief -- he could investigate specific cases of societal injustice, or take on the system as a whole, depending on the situation.
Added to the cast at this juncture were Chiles' staffers Mike Miller (John McMartin) and Bowen Munro (Henderson Forsythe). The characters played by Elizabeth Wilson and Cicely Tyson quickly disappeared, coming back for just one further appearance. Barbara Feldon was given a one-shot trial episode as Brock's girlfriend Joanna, and Jessica Walter was similarly tried out for one episode as Chiles' secretary Peggy Dowling, but both characters were thereafter dropped with no onscreen explanation.
East Side/West Side received eight Emmy nominations and much critical praise, but only mediocre ratings and little support from the CBS brass, who saw it as a show whose perceived prestige didn't translate into commercial success. Despite the high quality of both the writing and acting, the show's tendency of addressing sensitive topics meant that many potential advertisers avoided sponsorship of the show. As well, a number of television stations affiliated with CBS across the country chose not to air the program for their local viewers -- sometimes because of the views expressed by the show, but also, particularly in the US south, because Tyson's character was treated as an equal to the show's white characters, which raised the ire of Southern segregationalists. It was reported that CBS programming chief James Aubrey clashed with Scott over the direction of East Side/West Side, also a factor in its cancellation.[3]
The December 23, 1963 episode, "Creeps Live Here," was originally scheduled to be broadcast on November 25, but was postponed as CBS concluded their four-day live coverage of the John F. Kennedy assassination.
East Side/West Side ran on Monday evenings at 10 PM, opposite ABC's medical drama about psychiatry, Breaking Point and NBC's Sing Along with Mitch starring Mitch Miller. The show's executive producer, David Susskind, began a letter-writing campaign to government officials, newspaper editors, and other prominent individuals to gain support for renewal of the series. However, the effort failed when the show was cancelled on January 28 (although it was allowed to finish out the season, airing its final episode on April 27).
East Side/West Side started as a vehicle for George C. Scott, who had recently gained prominence after acclaimed theatrical performances and a series of important films. On January 3, 1962, CBS and United Artists announced that they were beginning preparations for an hour-long drama starring Scott, to be launched during the 1963-1964 season.[3]
Scott did not like the idea of the show being prepared for him and threatened to abrogate his agreement with CBS. The president of CBS, James Aubrey, introduced Scott to an independent producer David Susskind, who turned to his friend Robert Alan Aurthur, a talented television playwright, for a screenplay conception. Aurthur offered an unproduced script, My Three Angels, centered around a trio of inner-city social workers, and rewrote the script to fit Scott. Aurthur renamed the project East Side/West Side, a reference to the two halves of upper Manhattan as bisected by Central Park. The main protagonist was Neil Brock, played by Scott — a tough, impatient, temperamental case worker. With the approval of Aubrey and his newest television star, David Susskind began production on Aurthur’s pilot script, a story about a teen gang killer and his path through the legal system, now called It’s War, Man.[3]
The central location of the series was the Community Welfare Service (CWS), a private agency that served as home base for three social workers dedicated to solving the daily problems, major and minor, of the residents of an impoverished Manhattan neighborhood. According to George C. Scott, the setting was chosen deliberately to get his character out of the office and maximize the audience’s exposure to the real streets of New York.[3]
In November 1962, Susskind attended a meeting of the New York City Social Work Recruiting Committee and announced his plans to create a television series focusing on the social work profession. He and his staff were provided with appropriate literature from the Committee, which they used to discuss story ideas and scripts. In January 1963, Bertram Beck, Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), informed his organization of Susskind's interest in producing a show about social workers and requested that his subordinates send story ideas to the producer. Beck served as consultant and technical adviser for the series, reading the scripts, making editorial comments and changes, and handling much of the mail from social workers who wrote to NASW about the series.[4]
"It's War, Man" resembled an episode of the contemporary courtroom procedural series The Defenders and gave little indication of the shocking, socially conscious show that East Side/West Side would become.[3]
Social context
During the 1950s, the Eisenhower Administration accepted the doctrine that "economic growth would itself, by diffusing prosperity, reduce inequalities and resolve social problems. The progressive tax structure, expanded welfare services, mass public education, and the G.I. Bill all served the twin aims of economic growth and income redistribution".[5] However, by the mid 50s, some disputed whether economic growth alone was distributing such benefits as expected.[5]
In 1962, Michael Harrington, in The Other America, exposed the misery and deprivation of a "new" poor. This group, consisting of the sick, disabled, elderly, minorities of color, and members of female-headed families, had not, Harrington argued, benefited from post-World War prosperity. In January 1963, Dwight Macdonald provided an exhaustive summary of previous studies on poverty in an important article entitled "Our Invisible Poor" in The New Yorker magazine. He asserted that mass poverty persisted, and that it was one of two grave social problems, the other being the structural relationship of poverty to race. He concluded that the federal government was the only force that could reduce poverty and make the lives of the poor more bearable. Between 1961 and 1964, federal grants were provided to public and private community agencies to combat the problems of the "new poor" through the improvement of educational facilities, youth programs, and other programs to improve the physical and social well-being of the poor.[4]
John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign increased the public's consciousness about poverty. Once elected, he established the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime, which sponsored employment programs, manpower training, remedial education, anti-discrimination campaigns, and neighborhood development centers in several cities. The Area Redevelopment Act, passed in 1961, provided Federal dollars to improve public facilities, and to provide technical assistance and retraining in certain regions of the country, particularly Appalachia. In 1962, Congress also enacted the Manpower Development and Training Act. The reform efforts of the late 1950s and early 1960s culminated in the War on Poverty, initiated by the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson.
