Tag Archives: Ken Burns

The U.S. and the Holocaust Reexamined on PBS

“I feel a sense of urgency. We’re not trying to equate anything with The Holocaust. That would be a horrible, horrible thing to do.  We’re just saying: ‘Let’s not get there again as human beings, please, let’s not get there … Continue reading

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Ken Burns Celebrates Patriot Benjamin Franklin on PBS

Writer, printer, newspaper publisher, humorist, pundit, educator, scientist, inventor, postmaster, politician, diplomat, abolitionist, patriot. The list of Benjamin Franklin’s accomplishments and aphorisms is long, storied and impossible to condense effectively in one short film, book or review. But Award-winning filmmaker … Continue reading

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Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Tackle Hemingway in New PBS Series

“Our intent is to offer viewers an honest portrayal of a complex and conflicted writer who left an indelible mark on literature.”–Ken Burns. The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms, The Old Man and the Sea, The Snows of … Continue reading

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16 Hours of Ken Burns’ Country Music on PBS

“Oh, the storm and its fury broke today, crushing hopes that we cherish so dear. Clouds and storms will in time pass away. The sun again will shine bright and clear.”–from the Carter Family’s signature song, “Keep on the Sunny … Continue reading

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Remembering D-Day, Band of Brothers, The War, and The Cold Blue

Today, June 6, 2019, is the 75th anniversary of D-Day. “It plays like the stuff of military myth or legend, but it’s remarkably true: A disparate group of American recruits transformed into an elite rifle company, parachuted into France on … Continue reading

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The Write Stuff: Screenwriter Geoffrey C. Ward and The Vietnam War

“If we live long enough, we may even get over war.” —Maya Angelou. I graduated from high school in 1965 and college in 1969.  The relentless war in Vietnam fueled an escalating war on the streets of our inner cities and … Continue reading

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HBO’s Living with Lincoln Reveals One Family’s Magnificent Obsession

My dad was a hard-core Lincoln buff.  And, frankly, he didn’t have to work very hard to get me on board the Abraham Lincoln bandwagon. When Ken Burns’ groundbreaking miniseries, The Civil War, debuted on PBS, my dad and I shared that experience and every … Continue reading

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The Big Burn Lights a Fire on PBS

“The question of forest fires, like the question of slavery … sooner or later, it must be faced.”  So said Gifford Pinchot, the zealous conservationist who founded the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. The back story and legacy of the … Continue reading

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Ripley Believe It or Not Is Stranger Than Fiction

As 2014 drew to a close, “believe it or not” seemed to best describe the mentality of those at Sony who thought that a “frat boy comedy” about the assassination of a sitting head of state was a good idea.  Now, as we look … Continue reading

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Boomer or Bust?

If you’ve read my blog, you know that I’m a huge fan of American Masters.  The Award-winning series was created and launched on PBS in 1986 by Executive Producer Susan Lacy, who, after decades at PBS/WNET, is now expanding her reach … Continue reading

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