American Masters - Episode Guide

In the period immediately following the end of World War II, American theater was transformed by the work of playwright Arthur Miller. Profoundly influenced by the Depression and the war that immediately followed it, Miller tapped into a sense of dissatisfaction and unrest within the greater American psyche. His probing dramas proved to be both the conscience and redemption of the times.

One of the major American architectural minds of the twentieth century, Philip Johnson has played an enormous role in both understanding and creating the urban skylines of the country. As historian, curator, and practicing architect he has had a formative effect on generations of architects.

Aaron Copland was one of the most respected American classical composers of the twentieth century. By incorporating popular forms of American music such as jazz and folk into his compositions, he created pieces both exceptional and innovative. As a spokesman for the advancement of indigenous American music, Copland made great strides in liberating it from European influence.

The period that followed the end of World War I was one of gaiety & optimism, and it sparked a new era of creativity in American culture. Surely one of the most profound — and outrageous — influences on the times was the group of a dozen or so tastemakers who lunched together at New York City's Algonquin Hotel. For more than a decade they met daily and came to be known as the Algonquin Round Table

Buster Keaton is considered one of the greatest comic actors of all time. His influence on physical comedy is rivaled only by Charlie Chaplin. Like many of the great actors of the silent era, Keaton's work was cast into near obscurity for many years. Only toward the end of his life was there a renewed interest in his films.

In his trademark V-neck sweater, with the day's newspaper tucked under his arm, Mort Sahl has satirized — and entertained — presidents from Eisenhower to Clinton. He revolutionized the world of stand-up comedy with a fresh combination of political awareness, fearless criticism of the government, and a willingness to draw on personal experience.

Alice Waters has made it her mission in life to make sure that people eat beautifully.

Julia Child was not a natural-born cook - when she married, she could barely boil an egg. But she fell in love with French food, and soon enrolled at the Cordon Bleu where she learned the great tradition of Classical French cuisine. Later, with two French women, she devoted years to writing a manuscript finally published as "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" which became a culinary classic and sold over one million copies.

Warm and exuberant, Julia was a natural television star. In 1963, she appeared on public television in "The French Chef," a cooking series unlike anything yet seen on TV. Scooping up a spilled potato pancake or coaxing a reluctant soufflé, Julia was not afraid of making mistakes. Soon a nation fed on Shake n' Bake and Tang would be experimenting with quiche Lorraine and boeuf bourgignon and cooking would become a national pastime.

This is the story of Julia's two great loves-love for her husband Paul and for cooking. Through an interview with Julia herself, filmed in her fabled kitchen, and rare images from the photo collection of Paul Child and from family photo albums, Julia Child is revealed as few have seen her before in this tribute and testament to a great American icon.

Pete Seeger helped introduce America to its own musical heritage, devoting his life to using the power of song as a force for social change. With his deeply-held beliefs, Seeger went from the top of the pop charts to the top of the blacklist and was banned from American commercial television for more than 17 years.

The first film biography about the celebrated author, Louisa May Alcott.

Explore the iconic 1960s folk-protest music hero's troubled life through his songs and interviews with Joan Baez, Sean Penn, Pete Seeger, Tom Hayden and others. Inspired by both Woody Guthrie and Elvis Presley, Phil Ochs was one of the most politically active singer-songwriter's of his generation and his music is as relevant today as it was then.

President and Mrs. Obama host an all-star concert that celebrates the great figures of the blues genre, from John Lee Hooker to Muddy Waters, and the songs they made famous.

Discover the Pulitzer Prize-winning author behind Gone With the Wind, one of the world's best-selling novels that features two of the world's great lovers - Scarlett and Rhett - and was adapted into one of the most popular films of all time.

Explore the phenomenon behind To Kill a Mockingbird and the mysterious life of its Pulitzer Prize-winning author, including why she never published again. The documentary reveals the context and history of the novel's Deep South setting, and the social changes it inspired after publication.

Explore the life and career of TV star Johnny Carson through his personal and professional archives.

Examine the life and work of poet and novelist Carl Sandburg, as well as the controversy surrounding him.

Learn how David Geffen's widespread influence - in various spheres - helped shape popular culture.

Uncover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company, the Joffrey Ballet.

Discover the life, music and influence of African-American gospel singer and guitar virtuoso Rosetta Tharpe.

Explore the life of Philip Roth, author of Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint.

Laugh as the comedy giant and his friends share never-before-heard stories about his life and career.

Join tennis star Billie Jean King as she tells her story in the series' first profile of a sports figure.

Experience guitarist Hendrix's life and music through never-before-seen performances and interviews.

Review the exceptional life of Marvin Hamlisch, one of the great artists of our time.

