The Old Negro Space Program
| The Old Negro Space Program | |
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NASSA Lineup
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| Directed by | Andy Bobrow |
| Written by | Andy Bobrow |
| Starring | Johnny Brown, Andy Bobrow |
| Narrated by | Rodney Saulsberry |
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Release date
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Running time
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10/11 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Old Negro Space Program is a short mockumentary in the style of a Ken Burns film. Imagining a black space program, whose "blackstronauts" were excluded from "White NASA", the film lampoons Burns's history of the Negro Leagues, a subject of his 1994 series, Baseball.
The ten-minute film was produced and directed by Andy Bobrow, who wrote for the television series Hype, Malcolm in the Middle and later, Community. Bobrow later went on to write the Community episode "Pillows and Blankets", another parody of Ken Burns.
It was created for broad release on the Internet. It was nominated for a 2005 Nebula Award but was reluctantly ruled ineligible. The SFWA stated that the disqualification in no way reflected on the work's quality.
To impress a girl that he likes, Wallace "Suitcase" Jefferson applies for a job at the newly formed NASA. Unfortunately, since America's "love affair with racism was in full swing", Jefferson learns that NASA is whites-only. Undaunted, Jefferson and his friend "Loopie" Louie Hays form their own astronaut group. Their creation—the Negro American Space Society of Astronauts (NASSA)—is a resounding success, with more than 240 "blackstronauts" signing up by 1960. The venture also brings personal success to Jefferson—he wins the girl's heart and later marries her.
Using spaceships cobbled together from old rocket engines, landing capsules, a school bus, and a used Cadillac, NASSA quickly becomes a major player in the space race. Its members farm out across the country, barnstorming in small towns to raise money and becoming minor celebrities. In Washington, the US government worries about losing the space race to the Soviet Union, but is "ten times as worried" about losing the race to NASSA.
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