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 IIChapter Summaries & Analyses
Act II, Scene 1 Summary
The scene opens in Harmond’s office, where his campaign poster, featuring the slogan “Hold Me to It. Harmond Wilks for Mayor” (47), is displayed. Roosevelt is on the phone with a woman, and when he hangs up, Harmond teases him, advising him to hold onto his wife, Arleen, because she is a good woman who tolerates him. The conversation shifts to their redevelopment project. Roosevelt suggests bringing Bernie Smith in as a partner if they fail to secure funding. Harmond argues that he doesn’t want Bedford Hills falling into Bernie’s control. Roosevelt insists, saying that the WBTZ radio station could be the campaign’s official media sponsor.
Harmond pulls out a file on the 1839 Wylie Avenue house, explaining that there’s a legal issue: The house was purchased illegally because the notice wasn’t published. Roosevelt dismisses this: “That’s a technicality. I don’t see where that makes a difference. The house was abandoned” (48). Harmond disagrees, asserting that it’s a serious issue and that Mr. Barlow, Old Joe, should be compensated. He also reveals that his father was paying taxes on the house, though he doesn’t know why. Harmond then asks about Roosevelt’s job at Mellon Bank. Roosevelt admits the president has reprimanded him for not meeting quotas and for never being at the office. Their discussion is interrupted by a phone call informing them that the council has approved the project funding. Excited, Harmond and Roosevelt cheer and break into song.
Sterling enters, bewildered by their singing. He vents his frustration: After he painted the red door on 1839 Wylie, someone marked an X over his work. Roosevelt, shocked, asks why Sterling was painting the house since it’s scheduled for demolition. Harmond acknowledges that the house is scheduled to be torn down, regardless of whether it’s right or wrong. Sterling is appalled by Harmond’s indifference and questions his moral integrity. He explains that he painted the house because Old Joe paid him to do it and argues against its destruction. He compares the act to what was done to Native Americans. He then threatens Roosevelt, warning him to stay away from Joe’s house. Declaring himself the “Indian” and Roosevelt and Harmond the “cowboys,” Sterling proclaims that it’s now a war between them.
Act II, Scene 2 Summary
In the office, Harmond listens to Roosevelt hosting Radio Golf, a program about golf, on WBTZ. Sterling enters with a flier advertising a “Paint Party” at 1839 Wylie, scheduled for the day the house is set for demolition. Sterling explains that he organized the event to stop the demolition. He shares his personal connection to the house: “That’s Aunt Ester’s house. I know that house. […] She was a real old lady. I was feeling sorry for myself for being an orphan. And I was walking around carrying that on my shoulders. She told me set it down” (55). Sterling then shows Harmond his golf clubs, which had been stolen. He explains he bought them from someone for twenty dollars and offers to sell them back to Harmond for the same price. Harmond agrees. Sterling looks at Harmond’s campaign poster and offers advice: Harmond could win easily by promising to reduce traffic by adding three HOV lanes and only one lane for single drivers. Sterling then challenges Harmond, asking if he’ll be a mayor for Black people or white people. Harmond replies, “both,” but Sterling insists it’s fine to do something specifically for Black people once in a while.
Old Joe enters, and Sterling informs him he’s done painting the house. Harmond hands Joe a $10,000 check as compensation for the house, explaining that he looked into it and discovered he wasn’t notified about the house being put up for sale. Joe refuses the money, saying it’s too much and that he loves his house and wants to keep it. He reminisces about Harmond’s childhood home and its white porch, noting that everyone back in the day used to sit outside on their porch. Frustrated, Harmond explains again that the house is scheduled for demolition on Thursday. After Joe leaves, Sterling accuses Harmond of stealing the house just as he bought stolen golf clubs form him. He declares, “That’s Mr. Barlow’s house. Got his initials on it. 1839 Wylie. Only he was smarter than you. He ain’t broke no laws. You stole Mr. Barlow’s house” (60). Sterling gives Harmond back the $20 for the clubs and leaves.
