WQED Pittsburgh: Media-Only Press Room

“ONE SHOT: THE LIFE AND WORK OF TEENIE HARRIS”

Program Description:
For more than 40 years, Charles “Teenie” Harris carried a Speed Graphic black and white camera with him and, in doing so, documented the African-American experience in Pittsburgh and America with his well-crafted photographs. Nicknamed “One Shot” by Pittsburgh Mayor David Lawrence in the early part of the 20th century because of his habit of snapping only a single frame of any subject, Harris helped to build a collection of images unprecedented in its scope and volume. Most of the collection he photographed when he served as principal photographer for the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the nation’s influential and powerful black-owned and operated newspapers, from 1941 until his retirement in 1975.

This documentary tells the story of the life and photographic work of Charles “Teenie” Harris--a remarkable life and career as seen through the lens of cultural history. Teenie’s experiences mirror that of many African-Americans during his lifetime, but he distinguished himself both through his dedication to his craft and his devotion to his community. He lived his life with ambition and passion but always with grace and humility and in doing so, he touched upon some of the greatest moments of the 20th century and made some exceptional achievements in his own right. He was an advocate of racial integration in the Armed Forces during World War II, a dedicated player in the fight for Civil Rights, and he even found time to be the founder of the Negro League’s seminal team, the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He was an athlete, a civic leader, a devoted family man. But first and foremost, Teenie Harris was a photographer. His life and accomplishments stand as a model for citizenship for Pittsburgh and the nation as a whole.

Format: One (1) 60-minute documentary

Feed Date: February 1, 2004

Press Materials:
Photographs
Press Release
Fact Sheet

Producing Organization: Kenneth Love Productions
Producer: Kenneth Love

Presented By: WQED Multimedia Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Distributed By:
“ One Shot: The Life and Work of Teenie Harris” is distributed by American Public Television (APT). For more than 41 years, APT has been a major source of programming for the nation’s public television stations. APT has more than 10,00 hours of available programming. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and for developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable them to strengthen and customize their schedules.