42 pages • 1 hour read
August WilsonRadio Golf
Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Act IChapter Summaries & Analyses
Act I, Scene 1 Summary
The scene opens in 1997 in the office of Bedford Hills Redevelopment, Inc. Mame Wilks enters and surveys the space. Her husband, Harmond Wilks, arrives with his arms full of boxes. Mame criticizes the office, saying it’s far from what he described, and suggests he sell it, as it’s unsuitable for a campaign headquarters. Harmond, who is planning to run for mayor of Pittsburgh, has deliberately chosen this space in the Hill District, where he grew up. If elected, he would be the first Black mayor of Pittsburgh. His campaign centers on revitalizing the Hill District, renaming it Bedford Hills. Mame thinks the office should be in a different area. She points out that the Hill has only 3,500 residents, and it’s hard to get them to vote. Harmond defends the symbolic importance of the Hill to his campaign: “Politics is about symbolism. Black people don’t vote but they have symbolic weight” (8).
Roosevelt Hicks, Harmond’s friend and business partner, enters with a rendering of their redevelopment project of the Hill District. The plan, still pending approval from the city, includes stores such as Starbucks and Whole Foods, apartments, and other structures. Roosevelt worries aloud about the people in the area potentially stealing his car’s hubcaps. As they look at the model, Mame insists on keeping the name of the local health center, Model Cities Health Center, rather than renaming it after Sarah Degree, the city’s first Black nurse, as Harmond proposes. Before leaving for a meeting, Mame reminds Harmond that she needs a copy of his upcoming speech to give to the newspaper. Roosevelt expresses concerns about losing money if their project isn’t approved: “we’re out two hundred thousand dollars ourselves if they don’t. That’s real money out of our pockets” (12). Harmond reassures him the city council will come through.
Roosevelt talks about his love of golf, which he now teaches on the side: When he plays golf, he feels free. Mame calls, reporting that someone is painting an old house at 1839 Wylie Street, scheduled for demolition to make way for the development project. Roosevelt goes to stop the painter. While Harmond hangs up a poster of Martin Luther King, Jr., Sterling Johnson, an old classmate of Harmond’s, arrives. Sterling spent some time in jail for robbing a bank. He is now working in construction and asks for work. Harmond explains his redevelopment plans, but Sterling is skeptical, calling the Hill “dead.” They agree that Sterling will fix up the campaign office, and Sterling leaves. In that moment, Roosevelt returns, reporting that the painter claims to own the house at 1839 Wylie Street. Harmond insists the house was abandoned for 12 years and is now public property. Roosevelt suggests calling the police if the man doesn’t stop.
Act I, Scene 2 Summary
The radio plays as Harmond sets up the revised rendering of the redevelopment project. Elder Joseph Barlow, or Old Joe, enters. He explains that he is looking for a lawyer. He’s been travelling around for some time and now lives in a poorhouse. Harmond clarifies that he’s running for mayor, not practicing law. Joe scoffs: “They ain’t gonna let no black man be the mayor. Got too many keys. The mayor got more keys than the janitor. They ain’t gonna let you have that many keys” (20). Harmond insists that times have changed and explains his plans for the Hill District. He shows Joe the rendering and explains the projects. When Joe asks about the local football field, Harmond says it will be replaced with a golf driving range. His reasoning is that when kids learn to play golf instead of football, they will have all the skills they need to win at life.
Roosevelt enters and recognizes Joe as the man painting the house. Roosevelt accuses Joe of defacing private property, but Joe insists it’s his house and explains that his daughter wants to live there. He says he has the deed, from 1925. Roosevelt dismisses him: “You going to jail. They got a senior citizen jail near Harrisburg. That’s where you heading. Defacing private property” (24). Joe explains that the police have given him a complaint summons, and that’s why he came here looking for a lawyer, but he doesn’t have the money to pay. Harmond says he will call the police to get the summons dismissed, but his daughter should move elsewhere. Joe mentions knowing Harmond’s family and his twin brother, Raymond. Annoyed, Roosevelt asks Joe to leave. He shows him the demolition order, which says the property is owned by Bedford Hills Redevelopment. Joe tells Roosevelt he’s acting like a rooster, and leaves. Roosevelt complains that the man is crazy, and he has no patience for him. He then shares that Bernie Smith, a wealthy contact, invited him to play golf. Harmond warns that Bernie has legal troubles, but Roosevelt sees this as a sign that Bernie is successful.
