9/11/02

LC020911

VAL ZAVALA>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

JESS MARLOW>> TWO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS LIVED THROUGH THE ATTACKS ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. WE'LL FIND OUT HOW THAT TRAGIC DAY HAS CHANGED THEM FOREVER.

DAN WHITE>> FOUR MONTHS AGO, I GOT TO A POINT WHERE SUDDENLY I WAS STARTING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IF.

STEVE JAKSCH>> IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE NOW. IT'S JUST REALLY -- YOU KNOW, I'M STILL HERE. I FEEL GOOD. EVERYTHING'S GOING GOOD. I'M, YOU KNOW, HAPPY TO BE ALIVE.

VAL>> AND WE LOOK AT ANOTHER DIFFICULT TIME IN AMERICA, A TIME WHEN MILLIONS WERE OUT OF WORK. THE PRESIDENT STRUGGLED TO RESTART THE ECONOMY AND WAR LOOMED ABROAD. THERE WERE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM LIFE IN AMERICA IN THE YEAR 1936.

JESS>> IN A THEATER NEAR USC, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE STEPPING ONTO A NEW STAGE IN LIFE.

GAY YEE>> TUCKED ACROSS THE STREET IS SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE, 24TH STREET THEATRE.

JAY MCADAMS>> I WOULD SAY IT'S A THEATER, BUT IT'S UNLIKE OTHER THEATERS IN THAT IT IS REALLY A PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IT'S COMMUNITY-BASED. WHAT WE DO IS OFFER SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD DON'T HAVE.

JESS>> AT THE 24TH STREET THEATRE, PRODUCTIONS MAY BE SMALL, BUT THE IMPACT IS ENORMOUS. WE'LL SHOW YOU HOW A COMMUNITY USES THEATER TO DISCOVER ITSELF.

VAL>> THESE STORIES COMING UP NEXT ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I'M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I'M JESS MARLOW. THIS WAS A DAY WHEN MOST SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS THOUGHT BACK TO WHERE WE WERE LAST SEPTEMBER 11, BUT TWO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS REMEMBER THAT MORNING IN VIVID DETAIL. THEY WERE INSIDE THE SECOND TOWER OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER WHEN IT WAS STRUCK BY A HIJACKED PLANE.

VAL>> WE FIRST MET THEM LAST FALL WHEN THEY SHARED THE STORIES OF HOW THEY ESCAPED. TONIGHT, ONE YEAR LATER, THEY TELL US WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A SURVIVOR.

DAN WHITE IS THIRTY-TWO YEARS OLD. HE LIVES IN SIMI VALLEY WITH HIS WIFE AND TWO SONS. WHITE IS A TECHNOLOGY EXPERT FOR EUROBROKERS, A SOFTWARE COMPANY THAT'S HEADQUARTERED IN NEW YORK. UNTIL SEPTEMBER 11, HE HAD AN OFFICE IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. HE HAS SINCE BEEN BACK TO NEW YORK NEARLY TWENTY TIMES.

STEVE JAKSCH IS TWENTY-FIVE AND LIVES IN LAGUNA NIGUEL WITH HIS FIANCE, THEIR TWO-YEAR-OLD SON, AND HER THREE CHILDREN. JAKSCH IS A FINANCIAL ADVISOR AND HE WAS IN NEW YORK LAST YEAR FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR.

STEVE JAKSCH>> ACTUALLY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SEPTEMBER 11, IT'S BEEN A PHENOMENAL YEAR. MY FAMILY'S GOT A LOT DONE THIS YEAR, TAKING CARE OF A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE'VE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF AND WE'VE MOVED FORWARD. YOU KNOW, IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY BEEN A PRETTY PHENOMENAL YEAR.

DAN WHITE>> IT'S BEEN CERTAINLY A PROCESS AND A NEW PERIOD IN MY LIFE.

STEVE JAKSCH>> IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY WHAT MY FEELINGS ARE NOW. IT'S JUST REALLY -- YOU KNOW, I'M STILL HERE. I FEEL GOOD. EVERYTHING'S GOING GOOD. YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY TO BE ALIVE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'LL NEVER FORGET, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE GOT TO MOVE ON FROM.

