09/16/04

LC040916

Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times --

Reverend Cecil Murray steps down after years of steering Los
Angeles through turbulent times. His influence reached beyond
the pulpit into politics.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> And the haves and the have-nots
can no longer peacefully co-exist. The middle class is
disappearing in America. Haves and have-nots. We're just
begging for an explosion.

Val>> And then, tennis anyone? Hollywood serves up one
romantic comedy, a sci-fi fantasy and the Loch Ness Monster.

It's all coming up next on tonight's Life and Times.

Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of
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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> Whenever there was drama on the Southern California
whether it be riots, police scandals or political battles, this
man played a major role. He is Reverend Cecil Murray, head of
First AME Church. Now Reverend Cecil Murray is stepping off the
stage, retiring as pastor of First AME Church. Kevin Smith
looks back at the career of this charismatic figure whose work
took him well beyond the pulpit.

[Film Clip]

Kevin Smith>> Reverend Cecil Murray is so well-known around Los
Angeles that anyone who sings his praises these days is probably
just preaching to the choir. Ever since Murray arrived in 1977
to head the First AME Church, also known as Fame, he's been a
larger than life figure urging calm after the storm of the 1992
riots, ministering to the sick and the needy, spurring business
development in his poor community and holding court for
politicians, mostly Democrats, though prominent Republicans
sometimes visit as well.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> I always thought that the black
minister especially should be an advocate for his people. He
should be there at the forefront fighting for the liberation and
stability of his people.

Kevin Smith>> During Murray's tenure, the First AME Church grew
from a sleepy congregation of about three hundred members to
more than 17,000. Celebrities often attend the services. The
First AME Church is serenely quiet when there's no service
taking place here. No music, no laughter, no tears. Shortly
after arriving in 1977, Reverend Murray articulated his vision
for outreach into the community, a vision for expanding the
ministry beyond the walls of the church.

The church's so-called campus in South Central Los Angeles
contains more than two dozen properties like the Cecil Murray
School for children from kindergarten through eighth grade.

[Film Clip]

Kevin Smith>> The campus also features low-cost apartments,
some reserved for AIDS patients and the handicapped, and the
Fame Renaissance Center to spur local business development.

Don Miller>> So what impresses me is this is not someone who
just talks and preaches, but someone who acts and someone who
actually then embodies these actions in very concrete programs.

Kevin Smith>> Murray became a household name for his visibility
during the 1992 riots following the acquittal of four white
police officers accused in the beating of black motorist Rodney
King.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> "There are hot spots in the
city. We have been monitoring it and we will talk about how the
men who are present here must assist us tonight."

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> The fires were in the
neighborhood and we stood between the firemen who said, yes, we
will come to put the blazes out, but everywhere we go, we are
attacked. We said we will protect you.

Donald Miller>> At one level, he was telling us to stay calm.
On the other hand, though, Reverend Murray was telling us why it
was that this uprising was happening.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> "A good verdict coming down from
a good jury, this good verdict that's good for nothing except
creating chaos, pitting us against each other, forcing us to
hate one another. Good for nothing, good for nothing."

Kevin Smith>> After the riots, Murray meant business. He
realized that South Central residents needed to spend more of
their money in locally-owned businesses rather than with
merchants who would take the money elsewhere. Major
corporations provided startup funds and the Fame Renaissance
Center was born. The second floor, called The Incubator, houses
small companies and entrepreneurs involved in entertainment and
multimedia, companies like ImajiMation.

[Film Clip]

Kevin Smith>> It's a computer animation business that's created
music videos and television ads for major clients, and developed
comic books and toys aimed at the urban teenage market.

Mark Davis>> We came to The Incubator to get a strong business
sense instead of just being an artist that, you know, starves
for the rest of his life. They help us. They have coaches that
come through every week.

Kevin Smith>> Like any prominent figure dealing with
controversial issues, Murray does have his critics.

Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson>> "See you then. Thanks for your
call. Thanks for tuning in."

Kevin Smith>> Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson, a conservative radio
preacher, claims Murray's actions promote himself and his
political allies more than worthy causes.

Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson>> Bill Clinton is a liar. He was
impeached. He cheated on his wife. He perjures himself. So
how is it that a man of God, Murray, supposedly a man of God,
will allow a corrupt person come into his church house and take
over?

Kevin Smith>> Peterson also chastises Murray for sending the
wrong message to young people.

Reverend Jesse Lee Peterson>> At one point, they were passing
out condoms in his church. If this man is truly called by God,
there is no way he would pass out condoms in the church,
especially to young people, because you say to them that you
don't need self-control.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> And in life, you set all the
options in front of you and go, one option, preach abstinence.
Another option, preach abstinence and yet say, if you will not
abstain, at least use this condom to protect the populace from
you or others from you.

