| Bird of the Iron Feather | |
|---|---|
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| Genre |
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| Created by | Richard Durham |
| Story by | Richard Durham |
| Directed by |
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| Starring |
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| Theme music composer | Muhal Richard Abrams |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 21 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Clarence McIntosh |
| Production locations | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | WTTW |
| Budget | $600,000 |
| Original release | |
| Network | National Educational Television |
| Release | January 19 – March 6, 1970 |
| Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) | |
Bird of the Iron Feather is an American television soap opera that aired on the National Educational Television network from January 19 to March 6, 1970. Created by script writer and radio producer Richard Durham, the series was notable as the first all-Black television soap opera. Bird of the Iron Feather starred African American actor Bernard Ward as fictional Chicago Police Detective Jonah Rhodes. The series addressed social issues like racism, school desegregation and the complicated relationship between Black people and the police. Produced in Chicago, Illinois, the series won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award, and was the highest-rated local show ever broadcast by WTTW-TV in Chicago.