William B. Branch

Career and themes

Branch involved himself in the entertainment world because he "became convinced that only African Americans could truthfully write and produce theater about African Americans." His first play was A Medal for Willie, written when he was 27. It launched Branch's career, leading to success and much recognition for his work. His writing characteristically "deals with the place and recognition of the African American in pre-civil rights America." In Splendid Error, 1954. Light in the Southern Sky, 1958. To Follow the Phoenix, 1960. A Wreath for Udomo, 1961. Baccalaureate, 1975.

Television writing This Way, ABC, 1955 What Is Conscience?, CBS, 1955 Let's Find Out, National Council of Church, 1956 Light in the Southern Sky, NBC, 1958 Legacy of a Prophet, Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1959 The City (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962–64 Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class, NET, 1968 The Case of NON-Working Workers, NBC, 1972 The 20 Billion-Dollar-Rip-Off, NBC, 1972 No Room to Run, No Place to Hide, NBC, 1972 The Black Church in New York, NBC, 1973. Afro-American Perspectives (series), PBS, 1973–74. A Letter from Booker T., PBS, 1987.

Films Fifty Steps Toward Freedom, 1959. The Man on the Meeting Street, 1960. Benefit Performance, 1969. Judgement!, 1969. Together for Days, 1971.

Producer "NBC News," NBC, 1959–60. The City (documentary series), Educational Broadcasting Corp., 1962–64 Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class, 1968 Black Perspectives on the News, PBS, 1978–79 (Executive Producer)

Editor Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, Mentor, 1992.

Criticism

Anthologies Black Theatre: A 20th Century Collection of the Work of Its Best Playwrights, edited by Lindsey Patterson, Dodd-Mead, 1971 (reissue New American Library, 1986, ) Black Theatre USA: 45 Plays by Black Americans, 1847-1974, edited by J. Hatch, Free Press, 1974 Standing Room Only, edited by Daigon and Bernier, Prentice-Hall, 1977 Meeting Challenges, edited by J. Nelson, American Book, 1980

Books (Editor and contributor) Black Thunder: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Drama, Mentor, 1992. (Editor and contributor) Crosswinds: An Anthology of Black Dramatists in the Diaspora, Indiana University Press, 1993.