Kevin Smith>> Murray has never shied away from doing battle.
After growing up in West Palm Beach, Florida where his family
was active in the First AME Church, Murray joined the Air Force
for ten years during the Korean War era.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> You learn discipline, exposure,
you get to see the whole world. All of that was good
preparation for the ministry.

Kevin Smith>> Murray then traded his pilot's wings for angel's
wings, earning his Doctorate in Theology from Claremont
University. Murray had tours of duty with the First AME Church
in Kansas City, then Seattle, before finding his calling here in
the City of Angels. Despite Murray's attention to business and
political activities, he still makes it a high priority to
comfort the afflicted.

[Film Clip]

Kevin Smith>> Patricia Coates, only in her forties, found out
that she has terminal cancer. The disease has made her blind
and she's unable to walk, but Murray convinced her that life is
still worth living.

Patricia Coates>> I feel that there's a lot of miracles out
there and I deserve one.

Kevin Smith>> Murray is stepping down because he's reached the
First AME Church's mandatory retirement age of seventy-five.
But Murray says his successor still faces enormous challenges.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> The middle class is disappearing
in America. Haves and have-nots. We're just begging for an
explosion.

Reverend Cecil "Chip" Murray>> "Forget your sophistication for
the next fifteen seconds. Everybody go crazy! Let's go!"

Kevin Smith>> After Murray's retirement, a chorus of supporters
hopes the rollicking church services will carry on.

Donald Miller>> A lot of people look at First AME and what they
immediately think of is economic development, but there's a
reason that people come to that church. It's because of the
worship. I remember the first time that I went to First AME. I
couldn't sit still. Quite literally, when that choir started
singing, everybody started moving and I moved with them.

[Film Clip]

Val>> Reverend Murray's legacy is also visible in another way.
Just outside the church at the corner of 25th and Harbor
Boulevard is a new street sign that reads "Cecil L. "Chip"
Murray Circle".

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Val>> Well, you've heard of a no-points loan, but how about a
no-interest loan? That's right. You can borrow up to $20,000
for zero interest. Where? At the Jewish Free Loan Association.
They've been making these loans for the last hundred years to
those in need. It's run by Mark Meltzer and Evelyn Schecter.
The loans go for everything from medical bills, college tuition,
business startups, to helping victims of domestic violence and
even couples who want to adopt a child. Mark Meltzer is
Executive Director and CEO.

Mark Meltzer>> All of our loans are made with zero percent
interest.

Val>> And no fees or any of the other stuff?

Mark Meltzer>> No fees, no interest. People have to come to us
with a legitimate reason for the loan. It has to be an
emergency. It has to be given to people who are unable to
obtain the loan from another source, either from a family or
from a bank. It really is a very special kind of a service that
we offer to the community.

Val>> And the amount that they can borrow is up to $20,000, is
that right?

Mark Meltzer>> Yes.

Val>> At the most?

Mark Meltzer>> Yes, that's the most. Very few of our borrowers
really get that amount of money. We encourage people to take
less because we don't want them to have a great burden to pay
back to us. All of our loans require co-signers to guarantee
the loan. That's how we have had such success in collection.
You probably don't know this, but we have great success in our
collection. We write off less than half of one percent of our
activity.

Val>> That's amazing.

Mark Meltzer>> It truly is.

Val>> Because compared to a bank?

Mark Meltzer>> Banks write off ten to twelve percent, I
believe. That is --

Val>> -- bad loans.

Mark Meltzer>> And bad loans. But we establish a relationship
with our borrowers. All of our borrowers meet with one of our
loan analysts, speak with them, and tell us their entire story
and we establish a relationship with them and that's what I
attribute to our great success in recovery of our money.

Val>> The fund started back in 1904. That's when ten
businessmen got together and created a lending pool of five
hundred dollars. The maximum loan amount at the time was
$25.00. In 1923, its president, Cesar Samuels, pledged $50,000
toward the fund. Since then, it's grown to more than five
million dollars in loans with the average amount being two
thousand dollars. Evelyn Schecter is the Fund's Chief Operating
Officer who says forty percent of their loans are to non-Jews.

Evelyn Schecter>> The Jewish Free Loan has always been a non-
sectarian business and we have helped people of all faiths. For
example, we helped the Native-Americans when the government
allowed them to come off of the reservations and many of them
came out to the West Coast. They came to the Jewish Free Loan
and we were able to help them establish themselves here. After
the Watts riot in 1965, a lot of the population had lost their
businesses and needed money to get started again, needed help
just generally.

When the earthquakes happened, including the 1994 earthquake,
people would line up outside the door and we were able to, that
first couple of days, give them cash really. So with a thousand
dollars in cash, they were able to walk out of here with money
so that they could buy the absolute necessities of life.