Act II, Scene 3 Summary
Roosevelt is practicing his golf swing in the office when Harmond enters with a parcel. Roosevelt pulls out keys, explaining that they open every door at the WBTZ station, which he has now purchased. He also quit his job at Mellon Bank. Harmond congratulates him. Roosevelt suggests they play golf, but Harmond declines, saying he’s been busy. He explains that he visited 1839 Wylie and describes its beauty: It’s a Federalist brick house with beveled glass, a double-base foundation, and a stained-glass window on the landing. He declares, “The air in the house smells sweet like a new day” (61). He then says that there are adjustments to be made to the plan, and he will take care of it. Harmond presents a new rendering of the redevelopment plan, preserving 1829 Wylie with the complex built around it. Roosevelt is outraged, arguing that their contracts with Whole Foods, Starbucks, and Barnes & Noble will collapse: “All the money’s lined up. We got contracts with Whole Foods and with Starbucks and Barnes & Noble. All finalized. It’s all set and agreed to” (63). Harmond insists they can’t tear down a house they don’t own, as Old Joe refused the money. Roosevelt storms out.
Harmond picks up the phone and orders a halt to the demolition. Old Joe enters, and Harmond shares the news with him. He reminds Joe to pay taxes on the property moving forward. He then says he looked into why his father was paying taxes on the house and discovered that he was doing what his grandfather, Caesar Wilks, had started, but he doesn’t know why. Harmond and Joe realize they are related: Joe’s mother, Ester Tyler (Black Mary), was Harmond’s grandfather’s sister. They hug.
Act II, Scene 4 Summary
Mame and Roosevelt wait in the office for Harmond. Mame is worried about Harmond’s behavior. Last night, he told her that Joe is related to him, and he’s been talking about wanting to move back to the Hill. Harmond enters. He says he’s been talking to Starbucks, and they think preserving the old house is great idea. Mame tells him he’s working too hard, and they should go on a vacation. Roosevelt interrupts and tells Harmond that Whole Foods and Barnes & Noble are pulling out due to Harmond’s changes to the plan. Harmond defends his decision: “The plan I came up with is the only way I see we can save Bedford Hills” (68). Frustrated, Roosevelt produces Joe’s extensive criminal record: fraud, theft, assault, and more. Harmond dismisses it, arguing that Joe’s past doesn’t justify tearing down his house. Roosevelt reveals that he has already rescheduled the demolition for Thursday. Outraged, Harmond declares this illegal and says he will file an injunction to stop the demolition. Mame warns him that this will cost him everything, his career, reputation, and political future. Still, Harmond leaves for the courthouse.
Act II, Scene 5 Summary
Harmond is in his office when Mame enters. He tells her he needs to draft a statement for the press. He’s been granted a temporary injunction to stop the demolition until the judge hears the case. Mame tells him she just drove past the house, where she saw people partying, blasting music, and barbecuing. She looks at Harmond’s campaign poster and says, “Mayor Wilks… That was almost you. All you had to do was follow the plan” (71). She reminds him he could have been mayor, then governor, and eventually senator. She also informs him that the governor has withdrawn her job offer. She reflects on how much of herself she has sacrificed for his ambitions, and says she now needs to focus on herself. The two embrace, and Mame leaves. Harmond then rips up his campaign poster.
Sterling enters, holding a newspaper with Harmond’s revelations. Harmond assures him the house won’t be torn down, as he was granted a temporary injunction. Sterling warns him he’ll need a lawyer, but Harmond insists he’ll represent himself. Sterling tells Harmond he should leave Pittsburgh and start fresh. Roosevelt arrives and orders Sterling to leave. Sterling, offended, tells Roosevelt he has no right to boss him around and challenges him: “What you got I ain’t got?” Roosevelt replies, “Money.” Sterling says he does too, and pulls some bills out of his pocket, adding, “You’re just going around kissing the white man’s ass” (77). Before leaving, he dips his finger in paint from a nearby bucket, marks his cheeks, and declares it a sign of war, inspired by Cochise, the famous Apache leader.
Roosevelt complains that Sterling is crazy and informs Harmond that the judge has overturned the injunction. Bulldozers are already at the site to demolish the house. Harmond protests, but Roosevelt explains that the judge couldn’t let a single house block a multimillion-dollar redevelopment project. Roosevelt then announces his plan to force Harmond into a buyout, using Bernie’s money, as allowed by their contract. Harmond, shocked, says he finally sees Roosevelt for who he truly is. He orders Roosevelt to leave, as he owns the office. Roosevelt collects his belongings and leaves. Alone, Harmond picks up a paintbrush and leaves to fight for the house.
