Ruskin Productions
presents
From Wharf Rats
to Lords of the Docks
The Life and Times of Harry Bridges
Credits
Produced by
Written by
Narration Voices
Harry Bridges
Directed by
Graphic Designer
Original Recordings
Tour Manager
Ian Ruskin
Suzanne Thompson Ian Ruskin
Elliott Gould
Ed Asner
Ian Ruskin
Shanga Parker
Daniel Castillo
Jackson Browne
Arlo Guthrie
June Stoddard
The play is set in San Francisco, sometime in the 1960’s and runs approximately 65 minutes without an intermission.
Harry Bridges was a labor leader and social campaigner with a profound and far-reaching impact on the fabric of American life during the 20th century. An international celebrity for 40 years-a hero or the devil incarnate-it all depended on your point of view.
His work as a labor organizer in the forefront of change and his struggles to withstand 21 years of deportation trials (the longest in American history) made him a unique figure in the labor movement.
He fought to win basic rights and human dignity for all workers. He campaigned all his life against prejudice and discrimination and in support of justice for oppressed peoples around the world, principles as relevant today as they ever were. Bridges’ personal life was as vivid and compelling as his public one-three wives, two bitter divorces, and star-studded fund raisers for those 21 years of trails and hearings.
He was a man with a sharp sense of humor, a fearlessness in the face of controversy, and a very individual view of the world.
The Harry Bridges Project
The Harry Bridges Project, a 501(c)3 organization, was created to develop programs that can fill an important void in the American public’s understanding of their own history-the history of American 20th century workers. We aim to tell the story of worker’s struggles to build better lives for themselves and of the struggles of the American labor movement to organize.
Our project takes audiences on journey’s through some of America’s most exciting, turbulent, and epochal years, highlighting the lives of some of its most dynamic figures, led by Harry Bridges as their guide. It also demonstrates the importance of people uniting across all racial, ethnic, religious, and political lines and of working towards a world of justice and dignity for all.
All donations are tax deductible.
The One-Man Play
The one-act play is a human portrayal of Bridges’ passion, struggles, and wicked sense of humor. It features many of his own words, and covers his life from his childhood in Australia to the waterfront controversies of the 1960’s.
It includes the electrifying 1934 General Strike in San Francisco, the drama and comedy of his trials, the traumas of his marriages and divorces, the controversy of a union standing up for social and political issues around the world, and the impact of the ground-breaking Mechanization and Modernization agreement.
And today, as we live with globalization, massive job losses in manufacturing, wars and invasions, and the never ending threat to the American labor movement, Harry’s story has become more relevant and inspirational than ever.
Ian Ruskin
In Los Angeles, his work has ranged from Murder She Wrote to the acclaimed one-man play The Man Himself, and he has also done extensive voice work in radio and over 100 films and television programs.
He has performed his three plays a total of over 500 times across America and in Canada, Australia, England, Scotland, Ireland and France. Live performances of his Bridges and Paine plays were filmed by legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler and have aired on PBS for multiple years. He is excited to be telling Paine’s story as we approach America’s 250th Birthday!
Other Productions
To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine, about America’s one truly radical Founding Father, is available for bookings. Ian has performed it 100+ times including at Grand Performances, Los Angeles, The American Philosophical Society and on a European Tour. The film version has aired on PBS and is available for purchase online.
Magic and Lightning: into the Mind of Nikola Tesla, his newest play, is about one of history’s greatest and most unique geniuses. First performances included The American Philosophical Society, Theatre West in Los Angeles and the Greenville, South Carolina Chautauqua Festival. Plans to film a live performance are underway...