See America First: the Abe Stolar Story

Note: This piece originally aired on Chicago's WMAQ-TV in the summer of 1989.
Abe Stolar, born in Chicago in 1912, was taken by his Marxist parents to live in Moscow in 1931. His father disappeared during the Stalinist purges; his mother spent time in the gulags; Abe served in the Red Army during World War II and as a translator and announcer for the English language service of Radio Moscow thereafter. Though Abe married a Soviet citizen he retained his U.S. passport along with vivid memories of his home town. Though Abe and his family were given permission to emigrate in 1975, they were dragged from the plane at the last moment. Thus began a fifteen-year struggle to leave the USSR.
While a reporter at WMAQ-TV I did countless stories on Stolar and those truing to secure his emigration. In September, 1986, I went to Moscow to interview Stolar who, prior to that time, had declined to appear on camera. In March, 1989, the Soviets finally issued the family exit visas. I went to Vienna to chronicle the Stolars' arrival in the West. On July 4th of 1989, Abe returned to Chicago---the city he had not seen in 58 years---the first step in a cross-country tour that enabled him to "see America last".
Credits:

Written by: Rich Samuels
Directed by: Bob Webb
Minicam/Chicago: Dave Adkins, Eddie Banks, Ed Bartlett, Hal Bernstein, Larry Collins, Lauren Caudill, Chuck Haynie, Grant Light, Jim MacDonald, Mabel Miller, Paul Nagaro, Bill Nuyttens, Roman Polys, Chuck Quinzio, Pete Ranger, Dwight Samuelson, Gary Sarpy, Dick Smith, Ken Stone, Jim Stricklin.

Minicam/Moscow: Steve Coppen, Ken Willinger.

Mincam/Vienna: Christian Kersten, Joe Oexle, Heinrich Willing, Roman Wiehart.

Minicam/Washington: Estel Dillon

Minicam/Los Angeles: Sam Cardenas

Stagehand: Miriam Sanchez

Special Thanks: KTUU (Anchorage), KCNC (Denver), WDIV (Detroit), WSFA (Montgomery).

Видео See America First: the Abe Stolar Story канала Rich Samuels