THE HARRY BRIDGES PROJECT
Celebrating the legacy of an extraordinary labor leader and social visionary.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2009
CONTACT: Suzanne Thompson at 310-570-5419 or sthompson007@ca.rr.com
July 5th 2009 Marks the 75th Anniversary of “Bloody Thursday”
Haskell Wexler’s Film
“From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks: The Life and Times of Harry Bridges”
Airing Across the Country on PBS
“Harry Bridges is one of the most important labor leaders of the 20th century. Ian Ruskin has captured his
persona and his ideas brilliantly”. Howard Zinn, Historian, Playwright and Social Activist.
(USA) “From Wharf Rats to the Lords of the Docks: The Life and Times of Harry Bridges”, makes its national
television premiere on Philadelphia’s PBS station, WHYY Channel 12.2 Y Arts, Tuesday, June 30th at 2pm. Ian
Ruskin made his first public appearance in a Philadelphia theater. Now a film of his one-man play, filmed and directed
by Haskell Wexler will air on public television in Philadelphia. “My first public performance, at aged 11, was at the
Stagecrafters Theater in Philadelphia and now, after spending 25 years back in England and then moving to Los
Angeles, the film in which I play an Australian visionary labor leader is airing in Philadelphia. A full circle”, said Ian
Ruskin, actor, writer, producer and The Harry Bridges Project founder and director.
San Francisco’s PBS station, KQED World Channel 190 Comcast or 9.3 digital, will air it on Sunday, July
5th at 7pm. “A fascinating look at the pioneering work of labor activist Harry Bridges” said Scott Dwyer,
Program Director, KQED TV. On this same day, 75 years ago, chaos grew throughout the waterfront, up and
down the Embarcadero, on Rincon Hill and at the San Francisco Ferry Building. The riots resulted in over
400 men gassed, beaten and jailed, and two strikers Nicholas Bordoise and Howard Sperry, killed when
policemen fired shots into the crowd at Mission and Steuart Streets. In the aftermath of Bloody Thursday,
thousands of people filed down Market Street in a funeral march for the slain strikers. Sympathy for the
strikers helped fuel public support for the general strike that followed. “It is very exciting to me that KQED
is “bringing Harry home” by airing this film. This story not only shows how important and influential Harry
Bridges was to the growth and character of the Bay Area, but also the importance of the Bay Area to the
entire American labor movement” says Ruskin. See a clip from the film on Bloody Thursday at
http://www.theharrybridgesproject.org/battle.mp4.
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The public television stations across the country airing this film include:
California
KQED World San Francisco: Sunday July 5th 7 PM, Monday July 6th 1 AM, and Wednesday July 8th 8 AM
and 11 AM
Colorado
KBDI – 12 Broomfield Sunday July 5th 8 PM
Florida
WXEL – 42 West Palm Beach Sunday July 5th 12 PM
Missouri
KMOS-6 Hannibal Sunday June 28th 10:00 PM
KCPT-19.2 Kansas City Monday July 6th 3:00 AM
Montana
K32-EO Sunday July 5th 8:00 PM
North Dakota
KBME-3.1 Bismarck Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KDSE-9.1 Dickinson Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KIRE-19.1 Ellendale Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KFME-13.1 Fargo Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KGFE- 2.1 Grand Forks Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KSRE-6.1 Minot Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
KWSE-4.1 Williston Thursday July 2nd 8:00 PM
New Mexico
KENW-DT2 Portales Sunday June 28th 9:30 PM
KENW-3 Portales/Yuma Sunday June 28th 9:30 PM
Pennsylvania
WHYY-12.2 Philadelphia Tuesday June 30th 2:00PM
Y Arts & Thursday July 2nd 2:00PM
(please check your local listings to confirm and project website for updates to this schedule)
This film, directed by Academy Award© winning director and cinematographer Haskell Wexler, produced
by Ian Ruskin and Suzanne Thompson for The Harry Bridges Project, is a film of a truly unique event – Ian
Ruskin performing his one-man play to a packed house of 1000 longshore workers in San Pedro, California.
The result, with appearances by Elliott Gould, Edward Asner and members of ILWU Local 13, and with
music by Jackson Browne, Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Tim Reynolds, Ciro Hurtado, David Mora and
including the world premiere of Woody Guthrie’s song about Harry, sung by his granddaughter Sarah Lee
Guthrie, is an inspiring story. It is an intimate exploration of the life and times of this extraordinary man – “a
hero or the devil incarnate, it all depends on your point of view” – full of the high drama and biting humor
that ran through his life. And it is a springboard into understanding the parallel issues – globalization, global
responsibilities, wars on terrorism, surveillance and privacy, and the widening gap between rich and poor –
that we face today. To view the film, promo, music or more information about The Harry Bridges Project
see: http://theharrybridgesproject.org/booking.html, http://www.netaonline.org/5minutes.htm#Wharf_ or
(NOT FOR PRINT) the entire film at http://web.me.com/motionartsinc/harry/FILM.html (user name: harry
password: bridges)
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Interviews and photos available upon request.