Act II Analysis
The conflict over the Wylie Avenue house intensifies in Act II. In Scene 1, Roosevelt dismisses Harmond’s concern over the illegal purchase of the house: “That’s a technicality. I don’t see where that makes a difference. The house was abandoned” (48). He acts with his typical amorality, caring only about money and power. This makes him the antithesis of Sterling, who emerges as a moral force in the play. A background figure in Act I, Sterling moves into the foreground here as he takes a strong stance, comparing the demolition of Old Joe’s house to the injustices inflicted on Indigenous people: “That’s the kind of shit they did to the Indians” (51). This statement explicitly connects urban renewal and gentrification to settler colonialism, as Sterling recognizes that the kind of renewal Harmond and Roosevelt have planned primarily benefits wealthy, largely white investors, often at the expense of longtime residents. Scene 1 ends with Sterling declaring war on Harmond and Roosevelt, and, in Scene 5, he marks his cheeks with paint, a gesture inspired by Cochise, the famous Apache leader. Sterling’s commitment to justice challenges both Roosevelt and Harmond. He even teaches Harmond a lesson in morality, using the metaphor of Harmond’s stolen golf clubs to point out the injustice of taking Old Joe’s house. This forces Harmond to confront his complicity in a corrupt system.
Sterling has a personal connection to the Wylie Avenue house. He recalls Aunt Ester, a figure from August Wilson’s broader body of work, who gave him advice that helped him cope with being an orphan: “She told me set it down” (55). This moment reinforces the theme of The Importance of Preserving Historical Memory. For Sterling, the house is not just a building: It is a vessel of cultural and historical significance, and he fights to protect it. Harmond’s description of the house’s architecture further underscores its historical value “It’s a Federalist brick house with a good double-base foundation […] beveled glass on every floor […] a huge stained-glass window leading up to the landing” (61). This description transforms the house from an eyesore into a hidden treasure.
In Scene 2, Old Joe’s recollections of the past exemplify this theme of historical memory. He speaks about the house Harmond grew up in, describing its white porch and how neighbors would sit outside back then, creating a sense of community. His memories highlight the old communal life of the Hill District, contrasting with Harmond’s plan to replace the house with a ten-story apartment building. This plan represents the erosion of community ties in the name of progress, conveying The Unequal Impacts of Urban Development.
Harmond undergoes significant growth in Act II. By Scene 3, after seeing the house firsthand, he begins to question the redevelopment plan’s moral implications. His decision to revise the plans marks his shift from pragmatism to morality. The revelation that he is related to Old Joe makes the matter personal and strengthens his resolve to save the house. By Scene 4, Harmond is fully committed to his newfound values and is willing to risk his career and reputation by filing an injunction to stop the demolition. Despite Mame’s warning that he will lose everything, Harmond chooses to proceed. His symbolic act of tearing up his campaign poster signifies his rejection of superficial success and his commitment to doing what is right. Mame’s evolution mirrors Harmond’s transformation. She recognizes the sacrifices she has made for his career and decides to prioritize her own needs.
Roosevelt’s character, meanwhile, becomes increasingly arrogant in Act II. He now hosts a program called Radio Golf on station WBTZ, a reference to the play’s title. Golf, a sport historically associated with wealth and privilege, is a symbol of high status. Roosevelt, like Sterling, has no difficulty navigating The Tension Between Personal Ambition and Communal Solidarity; he simply chooses personal ambition at every turn, just as Roosevelt chooses solidarity. His arrogance peaks when he flaunts the keys to the radio station and boasts about quitting his bank job. The tension between Roosevelt and Sterling culminates in Scene 5. Roosevelt’s materialism directly conflicts with Sterling’s integrity: “I got money, too. You think you the only one got money? Money make you special?” (76).
In the end, Roosevelt’s betrayal, using Bernie’s money to force a buyout, reveals his selfish priorities and solidifies his role as the antagonist. “I see now. Got you! I see who you are” (80), says Harmond. Although Roosevelt’s actions may suggest a victory for greed and ambition, Harmond’s final act of picking up the paintbrush represents hope and resistance. It signifies his commitment to preserving the community’s history and fighting against injustice. Harmond’s morality and determination convey a sense of optimism, suggesting that individual integrity and courage can inspire change.
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