The Learning Tree Poster Original Daybill 1969 Kyle Johnson
Rare Daybill Poster. The Learning Tree is a 1969 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Gordon Parks. It depicts the life of Newt Winger (Kyle Johnson), a teenager growing up in Cherokee Flats, Kansas, in the 1920s, and chronicles his journey into manhood marked with tragic events. Based on Park’s 1963 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, The Learning Tree was the first film directed by an African American person for a major American film studio, in this case Warner Bros.- Seven Arts. When The Learning Tree premiered at the Trans-Lux Theatre in New York City on August 6, 1969, it was well-received by critics. The Learning Tree was one of the first 25 films to be listed on National Film Registry when the registry was created in 1989.