Miss Evers' Boys is an American made-for-television drama starring Alfre Woodard and Laurence Fishburne that first aired on February 22, 1997, and is based on the true story of the four-decade-long Tuskegee Syphilis Study. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and adapted by Walter Bernstein from the 1992 stage play of the same name, written by David Feldshuh.[1] It received twelve nominations for the 1997 Primetime Emmy Awards, ultimately winning five, including Outstanding Television Movie and the President's Award (awarded for programming that best explores social or educational issues).

Miss Evers' Boys
Alfre Woodard in nurse's uniform with Laurence Fishburne in U.S. Army uniform circa World War 2 and "Miss Evers' Boys" superimposed in white block letters
DVD cover
GenreHistorical drama
Based onDavid Feldshuh (play)
Written byWalter Bernstein
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Starring
Music byCharles Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Robert Benedetti
  • Laurence Fishburne
Producers
  • Derek Kavanagh
  • Kip Konwiser
Production locations
CinematographyDonald M. Morgan
EditorMichael Brown
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time118 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseFebruary 22, 1997 (1997-02-22)

Plot

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The film tells the story of a medical study with covert goals organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, conducted on poor African American men in the years 1932–1972 at Tuskegee University, designed to study the effects of untreated syphilis. The story is told from the perspective of the small town nurse Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard) who is well aware of the lack of treatment, but feels her role is to console the involved men, many of whom are her close friends.

In 1932 she is sent to help Dr. Brodus (Joe Morton) and Dr. Douglas (Craig Sheffer) to help them "treat" rural black men in the town of Tuskegee, Alabama. She is sent around town to tell the people that the government is funding their treatment for free, but unbeknownst to them the government will soon run a study that requires them to go without any form of real treatment. She then comes across three men in an abandoned schoolhouse: Willie Johnson (Obba Babatundé), Bryan Hodman, and "Big" Ben Washington, who agree for treatment.

The study selected 412 men infected with the disease and promised them free medical treatment for what was called "bad blood". The movie shows Miss Evers suggesting the term as a strategy to withhold information about syphilis from the men. The men received fake long-term treatment, which involved giving them mercury and placebos even after penicillin was discovered as a cure. When Caleb Humphries (one of the test subjects who left the experiment) joins the Army during World War II and is treated and cured by penicillin, he returns to tell how he was cured and tries to get help for his friend. But none of the hospitals would help because the test subjects were placed on a list that stated they should not receive medical treatment because they were participants in the experiment. The survivors of the study did receive treatment and financial compensation after the US Senate investigated in the 1970s, and eventually a formal apology from President Bill Clinton.

Cast

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Awards and nominations

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Accolades
Event
Organizer
(Date)
Award Recipient Outcome
19th CableACE Awards
The Internet & Television Association
(November 14, 1997)
Movie
  • Robert Benedetti and Laurence Fishburne (executive producers)
  • Derek Kavanagh and Kip Konwiser (producers)
  • Kern Konwiser and Peter Stelzer (co-producers)
Won[2]
Actress in a Movie or Miniseries Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Won[2]
Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries Obba Babatundé (as Willie Johnson) Nominated[2]
Costume Design Susan Mickey Nominated[2]
34th Cinema Audio Society Awards
Cinema Audio Society
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television – Movie of the Week, Mini-Series or Specials
Nominated[2]
50th Directors Guild of America Awards
Directors Guild of America
(March 7, 1998)
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Mini-Series Joseph Sargent Nominated[3]
37th Eddie Awards
American Cinema Editors
(March 14, 1998)
Best Edited Two-Hour Movie for Non-Commercial Television Michael Brown Nominated[2]
55th Golden Globe Awards
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
(January 18, 1998)
Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Won
Best Television Motion Picture Miss Evers' Boys Nominated
9th Golden Laurel Awards
Producers Guild of America
(March 3, 1998)
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television
  • Robert Benedetti
  • Laurence Fishburne
  • Derek Kavanagh
  • Kip Konwiser
  • Kern Konwiser
  • Peter Stelzer
Won
2nd Golden Satellite Awards
International Press Academy
(February 22, 1998)
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Co-Winner[4]
Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Miss Evers' Boys Nominated[4]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Ossie Davis (as Mr. Evers) Nominated[4]
24th Humanitas Prizes
Human Family Educational & Cultural Institute
(July 10, 1998)
90 Minute or Longer PBS/Cable Television Walter Bernstein (writer) Won
19th International Monitor Awards
Association of Imaging Technology and Sound
Film Originated Television Specials – Color Correction Allan Rogers Won[2]
29th Image Awards
NAACP
(February 14, 1998)
Outstanding Made for Television Movie Miss Evers' Boys Won
1st Online Film & Television Association Awards
Online Film & Television Association
Best Actress in a Television Motion Picture or Miniseries Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Nominated[5]
49th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
(September 7, 1997)
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Special Michael Brown Won
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special Donald M. Morgan, A.S.C. Won
Outstanding Choreography Dianne McIntyre Nominated
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Special
  • Shay Bentley-Griffin, C.S.A.
  • Jaki Brown-Karman
  • Robyn M. Mitchell
Nominated
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special
Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special Walter Bernstein Nominated
49th Primetime Emmy Awards
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
(September 14, 1997)
Outstanding Made for Television Movie
  • Robert Benedetti and Laurence Fishburne (executive producers)
  • Derek Kavanagh and Kip Konwiser (producers)
  • Kern Konwiser and Peter Stelzer (co-producers)
Won
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Won
The President's Award
Won
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Special Laurence Fishburne (as Caleb Humphries) Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Obba Babatundé (as Willie Johnson) Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special Ossie Davis (as Mr. Evers) Nominated
41st San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco Film Society
(May 7, 1998)
Silver Spire Award Joseph Sargent Won[2]
4th Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild
(March 8, 1998)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Alfre Woodard (as Nurse Eunice Evers) Won[6]

References

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  1. ^ Fowler, James (March 3, 1997). "Tuskegee study: Human tragedy, American style". First Person. The Emory Report. Vol. 49, no. 23. Emory University. Archived from the original on July 22, 2001. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "Miss Evers' Boys – Awards". The Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "Awards / History / 1997". Directors Guild of America. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "1998 | Categories". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "1st Annual TV Awards (1996–97)". Online Film & Television Association. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "The 4th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards – Television". Screen Actors Guild Awards. Screen Actors Guild. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
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