DAN WHITE>> OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, IT'S DEFINITELY GOTTEN MUCH, MUCH, MUCH BETTER. IT IS A ROUTINE AND SO THAT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE TIME, I FEEL FINE. THEN THERE'S JUST THOSE CERTAIN TIMES AND CERTAIN PERIODS WHERE SOMETHING TRIGGERS IT AND YOU REALIZE HOW CLOSE YOU ARE TO, YOU KNOW, FEELING THAT PANIC AGAIN.

CORINNA WHITE>> I'M A LITTLE MORE EMOTIONAL NOW. I THINK I WAS NUMB FOR A LONG TIME.

SHELLY CARTER>> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS FAMILY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD AND HERE IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE IN JUST A FEW SECONDS AND THAT'S PRETTY OVERWHELMING.

DAN WHITE>> WHEN I ORIGINALLY WAS, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING OUT OF THE TOWER, IN SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER, I WAS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED WITH THE PROSPECTS OF GOING BACK TO NEW YORK OR TRAVELING.

STEVE JAKSCH>> I FEEL RELATIVELY SAFE. I WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM FLYING OR GOING UP IN A BUILDING. I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING I FEEL THAT WOULD BE A REGULAR OCCURRENCE.

DAN WHITE>> I TOOK MY FIRST TRIP BACK TO NEW YORK AFTER SIX WEEKS AND THEN THAT DAY THAT I GOT IN, I WENT TO OUR NEW OFFICES WHICH ARE FOUR BLOCKS FROM GROUND ZERO.

STEVE JAKSCH>> I REALLY WANT TO GO TO THE SITE AND, YOU KNOW, SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH IT.

DAN WHITE>> I HAD TO MOVE UP TO IT AT A SPEED THAT I COULD HANDLE BECAUSE YOU SEE TOO MANY THINGS. I MEAN, THERE ARE TOO MANY THINGS THAT ARE LANDMARKS FROM WHERE I USED TO EAT LUNCH, FROM WHERE I USED TO WALK WHEN I WENT OVER TO ADJOINING OFFICES WHERE CUSTOMERS ARE, FROM PLACES WHERE I EXITED THE SUBWAY TUNNEL TO WHEN I WAS LEAVING THE TOWER FOR THE LAST TIME.

STEVE JAKSCH>> IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR NOW AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE FEELINGS WOULD BE LIKE BECAUSE I REMEMBER THOSE TOWERS BEING THERE.

DAN WHITE>> AT FIRST, IT WAS PRETTY TRAUMATIC TO JUST STAND THERE. I FELT WEIRD AND, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE 9/11 WAS A LITTLE CLOSER THAN IT HAD BEEN TO ME AN HOUR BEFORE. EUROBROKERS HAD ABOUT 280 PEOPLE ON SEPTEMBER 11 AND SIXTY PEOPLE DIED ON SEPTEMBER 11. ONE PERSON DIED OF BURNS SIX WEEKS LATER. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT ALL OF US SURVIVORS SHARED TOGETHER IS THAT WE ALL LOST PEOPLE WHO WERE CLOSE TO US, SO BASICALLY THIS FEELING OF YOU LOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE CLOSE TO YOU AND THE FEELING OF YOU ALMOST DIED AT THE SAME TIME AND WHAT IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TO YOUR FAMILY AND ALL THOSE THINGS TO CONSIDER.

STEVE JAKSCH>> YOU KNOW, BEING AROUND OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL A MATTER OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. REALLY JUST BEING AROUND FAMILY AND PEOPLE THAT EXPERIENCED IT WITH ME IS ACTUALLY PROBABLY EVEN BETTER JUST BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY KNOW ME A LOT BETTER AND THE FEELINGS THAT THEY FELT WHEN ALL THIS WENT DOWN.

DAN WHITE>> A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, I GOT TO A POINT WHERE SUDDENLY I WAS STARTING TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IF I HAD DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY.

STEVE JAKSCH>> AT THIS POINT, IT'S PROBABLY MORE INTENSE FOR THE PEOPLE AROUND ME THAN IT IS ACTUALLY FOR ME BECAUSE I'VE KIND OF SEPARATED MYSELF FROM IT AND ALMOST CAN TALK ABOUT IT IN THIRD PERSON.

