I'll Fly Away (1991)

Season 3: Episode 1

PBS prefaces its rebroadcast of all 39 series episodes (originally aired on NBC) with this new episode in which a 60-year-old Lilly recalls to her 13-year-old grandson a horrifying incident that happened during her final days as the Bedfords' housekeeper. In 1962, a young African-American boy from Detroit who comes to stay with Lilly is kidnapped-then murdered—after speaking rudely to a white woman in public. The only witness to his abduction is Lilly's father, Lewis, who wants to see justice served—but must also consider his family's safety. In an epilogue, Lilly returns to Bryland to discover the fate of her friends and employers. (2 hours)