Free, White and 21
Encyclopedia
Free, White and 21 is a 1963
movie by self-proclaimed "schlockmeister", Larry Buchanan
. It was based on the true story of the controversial trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman in Dallas, Texas
in the 1960s.
The title is a version of the archaic American idiomatic phrase "free, white, and twenty-one" which means "beholden to no one".
) raped Swedish immigrant and civil rights Freedom Rider Greta Mae Hansen (played by Annalena Lund). Jones was the proprietor of the hotel at which Hansen decided to stay during her time in Dallas. The movie is primarily a courtroom drama, with many of the key events portrayed in flashback sequences as Ernie Jones and Greta Mae Hansen testify.
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
movie by self-proclaimed "schlockmeister", Larry Buchanan
Larry Buchanan
Larry Buchanan was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a "schlockmeister". Many of his titles have landed on "worst movie" lists, but all at least broke even and many made a profit.Buchanan was born in Mexia, Texas. He was orphaned as a baby, and was raised in Dallas in...
. It was based on the true story of the controversial trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the 1960s.
The title is a version of the archaic American idiomatic phrase "free, white, and twenty-one" which means "beholden to no one".
Plot
The central conflict in this film is whether African-American businessman Ernie Jones (played by Frederick O'NealFrederick O'Neal
Frederick O'Neal was an American actor, theater producer and television director. He founded the American Negro Theater and was the first African-American president of the Actors' Equity Association...
) raped Swedish immigrant and civil rights Freedom Rider Greta Mae Hansen (played by Annalena Lund). Jones was the proprietor of the hotel at which Hansen decided to stay during her time in Dallas. The movie is primarily a courtroom drama, with many of the key events portrayed in flashback sequences as Ernie Jones and Greta Mae Hansen testify.