Knights of the South Bronx

2005 American TV series or program

Knights of the South Bronx

Genre| Drama
Teleplay by|

* Jamal Joseph
* Dianne Houston

Story by| Jamal Joseph
Directed by| Allen Hughes
Starring|

* Ted Danson
* Malcolm David Kelley
* Brian Markinson
* Kate Vernon
* Yves Michel-Beneche
* Yucini Diaz
* Antonio Ortiz
* Eugene Clark
* Keke Palmer
* Clifton Powell

Music by| Stephen Endelman
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Executive producer| Dianne Nabatoff
Producers|

* Allen Hughes
* John M. Eckert

Production location| Toronto
Cinematography| Derick Underschultz
Editor| Conrad Gonzalez
Running time| 90 minutes
Production companies|

* A&E Networks
* Tiara Blu Films
* Fox Television Studios

Original release
Network| A&E
Release| December 6, 2005 (2005-12-06)

Knights of the South Bronx is a 2005 American drama television film directed by Allen Hughes and written by Jamal Joseph and Dianne Houston. Based on a true story, it stars Ted Danson as a teacher who helps students at a tough South Bronx elementary school to succeed by teaching them to play chess.[1] It aired on A&E on December 6, 2005.

## Plot summary

[edit]

The film is based on the true story of David MacEnulty,[2] who taught schoolchildren of the Bronx Community Elementary School 70 to play chess at competition level, eventually winning New York City and the New York State Chess Championships. The screenplay portrays whistle-blowing and a mid-life crisis that combine to remove Richard Mason (played by Ted Danson) from his old life. He becomes a substitute teacher and is assigned to a fourth-grade class in a South Bronx school. In the class are students with parents who are drug addicts or in jail or just scrambling to pay the bills. Few of them see a purpose in school other than meeting society's requirements, and he struggles, mostly in vain, to reach them.

Then a student whose father is in jail sees Mason in the park playing chess in a simultaneous exhibition, and beating fourteen opponents at once. The student asks to learn the game of chess. One thing leads to another, and soon the entire class is interested in chess. Mason convinces them that on the chessboard it doesn't matter how much money you have or what clothes you're wearing or where you come from, and that it's only how you move the chess pieces, then and there. The class forms a chess team to compete in ever-larger chess tournaments.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ted Danson \- Mr. Richard Mason
* Malcolm David Kelley \- Jimmy Washington
* Brian Markinson \- Arnie
* Kate Vernon \- Pat Mason
* Yves Michel-Beneche - MD Duprais
* Yucini Diaz - Renee
* Antonio Ortiz - Dawson
* Eugene Clark \- Gene
* Keke Palmer \- Kenya Russell
* Clifton Powell \- Cokey
* Devon Bostick \- Darren
* Sandi Ross - Principal Nettie Weston
* Karen LeBlanc \- Dolly
* Philip Akin \- Asst. Principal Allen Hill
* Alex Karzis \- Kasparov
* Nicholas Carpenter \- Dawson's Opponent

## Production

[edit]

The film was announced in January 2004, under the working title Chessmates.[3] Filming took place in Toronto. David MacEnulty, the inspiration for the film's main character, taught the basics of chess to the child actors.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Knights of the South Bronx review". chessdetective.education. 2006. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
2. ^ Chessville news
3. ^ Dempsey, John (January 5, 2004). "Original strategy". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
4. ^ Byrne, Bridget (December 4, 2005). "Ted Danson makes inspirational move to 'South Bronx'". Associated Press. Retrieved October 15, 2022 - via Star–Banner.

## External links

[edit]

Knights of the South Bronx at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works directed by Albert and Allen Hughes

Together|

* Menace II Society (1993)
* Dead Presidents (1995)
* American Pimp (1999)
* From Hell (2001)
* The Book of Eli (2010)

Allen only|

* Knights of the South Bronx (2005)
* New York, I Love You (2008)
* Broken City (2013)
* The Defiant Ones (2017)

Albert only|

* Alpha (2018)

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