Val>> If you're loaning money at zero percent, some people
would say why don't you just make a grant? You know, it's
charity.

Mark Meltzer>> Well, you know, we like to think that we're
giving a person a helping hand in the form of a loan rather than
a handout and I think that people maintain their pride with a
loan. They know that they're coming in for a loan, they're
going to pay it back. It is a responsibility that they take on
and they do pay it back. We don't believe in giving people
money in terms of a grant. That's more of a welfare type of
thing and our clients are people who are not on welfare. They
want to pay back the loan. They're having a glitch in their
lives of a financial need and they come in to us to solve that
challenge.

Val>> In a way, it instills more financial responsibility in
the long run.

Mark Meltzer>> Absolutely.

Evelyn Schecter>> And the people are amazing, and what many of
them do is make contributions to help other people do the same
thing.

Val>> After they've been helped.

Evelyn Schecter>> After they've been helped. Because what
happens, with an interest-free loan, what happens is the money
is repaid and then we have that money to lend to somebody else
and it keeps the money recycling, if you will, in perpetuity
which is very exciting.

Val>> So give us an idea of an individual who has started a
business as a result of the free loan.

Mark Meltzer>> Well, we have assisted people in the framing
business to start picture framing. We have assisted people in
food service of all kinds. We have assisted a seamstress who
has become a dress designer.

Val>> Really?

Mark Meltzer>> Yes, we have. We have assisted many kinds of
businesses.

Val>> Now what if they don't know anything about this? It
takes a lot of training.

Mark Meltzer>> Oh, that's a good question. Our applicants have
to show us and display an awareness and a knowledge of running a
business, especially our new American population. We try to
understand what they are going to do and we want them to
understand how to run a business. It's a delicate piece of back
and forth information that we have to establish before we can
make the loan.

Val>> Now if this is such a good idea, it seems like a lot of
communities in Los Angeles that are facing poverty and other
challenges could do the same thing. Couldn't they just get
together, pool their money and start something like this?

Mark Meltzer>> You know, Val, that's a very interesting
question. I would like to see some of the communities in Los
Angeles do just that and, in some cases, I have talked with
leaders in some of the communities to do that. It's a difficult
fund-raising issue. It's also a Jewish-based kind of thing. We
are taught in the Torah that we shall not extol interest from
the needy and that's one of our basic tenets. We believe in
that strongly. It doesn't transpose to other communities as
easily and because it is, within the Jewish community, a strong
fact of life, the Jewish community funds it and started funding
it years ago and people are aware of it in the Jewish community
and donate to it.

Val>> So it's more ingrained in your culture?

Mark Meltzer>> It is, it is. It's an educational process.

Val>> Mark Meltzer, with the Jewish Free Loan Association,
thank you.

Mark Meltzer>> Thank you so much for coming to see us.

Val>> And I hope you have another hundred years of lending.

Mark Meltzer>> I hope so. Thank you very much.

To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us
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Larry Mantle>> Welcome to FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm
Larry Mantle of 89.3 KPCC. Our first movie this week is the
period fantasy film, "Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow". It
stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> I'm joined this week by critics Andy Klein of
CityBEAT and ValleyBEAT, and F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly.
Andy, let's start with you on "Sky Captain".

Andy Klein>> Yes, this is very firmly in the Indiana Jones
mold. Jude Law plays Sky Captain. His real name is Joe, but
they call him Sky Captain throughout. He's an ace pilot who
runs a band of mercenaries in not necessarily a negative sense
who are who you call when horrible things are happening. Kind
of like Batman. Huge flying robots invade what appears to be
New York City and it's taking place in 1939 allegedly, but it's
kind of alternative universe 1939 where World War II doesn't
exist and the technology is all out of whack. He's called in
and he teams up with his on-and-off girlfriend played by Gwyneth
Paltrow to go try and head off this mastermind who sent the
flying robots, an evil guy trying to destroy the world, of
course.

What you need to know about this film is, in fact, that
everything except the actors was created on computer. They
filmed all the actors on green screens first and then Kerry
Conran, the director, filled it in later. It's beautiful,
beautiful visuals, but I have to say the script could have been
better.

Larry Mantle>> All right. Quick comment, F.X. Feeney?

F.X. Feeney>> Well, I thought it was a terrific film. I
thought this Kerry Conran is a really interesting talent and, as
a first time writer-director, they trusted him with a lot. I
think he's apparently made a presentation of this animated
universe that he was going to install the actors in. I thought
that it's the best use I've seen thus far of this kind of CGI
where you create, you know, impossible landscapes and impossible
vistas and incorporate into it. It was done with such energy
that it was a real pleasure. You know, it's like a graphic
novel. The people don't have dialogue. They sort of speak word
balloons and they speak them with great passion. But otherwise,
you know, it's still entertaining. I enjoyed it very much.

