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Filmmaker James E. Hurd, Jr. Completes Two Projects Based on the Turpentine Industry: A Powerful Film Short Entitled 'Poet of the Swingin' Blade' and Revealing Stage Play 'Turpentine Jake' That Sheds Light on Debt Peonage Servitude in Turpentine Camps in

Posted on: Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 15:00 CDT

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran film and television actor turned playwright/filmmaker, James E. Hurd, Jr., completes dream projects: a short film, "Poet of the Swingin' Blade," and stage play "Turpentine Jake" -- both stories about the hardships and debt peonage servitude that Blacks faced in the early 1900's through the '60's.

History books go into great detail about slaves working in the cotton fields and now James E. Hurd sheds light on the plight of workers who got caught up in a system that produced ultimately zero income for hard laborers in turpentine camps in South Florida. So-called "hired" workers agreed to work in the forest cutting down and chipping away at trees to extract the sap, which would be taken to distilleries to make turpentine for various medicinal and industrial purposes. Meetin their quotas of cutting 2500 trees per day, per man was literally back breaking work.

Hurd's stories are based on reality. His grandfather Jake Hurd, who he describes as a tall, proud, manly Black man known as Turpentine Jake, was one of these victims who finally outsmarted the system.

Papa Jake would tell young Hurd what happened to the men working in these turpentine camps in South Florida. It's his story and those who worked alongside him. Their only comfort came when they gathered together at night singing songs much like the blues -- set to the rhythm of foot tapping and harmonica playing and telling myths based on the forest and spirits. "Poet of the Swingin' Blade" is such a tale caught on film as spoken word poetry in motion, while the accompanying stage play, "Turpentine Jake," depicts the real cruelty they faced.

James E. Hurd, Jr. will present the screening of "Poet of the Swingin' Blade" and his play "Turpentine Jake" in a night of staged readings with the Kohl Players, an organization that he founded with co-writing partner Linda Bannister, scheduled for mid-Fall.

James E. Hurd, Jr.

CONTACT: Eugenia Wright of ISA Public Relations, +1-818-552-9459,kleopatragirl117@hotmail.com, for James E. Hurd, Jr.

Source: PRNewswire

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