On this episode of Our American Stories, hear major occasions to which Pat Boone rose, to do something more important than his television show, and perhaps even his life. The music legend insisted, come what may, to not perpetuate bigotry.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
Up next, a story from Pat Boone on two moments
in his life where he took a stand at risk
of career and bodily harm.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Let's get into the story. Take it away, Pat, I
(00:48):
would like.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
People to know that back during my days when I
was doing the TV show, I was thrilled to be
singing these rhythm blue songs by people that were becoming
friends of mine. Little Richard Patz Domino, the Flamingos and
the El Dorados and on and on. They were friends
and I was doing their songs. Then one day Harry Belafani,
(01:12):
who was the biggest entertainer in the world at that time,
called me on the phone and said, I've been watching
your TV show and I like the way you treat
your guests. Would you like me to come on and
we can do some songs together. Well, he's the biggest
entertainer in the world, and I said, of course, I'd
love that, and I got had a meeting soon after
(01:33):
that with the producers of the show, ABC Television and
Chevrolet Ad Agency. Harry Bellafani wants to come on the
show and be and they looked at me with these
sober expressions. We can't do that. Why, well, we didn't
tell you, but we have to tell you that Chevrolet
is having problems in the South with their dealersships because
(01:57):
people are coming in saying that they like you and
your music and they like Chevrolet. But you're having all
these and they'll use the N word on your show
and we're going to have to cut back. And Harry
Belafonti is already involved in civil rights activities and we
might lose Chevrolet as a sponsor if you have him on,
So we're going to have to tell him no. Well
(02:20):
I was stunned, and so I brought it up again
in the conversation. Look, it's called the Pat Boon Chevy Show.
But if Pat Boone has to say no to Harry Belafonte.
I grew up in the South. I know the problem.
I'm not going to be part of it. I'm not
going to perpetuate it. So I'm going to have to
ask you to take my show from here on. And
(02:41):
they're looking stunned at me. You're going to quit your
show for that? I said, Look, it's more than that.
It's more important than me and my show. It's something
that's got to be changed in this country. I'm just
not going to help further it, this racial prejudice. So
then they acquiesced and they said, look, if we have
him come on, will you guarantee there'll be no subtle
(03:07):
civil rights things you just I said, Look, the fact
we're singing together on my show will be all the
statement needed to be made. And I can explain that
to Harry Well, it didn't happen because he It was
toward the end of my third season and I just
decided not to do the show anymore because I knew
it was going to come up again and again, and
(03:28):
so I just quit the half hour show and went
to specials. I did some TV specials after that, and
it was long time bego. I did any other kind
of a regular show in which I could have any
guess on that I wanted with no problem. But after
that I was asked to come to South Africa to
perform and offering me a lot of this. In nineteen
(03:51):
sixty Nelson Mandela still in prison and aparth I had
fully enforced and they asked me to come and I
wouldn't do it because of their policy. And I said, look,
I'm not telling you how to run your country. We've
still got problems in our country trying to work out.
But I cannot come with people who want to buy
tickets to see me sing or refuse because of their color.
(04:12):
So I have to turn you down. And I did twice.
But the third time we had a closed door meeting
and they said, if you'll give a sure word an
honor as a gentleman, you won't publicize it. The government
is willing to lift apartheid for you for your tour.
And I said, anybody who wants to buy a ticket, color, race,
(04:33):
whatever can come. They said yes, and it'll be publicly known.
So I went and I did my tour in nineteen sixty.
They lifted apartheid first and only time at that point,
and I had death threats, but we had people folks
in the audience and watching if any and I laugh,
but it's true. I was sort of a stationary performer then.
(04:55):
I didn't move around the stage like Elvis. I stood
at the mic and sang my song. But in those
shows in South Africa and Durban Port, Elizabeth, Pretoria, Johannesburg,
I moved around the stage quite a bit and bobbed
and weaved a little in case because I had death threats.
If the threats were if you go before a non
(05:18):
segregated audience, then you're not going to leave the stage alive.
So I went there facing death threats, but nothing happened,
and I did come home safe, and then the curtain
of aparth I'd fell back for another decade, and I've
never talked about it. I can talk about it now
because it was in nineteen sixty, but back then, you know,
(05:42):
I was making a stand, not for publicity at all,
just because of what I thought was right. And since then,
all this time I've I've been as active as I
can be along the way, without putting anybody down, but
just crying for equality and friendship and relationship and let
(06:04):
us all know each other and respect each other for
who we are and what we can be.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Pat Boone for sharing those stories with us. And in
part is a story about personal courage, But in the end,
as you're listening to Pat, it's not so much courage
It's just who he was, and he just wasn't going
to do certain things and that was that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And if he had to lose his show, he lost
his show.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
It wasn't a large confrontation, it wasn't a public martyring
of himself. He just wanted to do the right thing,
especially having been born from the South and wanting Harry
Belafonte to be able to come on and sing like
anybody else on his show. And my goodness, the story
of him and apartheid and getting aparthe died and drawn back,
or at least the curtain pulled back for a day,
(06:57):
is just a beautiful story. He ended beautifully. Equality, friendship,
and relationship are the things he was looking for. No politics,
no ideology. Those three things the hallmark of Pat Boone's life.
And by the way, we have more Pat Boon stories.
Go to Our American Stories in search of them. It's
a remarkable life, not only as an entertainer, but as
(07:17):
a man and also as a Christian man. Just a
beautiful soul story of Pat Boon here on our American Stories.
This is Lee Habib, host of Our American Stories, the
show where America is the Star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
(07:40):
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to our
American Stories. Go to our American stories dot com. Give
a little, give a lot. That's our American Stories dot com.
This is Lee Habib and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American people.
