Ian Ruskin is an independent scholar/writer/actor. He researched and wrote From Wharf Rats...in 2001 with the support of a number of scholars including Margaret Levi, David Olsen and Gene Vrana and with a grant from the California Council for the Humanities. He has performed the play over 300 times and legendary filmmaker Haskell Wexler filmed a live performance at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California. The audience of 1000 was made up primarily of members of Bridges' union, the ILWU. The film aired for four years on PBS, making it available to approximately 150 million Americans.
An Introduction
Harry Bridges was an extraordinary labor leader and social visionary whose life and work encompassed all of the important issues and events of his day, including immigration, depression-era policies, red-scares, McCarthyism, the cold-war and labor issues. As an immigrant he went through 21 years of trials and hearings seeking his deportation as a communist. The government gave up in 1955. His story provides a springboard into understanding those times and realizing their significance today, as we face parallel issues of globalization, the growing gap between rich and poor, government surveillance, legal and illegal immigration and endless war. And many of the things that he fought for, including rank-and-file democracy, international solidarity, a national health care system and a strong and thriving labor movement are still being fought for today. He considered himself to be a “working stiff” in a capitalist society based on a class struggle between the workers and the bosses. He saw organizing as the only answer. “I don’t know of any way for working people to win basic economic justice and dignity except by being organized into a solid, democratic union.” Bill Moyers Interview, 1974
A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Play Reviews
Select Listing from 300+ Performances
Government
The English Houses of Parliament, London
The Scottish Houses of Parliament, Edinburgh
Academic
Organization of American Historians Annual Meeting, Seattle
Harvard Law School, Boston
Cornell University, Ithaca
California Teachers Association (multiple)
California Federation of Teachers (multiple)
University of Washington, Seattle (multiple)
CUNY: The Murphy Institute, New York
Los Angeles County Community Colleges (multiple)
Organizations
Labor and Employment Relations Association Annual Meeting, Seattle
Labor Communications Conference, AFL-CIO Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
American Library Association
Center for Collaborative Solutions Conference
Merchant Marine Academy
The Food and Drug Council Conference
Public
Warner Grand Theater, San Pedro (multiple)
Grand Performances, Los Angeles
Lillian Theatre, Hollywood
Electric Lodge, Venice
Theatre West, Los Angeles
San Francisco Museum and Historical Society
San Francisco Main Library
Unions
AFL-CIO Quadrennial Convention, Los Angeles
International Longshore and Warehouse Union – (International and multiple Locals)
International Organization of Masters Mates and Pilots
United Food & Commercial Workers (multiple Locals)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – (multiple Locals)
Alaska AFL-CIO Biennial Convention
California Nurses Association
American Federation of State & County Municipal Employees –(Local 2620)
Service Employees Internation Union – (Local 503)
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists – (Region III Conference)
American Federation of Musicians – (Local 369)
International
ILWU Canada Locals 500 and 502 Conferences, Vancouver, Canada (multiple)
ILWU Canada Young Workers Conference, Vancouver, Canada (multiple)
New Theatre, Sydney, Australia
Maritime Union of Australia, Melbourne
The Casa, Liverpool, England
The Film Trailer
A DVD of the full length film is available on request.