OPRAH WINFREY SHOW, THE: THE DINNER OF A LIFETIME (TV)
Summary
One in this talk show series hosted by Oprah Winfrey.
This episode features Oprah’s “Dinner of a Lifetime,” wherein she selects several of her viewers to join her and actor Sidney Poitier in a private dinner party, partially in honor of his 80th birthday. The viewers in question are respondents to a survey concerning Poitier’s autobiography “The Measure of a Man.” There is a video segment talking about the seven viewers chosen for the event, including single mother Dawnn Butler, teacher Philip McAdoo, dentist Brian Doss, father Tommy Hayes-Brown, Betsy Lane, Tiffany Belk, and Lisa Carney. Another video segment details the preparations Oprah made for the dinner itself, including the oversight of celebrity party planner Colin Cowie in preparing the invitations, the cooperation of famous chef Wolfgang Puck and his restaurant Spago, and the visual arrangements of the room, table, food, and settings. Another video segment details Poitier’s career and distinctions.
The dinner begins and Oprah asks Poitier about his book and its significance. During the dinner, each guest talks about how their lives were shaped and inspired by Poitier’s; Butler says she had a “special love affair” with Poitier and uses him as an positive example for her children, and Belk notes that her parents similarly used Poitier’s life as a model of good behavior and dignity. Further video segments discuss specific aspects of Poitier’s life, such as his struggle for creative control in his film work, and his upbringing on Cat Island in the Bahamas and subsequent arrival to a deeply racially segregated United States. Hayes-Brown notes that Poitier’s book is a “manual for fatherhood” and discusses the importance of his children and family in his life. The dinner’s discussion turns to Poitier’s conception of “luck,” which he likens more to “serendipity,” i.e. an “unseen force” which helps to shape and direct lives. He talks about an experience his mother had just after he was born which seemed to prophesize his life and success.
Poitier’s film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” featuring an interracial couple at a time when such a thing was considered highly controversial, serves as an inspiration to many, including Lane, who is in an interracial marriage herself. Many of the other dinner guests have had experiences with racism and intolerance from others, and find that their experiences mirror Poitier’s in some respects. Poitier talks about raising his daughters and his pride in their lives, and Oprah reveals a video segment featuring all six of them, along with several of his grandchildren, delivering a message to their father about what they’ve learned from him. Poitier says he sees himself as an “outsider,” but that he has been able to use this to his advantage. He discusses his disastrous first audition and how it spurred him to pursue acting and to dilute his native Caribbean accent. He discusses the minimal formal education he had in the Bahamas, and talks about how he learned to read with the help of an elderly Jewish waiter; he regrets that he never got the chance to properly thank the man. This experience shapes his thoughts about modern education, particularly its poor state in many inner-city areas.
The assembled dinner guests share a toast, and a birthday cake is brought out for Poitier. The dinner guests are given gifts as well in the form of autographed leather-bound copies of Poitier’s book. The guests thank Poitier for his insights and for helping them to change their own lives. The show ends as Oprah reveals her next Book Club selection: the novel “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy. Commercials deleted.
(This program contains audio problems; the sound balance is altered, snippets of misplaced music are heard, and editing room chatter can be heard in various parts. It represents the best copy available at this time.)
Details
- NETWORK: Syndicated
- DATE:
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:29
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122065
- GENRE: Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - News/Talk; TV - Talk/Interviews
- SERIES RUN: Syndicated - TV series, 1986-2011
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Oprah Winfrey … Host
- Tiffany Belk
- Dawnn Butler
- Lisa Carney
- Colin Cowie
- Brian Doss
- Tommy Hayes-Brown
- Betsy Lane
- Philip McAdoo
- Cormac McCarthy
- Anika Poitier
- Gina Poitier
- Pamela Poitier
- Sherri Poitier
- Sidney Poitier
- Sydney Tamiia Poitier
- Wolfgang Puck
- Ellen Weldon