Ralph Ellison's King of the Bingo Game

The Film

Harlem, 1943. Sonny is a struggling African American who frequents the movie house/bingo parlor in a desperate attempt to provide for his family in post-Depression era New York. He hits the jackpot and is called onstage to spin the prize wheel. As he pushes the button to spin the wheel, he experiences a new sense of control over his destiny which transcends his race and social standing, and he is unable to let go. Based on a short story, Ralph Ellison's King of the Bingo Game is a chilling metaphor for the disenfranchisement of the African American community after Emancipation promised freedom and before the Civil Rights movement called that promise to task.