Warning, this footage is really tough to watch and it's hard to imagine that such a large amount of violencetook place in broad day light inAmerica. Prior to the civil unrest, Timothy and his brother Terry were driving around south central filming random things with his new camcorder. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Sometime in the early 1930s, Denny was between scenes on a movie set At the time, Tim was a young Air Force pilot who was no stranger to this part of Los Angeles. US with his family in 1908 to act in the play "The Quaker Girl". Reginald Denny was hauling a load of gravel to a work site, but made the fateful error of going through South Central Los Angelos. Jones gets roped into psalms illegal She was not. This is the approach taken by the ABC documentary Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992, which screened in a few theatres last weekend and has its television premire on Friday night. returned in 1915, making his debut in American films that year. He is overcome. A new documentary on ABC looks at the decade leading up to the 1992 violence in Los Angeles. Thanks very much for the call, Matt. Gates would remain the chief of police through the beating of Rodney King and the riots. my critique of it is far more subjective van I would normally try to be in one You cant! "The journey seemed like it took forever," Murphy said. Was he exploiting the badly beaten motorist or was he simply making the most out of the situation? Thanks very much for the phone call. Taking a shortcut off the Santa Monica Freeway down Normandie Avenue was nothing out of the ordinary for 33-year-old Reginald Denny. Angry mobs targeted a Chinese immigrant named Choi Si Choi and a white trucker named Reginald Denny and beat them during live coverage of the riots. Denny's interview illustrates his capacity for forgiveness and his desire to embrace a shared experience with people of other races. Sometime in the early 1930s, Denny was between scenes on a movie set when he met a neighborhood boy who was trying to fly a bulky gas-powered model plane. "Something inside me said, 'Get up; you have to do something,"Murphy said. Nearly 60 residents of varying backgrounds were killed in the violence. Reginald Denny was born in 1953. The causes and conditions of the riots in Los Angeles in 1992appalling racial injustice and a largely white state force rarely held accountablepersist. Therefore, That's sick! And King was then forced to live that tortured life publicly, which ended up amplifying his personal problems. etc. Date of . Murphy said he did have one moment when he was scared: a car load of people carrying guns and sticks approached. This interview was conducted in 2002. Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. So, as much as I can see the value in Skinners Dress Suit as You know, it wasn't really a hard-news program, or anything like that. which started new and sometimes painful conversations across the country. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty ImagesTwo residents walk out of the chaos taking place on the streets of LA. CONAN: In what context did you see the footage? In addition to property damage, plenty of physical violence ensued. And when you see Denny in action in that film, donning the titular dress suit, The series It's the TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News. Click here to hear Murphy expound on his thousands on race. So we have to look at our institutions and change from within, not from outside. Obviously, we could not get along. The Videographer Behind the Viral '92 Los Angeles Riots Footage Tim and his brother found themselves in the flashpoint of the event and began filming as much of the scene as possible. And let's see if we can get Patrick. Highlights from the week in culture, every Saturday. Police were not deployed until three hours after the riots had begun. Acting was in the blood for Reginald Denny. to Jones?, not to mention my enjoyment of The Reckless Age,that Getty ImagesWith no assistance from the LAPD, Korean American business owners, now called roof Koreans, and other residents of South Central were left to fend for themselves. Getty ImagesAn estimated 2,000 Korean American-owned businesses and stores were destroyed during the LA riots. "We both asked each other, 'What are you going to do?' As is often the case with minority communities, the local government largely neglected South Central L.A. What happened on that cool March night over two decades ago forever changed me and the organization I love, he said in a statement. Sometime in the early 1930s, Denny was between scenes on a movie set when he met a neighborhood boy who was trying to fly a bulky gas-powered model plane. stars Denny as an insurance man whos been assigned to ensure that the marriage His beating sparked outrage over police brutality. Denny Says He Didn't Provoke His Assailants : Riots: Truck driver, in a what Id seen him in prior to this without looking at his IMdB page. Reginald Oliver Denny (born 1953) is a former construction truck driver who was pulled from his truck and severely beaten during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Reginald Denny Character Analysis - LitCharts That was also the year that N.W.A. then? As I would come to soon find out, his story is actually pretty remarkable. Where Is Reginald Denny? Trucker Who Became Key Figure in L.A. Riots Rodney King on the opinion page this week. Once the uprising was in full-swing, residents calls to 911 were largely ignored. A different kind of juryone made up of black cultural leadersweighs in on the Simpson verdict and the Million Man March. Denny . I will never know what that feels like. As I was protecting my parents shopping mall, I was watching my own gas station burn down on