I'll Fly Away

Television is often considered a medium that suffices to showcase actors and actresses who can not make it on the big screen and/or after they have seen their hey-day! Not so with the cast of I'll Fly Away, whose brilliant characterizations brought to life a time when change was coming for the better, but with it a whirlwind of emotions that swept up its populace in a way in which no other time has done since. The beautifully painted portraits were a study the human condition, from Forrest to Lily, and down thru the ranks of the Bedford children. To the great discredit of television, this series was cancelled when there was so much that was important left to say! This was a landmark series that should be brought to viewers on DVD if for no other reason than to afford it another opportunity to speak its solid values to those who have never seen it, and speak them again to those of us anxious to re-hear!~

I absolutely loved I'll Fly Away but sometimes find myself thinking Im the only person who ever watched it. All my friends don't know or remember it. I think the relationships between blacks and whites were portrayed in a sensitive yet realistic way. Regina Taylor was brilliant!! I had forgotten her name unfortunately, so I opened up the I'll Fly Away page for information. I was surprised that her name did not even appear on the 1st page of the cast list! I don't understand why Regina Taylor's name is not first on the list. After all the film was mostly from her perspective and about her experiences! It looks to me she has been relegated to the bottom of the list for some weird reason, its not like the list is even in alphabetical order!

"I'll Fly Away" was and always will be my favorite show. Intelligent, well written, and beautifully acted, the show was much more than prime time entertainment and I was absolutely heartbroken when it was cancelled. I was ten when the series premiered, and my mother and I would watch it (and cry) every week. Though it has been years since I have seen an episode, I still never fail to feel a huge lump in the back of my throat at the thoughts of Lily registering to vote, or John Morgan telling his friends that his mother is a famous cowgirl. Each episode was like a small Horton Foote play, and to watch its characters grow over a long period of time was the show's greatest asset.

Though an enormous critical success, I find it tragic that the show has become such a forgotten treasure. In today's cynical world of post-O.J. Simpson, I will always remember "I'll Fly Away" for its shear hope, optimism, and unabashed honesty.

It is high time for this show to be brought back for reruns!!!

Forrest Bedford is an extremely flawed and conflicted character, and his relationship with Lily is deeply strained. Morally, he understands that segregation is wrong and that integration is inevitable, however he worries about the changes Civil Rights will bring as he is bound up with tradition. He beautifully illustrates the mindset of several white southerners as his dilemma is representative of the struggle of tradition vs. change that STILL plagues the modern south.

One of the best written TV shows ever produced and it sits in a vault somewhere instead of being released. I would happily pay the same price as for a modern TV series. So would many others who value quality over quantity.

What possible reason is there for not releasing it when it seems every piece of crap show ever made is available. This is truly a crime against art that there is no way to view this series.

To Kill A Mockingbird extended, modernized and yet remaining faithful to the original. What more could anyone ask for in a drama series?

Who is responsible for this crime? Please come forward and explain yourself.

This was a sensitive, complex series about a family struggling with the complexities of life in a small Georgia town during the Civil Rights Movement. It was ably acted by the entire cast, beautifully written. Never cloying, always intelligent. Happily, after being shown on regular network television, it was repeated on PBS about a year later. A memorable, glowing work. The finale -- "Then and Now" was wonderful -- but you really should see the entire series to appreciate it fully.

I used to compare it to To Kill A Mockingbird, but realize now that was inappropriate, except in that it was set in the same kind of small town -- many years later -- as Harper Lee's masterpiece. And Forrest Bedford was no Atticus Finch. But nevertheless, I'll Fly Away did have that kind of timeless quality.