Petey Greene

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Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene (January 23, 1931 – January 10, 1984) was an African-American television and radio talk show host. A two-time Emmy Award-winner, Greene overcame drug addiction and a prison sentence for armed robbery to become one of Washington, D.C.'s most prominent media personalities.

Greene was born in Washington, D.C and attended Stevens Elementary School. He dropped out of high school in grade 11, enlisted in the Army, and was sent overseas to fight in the Korean War before being discharged in 1953 for drug abuse. In 1960, he was convicted of armed robbery at a small grocery store, and imprisoned at Lorton Reformatory with a ten-year sentence. There, he became the prison's disc jockey, and his loquaciousness soon proved beneficial in other ways. In 1965, Greene persuaded a fellow inmate to climb to the top of a water tower and threaten suicide, so that he would be able to "save his life" by talking him down. "It took me six months to get him to go up there," he later recalled.[1] This act, combined with his generally good behavior, earned him a reduction in his prison sentence and parole.

After leaving prison, he was hired by AM radio station WOL to host his own show, "Rapping With Petey Greene". His stature grew, and he soon found himself hosting his own television show, "Petey Green's Washington", on WDCA-TV. On March 8, 1978, he was invited as a guest to the White House by President Jimmy Carter to honor visiting Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito. He famously quipped to the Washington Post that he "stole a spoon" during the evening gala.[2]

In the early 1980s, he had radio personality Howard Stern; who, at the time, had just begun to pioneer the comedy style that would make him a legend on a Washington, DC radio station, on his show for what was one of his first television appearances. Stern showed up in blackface, which was laughed off by Greene; the audio of this interview would eventually be played as part of the 2007 Sirius satellite radio documentary The History of Howard Stern where Howard called Greene "way ahead of his time." The two shared a mutual admiration as they both dealt with such controversial subjects as race and sexuality, with Stern since recognizing him as an influence, calling him a "broadcasting genius" in his book Private Parts.

He also became a community activist, joining United Planning Organization and founding Efforts for Ex-Convicts, an organization devoted to helping former prisoners succeed in legitimate ways. He railed against poverty and racism on his shows and on the streets, participating in demonstrations during the height of his popularity. After his death from cancer, approximately 10,000 mourners lined up outside Washington's Union Wesley AME Zion Church to pay their last respects (the largest funeral in D.C. for anyone not elected to office). Greene had four children—Ralph, Petra, Renee, and Melanie. He is portrayed by Don Cheadle in the 2007 film Talk To Me, which is based on his life and career.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ See Bachrach. Greene's many feats and "Petey-isms" have altered through the years; some reports (see Milloy) say that the inmate he "saved" climbed a flagpole instead of a water tower.
  2. ^ See Milloy.

[edit] References

  • Bachrach, Judy (January 24, 1977). "Petey Greene, Star of His Own Show". Washington Post, C1.
  • Frey, Jennifer (July 30, 2006). "Retroactivist: The Black Power of Petey Greene; 'Talk' Goes on Location, Back in the Day". Washington Post, D1.
  • Milloy, Courtland (March 9, 1978). "Petey Greene Goes to the White House". Washington Post, C1.
  • Smith, J.Y. (January 12, 1984). "TV Commentator Petey Greene Dies". Washington Post, B1.

[edit] Further reading

  • Rackley, Lurma (2003). Laugh If You Like, Ain't a Damn Thing Funny: The Life story of Ralph "Petey" Greene as told to Lurma Rackley. United States: Xlibris. ISBN 1413432891.