T.V.. And, you know, the Rodney King episode was kind of an evolution for someone like me who grew up in the middle-class, upper-class neighborhood about the brutality that went on and the blatancy of it, and what the caller said about being beaten just because how you were born. Today, were seeing that all around us as He believes people should be judged on their actions whether good or bad and not on color. It is heads-and-shoulders the funniest Here's your go-to source for today's LA news. When he tried to help by making an adjustment -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Reginald Denny appears in, a petite, attractive woman in her 50s. He never asked to be beaten. View the profiles of people named Reginald Denny. stage debut at 6 years old, but his future was not yet set in that CONAN: All right. The Oversaturation of Photography: Is Social Media Killing the Photographer's Eye. And an 18-year-old Korean American boy named Edward Song Lee was also shot to death amid the chaos when business owners mistook him for a looter. I didn't know about it As one Asian American man seen in the Smithsonians The Lost Tapes: L.A. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. He came from an acting Skinners The violence that broke out during that week of unrest remains embedded in the memory of the citys people to this day. The community didn't like the jury verdict in a trial of 2 police officers, in Los Angelos.It took nearly 48 hours to get the national gaurd on the streets, and the police refused to show up to work, fearing their own lives.They looted the liquor stores, then went downhill from there. We wonder if this stop, or this cop, is the one that will alter our life path irrevocably. LISTful in Michigan: Ranking the #1 Movies of April 25, 1980s Edition, LISTful in Michigan: Ranking the 2023 Best Picture Oscar Nominees. Some interpreted the roof Koreans as gun-toting vigilantes rightfully defending their properties. Toshima was caught in crossfire during a shootout between rival gangs in the posh neighborhood. (Reading) What I will always remember most is King's sense of panic once he realized the LAPD was in pursuit mode on that fateful night. African American residents saved the victims and pulled them out of harm's way. Oki with us from Springfield, Massachusetts. WordPress Theme by Solostream. After extensive surgery and therapy, Reginald Denny whose skull was fractured on April 29 when a rioter threw a brick at his head, among other injuries regained his ability to walk and. All in all, the social environment brewing in America's largest west coast city was just waiting to burst into flames and the acquittal of Rodney King's assailants was the spark that unleashed it all. Good Samaritan Remembers the LA Riots 20 Years Later: "I Had to Do Looters and arsonists, unfortunately, targeted many local businesses, including Korean-owned shops. Tim's video also helped bring to justice those who robbed and assaulted the innocent people passing through those streets. The 1992 LA uprising lasted for five days. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Soon, the realization hit me. yourself, you might find it to be as hilarious as no doubt audiences did back "All this other stuff were doing, were just wasting our valuable time. all-out brawl between most of the parties involved. "Id do it again anytime. He made his film debut in 1912 and appeared in several British I was 10 when the LA riots occurred. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. I think that Rodney King situation really reminds me of everything that is going on in the United States. Copyright 2012 NPR. California Straight Ahead : Reginald Denny : Free Download, Borrow, and set by film historian Anthony Slide. You know, that happened in Los Angeles, not Alabama. There are so many minorities that are educated, and they still cannot find, you know, work. these rags-to-riches, yay for The American Dream stories sickening. JOSH: I don't think it has, and to even say that is - I have half-brother and a half-sister, a Mexican, and so I have a three-dimensional view on the racism and, you know, inequalities of life, compared to what I can get by just being white, and it's unfortunate. The incident was foremost an accumulation of the unrest that had been building in the community for a long time. At a time when live news footage from a helicopter was still not commonplace, this video feed showing the disastrouseffects of violent rioters will no doubt be considered some of the best journalistic footage from Americain the early 1990s. GEORGE: Yes. We are pointing fingers most of the time to the police department, but let's take a look at our workplace, let's take a look at the many institutions and tell me how many, you know, minorities that are there. The Reginald Denny Collection brings together three of Dennys silent The way the content is organized, Reginald Denny is a white truck driver who was racially targeted and attacked by Black protestors during the riots. I'm sure it is less racist, but obviously, there's - like you were discussing earlier, the fact that the video age, these things are now visible to millions, hundreds of millions of people, and it's becoming commonplace. Journalist Who Filmed '92 LA Riots and OJ Simpson Chase on Capturing Simpson case, and it's an important one to note. His attackers, a group of Black men who came to be known as the " L.A. Four ", targeted Denny because he was White. Reginald Denny was a truck driver who was viciously assaulted during Los Angeles riots in 1992. More conversation is definitely in order for any change to be effected regarding race relations. Meet The Real 'Roof Koreans' From The L.A. Riots He says that he felt he did all that he could. April 21, 2017 at 5:00 PM. I guess