To Set It Right
{{Infobox television episode
| series = The Lieutenant
| image = Gary Lockwood Dennis Hopper Don Marshall The Lieutenant.jpg
| caption = Publicity photo for "To Set It Right", featuring Gary Lockwood, Dennis Hopper and Don Marshall
| season = 1
| episode = 21
| writer = Lee Erwin
| director = Vincent McEveety
| airdate = {{Start date|1964|02|22}}
| length =
| guests = *Dennis Hopper - Cpl. Peter Devlin
- Don Marshall - Pvt. Ernest Cameron
- John Milford - Sgt. Ben Kagey
- Woody Strode - Sgt. Logan Holt
- Nichelle Nichols - Norma Bartlett
- Preston Pierce - Pvt. Peter Vronsky
- Linc Wilson - Pvt. Winston Barlow
- Ed McReady - Mr Taylor
| prev = Green Water Green Flag
| next = In the Highest Tradition
}}
"To Set It Right" is the 21st episode of the American military drama television series The Lieutenant. Its story is known for a ground-breaking depiction of the lives of an African American couple, and of racism in the U.S. Marine Corps. The series was produced by Gene Roddenberry for broadcast on NBC, and followed the lives of Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton. This episode was written by Lee Erwin, and its guest cast included Dennis Hopper, Don Marshall, Woody Strode, and the screen debut of Nichelle Nichols. In this episode, after a racist altercation between white Cpl. Peter Devlin (Hopper), and black Pvt. Ernest Cameron (Marshall), Lt. William Rice (series lead Gary Lockwood) attempts to settle their issues by first arranging a boxing match and then forcing them to work together on a march.
Production
The Lieutenant was developed in conjunction with the U.S. Defense Department, but following a series of plot points concerning racism within the military, relations became strained.{{sfn |Robb| 2012| p=85}} The Pentagon was concerned with the depiction of racist men in uniform in the plot of "To Set It Right", and warned the producers that the airing of the episode could result in the production no longer being able to use the free equipment and extras provided by the Marines. In response, Roddenberry informed the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who pressured the network to air the episode.{{sfn |Gross|Altman| 2016| p=62}} Although some sources say the episode was never broadcast,{{cite web |last=Barbrick |first=Greg |date=7 September 2012 |title=The Lieutenant The Complete Series Part Two DVD Review: Gene Roddenberry Sows the Seeds of Star Trek |url=http://cinemasentries.com/review/the-lieutenant-the-complete-series-part-two-dvd-review-gene-roddenberry-sows-the-seeds-of-star-trek/ |access-date=19 September 2015 |website=Cinema Sentries}}{{cite web |title=LIEUTENANT, THE: TO SET IT RIGHT (TV) |url=http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=john&p=423&item=T78:0377 |access-date=1 September 2013 |publisher=The Paley Center for Media}} NBC scheduled it for February 22, 1964, and it was carried in at least some markets;{{cite web |date=February 15, 1964 |title=Saturday, Feb. 22 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-post/124334954/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130044345/https://www.newspapers.com/image/763207437/?terms=%22the%20lieutenant%22%20%22dennis%20hopper%22&match=1 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=9 May 2023 |website=www.newspapers.com |publisher=The Cincinnati Post |language=en}}{{cite news |date=February 22, 1964 |title=Tonight's Television |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/887931152/?terms=%22the%20lieutenant%22&match=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130044333/https://www.newspapers.com/image/887931152/?terms=%22the%20lieutenant%22&match=1 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=9 May 2023 |newspaper=The Tulsa Tribune |language=en}}{{cite news |date=February 22, 1964 |title=Best Bet: 'The Defenders' Sheds Light on Addiction |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state/124335338/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230130044344/https://www.newspapers.com/image/749748631/?terms=%22the%20lieutenant%22&match=1 |archive-date=January 30, 2023 |access-date=9 May 2023 |newspaper=The State |language=en}} Variety ran a review of the episode two days later.{{cite magazine |date=February 24, 1964 |title=Reaction, Telepix Followup, THE LIEUTENANT ("To Set it Right") |magazine=variety |page=8}} The assistance of the Pentagon was withdrawn,{{sfn|Robb|2012|p=85}} and the series was officially canceled a week later.{{sfn|Gross|Altman|2016|p=62}}
Reception
Donald Bogle wrote of the episode in his 2001 book Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television, saying that the episode "lost its nerve and ultimately undermined the feelings – the very strong, modern Black perspective – of its character Cameron". This resulted in the character appearing to be "one more angry young negro with unjustified racial hostility".
However, Bogle praised the interactions between Lt. Rice and Norma, saying this was a better articulation of the problems faced by Cameron than those explained by the actual character.{{sfn |Bogle| 2001| p=105}} Bogle felt that although "To Set It Right" sought to address racial issues, it wanted to avoid upsetting its mainstream viewers.{{sfn |Bogle| 2001| p=106}}
A videotape of the episode is part of the Paley Center for Media collection in New York, contributed by Gene Roddenberry.{{cite web|url=http://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item/?q=john&p=423&item=T78:0377|title=Lieutenant, The: To Set It Right (TV)|publisher=The Paley Center for Media|access-date=September 1, 2013}} It is also available on DVD in the collected episodes of "The Lieutenant".
Notes
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References
{{refbegin|40em}}
- {{cite book|last=Bogle|first=Donald|title=Primetime Blues: African Americans on Network Television|year=2001|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|location=New York|isbn=978-0-37423-720-2|url=https://archive.org/details/primetimebluesaf00bogl}}
- {{cite book|last1=Gross|first1=Edward|last2=Altman|first2=Marc|title=The Fifty-Year Mission: Volume One: The First 25 Years|year=2016|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-25006-584-1 }}
- {{cite book|last=Nichols|first=Nichelle|title=Beyond Uhura|year=1994|publisher=G. P. Putnam's|location=New York|isbn=0-3991-3993-1|url=https://archive.org/details/beyonduhurastart00nich}}
- {{cite book|last=Robb|first=Brian J.|title=A Brief Guide to Star Trek|year=2012|publisher=Robinson|location=London|isbn=978-1-849-01514-1 }}
{{refend}}