DAN WHITE>> I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE TO DEAL WITH ANY KIND OF EMOTIONAL PROCESS. I JUST NEVER THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE WAS SOME KIND OF EMOTIONAL PROCESS THAT SOMEONE HAD TO GO THROUGH, THAT WASN'T GOING TO BE ME. BUT THIS SITUATION, YOU KNOW, FORCED ME TO RECONSIDER THAT.

STEVE JAKSCH>> I THINK THE PEOPLE THAT WENT TO THE ROOMS AND JUST KIND OF DWELLED ON THINGS HAD A HARDER TIME DEALING WITH IT THAN, YOU KNOW, THE REST OF US THAT KIND OF JUST STUCK TOGETHER, TOLD OUR STORIES TO EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW, HOW WE FELT, WHAT WAS GOING ON. I THINK THAT REALLY HELPED US DEAL WITH IT.

CORINNA WHITE>> WHEN HE FIRST CAME BACK, HE WAS REALLY RESERVED. HE DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. OH, IT WAS NO BIG DEAL. BUT I THINK IT WAS A BIGGER DEAL THAN HE LET ON, YOU KNOW? HE'S BARELY JUST GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE HE WILL TOLERATE ME WATCHING THE THINGS ON TV THAT I WATCH. I THINK THERE'S A PART OF HIM THAT DOESN'T WANT TO SEE IT BECAUSE HE REALIZES HOW CLOSE HE CAME. THE KIDS HAD A LOT OF TRAUMA INVOLVED WITH IT.

STEVE JAKSCH>> HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THAT TO CHILDREN? THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. YOU KNOW, THEY JUST KNOW THAT THEY CRASHED PLANES INTO BUILDINGS AND PEOPLE DIED AND THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY. YOU KNOW, HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

SHELLY CARTER>> WELL, IAN TALKED ABOUT IT A LOT. HE ALMOST BROUGHT IT UP DAILY FOR A FEW MONTHS, HIS TEACHERS TOLD ME, AND THEY WOULD PLAY WITH BLOCKS AND BUILD THE TOWERS AND THEN USE TOYS TO KNOCK THEM DOWN. THEY WERE PLAYING A LOT.

CORINNA WHITE>> BUT YOU'VE JUST GOT TO REALIZE THAT YOU MIGHT GO TO SLEEP AND THAT PERSON MIGHT GET UP AND GO TO WORK AND YOU MIGHT NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN, SO YOU KIND OF HAVE TO LIVE LIKE EACH MOMENT IS YOUR LAST.

SHELLY CARTER>> I WANT TO MAKE SURE OUR SONS GROW UP KNOWING HOW IMPORTANT FAMILY IS. FAMILY IS NUMBER ONE AND WE NEED TO BE TOGETHER AND STAY TOGETHER AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS HOW WE FEEL.

STEVE JAKSCH>> I'M OVER THE ANGER OR HATRED, BUT, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A PROBLEM THAT HAS TO BE DEALT WITH. THESE PEOPLE ARE DOING HIDEOUS THINGS TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT THEY HAVE.

DAN WHITE>> IF SOMEONE ATTACKED ONE OF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS AND KILLED THEM, YOU WOULD WANT TO COME AFTER THEM OR YOU WOULD WANT SOMETHING, WHETHER IT'S THE JUSTICE SYSTEM OR YOU WOULD WANT SOMEBODY TO COME AFTER THEM. I FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT SEPTEMBER 11. I FEEL THAT WAY ABOUT CERTAIN PEOPLE I LOST. I WANT TO STICK UP FOR THEM. I WANT WHATEVER IS COMING TO THE TERRORISTS, I WANT THEM TO GET IT.

STEVE JAKSCH>> OBVIOUSLY, IT WAS PRETTY TRAGIC FOR QUITE A LITTLE WHILE, BUT WE'VE MOVED FORWARD AND EVERYONE'S DOING REALLY WELL.

