The Harlem Globetrotters Meet the White Shadow Q&A

Mike here. Inspired by our Harlem Globetrotters episode, I picked up the first two seasons of The White Shadow on DVD (alas, the third never made it) and watched the Globetrotters episode, titled appropriately enough "Globetrotters." It aired November 5, 1979, as the seventh episode of the second season. John Masius wrote it, and Bruce Paltrow directed.

I had Rick send me his burning questions about the episode and will try to answer them below. As you'll see, it, in fact, doesn't involve Coolidge considering dropping out to join the Trotters. (I think I confused that with episode 4, where Coolidge considers signing with an agent and ruining his chance at playing in college).

So how does Carver High get involved with the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters?

The Globetrotters are in L.A. to play a series of dates at the "The Dome," which I assume isn't a real venue. They're also helping out at a United Way car wash event that Coach Reeves is managing (I think). Players from the Lakers and Rams are at other locations. Reeves wants the team to volunteer on Saturday, but they're high on themselves after winning 10 straight and give him the brush-off. However, on Friday, he sends them to the car wash where the Trotters are volunteering. All nine of the team members (minus a few scrubs) pile into Salami's junky convertible and head over, where they don't recognize the Globetrotters and give them a hard time about doing "manual labor."

After the team runs rough-shod on the school and the neighborhood and runs up the score on another team, Reeves calls Nate Branch to bring in the Globetrotters to teach the guys a little humility and raise a few bucks for the school.

Please tell me Coach Reeves considers the Trotters "good friends from way back."

Sadly, they're only professional acquaintances, but Reeves admits he always wanted to be a Globetrotter. Curly says if they need a slow white forward, they'll give him a call.

Does Coach Reeves suit up and do some stunts?

No, but Geese hops up in the stands, while wearing Goldstein's glasses, and kisses his cheek or something. It's a little unclear.

Does anyone get doused with a bucket of water?

Yes! Goldstein as the finale of a series of humiliations throughout the episode that starts with the guys throwing him in the back of Salami's open convertible as it goes through the car wash, then continues with Thorpe smashing his face into a slice of banana cream pie and Coolidge shoving him in the seats of the car.

Who fares better: The show's cast interacting with the Trotters on the court or the Trotters interacting with the show's cast on screen?

The Trotters interacting with the show's cast on the screen. They might not be natural actors, but they're having fun busting Reeves' chops and looking down on the players.

Is it wrong that I want the Globetrotters to demolish the kids?

No! They act like jerks most of the episode and get what they deserve--demolition!

Their sins during the episode include taking advantage of their "fame" and all that brings their way (girls), talking smack to adults, shirking the volunteer opportunity, considering a dine-and-dash (Coolidge and Thorpe with Goldstein as their conscience), shoplifting and causing general chaos in a sporting good store (Salami and his cousin Nick), flirting with Miss Buchanan (Thorpe), and beating up a guy in the bathroom (Salami, but that guy had it coming after hogging a stall to smoke and stepping on Thorpe's contact lens).

Which is more realistic, this episode or the average episode of Super Globetrotters?

Well, Sweet Lou Dunbar doesn't pull anything out of his afro, so I'll have to go with Super Globetrotters.

Does anyone learn a lesson, and if so, what is it?

Yes! The team. They learn humility and the difference between winning and being winners and sportsmanship, and Reeves throws a bunch of platitudes at them. 

Also, they miss out on comps to the Globetrotters game because they ditched volunteering.

Bonus feature: fun items from the commentary by Kevin Hooks (Thorpe), Byron Stewart (Coolidge), Erik Kilpatrick (Jackson), Ira Angustain (Gomez).

• Much of the cast had basketball experience, including Hooks and Stewart, who both played in high school. Others, who go unnamed, didn't.
• Much like the Globetrotters, the Carver High guys played against the same players every week, who'd wear different uniforms to represent different teams.
• The production used a special ramp for scenes where Ken Howard had to dunk.
• Hooks thinks "Globetrotters" was their first episode to crack the top 10 and says their level of fame changed after that.
• A lot of love for Bruce Paltrow and the opportunities he gave people.
• Hooks and Stewart say Meadowlark was there, but he wasn't.
• Angustain left the show with Paltrow's blessing to play Freddie Prinze in Can You Hear Me Laugh? The Story of Freddie Prinze.
• Russell Philip Robinson, the infamous team manager, tried to get into every shot regardless of how it affected continuity. Stewart tried to get out of master shots because he knew getting in one would mean staying on set all day.