Act I, Scene 3 Summary
Mame and Harmond are in the office, arguing over a newspaper article. The Post-Gazette removed part of Harmond’s speech about police shooting an innocent Black man. Harmond is upset, but Mame insists he needs police support to win and urges him to stay calm. Old Joe enters, telling Harmond someone broke into the trunk of his car. Harmond goes to check. Mame asks Joe how she can help him, and Joe insists Harmond is his lawyer.
When Harmond returns, he says his golf clubs were stolen. This leaves him deeply upset. He then picks up the phone and demands the Post-Gazette print his full speech or nothing. Disappointed, Mame leaves. Harmond picks up the phone again and invites Commissioner Bell to be there at the ceremony for the Bedford Hills Redevelopment Site. He then informs Joe that his summons has been dismissed but warns him not to continue painting the house. Joe says he went to inquire about the deed and was informed that he lost the house because he didn’t pay taxes. Joe explains he didn’t know any taxes were due. He says his mother never paid taxes since someone else did it for her. Harmond says there’s nothing to be done, as he has abandoned the house. Joe insists: “But I didn’t abandon the house, I’m right here. People act like I’m invisible. If somebody asks me I’ll tell them I’m right here” (31). Harmond tells him that a notice should have been posted in the paper and promises to look into it.
Roosevelt returns, wearing his golf clothes. He brags about having played his best round ever. He explains that Bernie wants him to partner in buying a radio station, WBTZ radio. When Harmond asks why Bernie would ask him, Roosevelt explains that they will acquire the radio station at less than market value using a minority tax incentive. Harmond questions Roosevelt: “So you’re the black face? You’re just the front?” (36). Roosevelt, however, sees it as a chance to gain influence. The two shake hands and hug.
Act I, Scene 4 Summary
Harmond is on the phone in the office. He learns that the acquisition of 1839 Wylie was illegal because the required auction notice wasn’t posted in the papers as required by law. Mame enters and tells him that the governor has offered her a job, which she’ll take after Harmond’s campaign. She tells him that she first needs to get him elected, and she has a solid plan for his victory. Harmond responds: “You always do. I just hope I can follow it” (40). Then they discuss what the slogan of the campaign should be. Harmond insists that the flag should be on the poster. Mame leaves to get the designers started on the poster.
Sterling visits. He tells Harmond that he read his speech in the newspaper, and he then reads some quotes from the speech out loud, such as, “The wealth of a city is not its two new stadiums. The wealth of a city is its people,” and “no one is above the law” (42). He tells Harmond this is easier said than done. Old Joe arrives, and Sterling greets him, since he knows him. Joe informs him that they want to tear down his house. Sterling asks if he’s talking about Aunt Ester’s house, and Joe says he is: Sterling’s Aunt Ester is Joe’s mother. Sterling is surprised. Joe comments on Harmond’s flag lapel pin, reflecting on those who died under the flag in the war. Harmond shares that his twin brother died in Vietnam. Joe then reveals that Harmond’s father was the one paying taxes on the house for his mother. Joe exits, leaving Harmond with this new revelation.