Story by : Ossie Davis Teleplay by : Arnold Perl & Ossie Davis
October 21, 1963 (1963-10-21)
8
A dedicated schoolteacher (Howard da Silva) is faced with the problem of delinquent students.
6
"No Wings at All"
Marc Daniels
Allan E. Sloane
October 28, 1963 (1963-10-28)
11
A father (Theodore Bikel) must deal with the challenges and struggles of raising an adult son who is intellectually disabled.
7
"Who Do You Kill?"
Tom Gries
Arnold Perl
November 4, 1963 (1963-11-04)
12
A black couple (James Earl Jones and Diana Sands) struggles to deal with life in the slums, but their world falls apart when tragedy strikes their baby.
8
"Go Fight City Hall"
Marc Daniels
William M. Alltmas
November 11, 1963 (1963-11-11)
6
After being evicted from his apartment due to urban renewal, a man begins to lose his faith in the importance of the individual.
9
"Not Bad for Openers"
Nicholas Webster
Edward Adler
November 18, 1963 (1963-11-18)
10
A cab driver (Norman Fell) with a gambling problem finds a wallet containing a large sum of money.
10
"No Hiding Place"
Herschel Daugherty
Story by : Millard Lampell & John Gabriel Teleplay by : Millard Lampell
December 2, 1963 (1963-12-02)
13
The issue of Blockbusting is explored as a black couple finds suburban life difficult until they are befriended by their neighbors. Ruby Dee, Joseph Campanella.
11
"Where's Harry?"
Tom Gries
Stanley R. Greenberg
December 9, 1963 (1963-12-09)
14
An emotionally disturbed suburbanite (Simon Oakland) abandons his family after 20 years of married life.
12
"My Child on Monday Morning"
Daniel Petrie
Robert J. Crean
December 16, 1963 (1963-12-16)
5
Parents of a mentally disturbed child seek out Brock's assistance.
13
"Creeps Live Here"
Walter Grauman
Phillip Reisman, Jr.
December 23, 1963 (1963-12-23)
3
Semi-recluse tenants are faced with the prospect of losing their home.
14
"The $5.98 Dress"
Ron Winston
William Altman
January 13, 1964 (1964-01-13)
16
Brock rushes to the aid of a mother with four children who is abandoned by her irresponsible and erratic husband.
15
"The Beatnik and the Politician"
Allen Reisner
Robert Van Scoyk
January 20, 1964 (1964-01-20)
17
A folk-singing beatnik (Alan Arkin) stirs up a storm with his odd friends in a sedate neighborhood.
16
"One Drink at a Time"
John Berry
Edward Adler
January 27, 1964 (1964-01-27)
18
A Bowery resident (Maureen Stapleton) desperately tries to reform her derelict boyfriend.
17
"It's War, Man"
Daniel Petrie
Robert Alan Arthur
February 10, 1964 (1964-02-10)
1
Despite heated public opinion against him, Brock helps a teenage gang member accused of murder.
18
"Don't Grow Old"
Herschel Daugherty
Edward DeBlasio
February 17, 1964 (1964-02-17)
15
An elderly construction worker who is forced out of his job by age discrimination, becomes frustrated by his inability to find a new job.
19
"The Street"
Ron Winston
Millard Lampell
February 24, 1964 (1964-02-24)
19
After a teenage girl is abused by her mother's boyfriend, she runs away and tries to survive on the streets. Brock shares a career crisis with his girlfriend, portrayed by Barbara Feldon.
20
"If Your Grandmother Had Wheels"
Tom Gries
Allan E. Sloane
March 2, 1964 (1964-03-02)
20
Brock attempts to help a wheelchair-bound man concentrates all his energies on walking again.
Brock comes into contact with a 12-year-old boy actively engaged in the numbers racket.
22
"Take Sides with the Sun"
Alex March
Allan E. Sloane
March 16, 1964 (1964-03-16)
22
Brock receives an offer to work as a legislative aide to Congressman Charles Hanson and debates whether to leave his current position.
23
"The Name of the Game"
Charles S. Dubin
Mel Goldberg
March 23, 1964 (1964-03-23)
23
A union leader (Daniel J. Travanti) and an industrialist battle each other in the negotiating of a new labor contract.
24
"Nothing But the Half Truth"
Alex March
Robert Van Scoyk
March 30, 1964 (1964-03-30)
24
Brock considers quitting his new position with Congressman Hanson, when Hanson doesn't follow through on promises made by Brock on a television discussion show. David Susskind appears as the television host, along with Scott's real-life wife Colleen Dewhurst.
25
"The Givers"
Tom Gries
George Bellak
April 13, 1964 (1964-04-13)
25
Brock and Hanson must battle pro-business lobbyists in their bid for legislation that would stiffen penalties for contracting fraud.
26
"Here Today"
John Berry
Story by : Allan E. Sloane & Matthew Andrews Teleplay by : Allan E. Sloane
April 27, 1964 (1964-04-27)
26
Brock writes a series of articles highlighting the plight of the poor, but is unable to get them published anywhere. He finally finds one paper that can do so, but the paper itself is about to be taken over, with its style of journalism certain to be neutered.
Awards and nominations
In 1964, the series received eight Emmy Award nominations, including one win for Outstanding Directorial Achievement awarded to Tom Gries for the controversial November 4, 1963 episode entitled, "Who Do You Kill?". The episode, which also received a writing nomination and acting nominations for supporting actors James Earl Jones and Diana Sands, explored the aftermath of a child's death from a rat bite in a Harlem slum.[3]
References
^Roush, Matt (June 3, 2013). "Cancelled Too Soon". TV Guide. pp. 20 and 21
^ abRein, Martin; Marris, Peter (2018). Dilemmas of social reform: poverty and community action in the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 10. ISBN1351522302.
