Glynn Turman: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, marrying Aretha Franklin and more

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

NPR

Society & Culture

4.5 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2021

⏱️ 47 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We're back with our first new episode of the year! It's already one of our favorites in recent memory. Actor Glynn Turman talks with us about his extraordinary life. You might know him as Clarence Royce on The Wire, or Doctor Senator on the most recent season of Fargo. And he's had a number of iconic roles in films like in Gremlins and Cooley High, too. His latest role is in Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. It's a film adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name. The story centers on a fateful recording session of "Mother of the Blues" by Ma Rainey in 1927 Chicago. Glynn's been in the game for over half a century – he reflects on his past roles and future ambitions. We also discuss what it was like working with Chadwick Boseman in his final film role. Plus, he shares an incredible story about how he met his second wife ... Aretha Franklin.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of MaximumFun.org and is distributed by NPR.
0:10.3	It's Bullseye, I'm Jesse Thorn.
0:21.6	What follows is an interview with Glenn Turman.
0:25.4	One of the first interviews we're releasing in 2021 and you know what?
0:29.1	I'm just going to call it, might be the best one we do all year.
0:32.2	Let's not say there aren't going to be a lot more great ones, at least that's our plan.
0:36.5	It's just that Glenn Turman is that good.
0:40.1	He's a legendary actor who's lived an extraordinary life.
0:43.5	His first big role was at 12 years old in the original Broadway production of Arrazen in
0:48.2	the Sun.
0:49.2	He performed alongside Sidney Poitier, Ruby D, and Louis Gossett Jr.
0:53.9	In 1975 he starred in the hugely influential film Cooley High, a classic if you haven't
0:59.6	seen it.
1:00.6	In 1978, he married a Rietha Franklin.
1:03.9	A Rietha Franklin.
1:05.2	I could go on.
1:06.6	He played Mayor Clarence Royce on the wire, Dr. Senator on the most recent season of Fargo
1:11.6	and now he's in the new film version of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which is streaming on Netflix.
1:17.8	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is an adaptation of the August Wilson play of the same name.
1:22.5	It focuses on the Blue Singer Ma Rainey, played by Violet Davis, her piano player Toledo,
1:28.2	played by Turman and Levy Green, her saxophone player, played by the late Chadwick Boseman
1:33.5	in his final role.
	...

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