Robert E. A. Lee
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward Alexander Lee (November 9, 1921 – February 27, 2009) was the head of the Lutheran Church's film production and producer of Martin Luther
and the Oscar-nominated film A Time for Burning
.
on November 9, 1921, he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1942 from Luther College
in Decorah, Iowa
, having majored in music. With experience as a singer and playing the trumpet, he began his career in broadcasting by hosting (and singing on) the show Hymns We Love on the school's radio station. He enlisted in the United States Navy
, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross
for his service as a pilot in the Pacific theater
during World War II
. While he was in the Navy, he married the former Elaine E. Naeseth in 1944, a musician who sang with him in a quartet at Luther College.
He later attended graduate programs at the University of Minnesota
and New York University
.
, he was publicist for the 1953 film Martin Luther
, a biographical drama directed by Irving Pichel
and starring Niall MacGinnis
. The film received extensive publicity and media coverage for the conflict it created between Catholics and Protestants.
The film was blocked in areas with sizable Roman Catholic communities. In the span of a week, it attracted 25,000 people who watched the film at Protestant churches in Montreal
before the film was banned in Quebec
, despite critical praise for the film. After WGN-TV
in Chicago
canceled a scheduled presentation of the film in 1956, dozens of Protestant leaders criticized the station's decision, with Lee telling The New York Times that WGN had caved into pressure from forces that sought to whitewash history, and that such "Efforts at thought control, wherever they are exerted, are un-American and are to be deplored". The film was broadcast in the Chicago area by WBKB-TV
the following year. Martin Luther was nominated for Academy Awards for art direction and cinematography.
and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. In that role, he led the creation of A Time for Burning
as its executive producer, a documentary film released in 1966 about William Youngdahl, the pastor of an all-white Lutheran church in Omaha, Nebraska
, and his efforts to have ten of the congregation's couples reach out to a group of ten couples from all-black Lutheran churches nearby. The Lutheran Church was praised for its efforts to describe interracial conflict inside the church.
The 58-minute film, directed by William C. Jersey and Barbara Connell, and with a budget of $100,000, was shot unscripted in cinéma vérité
style using handheld cameras. It showed the discord that was created as Youngdahl attempted to establish connections between the couples of different races as a means to improve race relations. Yongdahl, who later resigned from his post due to the conflict was filmed in a confrontation with Ernie Chambers
, a young black barber in Omaha who spoke with anger about white people, and was later elected to the Nebraska Legislature
, becoming the longest-serving state legislator in state history. Chambers told Youngdahl that "As far as we're concerned, your Jesus is contaminated. You can have Him".
Despite Lee's efforts, all three major networks declined to air the documentary. It was broadcast on PBS in October 1966, with critic Jack Gould
of The New York Times
calling the film "the most accomplished and sensitive hour of television this season". Former CBS News
president Fred W. Friendly
called the film the "best civil rights film ever made." The film was released into theaters and was nominated for an Academy Award as best documentary. It was added to the National Film Registry
in 2005 by the Library of Congress
.
Lee described the film as "not about the people of Omaha but about all people, and it is not about race relations but about human relations".
, directed by Stuart Rosenberg
and starring Michael Gwynn
, about Christians in East Germany. He also worked on the 1980 television film The Joy of Bach starring Brian Blessed
.
on Long Island
, due to cancer. He was survived by four daughters, two sons, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren and two sisters. His wife died in 2000, the couple having been married for 56 years.
Martin Luther (1953 film)
Martin Luther is a 1953 film biography of Martin Luther. It was directed by Irving Pichel, , and stars Niall MacGinnis as Luther. It was produced by Louis de Rochemont and RD-DR Corporation in collaboration with Lutheran Church Productions and Luther-Film-G.M.B.H.The National Board of Review named...
and the Oscar-nominated film A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side. The film was directed by San Francisco filmmaker...
.
Biography
Lee was born in Spring Grove, MinnesotaSpring Grove, Minnesota
Spring Grove is a city in Houston County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,330 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
on November 9, 1921, he was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1942 from Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
in Decorah, Iowa
Decorah, Iowa
Decorah is a city in and the county seat of Winneshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 8,172 at the 2000 census. Decorah is located at the intersection of State Highway 9 and U.S...
, having majored in music. With experience as a singer and playing the trumpet, he began his career in broadcasting by hosting (and singing on) the show Hymns We Love on the school's radio station. He enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
for his service as a pilot in the Pacific theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. While he was in the Navy, he married the former Elaine E. Naeseth in 1944, a musician who sang with him in a quartet at Luther College.
He later attended graduate programs at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Martin Luther
As assistant director of public relations for the Evangelical Lutheran ChurchEvangelical Lutheran Church (United States)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church or ELC was formed in 1917 as the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America .-Background:The Norwegian Lutheran Church of America was formed by merger of the Hauge Synod , the Norwegian Synod , and the United Norwegian Lutheran Church of America...
, he was publicist for the 1953 film Martin Luther
Martin Luther (1953 film)
Martin Luther is a 1953 film biography of Martin Luther. It was directed by Irving Pichel, , and stars Niall MacGinnis as Luther. It was produced by Louis de Rochemont and RD-DR Corporation in collaboration with Lutheran Church Productions and Luther-Film-G.M.B.H.The National Board of Review named...
