After your Thanksgiving feast and (hopefully) before the tryptophan fully kicks in on Thursday evening, November 28, Dodger fans and/or Dodgers history and trivia buffs must … absolutely must tune in to PBS SoCal at 7:00 p.m. PT or LA’s KCET at 8:30 p.m. PT to watch the premiere of ‘Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA.’

This past Saturday afternoon, invited guests, including many who are featured in the hour-long film, were treated to a special premiere screening at the LA Central Library a Cody Bellinger-blast from Dodger Stadium.

The film begins with the trials and tribulations that it took to convince Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley to bring his beloved Bums out west to Los Angeles, which he eventually did in 1958. It then covers – in extreme detail with many never seen before photographs and film footage – the team’s six decades in Los Angeles and the impact the Dodgers have had not only on the City of Angels but around the world.

On hand as honored guests on Saturday were Rosalind Wyman who, at only 22 years old in 1953, became the youngest person and only the second woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council; Dodgers team historian Mark Langill; former Dodgers centerfielder and 1981 World Series champion Ken Landreaux; and vice president of membership and on-air fundraising for KCET and PBS SoCal Maura Daly-Phinney.

What many – perhaps even most – Dodger fans may not know is that Wyman is the person most responsible for the Brooklyn Dodgers becoming the Los Angeles Dodgers; an indisputable fact. It was her tenacity and persistence as a very young city council member that convinced O’Malley to come out to take a look at an area near downtown Los Angeles called Chavez Ravine as a potential (non-taxpayer-funded) new home for his Dodgers. The rest, as they say, is history.

Following the premiere screening of the film, the four held a Q and A session with the audience, after which a reception was held for all in attendance.

After its Thanksgiving evening debut at 7:00 p.m. on PBS SoCal and 8:30 p.m. on KCET, ‘Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA’ will repeat frequently on both channels. (Refer to PBS SoCal and KCET schedules for dates and times).

Author’s Note:

‘Dodgers Stories: 6 Decades in LA’ will be available for online streaming exclusively on PBS Passport, the member-supported streaming service, following Thursday night’s premiere broadcast.

Play Ball!

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