| | John Brown is one of my heroes and it would have been great to meet one of his living relatives. The owner of the letters was a very nice person, and it was a pleasure to meet her. While she was not related to John Brown she carried his spirit and aspirations for a better world in her heart. |
Transcript
PBS: History Detectives
PBS Series
Tukufu Zuberi
Professor and Director, Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
Tuesday, June 29, 2004; 1:00 PM
History Detectives is a PBS series featuring a team of architects, antique experts and historians using the latest investigative technology to make amazing discoveries about the homes, possessions and family histories of everyday Americans.
Episode one features an old board game that resembles Monopoly but was made 20 years before Parker Brothers patented the official game. Could this be the earliest version of the world's best-selling board game? Also, a set of 10 postcard-size watercolors of a prison camp were painted on the back of a Japanese-American internment notice from 1942. What is the story behind these paintings? Finally, the program highlights an old wooden cane that dates back to Lewis and Clark. Was the cane a gift from the expeditioners?
Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, was online Tuesday, June 29 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the first episode and the series.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Bakersfield, Calif.: I just watched your search for George Tamura, the
artist behind the small paintings of Tule Lake,
where my grandparents were imprisoned after the
loyalty segregation. In the footage of you looking
through photographs in binders at the Bancroft
Library at Cal, you passed quickly over a
photograph of several people who look to be
chatting in a group--and the man in the
foreground, though I only saw it for a second,
looks like my grandfather, Koichi Tsunoda. Is
there any way you can help me find or find out
about that photograph? Thanks, and thanks for a
wonderful story.
A luta continua, Jason Sperber
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Jason:
If possible I suggest you visit the Bancroft Library at Cal. The librarians there are great people and would be more than happy to help you locate the specific binder that I was looking at.
Peace,
TZ
_______________________
Dalton, Ga. originally from Germany: I have a question I have some old books but don't know how to store them how can I store them so they won't get damaged?
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
I suggest you look at the History Detective web page at
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/diy/preservation.html
We provide a list of things to do to preserve your valuables.
Peace,
_______________________
Ridgecrest, Calif.: Which case's end result was the most disappointing to you? (In other words, one you were almost sure would turn out to be true and it came up as not true)
Tukufu Zuberi: This is an easy question. I was hoping that the women with the abolitionist John Brown's letters was actually related to John Brown.
Peace,
_______________________
London, UK: Do you go cross-eyed from all that sorting through archives and old newspaper or does a researcher/producer do that for you?
Tukufu Zuberi: No I do not, and we do have several assistance in the process. Quite a bit of the research is done by a team.
_______________________
Pittsburgh, Pa.: Professor Zuberi,
I watched the first episode of History Detectives last night and thought it was a brilliant production. The quick pace of the show and the multiple segments made for an educational and entertaining one hour. My question is: Will the show be devoted exclusively to American history, or will it eventually branch out elsewhere? Keep up the great work!
Tukufu Zuberi: Thanks for your kind letter. At this point there are no plans to branch out elsewhere for the program that I known of.
Peace,
_______________________
Honolulu, Hawaii: Dear Tukufu:
I just watched the episode featuring the story of internment artwork. The artist, George Tamura, was also credited with writing an autobiography of his internment experiences. I believe it was entitled
"Refletions." I would like to know how I may obtaing a copy of his book.
Sincerely,
Dennis
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Dennis:
I am not sure; however, I am sure your local librarian can give you some help on this.
Peace,
_______________________
Tukufu Zuberi: John Brown is one of my heroes and it would have been great to meet one of his living relatives. The owner of the letters was a very nice person, and it was a pleasure to meet her. While she was not related to John Brown she carried his spirit and aspirations for a better world in her heart. Unfortunately, for many of us the beauty of John Brown has been hidden by the confusion regarding his methods. While I think his methods were appropriate give the circumstances, I recognize the other side and respect that view.
Peace,
_______________________
Long Beach, N.Y.: Dear Mr. Zuberi,
What a great show your have! Would you kindly inform me the name of the cane expert you visited regarding the Lewis & Clark cane search?
