Ordower takes updated classic “Jubilee Showcase” to NAPTE in hopes of national distribution sale

“Jubilee Showcase,” a gospel music TV show that entertained Chicago audiences for over 20 years, is being reincarnated as an HD documentary series by the son of the original producer.

Steve Ordower’s goal is to produce a 7-part, feature-length series for a national audience, derived from the collection his father, the late Sid Ordower, gave him 10 years ago.

He will present a new HD “Showcase” trailer and a spec episode to producers at the 2008 NATPE, which opens July 30 in L.A.

“Jubilee Showcase” and its producer/host, Sid Ordower, were staples of Chicago television, seen weekly on Ch. 7 from 1963 to 1984, a total of 100 half-hour episodes.

Those episodes comprise what is unquestionably the largest and most valuable historical archive of gospel music within the $3 billion gospel music industry.

The shows featured such gospel greats as Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples and Otis Clay and commentary by black religious and civic leaders. “Gospel spirit and sounds helped shape popular music and gave a voice to Chicago’s black Christian community,” Ordower says.

Ordower’s updated series will juxtapose the music and artist with wide-ranging topics, from civil rights and social change to the impact of gospel on the blues.