Salinger is the first work to get beyond "The Catcher in the Rye" author's meticulously built wall: his childhood, painstaking work methods, marriages, private world and the secrets J.D. Salinger left behind after his death in 2010. The film interviewed 150 subjects, including Salinger's friends, colleagues and members of his inner circle.

"Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" is the first film biography of writer and activist Alice Walker. Most famous for her seminal novel "The Color Purple" for which she won a Pulitzer Prize, Walker was raised in poverty in the rural South during the violent and seismic social changes of mid-20th century America. Women, poverty and civil rights became the inherent themes in her writing.

American Masters: A Fierce Green Fire is the first big-picture exploration of the environmental movement, spanning 50 years of activism. Chronicling the largest movement of the 20th century, the film tells vivid stories about people fighting - and succeeding - against the odds, from the Grand Canyon to Love Canal, from the oceans to the Amazon. A film by Academy Award-nominee Mark Kitchell.

Co-founder of The Paris Review, George Plimpton (1927–2003) was a fascinated journalist who lived fully, strangely and incredibly. With George Plimpton's own narration, the film includes extensive archival footage of his sport stunts and participatory journalism gigs, and interviews with friends, family and contemporaries.

Tanaquil Le Clercq (1929–2000) was a star ballerina with the New York City Ballet who greatly influenced choreographers George Balanchine (her husband) and Jerome Robbins (her friend). Filmmaker Nancy Buirski spotlights Le Clercq's ballet career, influence on dance, and her struggle with polio, which paralyzed her at the height of her fame.

Her photograph Migrant Mother is one of the most recognized and arresting images in the world, a portrait that came to represent America's Great Depression. Yet few know the story, struggles and profound body of work of the woman who created the portrait: Dorothea Lange. Directed and narrated by Lange's granddaughter Dyanna Taylor.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work takes the audience on a year-long ride with Joan Rivers in her 76th year of life; it peels away the mask of an iconic comedian, laying bare both the struggle and thrill of living life as a groundbreaking female performer.

The baby boomer generation (1946-1964) has significantly and uniquely changed our world. The year 2014 marks an important shift in American culture, as the last boomers turn 50. American Masters: The Boomer List tells the story of this influential generation through the lives of 19 iconic boomers. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

Bing Crosby (1903-1977) was the most popular and influential multi-media star of the first half of the 20th century. For more than three decades, through radio, film, television and records, he reigned supreme. For this new documentary, Crosby's estate granted American Masters access to the entertainer's archives, including never-before-seen home movies, Dictabelt recordings, photos and more.

This portrait of the inimitable magician Ricky Jay delves into the mysterious world of sleight-of-hand and its small circle of eccentric devotees. Jay is also a best-selling author, historian, actor and a leading collector of antiquarian books and artifacts. Told largely in Jay's own distinctive voice, the documentary traces the story of his achievement and that of other master magicians.

Unprecedented access to Wilson's theatrical archives, rarely seen interviews and new dramatic readings bring to life his seminal 10-play cycle chronicling a century of African-American life.

Discover the story of legendary musician Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), the first truly modern violin virtuoso. This documentary portrays an artist for whom only perfection would do through vintage performances, master classes and Heifetz' previously unseen home movies. Interviewees include Itzhak Perlman, Ivry Gitlis and Ida Haendel, and former student, accompanist and longtime companion Ayke Agus.

Ric Burns' film on the 75-year history of the preeminent ballet company combines rehearsal footage, virtuoso performances and interviews with ABT's key figures including Alicia Alonso and the late Donald Saddler and Frederic Franklin; Susan Jaffe and Julie Kent, Misty Copeland, Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomez, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

This is the story of Althea Gibson (1927-2003), a truant from the rough streets of Harlem, who emerged as the unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world in the 1950s. She was the first African American to play and win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (precursor of the U.S. Open) — a decade before Arthur Ashe. Interviewees include Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt and Billie Jean King.

An exclusive interview with Mexican-American photographer Pedro E. Guerrero explores his life and work. He collaborated with iconic American artists of the 20th century -- architect Frank Lloyd Wright and sculptors Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson -- and became one of the most sought-after photographers of the "Mad Men" era. A co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting's VOCES series.

Meet 15 women who define contemporary American culture in Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' new "List" film featuring Madeleine Albright, Margaret Cho, Edie Falco, Betsey Johnson, Alicia Keys, Nancy Pelosi, Rosie Perez, Wendy Williams and more. All trailblazers in their fields, these women share their experiences struggling against discrimination and overcoming challenges to make their voices heard.