DAN WHITE>> I DON'T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT I'M GOING TO BE DOING WHEN I'M FIFTY-FIVE OR SIXTY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. I JUST WANT TO LIVE LIFE NOW AND MAKE IT AS ENJOYABLE FOR MYSELF AND FOR MY FAMILY AS POSSIBLE.

JESS>> TODAY, STEVE JAKSCH IS COMMEMORATING THE DAY WITH A GATHERING OF FRIENDS AND FAMILIES. DAN WHITE CONSIDERED GOING TO NEW YORK FOR MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR HIS COLLEAGUES. INSTEAD, HE SPOKE AT A CEREMONY NEAR HIS HOME SO HE COULD STAY CLOSE TO HIS FAMILY.

VAL>> TOMORROW, A LOOK AT A LITTLE-KNOWN CHAPTER FROM THE BRACERO PROGRAM. THOUSANDS OF WORKERS CAME HERE IN THE 1940'S TO WORK THE FIELDS AT THE GOVERNMENT'S INVITATION, SO WHY ARE THEY STILL FIGHTING FOR THEIR PAY? THAT'S TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> THE YEAR WAS 1936. JOLTIN' JOE DIMAGGIO MADE HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT, THE NOVEL "GONE WITH THE WIND" WAS PUBLISHED AND THE OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE OPENED.

VAL>> IT WAS ALSO THE MIDDLE OF THE DEPRESSION. JOBS WERE SCARCE. UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS OF AMERICANS RELIED ON CHARITY AND GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS. FDR WAS RE-ELECTED IN A LANDSLIDE VICTORY. HIS NEW DEAL POLICIES WOULD RECAST THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN OUR LIVES FOR DECADES TO COME. BUT ACROSS THE ATLANTIC, HITLER WAS ALSO RE-ELECTED. WAR WAS LOOMING IN EUROPE AND MOST AMERICANS WANTED NO PART OF IT.

JESS>> THE NEW BOOK, "A NATION LOST AND FOUND", IS A SNAPSHOT OF AMERICA IN 1936. IT'S A COLLECTION OF MEMORIES AND STORIES FROM EXTRAORDINARY AND ORDINARY PEOPLE. WE'RE JOINED NOW BY ONE OF THE CO-AUTHORS, FRANK PIERSON. FRANK PIERSON IS AN OSCAR-WINNING SCREENWRITER AND PRESIDENT OF THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES. WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES. WHAT PROMPTED YOU AND STANLEY SHEINBAUM TO DO THIS BOOK?

FRANK PIERSON>> WELL, STANLEY IS A COMMUNICATOR. IF YOU GET ON HIS LIST, YOU GET FAXES, YOU GET LETTERS, YOU GET DELUGED. ANYTHING EXCEPT E-MAIL. HE'S NOT THAT --

JESS>> -- AND OCCASIONALLY YOU GET INVITED TO A SALON? (LAUGHTER)

FRANK PIERSON>> ABSOLUTELY. IT USUALLY COSTS YOU A LITTLE CONTRIBUTION TO SOME CAUSE OR OTHER, BUT STANLEY IS AN OLD, OLD FRIEND. HE WROTE ME A LETTER FOR A REASON THAT I CANNOT REMEMBER NOW DETAILING A DAY THAT HE HAD SPENT IN 1936. IT WAS PRIOR TO THE ELECTION. HE WAS FOURTEEN. I AT THAT TIME WAS ELEVEN. I HAD NOT KNOWN STANLEY THEN AT ALL AS KIDS, BUT IN HIS LETTER, HE DETAILED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN HIS LIFE. I REALIZED THAT I HAD THIS DOPPLEGANGER, THIS SHADOW PERSON, WHO WAS WALKING THE STREETS OF NEW YORK AND, AT VARIOUS PLACES, INTERSECTING. HE WAS WALKING THE SAME STREETS THAT I WAS. HE WAS MEETING SOME OF THE SAME PEOPLE OR AT LEAST RELATED PEOPLE. IN THAT CITY WHERE, AMONG ALL THE SEVEN MILLION, WE WERE ANONYMOUS KIDS AND ONE THING OR ANOTHER, BUT THERE WAS SOME SORT OF CONNECTION.

