Eleanor Sully interviews Leslie Perry, Black playwright and director, about his commitment to changing the order of things - not only in the theatre; but as Mr. Perry indicates, since theatre is his thing, he's trying to make it "a relevant theatre of NOW." Perry discusses his production of "The Mock Trial Of Huey Newton" in Berkeley, and certain reactions to it.
Bette Davis (1908 - 1989) appears before a live audience at the 1969 San Francisco International Film Festival in a question-and-answer session moderated by Festival director Albert Johnson, as part of a tribute to Davis on November 1, 1969 held at the Masonic Auditorium. Davis delivers her famous "What a dump!" line at the beginning of the recording to enthusiastic applause.
Madalyn Murray (O'Hair), founder of American Atheists who was dubbed "the most hated woman in America" by Life Magazine in 1964, talks about her philosophy in these two recordings. On the first program, she goes into more detail about her atheism. On the second program, she discusses some of the incidents she's encountered in her militant fight against religion.
Author Kay Boyle (February 19, 1902 – December 27, 1992) talks with Eleanor Sully and reads from her own work. Boyle talks about her life and work, Huey Newton, the black movement, the strike at San Francisco State College, her students, and Dr. Hayakawa.
Ruth I. Pierce, author of "Single and Pregnant," is interviewed by Joan Churton. The two discuss the social and psychological problems of being an unmarried pregnant woman, and how a puritanical society that shies away from discussing unwed pregnancy can do a disservice to young men and women.
Eleanor Sully talks with Ella Leffland (born November 25, 1931), author of a recently published first novel, "Mrs. Munck." Woman author discusses her life and writing and reads the prologue to the book. Mrs. Munck (1970) was made into a film adapted, directed, and starring Diane Ladd in 1995.
An interview with Jane Brown, dancer, choreographer, and teacher, conducted by Betty Roszak. Miss Brown talks about her recently published manual, The Evolution of Erect Human Motion, and its relationship to daily living as well as dance.
Cecil Brown, member of the U.C. Berkeley English Department faculty and author, talks with Elanor Sully about the Voodoo (also called Hoodoo) tradition of Black art and religion in relation to his own work. He has a PhD in African American Literature from the University of California, Berkeley.He talks about his new best-selling novel "The Life and Love of Mr.
Variations on themes from Virginia Woolf, read by Eleanor Sully with the musical support of diverse poets and performers. Co-produced by Eleanor Sully and Sue Blumenberg. Excerpts from "A room of one's own" by Virginia Woolf, "She wept, she railed" a poem by Stanley Kunitz, and "Fourth meditation" a poem by Theodore Roethke were read by Eleanor Sully.