Harvest of Shame

David Lowe / United States / 1960 / Czech Premiere / 53 min.

synopsis

This compelling film about seasonal workers was produced as part of the CBS Reports series after nine months of on-location filming. It follows the annual migration from Florida along the East Coast to New York State. It not only examines the health, education, and housing conditions of these workers’ families, but also gives voice to their dreams and visions for the future. It interweaves empathetic interviews with statements from employers and politicians, all framed by the reporter’s voiceover. Edward R. Murrow speaks directly to the audience, who are spending the remnants of their Thanksgiving feast in front of the television: “The people you have seen have the strength to harvest your fruits and vegetables. They do not have the strength to influence the laws. Perhaps we do.”

The film sparked a nationwide debate that accelerated the passage of legislation regarding agricultural labour. Twenty-two months after the film aired, President Kennedy signed the Migrant Health Act, which enabled federal funding for a network of clinics and health care for the families of migrant workers. In 1964, a registration requirement for labour brokers was established, and in 1967, some agricultural workers became eligible for the minimum wage for the first time. To this day, they are not entitled to overtime pay under federal law.

biography

David Lowe (1913–1965) was an American television producer, reporter, and screenwriter. His work earned CBS Reports two Peabody Awards: one for Harvest of Shame, which he produced as a field reporter, author of most of the interviews, and producer; and another for Ku Klux Klan: The Invisible Empire (1965), on which he also served as a screenwriter.

Fred W. Friendly (1915–1998) was an American producer. He contributed to the investigative series See It Now (1951–1957), which included a documentary on Senator McCarthy that helped shift public opinion regarding his actions. From 1959 to 1964, he produced the series CBS Reports, after which he became president of CBS News. He resigned two years later when CBS aired a rerun of an episode of the sitcom I Love Lucy instead of the Senate hearings on Vietnam.