"Althea" Screening Tuesday Explores Life of Street Kid to Tennis Pro

She has been called an unlikely queen, a woman whose life would at first blush seem true tale of rags to riches. From hardscrabble roots in Harlem to the center court — Althea Gibson has overcame more obstacles than any other tennis player in American history. But she died isolated and woefully unrecognized.

On Tuesday, newportFILM and the International Tennis Hall of Fame combine forces to host a special indoor screening of the documentary, “Althea.”

It tells the remarkable story of a sharecroppers’ daughter migrating north to Harlem in the 1930s where she met and was mentored by Sugar Ray Robinson, David Dinkins and others.

Her fame made her an unwilling participant in the Civil Rights movement, and it was fame earned not for the fact that she had made it as an African American tennis pro, but that she was a tennis champion and became the top ranked player in the world.

Yet making it on the tennis court didn’t mean she could afford her own apartment and she was in deep debt to her benefactors. It forced her to switch gears and pick up a golf club, hacking her way to the LPGA where she competed for a decade.

If that’s not impressive enough, she went on to tour with the Harlem Globetrotters, become a recorded Jazz Singer, perform on the Ed Sullivan show and even starred in a John Wayne/John Ford film.

“Late in life, forgotten by the “Tennis Establishment” and barely able to make ends meet, she became reclusive, enveloped by bitterness and resentment towards those she saw reaping million-dollar paydays. On her last trip to the US Open, she went unrecognized. She was extremely proud, didn’t want to ask for help, and wound up isolated,” a film summary states. “Throughout her entire journey, Althea remained true to her convictions - an uncompromising individual and unique trailblazer.“

The event begins at 6 p.m. with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres provided by Blackstone Caterers.

The film begins at 7:15 p.m. and will be followed by a Q&A with Director Rex Miller.

This is one of the few paid events hosted by newportFILM during the year, but it helps support the organization’s extensive efforts to deliver important works of art and culture to Aquidneck Island residents — and all Rhode Islanders — throughout the year.

Buy Tickets here: bit.ly/AltheaDoc