Thank you so much. Sincerely, Mrs. W. Campbell
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Mrs. Campbell:
You can view the transcript of the program at
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/case/202_index.html
Peace,
_______________________
Bethlehem, Pa.: I love History Detectives! On last night's show, your story about the Japanese-American man was very moving. Can you tell us if he continued to practice his art over the course of his life? What kind of career path did he choose?
Thanks!
Tukufu Zuberi: Mr. Tamura continued to practice his art throughout his life. However, his practice of art took a turn towards the commercial arena. He became a public relations and advertisement executive. He was quite successful, and in my opinion he was quite happy.
Peace,
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: The blurb pertaining to the show (I unfortunately have not seen it yet) says that you are using state of the art techniques. What do those techniques entail? Do you have a forensic consultant on your show or do you go to experts?
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
First of all, let me recommend that you look at the show. It is a great show and a lot of fun to make. We use whatever state of the art technique is needed for an answer to the question before us. On occasion this requires a forensic consultant, and on other occasions this requires an expert in some other field.
Peace,
_______________________
Baltimore, Md. : What brought you to wanting to do this sort of research on the air? Did producers find you?
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
A little over one year ago, a producer from Lion Television called and asked if I knew of anyone that would be interested in working as a presenter on a televised history program. I gave the producer about five or six names and returned to my work.
After about three weeks I received another call from the producer asking if it would be ok to come out and discuss the possibility of my participation in the show. I answered in the affirmative. When she visited she brought a camera and asked if it would be ok for her to film my answers to a few questions. I agreed, and we stepped outside my office and she filmed me answering a few of her questions. A few months later I was in Atlantic City shooting the first episode of the History Detectives.
Peace,
_______________________
Laurel, Md.: Hi Tukufu:
I love the show, and was very touched last night by your story about the paintings from the Japanese internment camps. I'm wondering how many stories you actually film and how many of them actually make it to air? Are there any "dead end" stories that dont make it to TV?
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
The stories are researched before we send the crew out to film. It would be very expensive to film our research on every question. As you can see, a lot of research goes into each story. Typically, a story is researched before it is given a green light. As you know not all the stories provide the hoped for answer. Sometimes we find that the artifact or story is untrue. Sometimes we find that the artifact or story is more than the person asking the question thought. So, while the end is not predictable, we do not film stories that do not make it to air.
Peace,
_______________________
Cleveland, Ohio: So, is Elyse as cute in person as she appears on TV?
Tukufu Zuberi: You bet!
peace,
_______________________
washingtonpost.com: "Reflections" by George Tamura may be found at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewers:
You can search on the following web page for his book. Good luck.
Peace,
_______________________
Providence, RI: Hi, I love the program. What a fun, great way to learn about history. I'm curious as to how you come up with your stories? And, how long do you spend researching each case? Thanks so much. Can't wait for next weeks show.
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
If you have an idea for a story just go to the web page at pbs.org and submit your story. I must say that we were all impressed when we received over 5000 submissions last year. So, let's keep it going submit your story today.
Peace,
_______________________
Minneapolis, Minn.: I love your show and recommend it friends and family. I enjoy historical context that is presented as well as the history of the particular item that is being investigated. On an average, how long does it take to produce each segment? It seems that there is often travel involved as well as collaboration with lots of experts. Kim
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewer:
It typically takes about five days to shoot a story. When we shoot the story we typically travel to four or five cities. We travel as a crew with a producer, assistant producer, cinematographer, sound technician, production assistant, and a host. I gather that this is a light crew for TV, but it allows us to move fast and do a pretty good job. I did a shoot last week that had me travel from Philadelphia, to Washington DC, to Newport, to Chicago. After the filming is done the show is edited, and as you can see we do voiceover to add some explanation about how the investigation is being conducted, etc?
Peace,
_______________________
Tukufu Zuberi: Dear Viewers and Washington Post:
Thanks for this great opportunity to talk with the wonderful viewing audience of the History Detectives. See you all next week on Monday evening on pbs.
Peace,
_______________________
© 2004 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
Browse more...
Meet Dr. Zuberi
BookShelf
TV & Film
Conversations
Favorite Places
