Shades of Gray

SHADES OF GRAY deals with racism and the transformation from indifference to caring that occurred in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, the birth place of the Aryan Nation. It is a fictional “feel good” story that parallels these changes, centering upon a “what if.”

What if the wife of a white supremacist gave birth to a black child?

In the early seventies, RICHARD BUTLER and his Aryan Nation established their National Headquarters in Coeur d’Ilene, a small rural town in Northern Idaho. It is here where our story begins, when a car driven by two black college students traveling cross-country breaks down. It doesn’t take long for the locals to get wind of these sitting ducks. Beaten within an inch of their lives, the boys manage to survive, aided by ALTHEA, a kindly black nurse.

As fate has it, one of the men involved in the beatings also ends up in the hospital, but for vastly different reasons. EARL GRAY and his wife, MARY have been trying unsuccessfully to conceive, and their (Jewish) infertility doctor has just informed them that they must use a sperm donor if they ever want get Mary pregnant.

Thanks to a keychain that rings the tune of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” Althea realizes that the man in the infertility ward is the same man involved in the beatings. The nurse exacts her revenge on Earl by switching the number on the couple’s sperm donor card, assigning the Gray’s a black man’s. Nine months later, Earl’s wife delivers Earl Junior (E.J.), a black baby boy.

The Gray’s separate, Earl wanting nothing to do with the raising of this “N****r” child. Mary moves in with her father, DOC JOHNSON, the town’s former high school baseball coach, a grouchy old man still bitter after being ousted from coaching. Doc does not think much of his new black grandson either.

Young E.J. is forced to grow up fatherless in the Aryan Nation town, his only friend–JOSH KATZEN, the Jewish doctor’s son. Together they forge a tight bond. When the two boys pursue baseball, Doc Johnson’s ego outweighs his prejudice and he takes the two young prodigies under his wing, training them, a-la Casey Stengel, behind his barn.

As the years go by, the boys become amazing athletes, Josh an incredible pitcher, E.J. a formidable hitter. Unfortunately, the racist high school coach refuses to let them play on his team. Enter Earl Gray Senior, one of the voting school board members, who, in an attempt to make-up with his estranged wife and amend for his sins, fires the coach and replaces him with Mary’s brother, JACK, the jayvee coach.

At first the locals are upset, but the boy’s skills eventually win them over, and the crowds return as the team starts winning. Tolerance for Aryan Nation views wane and the neo-Nazis grow desperate. On the eve of the State Finals they