Independent Lens
Ratified
Ratified brings to life the push to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution through the legal battle in Virginia—the final state needed to ratify the amendment.
Ralph Ellison's King of the Bingo Game
Based on Ralph Ellison's story, it is Harlem, 1943, and Sonny must win the bingo prize at the local movie theater to save his pregnant wife from dying.
- Premiere Date
- November 21, 1999
- Length
- 30 minutes
- Funding Initiative
- Series and Special Projects
Producer
Elise Robertson
Producer
Charlie Schroeder
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The Film
Harlem, 1943. Sonny is a struggling African American who frequents the movie house/bingo parlor in a desperate attempt to provide for his family in post-Depression era New York. He hits the jackpot and is called onstage to spin the prize wheel. As he pushes the button to spin the wheel, he experiences a new sense of control over his destiny which transcends his race and social standing, and he is unable to let go. Based on a short story, Ralph Ellison's King of the Bingo Game is a chilling metaphor for the disenfranchisement of the African American community after Emancipation promised freedom and before the Civil Rights movement called that promise to task.
