The Great White Hope, play by Howard Sackler, later adapted as a film, loosely based on the life of turn-of-the-century African American boxer Jack Johnson. The title refers to the hopes some fans had for a white boxer to end Johnson’s reign as heavyweight champion and is a symbol of racism and suppression. Written in three acts, The Great White Hope covers the years from 1908 to 1915 and centres on fictional heavyweight boxing champion Jack Jefferson.
Jefferson is a proud, outspoken African American and is romantically involved with a white woman, Eleanor Bachman. When the couple attempts to cross the Ohio state line, Jefferson is prosecuted for interracial marriage under the Mann Act, a law enacted by Congress in 1910 to regulate interstate commerce as a way to address the problem of prostitution and immorality in general. To escape a prison sentence, the pair flees to Europe, where Jefferson is unable to find work. He learns that his criminal charges will be dropped if he participates in a fixed fight that will restore the heavyweight title to a white contender. When Jefferson refuses, Eleanor commits suicide. The play concludes with Jefferson fairly fighting in, and losing, the championship match he had refused.
The Great White Hope premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in December 1967 with James Earl Jones as Jefferson and Jane Alexander as Eleanor. It then opened on Broadway with Jones and Alexander, where it ran for 546 performances. In 1969 the play won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the Tony Award. The Great White Hope premiered during the civil rights movement, and its themes of black defiance, interracial relationships, and struggle in a racist America spoke to an audience that had witnessed similar events firsthand. In 1970 the film version of the play was released with Jones and Alexander reprising their roles. Many revivals of the play have occurred around the United States, including a production at the Arena Stage to celebrate the theatre’s 50th anniversary season in 2000.