Sunday Short Theatre – Almost Famous: The Lost Astronaut

Andy Warhol famously once  talked about everyone getting their ‘ 15 minutes of fame’, you wonder  what Ed Dwight’s life would have been like? But who is Ed Dwight? In this week’s Sunday Short Theatre, Almost Famous: The Lost Astronaut we meet the man who could have been the first African American in Space.

Ben Proudfoot’s  13 minute documentary is all about the first African American to have entered the Air Force training program from which NASA selected astronauts…He was never selected to officially join NASA.

This was 1963 when an young Ed entered the programme, USA was embroiled in social inequality. African Americans had virtually no rights especially men and women who lived the Southern states. This film touches that systematic racism that prevented Ed becoming an astronaut (sadly 60 years on still exists). If he did become an astronaut he would have been joined a small group of black men and women who inspired when there was no hope. This film is however about the man, the man who nearly had his 15 minutes of fame, a man who nearly fulfilled his boyhood dream.

However as you watch this film Ed became a sculptor whose statues and memorials honoured Black History. Becoming inspiration in a completely different but important way, a lesser known hero now gets his story.

This is the story of Ed Dwight Jr., who was invited by his country to train to be the first African-American astronaut. Back in 1963, it was hot news. But the United States never sent Dwight to space. For decades, he has maintained that he was discriminated against during his time at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, a prerequisite to NASA run by the legendary pilot Chuck Yeager.

Dwight is now a prolific artist, building memorials and creating public art honoring African-American history. His footprints cannot be found on the moon. But his fingerprints can be found on sculptures across the country.

Source: New York Times / Short Of The Week

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The founder of The People's Movies, started the site 20th November 2008.The site has excelled past all expectations with many only giving the site months and it's still going strong. A lover of French Thrillers, Post Apocalyptic films, Asian cinema. 2009 started Cinehouse to start his 'cinema education' learning their is life outside mainstream cinema. Outside of film, love to travel with Sorrento, Guangzhou and Manchester all favourite destinations.Musically loves David Bowie, Fishbone, Radiohead.

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