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Martin Luther King Jr.: How the Civil Rights Leader Emerged as a National Media Figure
In observation of Martin Luther King Day, Variety looks back at the civil rights leader's rise as a national media figure.
His rise from the pulpit of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta to his groundbreaking work as a founder and leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference made him the driving force of the Civil Rights movement of the mid-20th century. He was listed as among the guests in the first few episodes of NBC’s new public affairs series “Look Here.” Host Martin Agronsky touted the show as “a new and responsible concept of journalism.” King’s leadership of the successful yearlong boycott of the city’s segregated bus lines – the action that made Rosa Parks an icon of civil rights – brought him national attention. Image Credit: Variety Richard Pryor, Eartha Kitt, Ivan Dixon, Shirley Bassey, Leonard Nimoy, Florence Henderson, Walter Matthau and Edward G. Robinson were among the stars who turned out at the Hollywood Bowl on April 21 for a benefit to honor King’s memory.
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