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A collection of works by American authors kicks off on Wednesday, but Cora Unashamed, a tale of black servants working in the Midwest, carries a faint whiff of stereotype.

By ERIC DEGGANS

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 22, 2000

Before I go on about Masterpiece Theater's affecting production of Cora Unashamed, airing at 9 p.m. Wednesday on WEDU-Ch. 3, I must offer a small caveat -- stories like this one make me uneasy.

Based on a piece in Harlem poet Langston Hughes' 1932 short story collection, The Ways of White Folk, Cora Unashamed centers on a black single mom and her mother, isolated as the only African Americans in a small 1930s-era Iowa town.

It's one of nine films to be offered over the next three years as Masterpiece Theater's American Collection -- $15-million worth of movies based on works by American authors, a significant addition to a show known for featuring British work.

Because they are black in the '30s, Cora and Ma Jenkins work as servants for "white folk" -- namely, salesman Arthur Studevant and his socially climbing wife, Lizbeth (Tony winner Cherry Jones).

Emotionally scarred by the early death of her own daughter, Cora (ably played by I'll Fly Away's Regina Taylor) bonds with the Studevants' daughter, Jessie. She raises Jessie, acting as a surrogate mother of sorts -- mostly because Lizbeth is too emotionally cold to handle the role.

But, as lovingly as the Masterpiece Theater folks recreate this story, part of it sticks in my craw -- mostly because I've tired of historical pieces constantly casting black folks as virtuous victims.

Cora is a textbook example. Hardworking and smart, she has more backbone than Arthur, who lets his wife's prejudices and lust for social standing punish their daughters in horrible ways.

She also has more heart than Lizbeth, a high-strung perfectionist who expects Jessie to recite involved poetry on command but offers little love. Cora, forced into a servant's role by her skin color, survives the loss of her child only to watch helplessly as Lizbeth destroys her surrogate daughter, Jessie.

Revealing the final move by Lizbeth that pushes Cora over the edge would tell too much. But the servant eventually confronts her master in an emotional scene that highlights Cora's inability to control her life or protect those she cares about most.

Buoyed by revelatory performances from Taylor as Cora and CCH Pounder as her ailing mother, Cora Unashamed offers an engaging story, highlighting an interracial romance that produced Cora's child, and foreshadows her ability to fit inside the Studevants' family.

Masterpiece Theater's American Collection will tackle distinctly American themes, exploring works by or featuring Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams and Mark Twain. Supported by the National Council of Teachers of English, each of the films will be featured in teaching guides circulated to schools across the country.

If you miss Wednesday's Cora telecast, it repeats in Masterpiece Theater's normal time slot, at 9 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 29).

For the American Collection, Cora Unashamed is a quality first step. But I can't help hoping that future examinations of this country's racially divided past dig deeper to fresher truths.

Critics accuse it of yuppie pandering, but this week's sophomore season debut of Once and Again, airing at 10 p.m. Tuesday on WFTS-Ch. 28, proves why this may be the most underrated drama on network television.

Creators Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick probe the heart of divorce's aftermath, offering Billy Campbell and Emmy-winner Sela Ward as Rick Sammler and Lily Manning, two parents who find love together after previous marriages have tanked.

Tuesday's episode picks up months after the pair brought their four children together for an awkward dinner -- further exploring each child's reaction to this newly developing union.

It's a smart move: One of this show's best assets is its young actors, who look like real kids but have the acting chops to hold a scene with the grown-ups.

In the season debut, Rick and Lily realize they can't keep sneaking around their children -- a scene where Lily's family stumbles on the two after they've fallen asleep on the couch together is priceless -- forcing more friction between the kids as the families intersect more often.

This show has always been a get-it-or-you-don't proposition: To those who don't appreciate its charms, the characters' constant internal conflicts may seem like whiny indulgence. But their riffs on parenting, sibling rivalries, marital strife and romance feel spot-on to this married father of three.

Tune in Tuesday and decide for yourself.

When supporting characters Niles and Daphne broke up new and impending marriages to ride off together on Frasier, airing at 9 p.m. Tuesday on WFLA-Ch. 8, I wondered how lead Frasier Crane would get any face time once the series came back. Tuesday's episode, starting the show's eighth season, explains it simply: Everyone blames Frasier.

In an hourlong episode, Frasier makes its Tuesday debut after banishment from NBC's Must See TV Thursday night. As Niles (David Hyde-Pierce) and Daphne (a visibly pregnant Jane Leeves) deal with the fallout among friends, family and former flames from their decision to begin a relationship together, Frasier catches the flak for helping it happen.

Daphne's ex-fiance, Donny, left at the altar, sues everyone in sight. Niles' ex-wife, whom he had married days earlier, forces him to pretend they're still together, avoiding disgrace among their snooty friends.

Caught in the middle, star Kelsey Grammer works his magic as a frustrated, guilt-ridden Frasier, trying to make it all better. There's nothing in this episode that will feel new to longtime fans, but a familiar Frasier stands head and shoulders above most other series anyway.

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