Tag Archives: American Experience

Fly With Me Takes Flight on PBS American Experience

“Getting married meant I had to give up my job as a stewardess for Pan Am, a job I loved.”–Mary Higgins Clark. The year was 1949.  She was 21 and ready and eager to quit her comfortable secretarial job and … Continue reading

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Nazi Town USA Makes Timely Debut on PBS

“It looked like any summer camp in America.  It looked normal.  But it wasn’t normal.  It was Nazi camp.” If you’ve ever gone to summer camp as a kid, you probably joined your Girl or Boy Scout pals… or devout … Continue reading

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Monopoly Has a Secret History and It’s Ruthless on PBS

“It was supposed to be a critique of capitalism.  It turned out to be a celebration of it.” Ever play Monopoly as a kid?   Ever actually win the game?  Or did every sit-down with America’s “favorite board game” begin with … Continue reading

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Director Anna Lee Strachan Unzips the History of Jeans in Riveted on PBS

“You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins?  Nothing!”–actress Brooke Shields. Ms. Shields’ seductive pose and vampish delivery in that controversial 1980 TV commercial shocked the nation.  She was only 15 at the time, but her fetching … Continue reading

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The Double Life of Pioneer Codebreaker Exposed on PBS

“If we missed her, who else are we missing.” She had big dreams. But as a young Midwestern woman growing up during the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th, she needed more than … Continue reading

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1920 Bombing of Wall Street Revisited on American Experience

The parallels are unsettling.  Immigrant profiling and deportation.  American workers embittered by a profiteering moneyed class. Homegrown terrorists schooled in bomb-making and rhetoric by foreign-born anarchists. Russia vs. the F.B.I. As revisited in the fascinating new documentary, The Bombing of … Continue reading

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Teddy Roosevelt and Director John Maggio Travel Into the Amazon on PBS

In 1914, after suffering a stinging defeat two years before in the Presidential election of 1912, former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt gave up his dream to serve an unprecedented third term in office and focused his wanderlust on the Brazilian Amazon … Continue reading

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PBS Rebroadcasts The Boys of ’36 on American Experience

Yes, I’m on vacation and I’m surrounded by water…the optimum venue from which to give you a shout-out about the rebroadcast of American Experience’s rousing documentary about Olympic rowers.  The Boys of ’36 reruns on PBS tonight, Tuesday, August 1, 2017, 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. ET. … Continue reading

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American Experience Remembers The Boys of ’36

I’m writing this blog post from the second floor porch of a Victorian B&B in Ocean Grove, NJ, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There’s a brisk wind off the ocean today, but the sparkling white caps and the fishing boats hovering close to shore hold promise … Continue reading

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American Experience Tackles Walt Disney on PBS

Walt Disney always reminded me of my childhood pediatrician. And that was a very good thing. Not only did they look alike, but both men were, in fact, passionate healers who never lost their ability to speak to the needs of children… … Continue reading

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