Larry Mantle>> Next up is a film from that very narrow genre of
the tennis romance. "Wimbledon" stars Kirsten Dunst and Paul
Bettany.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> So, F.X., did you fall for "Wimbledon"?

F.X. Feeney>> Yes, to my surprise. I did not expect much going
in. You know, the poster made it look like kind of "A Star Is
Born" with tennis balls (laughter). It's a great comedy. It is
so witty. The banter that fires back and forth between the two
lovers who become lovers almost immediately, which is a
refreshing surprise. The whole question is, can they find love
in the middle of all their exertion? You know, the life of a
tennis star is to be a nomad.

Because the Paul Bettany character is aging, you know, he's not
that old, but nevertheless for a tennis star, he finds himself
up against teenagers. He's theoretically on the way down,
although as he falls more in love with Kirsten Dunst, his game
improves all the way. So I find just a lot of entertaining,
witty romantic tensions and it was a great champagne. It was
like a glass of champagne that kept refilling itself as you
drink it. I was enjoying it every step of the way.

Larry Mantle>> Andy Klein, did you like "Wimbledon"?

Andy Klein>> Yeah, I did. I'm not sure I was quite as
enthusiastic as F.X., but indeed I also was pleasantly
surprised. A lot of the plot here sort of falls into your
standard "Rocky" sports film where you're rooting for the
underdog who doesn't have a chance and you know how that's going
to turn out. But in fact, they were very aware of that and
undercut it with a lot of wonderful humor. There are moments
where you think are going to be big inspirational moments and
then, with a great joke or something, it will take the pomposity
out of it. The two leads are really very, very likable
together, you know, particularly in the courtship rather than on
the court. It's just a very frothy film in the best sense, I
think. I mean, it wants to be very light.

Larry Mantle>> So it sounds like the director got the tone well
and that the script was decent?

Andy Klein>> Yes, absolutely. The script was much better than
anybody had any reason to expect, I think.

Larry Mantle>> And finally this week, the mockumentary,
"Incident at Loch Ness" which features acclaimed European
director, Werner Herzog.

[Film Clip]

Larry Mantle>> Well, Andy, having not seen "Incident at Loch
Ness", I have to admit that I'm a little bit confused by this
film. Please shed light.

Andy Klein>> We're all confused by this film. It's really --
you think at the beginning that it's a documentary and the setup
is Zak Penn who's a very well-known commercial screenwriter who
wrote "The Last Action Hero", was one of the writers on "Suspect
Zero" which recently came out, has this inspiration to get
Werner Herzog, the great German director, to make a documentary
about the Loch Ness Monster. He gets Werner all worked up over
it and, while they're shooting the documentary, there's a
behind-the-scenes crew shooting them shooting the documentary.
As becomes clear pretty early in the film, this is all fake. I
mean, it is a mockumentary. It's not scripted. It's all being
improvised, but it's not in any sense real.

Larry Mantle>> But the principals play themselves?

Andy Klein>> Yes. Werner Herzog is Werner Herzog. You
actually have the cinematographer, Gabriel Beristain, playing
himself, though you never see him behind a camera here because
really everything is being shot by John Bailey, also a well-
known cinematographer, who's playing the guy behind the camera
whose footage you're really seeing.

They go to Loch Ness and everything goes wrong and what really
makes the film work is that Zak Penn, who wrote and directed it,
is playing himself and playing himself as a complete Hollywood
jerk. It's just a hilarious deadpan performance as, you know,
he tries to sneak the babe in the bikini into the shots that
Werner is trying to do and cheapening it. He's got somebody
trying to do a remote-controlled fake Nessie. So it's just
basically this very, very funny behind-the-scenes mockumentary.
I highly recommend it.

Larry Mantle>> Thanks so much for joining us for another
edition of FilmWeek on Life and Times. I'm Larry Mantle of 89.3
KPCC joined by our critics, Andy Klein of CityBEAT and
ValleyBEAT, and F.X. Feeney of the L.A. Weekly. Please join us
again next week for another edition of FilmWeek on Life and
Times.

Val>> And don't forget that you can hear a full hour of
FilmWeek every Friday morning at 11:00 a.m. on KPCC. And that's
our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times,
thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.

Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of
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 by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg.

Val>> Next time on Life and Times -- Fess Parker strikes a big
land deal with the Chumash Indians and it sparks a nasty war of
words in Santa Barbara County.

>> I think that the only entity that's playing the race card in
all of this discussion is the tribe and I think that's very
unfortunate. I think they should be very careful about that.

Val>> That's next time on Life and Times.