Various Artists
January 6, 2003 |
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On January 6, 2003, PBS aired a documentary entitled Lance Loud! A Death in an American Family, which followed the final days of Lance Loud, a man considered to be the first openly homosexual person on television.
In the documentary, Rufus is featured performing "Over the Rainbow" at Loud's funeral. Following the airing of the PBS special, viewers were able to purchase a copy of the video on VHS. While no "official" release date is given to this video, it is listed as January 6, 2003 to reflect the original date of availability. For now, the documentary is only available on VHS.
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Background:
Decades before "reality" programming bombarded American television, the series An American Family aired on PBS in 1973, capturing the Loud family's real-life drama. The oldest son, Lance, made it clear that he lived a homosexual lifestyle, which was quite controversial at the time. Lance quickly became a gay icon, but he also struggled with fame and in knowing that his life had been portrayed in front of an American audience. While Lance enjoyed being part of a rock band and even writing for magazines like Interview, The Advocate, and Details, he also battled with substance abuse for a long time.
Lance Loud died on December 22, 2001 at the age of 50 from liver failure due to hepatitis C and HIV infection. Alan and Susan Raymond, who directed the original series as well as a 1983 follow-up (American Family Revisited), were approached by Loud, who wanted to create a final chapter to the story before he died. Lance Loud! A Death in an American Family depicts the life of Lance from his scenes in the original series to his final days.
Funding is provided by PBS, the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and the Independent Television Service.
Produced and directed by Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond. Edited by Mark Brownstone.
Produced in association with WETA and the Independent Television Service.
© Copyright 2002 Video Vérité LLC
For more information, visit the PBS site:
http://www.pbs.org/lanceloud/ |