THE FACT THAT WE WERE LIVING SEPARATE LIVES, HE WAS FROM A POOR JEWISH FAMILY IN THE BRONX WHO WERE STAGGERING FROM BANKRUPTCY TO BANKRUPTCY. I WAS FROM A WHITE ANGLO-SAXON PROTESTANT. I WAS AS WHITE BREAD AS YOU CAN BE, A FAMILY WHO HAD BEEN RICH AND WE HAD LOST ALL OUR MONEY, BUT NOT OUR PRETENSIONS. BUT THE TWO OF US WERE LIVING THESE PARALLEL BUT INTERSECTING LIVES AND I THOUGHT HOW INTERESTING THAT WAS. SO I WROTE HIM A LETTER TELLING HIM WHAT I HAD BEEN DOING. WE GAVE THE LETTERS TO FRIENDS OF OURS WHO THEN BEGAN TO SHARE -- THOSE OF THEM WHO WERE OLD ENOUGH -- WHO BEGAN TO SHARE WITH US THEIR REMINISCENCES FROM 1936 AND WE GOT THE IDEA OF REACHING OUT MORE AND MORE. EVENTUALLY, THREE YEARS LATER, THE BOOK RESULTED.

VAL>> IT'S REALLY UNUSUAL BECAUSE YOU HAVE ALMOST A HUNDRED PEOPLE, EACH OF THEM WRITING SOME LITTLE SNIPPET FROM THEIR LIFE IN 1936 AND THE VARIETY IS TREMENDOUS. SOME OF THEM ARE ONLY A PARAGRAPH LONG. WHICH ONES, IN PARTICULAR, DO YOU REMEMBER? DO YOU HAVE YOUR FAVORITES?

FRANK PIERSON>> WELL, ACTUALLY, ONE OF MY FAVORITES WAS LENNY RIEFENSTAL WHO, WHEN SHE HEARD THAT WE WERE ONLY PAYING AN HONORARIUM, THREW OUR REPRESENTATIVE OUT OF HER HOUSE (LAUGHTER). THAT WAS FASCINATING BECAUSE IT INVOLVED HER PERSONAL REMINISCENCES OF, WELL, MEETINGS WITH HITLER AND MUSSOLINI AND ALL THAT, BUT THAT ONE IS LONG-LOST. I THINK THAT THE ONES THAT ARE MOST AFFECTING TO ME ARE ACTUALLY NOT THE ONES OF MY CONTEMPORARIES. REMEMBERING IT THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE INTERVENING YEARS AND ALL THEIR EXPERIENCES, THEY ARE A TREASURE TROVE OF INTERVIEWS THAT LINE THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. THEY WERE COLLECTED BY THE WPA DURING THAT PERIOD OF ROUGHLY FROM 1934 UP TO ABOUT 1939 ACTUALLY.

JESS>> WELL, IN FACT, FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT AND THE WPA ARE WOVEN ALL THROUGH YOUR BOOK.

FRANK PIERSON>> WELL, THEY SO DOMINATED OUR CULTURE AND OUR AWARENESS. I MEAN, AS A KID, I CAN REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE NIGHT IT SEEMED THAT I WENT TO SLEEP LISTENING TO MY PARENTS LISTENING TO THE FIRESIDE CHAT WITH FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT BRINGING US THROUGH THAT VERY, VERY TOUGH TIME IN WHICH THE RICH WERE AFFECTED AS DEEPLY AS THE POOR. OF COURSE, THEY DIDN'T GO STARVING, BUT NONETHELESS, THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARDS THEIR LIVES, THE WAY IN WHICH THEY LIVED THEIR LIVES, WERE CHANGED IN A REMARKABLY IMPORTANT SORT OF WAY. IT CHANGED THE CULTURE OF THE RICH.