Up next, a story from Pat Boone on two moments
in his life where he took a stand at risk
of career and bodily harm.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Let's get into the story. Take it away, Pat, I
(00:48):
would like.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
People to know that back during my days when I
was doing the TV show, I was thrilled to be
singing these rhythm blue songs by people that were becoming
friends of mine. Little Richard Patz Domino, the Flamingos and
the El Dorados and on and on. They were friends
and I was doing their songs. Then one day Harry Belafani,
(01:12):
who was the biggest entertainer in the world at that time,
called me on the phone and said, I've been watching
your TV show and I like the way you treat
your guests. Would you like me to come on and
we can do some songs together. Well, he's the biggest
entertainer in the world, and I said, of course, I'd
love that, and I got had a meeting soon after
(01:33):
that with the producers of the show, ABC Television and
Chevrolet Ad Agency. Harry Bellafani wants to come on the
show and be and they looked at me with these
sober expressions. We can't do that. Why, well, we didn't
tell you, but we have to tell you that Chevrolet
is having problems in the South with their dealersships because
(01:57):
people are coming in saying that they like you and
your music and they like Chevrolet. But you're having all
these and they'll use the N word on your show
and we're going to have to cut back. And Harry
Belafonti is already involved in civil rights activities and we
might lose Chevrolet as a sponsor if you have him on,
So we're going to have to tell him no. Well
(02:20):
I was stunned, and so I brought it up again
in the conversation. Look, it's called the Pat Boon Chevy Show.
But if Pat Boone has to say no to Harry Belafonte.
I grew up in the South. I know the problem.
I'm not going to be part of it. I'm not
going to perpetuate it. So I'm going to have to
ask you to take my show from here on. And
(02:41):
they're looking stunned at me. You're going to quit your
show for that? I said, Look, it's more than that.
It's more important than me and my show. It's something
that's got to be changed in this country. I'm just
not going to help further it, this racial prejudice. So
then they acquiesced and they said, look, if we have
him come on, will you guarantee there'll be no subtle
(03:07):
civil rights things you just I said, Look, the fact
we're singing together on my show will be all the
statement needed to be made. And I can explain that
to Harry Well, it didn't happen because he It was
toward the end of my third season and I just
decided not to do the show anymore because I knew
it was going to come up again and again, and
(03:28):
so I just quit the half hour show and went
to specials. I did some TV specials after that, and
it was long time bego. I did any other kind
of a regular show in which I could have any
guess on that I wanted with no problem. But after
that I was asked to come to South Africa to
perform and offering me a lot of this. In nineteen
(03:51):
sixty Nelson Mandela still in prison and aparth I had
fully enforced and they asked me to come and I
wouldn't do it because of their policy. And I said, look,
I'm not telling you how to run your country. We've
still got problems in our country trying to work out.
But I cannot come with people who want to buy
tickets to see me sing or refuse because of their color.
(04:12):
So I have to turn you down. And I did twice.
But the third time we had a closed door meeting
and they said, if you'll give a sure word an
honor as a gentleman, you won't publicize it. The government
is willing to lift apartheid for you for your tour.
And I said, anybody who wants to buy a ticket, color, race,
(04:33):
whatever can come. They said yes, and it'll be publicly known.
So I went and I did my tour in nineteen sixty.
They lifted apartheid first and only time at that point,
and I had death threats, but we had people folks
in the audience and watching if any and I laugh,
but it's true. I was sort of a stationary performer then.
(04:55):
I didn't move around the stage like Elvis. I stood
at the mic and sang my song. But in those
shows in South Africa and Durban Port, Elizabeth, Pretoria, Johannesburg,
I moved around the stage quite a bit and bobbed
and weaved a little in case because I had death threats.
If the threats were if you go before a non
(05:18):
segregated audience, then you're not going to leave the stage alive.
So I went there facing death threats, but nothing happened,
and I did come home safe, and then the curtain
of aparth I'd fell back for another decade, and I've
never talked about it. I can talk about it now
because it was in nineteen sixty, but back then, you know,
(05:42):
I was making a stand, not for publicity at all,
just because of what I thought was right. And since then,
all this time I've I've been as active as I
can be along the way, without putting anybody down, but
just crying for equality and friendship and relationship and let
(06:04):
us all know each other and respect each other for
who we are and what we can be.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Monty Montgomery, and a special thanks to
Pat Boone for sharing those stories with us. And in
part is a story about personal courage, But in the end,
as you're listening to Pat, it's not so much courage
It's just who he was, and he just wasn't going
to do certain things and that was that.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
And if he had to lose his show, he lost
his show.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
It wasn't a large confrontation, it wasn't a public martyring
of himself. He just wanted to do the right thing,
especially having been born from the South and wanting Harry
Belafonte to be able to come on and sing like
anybody else on his show. And my goodness, the story
of him and apartheid and getting aparthe died and drawn back,
or at least the curtain pulled back for a day,
(06:57):
is just a beautiful story. He ended beautifully. Equality, friendship,
and relationship are the things he was looking for. No politics,
no ideology. Those three things the hallmark of Pat Boone's life.
And by the way, we have more Pat Boon stories.
Go to Our American Stories in search of them. It's
a remarkable life, not only as an entertainer, but as
(07:17):
a man and also as a Christian man. Just a
beautiful soul story of Pat Boon here on our American Stories.
This is Lee Habib, host of Our American Stories, the
show where America is the Star and the American people,
and we do it all from the heart of the
South Oxford, Mississippi. But we truly can't do this show
(07:40):
without you. Our shows will always be free to listen to,
but they're not free to make. If you love what
you hear, consider making a tax deductible donation to our
American Stories. Go to our American stories dot com. Give
a little, give a lot. That's our American Stories dot com.
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