Heartland: Todd Gould of Major Taylor
The senior producer and director talks about the WTIU documentary about a largely forgotten man who was once the most famous athlete in the world.
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Film Yap: How did you hear about Major Taylor, and what prompted you to make a documentary about him?
Todd Gould: I've always had an interest in Indiana history, and a lot of my documentary topics focus on Hoosiers who have had a significant influence on state, national and international history. I had known of Taylor's heritage for some time (though not in depth.) I was in the middle of reading Michael Kranish's excellent biography of Taylor when I saw on TV the racial protests that ignited across the country in the wake of the George Floyd murder, and I began to wonder, "What can I, as a single TV producer in Indiana, offer to our society in order to help this situation?" And my answer was to try to help uplift and celebrate the story of an amazing African-American hero who deserved to have a spotlight shed on his or her life and works. And that's when I decided to begin production of this new documentary “Major Taylor: Champion of the Race.”
FY: Tell us a little about your own journey as a filmmaker and how you arrived at where you are.
TG: I graduated from the Telecommunications department (now the Media School) at Indiana University in 1988, and I began working for several network TV programs, including documentaries for ESPN, the BBC, A&E, The Learning Channel, and mostly PBS. My travels have taken me all over the world over the past 30+ years, eventually bringing me all the way back home to work at WTIU-PBS in Bloomington at my alma mater in 2016. Since then, I've been producing a number of documentary films for regional, national and international distribution here. It's been a blast.
FY: It's amazing to consider that someone can go from being one of the most famous people in the world to a forgotten name. Why do you think Taylor was lost for so long?
TG: Well, the short answer is "It's complicated."
Taylor was the first international sports "superstar," with his photo and racing records trumpeted in the headlines of international newspapers, from the US to Europe to Australia. At the turn of the 20th century, he was one of the most famous people on three continents. The press in Europe, in particular, celebrated his accomplishments weekly throughout his professional career from 1896-1910.
By the second decade of the 20th century, however, the names of the top track cyclists faded from the headlines as more and more audiences turned to the new and evolving sport of auto racing. And in many areas, like the US, the names of Taylor and other top cyclists ceased to capture the attention of an avid racing fanbase. Complicating the matter even further were the efforts by many racist promoters, fellow cycling competitors and fans to attempt to erase Taylor's accomplishments, simply because he was a Black man living his life in the teeth of Jim Crow America at the turn of the century.
So, Taylor's name, and the names of many other cycling greats, faded quickly. Interestingly, nations with big cycling clubs and competitions in other countries, such as France, all know of Taylor's name and accomplishments to this day. But here in the United States, sadly, his name is largely forgotten today. That's another primary reason why I decided to make this film – in order to shine a well-overdue spotlight on this great American athlete and civil rights pioneer.
FY: How well do you think Taylor would have fared in modern cycling events?
TG: Of course, bicycle technology and racing techniques have vastly improved over the past 100 years. But if we want to play the "what if" game, I would say that if Taylor were given access to today's technology, he would still be very competitive in track cycling today. He was the first professional athlete to create a strict diet and workout regimen, which was revolutionary in sports during his day. He approached his training with the same kind of intense workouts that many of today's top professional athletes practice.
FY: You have an impressive array of experts who appear in the movie. How difficult was it to track down and convince them to appear?
TG: I tried to make sure to include many people who represent today what Taylor represented in his day. ATP tennis champion James Blake was one of the top Black tennis players in the world in the years right after Arthur Ashe broke so many barriers. Ann Meyers-Drysdale was the first woman athlete to earn a four-year college scholarship to play basketball. Track and field star Edwin Moses was a three-time Olympic medalist (and a two-time gold medal winner). I think each of these folks, and many others, saw a bit of Major Taylor's story in their OWN story. And they excitedly agreed to appear on camera for this worthwhile documentary tribute.
I tried to pair these folks with a number of noted journalists, historians and civil rights activists who could provide context as a way to better understand and appreciate all Major Taylor did during his career – a time when it often proved difficult to break down the walls of prejudice to chase their dreams. Also, opera star Marietta Simpson and jazz legend Branford Marsalis gave voice to the narration and to the passages from Taylor's diaries and articles. And five-time Emmy Award winning music composer and arranger Tyron Cooper also agreed to join this creative collaboration with a beautiful soundtrack score. It was a wonderful team effort – along with all our staff of writers, editors, audio techs and camera people at WTIU, to bring this story to life.
FY: What are the challenges inherent to making a documentary film versus a narrative one?
TG: While I always enTG: joy a good narrative feature, my own enthusiasm and experience lies more in the documentary realm. I think that the truth is always more fascinating (and stranger) than fiction. I really enjoy identifying and sharing real-life stories of American heroes whose tales have been lost to time. These are the most rewarding types of projects I like to write and produce. I'm always so thankful that WTIU and PBS give me that opportunity to share these stories with a national TV audience.
FY: What do you most hope people take away from your film?
TG: I honestly believe that anyone with intelligence and empathy will find the story of Major Taylor interesting and inspiring. This kind-hearted, dedicated athlete and civil rights pioneer overcame so much in order to fulfill his dream, and in that effort, he blazed many new trails and opportunities for future generations...both black and white...in sports and society as a whole. That's probably the biggest takeaway I hope people will hold in their hearts and minds through the screening of Major Taylor: Champion of the Race.
FY: What's next for you?
TG: I'm in the middle of two large, PBS documentaries that will be coming out in the next 2-3 years, including a historical documentary on Hoosier novelist, naturalist, feminist and Hollywood producer/pioneer Gene Stratton-Porter, who was one of the most influential writers – male or female – of her generation. I'm also working with WTIU and the IU Jacobs School of Music to help produce a new, two-hour stage presentation of The Nutcracker for national PBS distribution next year.