Act I Analysis
In Act I of Radio Golf, August Wilson establishes the play’s central conflicts, characters, and setting, using them to explore themes such as The Moral Complexities of Urban Development and The Tension Between Personal Ambition and Communal Solidarity. The play is set in 1997 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, a once-vibrant African American neighborhood now struggling with disinvestment and economic decline: Roosevelt is concerned about his car’s hubcaps being stolen, and Harmond’s golf clubs are stolen from his car in Scene 3. Harmond’s redevelopment plan aims to revitalize the area with modern amenities like Starbucks, Whole Foods, and luxurious apartments. “We’re going to bring the Hill back. We’re going to rename it Bedford Hills,” he declares, only for Sterling to respond, “How you gonna bring it back? It’s dead” (15). Despite the Hill District being central to the story, the play is set indoors, in the office of Bedford Hills Redevelopment, Inc. Wilson’s decision creates a dissonance: while Harmond, Roosevelt and Mama debate the future of the Hill, the area itself remains invisible. This underscores the central theme of The Unequal Impacts of Urban Development, as the neighborhood’s fate is decided in a private office that only a select few can enter. The project promises progress, but it risks erasing the history and identity of the existing community.
Harmond and Roosevelt’s project to modernize the Hill by tearing down existing structures illustrates the dilemmas of urban renewal. The neighborhood does need an economic boost, but Harmond and Roosevelt’s plan risks further impoverishing longtime residents while allowing outsiders to extract profit from the neighborhood. This conflict is embodied by the character of Elder Joseph, or Old Joe, who resists the destruction of his home at 1839 Wylie Avenue. Joe repainting of the house symbolizes his claim to ownership. Harmond insists that the house was abandoned for twelve years and is now public property, but Joe counters: “But I didn’t abandon the house, I’m right here. People act like I’m invisible. If somebody asks me, I’ll tell them I’m right here” (31). The house therefore becomes a symbol of heritage and history, juxtaposed with Harmond’s vision of change.
When Harmond discovers that the house was acquired illegally, he is forced to confront the ethical flaws in the redevelopment process. Harmond’s discomfort with the injustice contrasts with Roosevelt’s indifference. With his complete lack of interest in any moral consideration, Roosevelt serves as a foil to offset Harmond’s developing social consciousness. The conflict deepens when Joe reveals that Harmond’s father has been paying taxes on the house, creating a personal connection between Harmond and Joe. Another moment of tension arises when Joe asks Harmond if he will install lights at the neighborhood football field, to which Harmond responds that they’ll be replacing it with a golf driving range. This shows that Harmond is prioritizing wealthier interests over community needs.
Harmond and Roosevelt represent two contrasting approaches to The Tension Between Personal Ambition and Communal Solidarity. Harmond is an ambitious man who seeks power, but he does so within a framework of justice and integrity. He believes in the promise of America as the “land of opportunity,” declaring, “I can be mayor. I can be anything I want” (21). His aspirations extend beyond personal ambition. For instance, he wants to rename the local medical center after Sarah Degree, a Black nurse, and he hangs up a poster of Martin Luther King Jr. in his office. As the play unfolds, it becomes clear that these gestures are not merely political expedients but represent Harmond’s genuine belief in racial progress.
Roosevelt, on the other hand, prioritizes financial success and personal advancement. He loves golf and is enthusiastic about networking with wealthy white businessmen on the golf course. His decision to partner with the unscrupulous white businessman Bernie Smith to buy a radio station reveals his willingness to compromise ethical principles for financial gain. When Harmond accuses him of being a “black face” in Bernie’s deal, Roosevelt defends it as a strategic move to “get in the door” (36). His pragmatism reflects the allure and the dangers of assimilating into systems of power that exploit Black identity for profit. Roosevelt’s pragmatic, profit-driven worldview stands in contrast to Old Joe’s attachment to his heritage, symbolized by his fight for 1839 Wylie Avenue.
Mame, Harmond’s wife, also reflects a pragmatic perspective, albeit to a lesser degree. As Harmond’s wife and campaign manager, Mame embodies the compromises often required in political life. She believes in the importance of a controlled image and strategic planning, even when it means keeping silent on important issues like the police shooting referenced in Harmond’s speech. She is frustrated by Harmond’s insistence on integrity: “I’m giving up my clients. Sacrificing my business. I’m not going to wind up wasting my time on your campaign if you’re not committed to winning this” (29), she tells him.
Related Titles
By August Wilson