this was a thing you could do back Bonus features are limited to audio commentaries for each film in the After Denny arrived at the hospital, he had a seizure. In fact, he grew up in this neighborhood around Normandie and . There was recently an incident - I feel bad I cannot remember the young man's name - but these three big, white police officers jumped out of an unmarked car and this 16-year-old was walking home - or 18-year-old - from his grandmother's house and they beat the tar out of this young man, and he was - and they - and then they get off and this and that. Patrick Bettan, a 30-year-old Algerian-born Frenchman who worked as a security guard at one of the shopping centers, was accidentally killed by one of the armed business owners. The first footage I watched was Bob (now Zoey) Tur'sfamous aerial footage taken at Normandie and Florence in Inglewood. When he was 33, he became a construction worker employed with Transit Mixed Concrete and lived a quiet life in Los Angeles. of events that transpire thereafter are hilariously convoluted and predictably film, along with The Reckless Age, solidified this collection in my mind for the photographers. He claimed that the girl was trying to steal a bottle of orange juice. When Murphy and his girlfriend Terri Barnett arrived at Dennys truck, Lei Yuille was already in the cab comforting Denny. fortunes for love, etc. REGINALD DENNY. CONAN: This is from AP's - another AP story. Because Korean Americans owned many of the stores in the area, they endured much of the riots economic loss. I see it everywhere. He appeared in two Best Picture Academy Award winners: What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? They are a close family and Murphy beams in their presence. Simpson case come along, and we see an acquittal of O.J. a woman and a Catholic Bishop! Reginald Denny - IMDb This included his friends of color. And I remember talking to my parents about it. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. But I Then, hell broke loose following the acquittal of white officers who had beaten Rodney King, an African American man, within an inch of his life on camera. He had a moment of hope that help had finally arrived. The shooter, Soon Ja Du, got away with zero jail time for the murder. Rodney King was not an inspirational figure. We appreciate your calls and your time, and we're sorry we couldn't get to everybody. Rather KEN: Well, I wasn't around in the '60s. The Lessons We Learned From Rodney King : NPR Cutting a dashing figure with his athletic good looks, he joined a Josh, thanks very much for the phone call. Join Facebook to connect with Reginald Denny and others you may know. 1992 Los Angeles rite. As horrible as it is, thanks for sharing nevertheless, Patrick. In a weird twist of fate, Tim actually filmed his own brother committing crimes right in front of him. romantic lead and comic performer. "Theres only one race and thats the human race," Murphy said. The fact that King was not a saint gave his story power. She said he is still quick to help others. None of his friends knew who Rodney King. romantic comedy thats held up surprisingly well apart from the prominent use Reginald Denny - IMDb The film puts his range to the test and he truly I watched a gas station on fire, and I thought, boy, that place looks familiar, Lee recalled during one night of the unrest. Inside Edition Reports on Reginald Denny Rescue - YouTube Images of Korean American civilians shooting in the direction of looters permeated the news. man rising to the top in his company thanks to a combination of hard work, dumb Disturbing Interview: Henry "Kiki" Watson finally admits why he took part in the savage vicious attack on truck driver Reginald Denny over 25 years ago durin. Getty ImagesKorean American business owners took up arms and positioned theirselves on the roofs of their buildings at the height of the riots. Images of the burned down stores dominated the news, but Korean American businesses received little help to rebuild in the aftermath. his infatuation with model aviation, and his new hobby grew into More than eleven thousand arrests will be made in less than a week. Actor: Rebecca. The beating incident started new, painful conversations on race relations in America. in 1926. The younger Denny had made his 2002 Reginald Denny Interview: Lasting Physical Effects of Beating. This is Pittsburgh. As a photographer, which side would you have taken: capture footage used to bring justice to those who committed horrible crimes or set down your camera to physically save the life of someone in need? In 1992, Americans watched South Central Los Angeles go up in flames on the news. no good, Jones knows his virtue must be unassailable until the wedding on the With no assistance from the LAPD, Korean American business owners, now called roof Koreans, and other residents of South Central were left to fend for themselves. Denny, a member of the In one of the most disturbing images from the Los Angeles riots, six black assailants dragged Reginald Denny, a 33-year-old truck driver, out of his truck in South Los Angeles and bashed his. Denny quickly became a symbol of cataclysmic upheaval in Los. And I say, 'What are you going to do?'" You can also join the conversation at our website. This is from Reverend Al Sharpton: Though all that he gone through with his beating and his personal demons, he was never one to not call for reconciliation and for people to overcome and forgive. Getty ImagesThe poor response from the government during the South Central unrest showed minority residents that local officials had forsaken them. Unrest in South Central L.A. reached a tipping point following two highly-publicized cases involving Black victims of racial violence. I was 12 years old when the beating happened, and I was raised by a black woman. 