In the 40-plus years that Steve Crump has worked as a broadcast journalist, he’s interviewed and documented the lives of hundreds of influential people, from the late Congressman John Lewis to Franklin McCain and the Greensboro Four.
Much of that video footage eventually found its way onto his cutting-room floor. Lately, however, Crump has been working to recycle some of those unused clips to create new documentaries. One, about the 60th anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s gold medal win in the 1960 Summer Olympics, will air this Friday at 8 p.m. on Bounce TV [See channel listings].
Like Ali, Crump is a native of Louisville, Kentucky. He said he created this latest documentary — “Diamond Anniversary of a Gold Medal Moment” — using some previously unseen footage from more than 20 interviews he conducted while producing a 2007 documentary about the heavyweight boxing legend, who died in 2016. That earlier documentary was titled “Louisville’s Own Ali.”
Although Crump was only three years old when Ali won his gold medal, he said the significance of the 1960 event signaled to America that Ali was on his way up, and that he was going to take his people with him.
“Seeing somebody who looks like you front and center who’s fearless, not only in a sport, but fearless in taking on issues, just gave so many people a voice,” he said. “He validated the arguments and concerns that happened to be expressed by those who were disenfranchised on a much bigger stage.”
A front-row seat to history
The new documentary runs close to 30 minutes and includes interviews from former Kentucky State Senator Georgia Davis Powers, Franklin McCain, John Lewis, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, Olympian Mary T. Meagher Plant and other Louisville community leaders and journalists.
Crump said he decided to go through and repurpose some of his old clips because the Covid-19 pandemic, and his well-documented battle with colon cancer, limited his ability to get new footage.
In addition to interviews, some of the previously unseen footage includes Ali’s grave, funeral, a placard at the Presbyterian Community Center in Louisville and a mural, he said.
Crump said he hopes that people who watch the documentary will come away with a better understanding of Ali’s greatness, how he transcended sports to advance the causes of humanity.
“He gave us an amazing front-row seat to history,” he said. “When you’re a part of something, and/or somebody, that has had such an impact, that’s very important. And he’s one of us, and we’ll always be one of him.”
Crump said the documentary initially was meant to coincide with the 2020 Summer Olympics, scheduled for Tokyo, but the games got delayed until 2021 because of the pandemic.
Still, Crump predicts that Ali’s achievement, along with the 1960 Olympic achievements of other legendary Black athletes, such as Wilma Rudolph and Rafer Johnson, will be discussed at length when the games are held.
Never stop
With four decades of interviews behind him, Crump said the years have given him perspective — and a greater appreciation for the art of long-form storytelling.
“Substantively, you can do pieces that have more of an impact than, you know, who shot Jim at the corner liquor store, or, gee, there’s a cat stuck up in a tree,” he said. “By doing those kinds of (long-form) projects, you realize that you can have a greater impact upon your community as well as the people and the viewers that you serve.”
As for his legacy, Crump said he still has work to do.
“I think you never stop,” he said. “To me, it has never been about the money or prestige and those kinds of things. It’s never been about the veneer of it, if you will. But I think in some regards, there’s always quest.”
Crump recalled a time he spent at the home of John Hope Franklin, the Black historian who died in Durham in 2009, at age 94 — a man Crump described as “a storyteller’s storyteller.”
“Even though he was in life’s sunset years, he never stopped,” Crump remembered. “And I think that that’s kind of the goal. That’s kind of the way that you look at things.”
Humility aside, the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina recently asked Crump to donate his papers and films to create the Steve and Cathy Wilson Crump Collection.
Crump said he hopes that scholars and students can use the collection for research.
“It’s flattering that somebody thinks enough of your work to want to include it in their catalog,” Crump said.
Cathy Crump is a graduate of USC and has several family members who attended the university.
“I was really happy that both she and her family could be honored in that way,” he said. “For me, it’s quite a thrill. I’m very honored that they asked.”
During his long career, most of which was spent in Charlotte at WBTV, Crump covered a host of historic events and people, including Rock Hill’s Friendship Nine, the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, the Orangeburg Massacre, and the removal of the Confederate flag at the South Carolina State House. He also has interview a host of national and international civil and human rights leaders, including Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
“It seemed like a good fit,” Crump said of his decision to donate his papers and films to the university. “And it seemed like, based on the material, that there could be individuals and institutions that could benefit from these kinds of stories.”
Steve Crump’s personal story of his battle with cancer is also helping all to keep moving.
His documentaries are special and the honor of being held at a major university is well deserved.
We continue to rise.
it nice to see you back in action sir. And the documentary on Ali will be wonderful to see. My mom was teaching in 1960 when the so called “Modern Olympics” showcased many people of color who still resonate with all things positive. Several years ago I did an after school program with the daycare program that I recently retired from which covered the Olympics in a lot of ways. I used “YouTube” videos of the 1984 Olympics and also the 1960 Olympics to let my older students in grades 1-4 see how well people like Carl Lewis and Wilma Rouldoph influenced the young people of earlier generations. After reading them the book “The Quickest Kid In Clarksville” which won several children’s book awards I showed them an old video on YouTube about her winning a gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. At the end of the presentation my students started chanting “Wilma Wilma” so loud that I had to quiet them down. We had a lot of fun plus also did some outdoor play ground activities that week. I wish that you could have seen all of the fun that they had along with learning something about a positive role model. Stay safe and take care of your self sir. LJ Steele, MA Educator