A Brief History of Harry Bridges (1901-1990)
Australian born Bridges was a labor leader and social campaigner whose impact on the fabric of American
life during the 20th century was profound and far-reaching. From 1930 until the early 1970s he was a
national and international figure. He knew Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robeson, Billie Holiday, Pete Seeger and
Orson Welles. When Nelson Mandela visited America, Bridges was the first man he thanked for his stands
against Apartheid. The ILWU has a long history of international solidarity and the issues for which he
campaigned during those five decades – including the fight against prejudice and discrimination and endless
government surveillance, the fight for rank-and-file democracy in unions, social security, a national health
system, and an end to unjust wars – are still as relevant, important and challenging today as they were when
Bridges began work as a longshoreman, a "wharf rat", on the San Francisco waterfront.
Bridges personal life was as vivid and compelling as his public life. His passion for Jack London novels
brought him to San Francisco as a 19 year old, where he went from public enemy number one to elder
statesman. Two of Bridges’ marriages ended in bitter divorces but a third, to a Japanese-American, changed
the anti- miscegenation laws of western states. He had his "Hollywood era", with star-studded fundraisers for
his trials. He was always, in his own words, a "working stiff", but also a man who met with Presidents and
toured Europe as a hero. A man with a Marxist philosophy who spent 21 years fighting to become an
American citizen, Bridges' commitment to the achievement of workers' rights and social justice, and his fight
against discrimination, continues to impact our lives in the 21st century.
“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting”
Milan Kundera
DVD and CD available on-line www.theharrybridgesproject.org
In addition to the film, the Special Features DVD has 25 segments that take you inside the making of the
film, show the impact of Harry’s union around the world, and give you personal stories about the man.
Included is the view of a port from inside a hammerhead crane, Nelson Mandela paying tribute to the union’s
stand against apartheid, Arlo Guthrie rehearsing “The Ballad of Harry Bridges” and “Waltzing Matilda” and
Bill Moyers interviewing Harry. This DVD is a rich compliment to the story of Harry’s life as told through
the play.
Jackson Browne, Pete Seeger, Tim Reynolds, Arlo Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Ciro
Hurtado and David Mora contribute to this CD soundtrack, that celebrates the American labor movement,
highlights challenges that it has faced, and tells the story of the work of labor leader Harry Bridges.
The CD soundtrack from “Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks”, also produced by Ian Ruskin and Suzanne
Thompson features world exclusive recordings by Jackson Browne (“Step by Step”), Arlo Guthrie (“The
Ballad of Harry Bridges” and “Waltzing Matilda”), Ciro Hurtado (“Tengo Hambre Blues”, composed for the
film), contributions by Pete Seeger (“The Scabs Crawl In” and “Step by Step”), Tim Reynolds (“Put the Gas
Mask On”), David Mora (“Harry Bridges Mambo”) and the world exclusive first recording of the Woody
Guthrie song “Ballad of Harry Bridges”, sung by his granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie. There is a twelvepage liner note booklet with extensive notes about the recording of each track, the song’s history and its
historical significance.
The CD is now available at www.theharrybridgesproject.org and at www.cdbaby.com, and as a digital
download at CD Baby, iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, Amazon, Napster, Verizon V-CAST, Liquid Digital
Media, PayPal, AudioLunchBox, GroupieTunes and Ruckus.
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Woody Guthrie once said “I just sort of thought that there ought to be some kind of little song wrote up
about old Harry and the tough old human race for which he stands”. The Harry Bridges Project is proud that
these musicians are continuing the tradition of writing and performing songs about the labor movement and
the work of Harry Bridges for today’s audience. And, as Pete Seeger said recently “Harry Bridges…one of
the most extraordinary human beings that I’ve known in my entire long life”.
The Harry Bridges Project
All profit from this CD will help to fund the Educational Programs of The Harry Bridges Project, a nonprofit organization. Twelve workshops, based on issues within the film “From Wharf Rats to Lords of the
Docks” and two radio documentaries in pre-production, will be designed for community colleges and high
schools and offered free of charge. Go to http://www.theharrybridgesproject.org/education.html
The Harry Bridges Project is dedicated to introducing the public to the life and ideas of Harry Bridges and
his impact on our lives today. Bridges was an extraordinary labor leader and social visionary whose life and
work encompassed all of the important issues and events of his day, including immigration, depression-era
policies, red-scares, McCarthyism, the cold-war and labor issues. His story provides a springboard into
understanding these times and realizing their significance today, as we face parallel issues of globalization,
the growing gap between rich and poor, increasing governmental surveillance and the war on terror. His life
inspires people to come together, discover their own history and take charge of their own lives by engaging
in dialogue and debate about these issues in order to move beyond the fears and limitations they can create.
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