, a biographical drama directed by Irving Pichel
Irving Pichel
Irving Pichel was an American actor and film director. He married Violette Wilson, daughter of Jackson Stitt Wilson, a Methodist minister and Socialist mayor of Berkeley, California. Her sister was actress Viola Barry...
and starring Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis was an Irish actor who made 80 screen appearances.-Early life:MacGinnis was born in Dublin in 1913. He was educated at Stonyhurst College in England, and studied medicine at Dublin University. He qualified as a house surgeon...
. The film received extensive publicity and media coverage for the conflict it created between Catholics and Protestants.
The film was blocked in areas with sizable Roman Catholic communities. In the span of a week, it attracted 25,000 people who watched the film at Protestant churches in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
before the film was banned in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, despite critical praise for the film. After WGN-TV
WGN-TV
WGN-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the CW-affiliated television station in Chicago, Illinois built, signed on, and owned by the Tribune Company. WGN-TV's studios and offices are located at 2501 W...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
canceled a scheduled presentation of the film in 1956, dozens of Protestant leaders criticized the station's decision, with Lee telling The New York Times that WGN had caved into pressure from forces that sought to whitewash history, and that such "Efforts at thought control, wherever they are exerted, are un-American and are to be deplored". The film was broadcast in the Chicago area by WBKB-TV
WBKB-TV
WBKB-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for the Alpena area of Michigan's Northern Lower Peninsula. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11 from a transmitter south of Hubbard Lake near M-72 in Alcona County. The station can also be seen on Charter channel 10 and...
the following year. Martin Luther was nominated for Academy Awards for art direction and cinematography.
A Time for Burning
Starting in 1954, Lee was executive secretary of Lutheran Film Associates, a joint venture that created media on religious topics cooperatively run by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaEvangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...
and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. In that role, he led the creation of A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning
A Time for Burning is a 1966 American documentary film which explores the attempts of the minister of Augustana Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska, to persuade his all-white congregation to reach out to "negro" Lutherans in the city's north side. The film was directed by San Francisco filmmaker...
as its executive producer, a documentary film released in 1966 about William Youngdahl, the pastor of an all-white Lutheran church in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, and his efforts to have ten of the congregation's couples reach out to a group of ten couples from all-black Lutheran churches nearby. The Lutheran Church was praised for its efforts to describe interracial conflict inside the church.
The 58-minute film, directed by William C. Jersey and Barbara Connell, and with a budget of $100,000, was shot unscripted in cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
style using handheld cameras. It showed the discord that was created as Youngdahl attempted to establish connections between the couples of different races as a means to improve race relations. Yongdahl, who later resigned from his post due to the conflict was filmed in a confrontation with Ernie Chambers
Ernie Chambers
Ernest W. Chambers is a former Nebraska State Senator who represented North Omaha's 11th District in the Nebraska State Legislature. He is also a civil rights activist and is considered by most citizens of Nebraska as the most prominent and outspoken African American leader in the state...
, a young black barber in Omaha who spoke with anger about white people, and was later elected to the Nebraska Legislature
Nebraska Legislature
The Nebraska Legislature is the supreme legislative body of the State of Nebraska, in the Great Plains region of the United States. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County....
, becoming the longest-serving state legislator in state history. Chambers told Youngdahl that "As far as we're concerned, your Jesus is contaminated. You can have Him".
Despite Lee's efforts, all three major networks declined to air the documentary. It was broadcast on PBS in October 1966, with critic Jack Gould
Jack Gould
Jack Gould was an American journalist and critic, who wrote influential commentary about television....
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
calling the film "the most accomplished and sensitive hour of television this season". Former CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
president Fred W. Friendly
Fred W. Friendly
Fred W. Friendly was a president of CBS News and the creator, along with Edward R. Murrow, of the documentary television program See It Now...
called the film the "best civil rights film ever made." The film was released into theaters and was nominated for an Academy Award as best documentary. It was added to the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
in 2005 by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Lee described the film as "not about the people of Omaha but about all people, and it is not about race relations but about human relations".
Other films
With Lutheran Film Associates, Lee was also involved in producing the 1962 film Question 7Question 7
Question 7 is a 1961 film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring Michael Gwynn, Margaret Jahnen and Christian de Bresson. It won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film. It was also entered into the 11th Berlin International Film Festival....
, directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Stuart Rosenberg
Stuart Rosenberg was an American film and television director whose notable works included the movies Cool Hand Luke , Voyage of the Damned , The Amityville Horror , and The Pope of Greenwich Village .-Early life and career:Born in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Rosenberg studied Irish...
and starring Michael Gwynn
Michael Gwynn
Michael Gwynn was an English actor. He attended Mayfield College near Mayfield, East Sussex. During the Second World War he served in East Africa as a major and was adjutant to the 2nd Battalion of the King's African Rifles.He is perhaps best remembered in contemporary culture as the shyster Lord...
, about Christians in East Germany. He also worked on the 1980 television film The Joy of Bach starring Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
.
Death
Lee died at age 87 on February 27, 2009 at his home in Baldwin, New YorkBaldwin, Nassau County, New York
Baldwin is a hamlet located in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 24,033 at the 2010 census.Baldwin is also a station on the Babylon Branch of the Long Island Rail Road....
on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, due to cancer. He was survived by four daughters, two sons, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren and two sisters. His wife died in 2000, the couple having been married for 56 years.