Sports Action Profile: Oscar Robertson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A documentary film with the title "Oscar Robertson," from the Sports Action Profile television series. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound.

The film was written, directed, and produced by William Edgar and profiles basketball player Oscar Robertson during the time he played for the Milwaukee Bucks. It opens with Robertson driving to the Milwaukee arena in a convertible sports car as he describes the significance of basketball in his life. He comments that, "Basketball has been very good to me emotionally and it's made me very happy, such as going to Africa. Being a black person and being afforded the opportunity to go to Africa to see it for yourself is something I'll never be able to forget." He continues by briefly describing how the sport afforded him the ability to escape poverty.

Much of the rest of the film focuses on a pre-season match between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls. Both the narrator and Robertson provide voiceover narration, with the narrator paying special attention to the game strategies as outlined by the team’s coaches and Robertson's role on the team. Other scenes include Robertson's philanthropic work when he's not playing competitively, such as him teaching black boys how to play basketball. There are also shots with fellow Bucks player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, both on the court and in the locker room. The film closes with Robertson teaching a young boy proper dribbling technique and how to take a jump shot.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1973
• Directed by: William Edgar
• Written by: William Edgar
• Produced by: William Edgar
• Subject of: Oscar Robertson, American, born 1938
• Subject of: Chicago Bulls, American, founded 1966
• Subject of: Milwaukee Bucks, American, founded 1968
• Subject of: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, American, born 1947
• Distributed by: Oxford Films Inc.
• Type: sound films
• Type: color films (visual works)
• Type: short subjects
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration: 22 Minutes
• Dimensions: Length (Film): 800 Feet
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place filmed: Wisconsin, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Basketball
• Topic: Documentary films
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Profile films
• Object number: 2017.55.31.1a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.