B2 – Upper Intermediate
No matter the color, race, or social standing, we all have the capability to reach out to someone if we just keep an open mind.
Please read the article below about an unusual friendship.
For a black man living in the 1960s, life was far from easy. This was the case for Donald Shirley, a musical prodigy and classically trained pianist. His plan was to tour the Deep South, but for a black man living during this era, he knew that his journey would be far from smooth. This was the time when the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) would stop at nothing to voice their extremist views, and they did this through any means thinkable and unthinkable. Violence was often the most popular of means. So, Donald needed protection. He needed some backup. This brought Tony Vallelonga to the scene. He became Donald’s driver.
On the surface, these two men seemed worlds apart. Donald Shirley lived alone, a well-educated man with 3 doctorates under his belt. Tony had followed the school of hard knocks and had grown into a rough-and-ready Italian. Tony’s streetwise nature and his job as a bouncer at the Copacabana, though, led him to cross paths with young Donald Shirley. What followed was a road trip that opened Tony’s eyes to the brutality of racism and a deep, even though at first sight unlikely, friendship developed between the two. It lasted for many decades to come. In the early 70s, Donald Shirley was able to play at the famous Carnegie Hall together with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.
What had happened to Tony? Well, he went back to his old stomping grounds at the Copacabana, only to be spotted and cast in The Godfather. It’s poignant to note that their unlikely friendship lasted well into the 21st century. Tony’s son recollects how they would go out for lunch together when Donald was playing in town. It seemed that if Donald ever was in need, Tony was the man he would turn to for help. “Whenever Dr. Shirley had any problems,” he said, “he’d call my father, and he’d go and help to sort them out.”
It is no wonder that such a story turned into a Hollywood movie. Stories like these warm our hearts and show us that we don’t have to be alone. No matter our colour, race or social standing, we all have the capability to reach out to someone if we just keep an open mind.
Quote retrieved from the article, “What happened to Don Shirley and Tony Lip after ‘Green Book’? Nick Vallelonga talks us through their friendship” by Gregory Wakeman, posted on November 15, 2018 on Metro.
Discussion Questions:
- Have you watched the movie Green Book? Why or why not?
- What do you think made a bodyguard and a pianist, who seemed to be from two different worlds, true friends?
- Do you think this story is common or an exceptional one? Explain.
- What’s the most incredible story of friendship do you know of?
- How does most friendships begin?
- How can friendships last?
- Who is your greatest friend and why?