2004: HBO Introduces 'Something the Lord Made'
On this day in 2004, HBO debuted the telefilm Something the Lord Made.
The Emmy award-winning film is a dramatization of the relationship between white surgeon Alfred Blalock and black janitor-turned-surgeon Vivien Thomas who, together, pioneered a surgical procedure to correct the congenital heart defect that caused "Blue Baby Syndrome" and ushered in the age of modern heart surgery.
The film stars Alan Rickman as Blalock and Mos Def as Thomas. Supporting cast includes Kyra Sedgwick, Gabrielle Union, Charles S. Dutton and Mary Stuart Masterson.