He was wonderfully accurate and helpful in many ways.' I had lots of questions about things that weren't quite clear. 'Fortunately, I took notes that day we had lunch. He had been over my shoulder, helping, talking to actors about the way things really were. He gave me a sense I had not had before as a director. He always said, 'Find the good and praise it' - the motto was on his letterhead. 'The original 'Roots' was a turning point in my career, and I had done the sequel, 'Roots: The Next Generation.' That was another joyous experience. 'It was doubly important to me to try to do this in a way he would want it done,' said Erman. He died before completing 'Queen' as a book and before its filming began.

'Roots,' book and miniseries, made Haley a living institution, not only for black readers and viewers interested in their heritage, but for anyone with a serious sense of family. I heard on the news the next day that he had died.'Įrman got a major career break when he was named one of the directors of 'Roots,' the 1977 landmark television series based on Haley's book of the same title and his search for his African ancestors. 'As we were embracing and saying good-bye, he said 'I'm sorry, I have to excuse myself,' and he left for the rest room. He had only flown from Washington State and was sweating, uncomfortable from the temperature in the room. I thought he had flown to California from Tennessee and was suffering jet lag. 'In retrospect, there were symptoms that could have been put down as a symptoms of a heart attack. 'I had no idea, nor did he, that he was ill,' said Erman. John Erman had had lunch with Alex Haley the day that he died. He and the writer, who had worked with Mr.

He was the reason I wanted to be involved.'Īfter Haley died, she turned to the show's director. 'Any question I had was assuaged by the thought that Mr. 'I was wondering who and what would be in charge of quality control in the production,' said Guy. A year ago, Jasmine Guy auditioned to play writer Alex Haley's great-grandmother in the television miniseries 'Queen.' The author of 'Roots' died the same week.

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