Police Brutality and Media Cover-Up Of 10 Protesters Killed in 1937 Chicago Tragedy Explored in KCET and PBS SoCal World Broadcast Premiere 'Memorial Day Massacre: Workers Die, Film Buried'
Press Contact
JP Shields
JPShields@pmgsocal.org
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kcet.org/MemorialDayMassacre | pbssocal.org/MemorialDayMassacre
Select programming will also be available to stream on PBS.org and the free PBS App. Members of PBS SoCal | KCET get extended access through PBS Passport.
Los Angeles, Calif. – April 24, 2023 – PBS SoCal and KCET, Southern California’s flagship PBS stations, announced today the world broadcast premiere of the half-hour documentary MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE: Workers Die, Film Buried revealing a largely forgotten episode in labor–and media–history devoted to the tragic events in Chicago in 1937. At the height of union activity across America, police opened fire on striking steel workers and their supporters in an open field, killing ten. MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE, narrated by actor Josh Charles (“Sports Night,” “The Good Wife,” “Dead Poets Society”), also tells the story of the film cover-up that followed via interviews with first-hand observers, graphic news photos and unseen or rarely screened Paramount News footage.
MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE: Workers Die, Film Buried will debut on Sat., May 6 at 9 p.m. PT on KCET with an encore airing on Thurs., May 18 at 7 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal. The film will also air on The World Channel and will be distributed nationally via NETA with PBS SoCal | KCET as the Presenting Station (check local listings.) The film will also be available to stream on the PBS app.
MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE showcases historic footage (some of it never screened until now) from a cameraman for Paramount News who was at the scene that day and captured the truth on film. Paramount suppressed the newsreel which featured the only footage of the incident. When a famous reporter revealed the cover-up, a Senate committee held hearings and screened the footage for the first time, arousing national outrage.
Featuring an introduction by Chicago writer/historian and broadcasting legend Studs Terkel, MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE is the first film to fully explore the 1937 tragedy in Chicago. The documentary reveals a haunting episode of American history that transformed union organizing in the U.S. while foreshadowing the dangers of police violence, official cover-ups and media suppression, with profound lessons for Americans today. The film concludes with highlights of the recent surge in union organizing.
MEMORIAL DAY MASSACRE: Workers Die, Film Buried is directed by Greg Mitchell and produced by Lyn Goldfarb.
Early Responses
“So important. Another piece of forgotten history and lesson in the manipulation of truth.”David Maraniss, author of bestsellers “Path Lit by Lightning” and biographies “Barack Obama: The Story” and “First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton”
“Excellent… this is Oscar-level stuff. There are amazing bits — the fact that they had gas masks at the ready, hired vigilantes, machine guns. And the notion of justifiable homicide. This is a brilliant documentarian of history.”Rod Lurie, director of “The Outpost,” “The Challenger” and other movies
“A fine piece of work on American history, film history, and human history. Powerful indeed, on a subject that’s as timely as ever.”David Sterritt, editor-in-chief, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, movie critic, The Christian Science Monitor
“Riveting, moving, infuriating and ultimately inspiring. The combination of union organizing, police violence, and good media/bad media makes it very timely.”Nina Bernstein, longtime investigative reporter, The New York Times
“Astonishing footage — fascinating film!”Geoffrey C. Ward, Emmy-winning writer of Ken Burns films, including “The Civil War,” “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” “Jazz,” “The Roosevelts” and “The Vietnam War”
“Excellent. You’re doing an outstanding job in reminding us of these incidents we forget.”Oliver Stone
“What a horrifying event, and so effectively chronicled in this film. You were right to tie it to the present day. I can’t believe we are back in the union-busting days.”Sarah Kernochan, director of Academy Award® winners “Marjoe” and “Thoth”
Join the conversation on social media using #MemorialDayMassacre using @kcet and @pbssocal
About PBS SoCal and KCET
PBS SoCal and KCET are both part of the donor-supported community institution, the Public Media Group of Southern California. PBS SoCal is the flagship PBS station for diverse people across California and delivers content and experiences that inspire, inform and educate. PBS SoCal offers the full slate of beloved PBS programs including MASTERPIECE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour, FRONTLINE, and a broad library of documentary films with works from Ken Burns; as well as educational content including PBS KIDS programs like DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD and CURIOUS GEORGE. KCET showcases the best of PBS and is a leading source for arts, culture, and news in Southern California. Through innovative storytelling, KCET explores and expresses our dynamic local communities helping residents understand and connect with the region's diverse communities and ideas. For additional information about both KCET and PBS SoCal productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org and pbssocal.org KCET Originals and PBS programming are available to stream on the FREE PBS App on iOS and Android devices, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, and Chromecast. KCET is also available to watch live on YouTube TV.