I MEAN, AT THAT TIME, THE COMBINATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE FEAR OF THE BATTLES THAT WERE BEING FOUGHT IN THE STREETS BECAUSE THEN COMMUNISM AND SOCIALISM AND EVEN THE LABOR MOVEMENT ITSELF WERE REGARDED AS A THREAT, CHANGED FUNDAMENTALLY THE WAY THAT THE OLD RICH LIVED. THEY NO LONGER DROVE CADILLACS BECAUSE THAT WOULD DRAW ATTENTION. THEY STARTED TO DRIVE PLYMOUTHS AND DODGES. THEY KEPT THEMSELVES ANONYMOUS. THEY HID THEMSELVES IN A WAY THAT THE PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF WEALTHY PEOPLE DID NOT. THEY DISPLAYED, THEY FLAUNTED, THEIR WEALTH IN THE WAY THAT I THINK THE DOT.COM PEOPLE HAVE IN OUR TIMES AND THAT'S ANOTHER ASPECT OF IT.

IT'S THE SIMILARITY, IN SOME WAYS, OF WHAT WE ALL WERE GOING THROUGH THEN TO WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING NOW. THE ISSUES THAT WE WERE DEALING WITH THEN ARE STILL ALIVE. WHAT WE CALLED RELIEF THEN, WE NOW CALL WELFARE. WE CHANGED THE LANGUAGE A BIT. WE'VE CHANGED OUR ATTITUDES TOO.

VAL>> FROM CAPITALISM TO, WHAT IS IT, GLOBALIZATION --

FRANK PIERSON>> -- TO FREE MARKET, GLOBALIZATION OR A FREE MARKET ECONOMY. BUT I GOT AWAY FROM TALKING ABOUT THOSE WPA INTERVIEWS WITH PEOPLE THEY INTERVIEWED AT THE TIME. THESE WERE OLDER PEOPLE, OLDER THAN ALL OF US, BECAUSE WE WERE YOUNG AT THE TIME AND THESE ARE NOW A COLLECTION OF OLD PEOPLE REMEMBERING WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE WHEN WE WERE KIDS.

JESS>> I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS THE PURPOSE, BUT ONE OF THE RESULTS OF YOUR BOOK IS, I THINK, TO ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO READ IT TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE SURVIVED OTHER CATASTROPHIC EVENTS, THE GREAT DEPRESSION, PEARL HARBOR, AND WILL ALSO SURVIVE 9/11.

FRANK PIERSON>> OH, I THINK SO, AND I THINK THAT IT'S MODESTLY INSPIRATIONAL IN THAT SENSE. I THINK IT'S AN AFFIRMATION OF THE STRENGTH OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR SYSTEM, ACTUALLY. THE OTHER ASPECT OF THIS THAT IS INTERESTING TO ME IS THAT ALL OF THESE PEOPLE WERE GOING THROUGH THE SAME THINGS. WE ENCOUNTERED THE SAME OBSTACLES, THE SAME PROBLEMS THAT OUR KIDS ARE FACING.

CONFRONTING THE THREAT OF WAR, WILL WE VOLUNTEER FOR SERVICE? HOW WILL WE COPE WITH THE FACT THAT WE JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY? HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT, IF YOU CAME FROM A RELATIVELY WEALTHY FAMILY, THE OLD FRIENDS NO LONGER SPEAK TO YOU BECAUSE THEY ARE ANTICIPATING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO ASK FOR SOMETHING AND THEY DON'T FEEL CAPABLE OF RESPONDING? THOSE DISAPPOINTMENTS AND PROBLEMS WERE THINGS THAT ALL OF THESE PEOPLE IN THIS BOOK WERE EXPERIENCING. MANY WOULD THINK THAT ALL THE STORIES WOULD BE THE SAME, BUT EVERY STORY IS WILDLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE OUR NEW AND FRESH AND CREATIVE WAYS OF CONFRONTING THE PROBLEMS THAT FACE US.

JESS>> WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO GO INTO IT, BUT SHIRLEY TEMPLE IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE (LAUGHTER).

FRANK PIERSON>> (LAUGHTER) OH, HER PIECE IN THE BOOK, I THINK I LIKE HERS. IT WAS SO INTERESTING.

JESS>> VERY GOOD INDEED.

VAL>> WELL, FRANK PIERSON, THANK YOU SO MUCH, OSCAR-WINNING WRITER AND NOW CO-AUTHOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN.