2002 Interview: Reginald Denny on the Get-Well Cards He Received He liked what he had seen of the US and His mother suffered a gunshot wound while trying to shield his father, who was safeguarding the store. Date of the incident is 4/29/1992.Thankfully, due to the live broadcast of this footage on the news, Bobby Green Jr. of South Central Los Angeles rushed to the site of the incident to help him out. But King never asked to be a symbol. When something this horrific is happening before your eyes, should you stay and capture the scene or should you run for safety and/or help those in immediate danger? And this is from James Braxton Peterson, in The Daily Beast. CONAN: Reginald Denny, the truck driver who was pulled out of his cab and beaten to death. The Korean American population was growing rapidly. The truck driver who was beaten nearly to death during the LA Riots, Denny spoke about how April 29, 1992 still affects him. Reginald Denny was a truck driver who was viciously assaulted during At first, Murphy thought the man could be a rioter who had come to "finish off" Denny. comedies as a leading man. Rodney King became a reluctant symbol of the inequalities long endured by the citys residents of color. Simpson, and I think that was really symptomatic of the lot of - I've heard a lot of writers talked about how the jurors in that case, and especially the jurors of color, while they voted their conscience in that case, couldn't help but not reflect on the amount of brutality that occurred in the police department, Los Angeles Police Department under Daryl Gates and Chief Parker before him against black people, and that affected the credibility of all the police officers in that case. romances about upper class folks defying fathers wishes, giving up their Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. People are people. Elaine Young, a real estate agent to Hollywood stars, and Henry "Keith" Watson, a co-assailant of Reginald Denny, are two of the real people depicted in Anna. Its joke. I mean, in the country, there's a lot of people looking for jobs. We hear the officer who choked James Mincey to death justify his decision as normal police work gone wrong. I'm thankful that Timothy captured the footage that he did during the LA Riots, but it's interesting to juxtapose Tim's actions to those ofsomeone like Donald Jones who placed his life in danger to save one of the men being beat in Tim's video. Two residents walk out of the chaos taking place on the streets of LA. by god is he ever one dapper gent to be sure. As does Kings question. Murphy then found himself facing off with a large stranger on a day when every stranger posed a threat. On March 3, 1991, the brutal police beating of a Black man named Rodney King who was chased by police over a traffic violation was captured on camera. The first of these, The Reckless Age (1926), engaged to be married to the daughter of an incredibly wealthy man. Even though Tim had some of the most desirable footage filmed in the heart of the civil unrest, not everyone was impressed with his camera skills. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Another interesting element of Tim's riot footage is that this footage would later become the main evidence used for arresting and prosecuting specific rioters. Then, two weeks later, a 15-year-old Black teenager named Latasha Harlins was shot dead by a Korean American store clerk. Should the truth be captured and told despite the backlash you personally might receive from the media, your peers, or political groups? Ive seen 2 movies about this exact same scenario in the last year such thing), its a film that depressingly brought all this to mind. wherein he was but a supporting player, and even then I couldnt have told you So its with that understanding and my highest praise for What Happened By the end of the attack, Dennys skull was busted into more than 90 pieces. But the trial judge, Joyce Karlin, instead sentencedher to five years probation, four hundred hours of community service, and a five-hundred-dollar fine. CONAN: You see the country as incredibly racist, more racist, less racist than it was in the '60s? http://veteransmemoriesproject.com/Windsor Historical Society ~ Veterans Memories ProjectInterview with Reginald Denny, Driver for Medical Personnel, Canadia. Within hours, angry residents took to the streets to voice their despair. Reginald Denny Gertrude Olmstead Tom Wilson Charles K. Gerrard Addeddate 2020-12-03 05:50:15 Director Harry A. Pollard External-identifier urn:imdb:tt0015663 Genre Comedy Drama Identifier silent-california-straight-ahead Scanner Internet Archive Python library 1.9.6. plus-circle Add . interfere with the proceedings. He said he began beating on the hood of the truck "claiming" it as his own, so that the rioters would think "hes got that" and would go find somewhere else to be destructive. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images. The Reginald Denny Collection brings together three of Denny's silent comedies as a leading man. LA riots: Rioter in infamous footage of trucker being pulled from If it happens out here, Ill do the same thing,"Murphy said. Join us for that conversation. (including. In fact, he grew up in thisneighborhood around Normandie and knew most of the people he would come to film on April 29th. Before I worked my way through the Reginald Denny Collection, Id Even though technically no looters were killed in the gunfire exchange with Korean Americans store owners, blood was spilled amid the conflict. These films are very much products of their times! As he speaks, buildings are burning in his name. As news broke from the Rodney King trial, people took to the streets and violence began to unfold quickly.