Smart moves: Set in 1930s Texas during the Jim Crow era, the story of The Great Debaters was brought to national attention in a 1997 American Legacy magazine article. It became a passion project for Denzel Washington, who directed and starred in the 2007 film, inspired by the experiences of the all-Black Wiley College debate team. Produced by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, the movie features Washington as professor Melvin B. Tolson, who brilliantly leads his team to a series of successes, culminating with an invitation to debate Harvard University’s champion team in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Wednesday 4/21, $5-8, 3 and 7pm. The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. theparamount.net.