FRANK PIERSON>> WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

VAL>> THE BOOK, AGAIN, IS CALLED "A NATION LOST AND FOUND: 1936 REMEMBERED BY ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE" BY FRANK PIERSON AND STANLEY SHEINBAUM.

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VAL>> TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER THE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, A SMALL COMMUNITY THEATER NEAR USC OPENED ITS DOORS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACKS.

JESS>> THAT'S JUST ONE WAY THE 24TH STREET THEATRE IS DIFFERENT FROM LARGE COMMERCIAL THEATERS. IT'S A PLACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO OFTEN HAVE FEW OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. AS GAY YEE REPORTS, IT IS COMMUNITY THEATER AS IT WAS MEANT TO BE.

GAY YEE>> 24TH STREET AND HOOVER NEAR USC ON THIS SATURDAY MORNING IS LIKE PLENTY OF OTHER INNER-CITY NEIGHBORHOODS. ON THE CORNER, THEY'RE COOKING UP BREAKFAST SPECIALS AT PETE'S BURGERS. THE MENU HAS DENVER OMELETS RIGHT ALONGSIDE CARNESADA AND GREEK HEROES. BUT JUST ACROSS THE STREET IS SOMETHING TRULY UNIQUE, THE 24TH STREET THEATRE.

JAY MCADAMS>> I WOULD SAY IT'S A THEATRE, BUT IT'S UNLIKE OTHER THEATRES IN THAT IT IS REALLY PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IT'S COMMUNITY-BASED. WHAT WE DO IS OFFER SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD DON'T HAVE AND THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE THE RESOURCES TO GIVE IT TO THEMSELVES. IT'S A BIT OF LUXURY.

GAY YEE>> IN 1997, THE NONPROFIT THEATRE COMPANY PUT DOWN ROOTS JUST WEST OF DOWNTOWN. HERE THE THEATRE PRESENTS PROFESSIONAL PERFORMANCES BY PROFESSIONAL ACTORS. THE SHOWS ARE FREE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHILE OTHERS HAVE TO PAY.

JAY MCADAMS>> IT'S MAGIC BECAUSE IT CHANGES ALL THE TIME.

[FILM CLIP]

JAY MCADAMS>> WHEREAS THE LIQUOR STORE ON THE CORNER DOESN'T CHANGE A WHOLE LOT.

[FILM CLIP]

JAY MCADAMS>> WHEREAS THIS PLACE HAS POSSIBILITIES AND MAGIC IN IT. FOR THE LONG RUN, I THINK IT'S GOING TO INFUSE THIS MAGIC INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND FOR ALL OF L.A. I REMEMBER A MAN A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO WHO CAME IN BECAUSE IT WAS SO HOT IN HIS HOUSE AND HE HAD NO AIR CONDITIONING. HE JUST WANTED TO COOL OFF. WE COULD GIVE HIM THAT AND WE COULD ENTERTAIN HIM AT THE SAME TIME.

GAY YEE>> MCADAMS AND HIS PARTNER, YOUTH PROGRAM DIRECTOR DEBBIE DEVINE, AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS DONATE THEIR TIME TO OFFER AN ACTING COURSE FOR LOCAL KIDS. TOGETHER THEY CREATE, WRITE, PRODUCE AND DIRECT A REAL THEATRE PIECE OF THEIR OWN WITH A REAL LIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE THEATRE AS THE PAYOFF.

[FILM CLIP]

DEBBIE DEVINE>> THEY'RE GETTING POISE, GRACE, CONFIDENCE, THE ABILITY TO SPONTANEOUSLY CREATE A SENTENCE, CONSTRUCT A THOUGHT, DE-CONSTRUCT A THOUGHT, HAVE A CONVERSATION, HAVE A CRITICAL THINKING MOMENT, HAVE A MOMENT OF PAUSE AND REALLY INTERNALIZE WHAT'S HAPPENING, TO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE WORLD WITH YOUR FIVE SENSES, HEARING AND TASTING AND TOUCHING AND SMELLING AND SEEING IN A MORE ENHANCED WAY. BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT ALL THIS ART FORM IS ABOUT. REALLY LOOKING AND EXPERIENCING THE WORLD AROUND YOU IN A DEEPER WAY. AND YOU CAN'T HELP BUT INCREASE YOUR HUMANITY IF YOU DO THAT.

