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SYNOPSIS
“Keeping The Faith With Morrie” is the
story of the first African-American cartoonist to create
a syndicated comic strip with a multi-ethnic cast of
characters. It is also a reflection of the impact and
significance of cartoon strips on our society over the
past 50 years. The documentary explores the cultural and
social issues raised in the comic strip genre, and in
Morrie’s strip “Wee Pals,” as they relate to diversity
and tolerance in our society from 1950 to the present
day.
With a theme of racial tolerance, the Morrie Turner
story is one of perseverance that will inspire all
communities and demographics of people. Heaven Sent
Productions seeks to complete a 60-minute documentary
film (based on the 30-minute prototype) and further
explore the life of Morrie Turner, a quiet black child
who survived and flourished through the hardships of the
Great Depression, service in WWII and the racial
discrimination of the pre-Civil Rights Movement in the
U.S., to become an award-winning cartoonist and
philanthropist. The documentary also chronicles the
untold story of other African American cartoonists,
including George Herriman (“Krazy Kat”), Ollie
Harrington (“Bootsie”), E. Simms Campbell (Esquire
cartoonist), and contemporary firebrands Aaron McGruder
(“Boondocks”) and Lela Lee (“Angry Little Girls”), to
reveal their professional triumphs and challenges.
The extended documentary will tell the hidden story of a
shy and introverted child that found drawing a comfort
and a means to fit in. Special nuances will be revealed,
such as the fact that in the fifth grade, the budding
artist established his first “studio” under his bed,
with the encouragement of his devout Christian mother.
Little Morrie beamed a flashlight through the springs of
his mattress, lay on his stomach and drew on wrapping
paper that was donated by the local butcher. The
youngest of four boys born to a Pullman train porter
father, Turner’s parents instilled in him the idea of
faith – faith in himself, faith in others, faith in
pursuing his dreams to become a comic strip artist, and
ultimately – faith in God.
Through his artwork, Morrie rebelled, laughed, joked and
stayed out of fights by portraying the school bullies as
unflattering characters in his makeshift comic strips.
During WWII, as a serviceman Turner drew cartoons for
Stars and Stripes. In 1964, Turner left his financially
secure job as a police clerk and became a full-time
cartoonist. Soon after he created “Wee Pals”, a strip
about a multi-ethnic group of kids learning about
tolerance through their friendships with each other. The
strip went from appearances in three newspapers at its
start, to its current showing in more than 100 dailies
and several international papers.
While a friend and colleague of famed “Peanuts” creator
Charles Schulz, 82-year-old Turner did not rise to the
level of prominence of his peers partly because of his
race and the controversial subject matter of his
illustrations. Despite the popularity and outreach of
his strip, Morrie is a poor man today. He lives quietly
in a small studio in his hometown of Oakland, California
and rides the train wherever he goes, like his father
before him. Uninterested in fame and fortune, Morrie’s
tenacity and dedication paved the way for several
generations of cartoonists of color who have flourished
since “Wee Pals” first hit the comics page and his
drawings have touched the hearts of millions of readers.
He is known as a pioneer of the comic strip as today’s
audiences know it, and that’s reward enough for Morrie.
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