ROSE PORTILLO>> DON'T CUT OUT. JUST FULL COMMITMENT. THE WAY YOU MOVE YOUR BODY SPEAKS THE WORDS.

GAY YEE>> ROSE PORTILLO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE 24TH STREET THEATRE'S UPCOMING PROGRAM CREATED BY NINE LOCAL GIRLS CALLED "THE STORIES WITHIN".

ROSE PORTILLO>> I THINK ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE CAN DO HERE AT THE THEATRE AND WITHIN THE PROGRAM IS CREATING A SAFE SPACE. ONCE A PERSON FEELS SAFE, THEN CREATIVITY BLOSSOMS.

[FILM CLIP]

CHRISTINA DAVIS>> I'M DISCOVERING WITHIN MYSELF THAT, SINCE WE'RE TELLING LIKE OUR EXPERIENCES OR WHATEVER THROUGH A STORY, IT ALLOWS US TO BE REAL CREATIVE. I KNOW I HAVE SOME CREATIVE TALENT WITHIN ME, BUT I FINALLY GET TO SHOW IT.

AMINAH OFUMBI>> YOU KNOW, THEY SAY DREAMS, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO KEEP BEING DREAMS BECAUSE YOU NEVER ACCOMPLISH A DREAM. IT'S GOING TO BE A REALITY AND I'M GOING TO GET THAT DONE. IT'S GOING TO BE FOR REAL, NOT A DREAM, SO I DON'T CALL THEM DREAMS ANYMORE.

GAY YEE>> WHAT DO YOU CALL THEM?

AMINAH OFUMBI>> A GOAL, BECAUSE I'M GOING TO GET MY GOALS DONE.

TASHA PHILLIPS>> I'M GETTING MORE COMFORTABLE. I'M NOT LIKE SHY. I CAN GET USED TO YOU REAL FAST, BUT FIRST I WANT TO JUST SEE LIKE ARE YOU GOING TO ACCEPT ME LIKE THE WAY I WANT YOU TO?

GAY YEE>> DOES IT MATTER IF I ACCEPT YOU OR NOT NOW?

TASHA PHILLIPS>> YES (LAUGHTER).

GAY YEE>> JUANNY MOLINA HAS HAD HER DAUGHTER, JEANINE, ENROLLED IN THE PROGRAM SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING.

JUANNY MOLINA>> WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR CHILD TO GROW DIFFERENT AND TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN IN THIS COUNTRY, YOU NEED TO GO TO THESE PLACES LIKE THE THEATRE. THE VOICES GOING TO BE HERE FOR NOW AND THE FUTURE BECAUSE SHE'S NOT SHY. SHE'S NOT SHY.

JAY MCADAMS>> THE PAYOFF IS HERE. FEELS GREAT. IT'S CERTAINLY NOT MONEY. IN ANY THEATRE IN TOWN, THE PAYOFF IS NOT MONEY. THE PAYOFF IS THAT THERE IS SUCCESS IN EACH ONE OF THESE LITTLE STORIES. THE KIDS THAT HAVE DONE SHOWS HERE ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY STARTED HERE AND NOW THEY'RE HERE. WHEN THEY LEAVE HERE, THEY'VE SUCCEEDED.

GAY YEE>> THEY SAY ACTING IS PERFORMING. IN THIS CASE, THE GIRLS ARE PERFORMING TO ACTS IN LIFE.

[FILM CLIP]

JESS>> THIS SATURDAY, THE THEATER WILL TAKE PART IN "CONNECT L.A.", A CITYWIDE FESTIVAL HONORING VICTIMS OF 9/11. THE PROGRAM RUNS FROM 2:00 TO 4:00 P.M. AND TICKETS ARE FREE. YOU CAN CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS EVENT OR OTHER PROGRAMS AT 24TH STREET THEATRE.

[213-745-6516]

VAL>> THAT IS OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT. A REMINDER THAT YOU CAN FIND TRANSCRIPTS OR AUDIO OF OUR PROGRAMS ON OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

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