Meet one of America's late, great directors, Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Angels in America), who discusses his life and 50-year artistic career, from the comedy duo Nichols and May to his final film, Charlie Wilson's War. The documentary includes new interviews with Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and more, plus insights and highlights from Nichols' acclaimed films. Directed by Elaine May.

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was one of the most influential and celebrated blues musicians of all time. Director Jon Brewer worked on the film with King, and with the cooperation of The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, MS, for two years, before King died on May 14, 2015. His story of struggle and triumph is told by the man himself, his family, and fellow musicians.

King tells her story in the new documentary American Masters – Carole King: Natural Woman that weaves previously unseen and rare performances and home movies with a new, exclusive interview with King, friends, fellow songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Tapestry producer Lou Adler, drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, and more. How a 16-year-old songwriter became a star.

One of the most popular rockers of the 1950s and early 60s, Fats Domino and his record sales were rivaled then only by Elvis Presley. With his boogie-woogie piano playing rooted in blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz, he became one of the inventors, along with Presley, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, of rock ‘n' roll, a revolutionary genre that united young black and white audiences.

Inducted into more music Halls of Fame than any female singer to date, Loretta Lynn has earned four Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and sold more than 45 million records worldwide. Still going strong after more than 50 years, Lynn is the subject of the new documentary with never-before-seen home movies, performances and interviews with Lynn and musicians.

Janis Joplin thrilled audiences and blazed new creative trails before her death at age 27 in 1970. Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg examines Joplin's story in depth, presenting an intimate portrait of a complicated and driven artist. The broadcast features a never-before-seen extended film cut with archival performance footage and new interviews with Joplin's sister Laura Joplin and musicians.

Discover the story behind the pioneering outlaw country music supergroup that featured Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson, told through vintage performances and new interviews about life on the road and in the studio.

Largely responsible for the explosion of bold American television in the 1970s, writer/producer Norman Lear's name is synonymous with the sitcom.

Explore the life of Eero Saarinen (1910-1961), whose visionary buildings include National Historic Landmarks such as St. Louis' iconic Gateway Arch and the General Motors Technical Center in Michigan. Travel with his son, director of photography Eric Saarinen, as he visits the sites of his father's work on a cathartic journey, showcasing the architect's body of timeless work for the first time.

Prolific and versatile filmmaker Sidney Lumet made 44 films in 50 years, earning the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement after four Oscar nominations. Considered a quintessential New York filmmaker, Lumet frequently used New York City's urban mettle to infuse his films with a realism and intensity that kept audiences in suspense while prodding them to consider their own morality.

Distinctly referred to as "a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture", Dr. Maya Angelou led a prolific life. She inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries. Best known for her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, she gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before.

Born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Winchester, Virginia, Patsy Cline (September 8, 1932 - March 5, 1963) defined modern country music by using her singular talent and heartwrenching emotional depth to break down barriers of gender, class and genre.

Today's American food movement can be traced back to one man: cookbook author, journalist, television celebrity and teacher James Beard.

Jacques Pépin is known as a kitchen supernova, a working whirlwind of creative energy even at 80 years old, but his surprising journey began in the countryside of wartime France, where his family's tradition of entrepreneurial women running homegrown restaurants pushed young Jacques into an early culinary career.

Sammy Davis, Jr. had the kind of career that was indisputably legendary, so vast and multi-faceted that it was dizzying in its scope and scale. And yet, his life was complex, complicated and contradictory. Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice and shifting political territory.

Slacker. Indie filmmaker. Oscar nominee. Writer, director, producer, actor Richard Linklater is all these things and more, a poster boy for the fiercely independent style of filmmaking that emerged out of Austin, Texas in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Until his death at the age of 106, Tyrus Wong was America's oldest living Chinese American artist and one of the last remaining artists from the golden age of Disney animation. The quiet beauty of his Eastern-influenced paintings had a pioneering impact on American art and popular culture.

Best known for his Gothic horror tales and narrative poem "The Raven", Poe's stories are the basis of countless films and TV episodes, and have inspired even more, as has his name and image. Determined to re-invent American literature, Poe was an influential – and brutally honest – literary critic and magazine editor, who also invented the detective protagonist with his character C. Auguste Dupin.

Six innovators tell their own stories and explain how they're changing their respective industries: podcast host Tracy Clayton, Chef Angie Mar, JavaScript developer Sara Chipps, web-cam performance artist Molly Soda, entrepreneur Rakia Reynolds, and visual artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.

Explore the entertainer's life with unprecedented access to his personal archives including writings voiced by Billy Crystal, clips from his body of work, and interviews with Woody Allen, Margaret Cho, Conan O'Brien, Tom Selleck and Brooke Shields.

Explore the inner life and works of the activist, playwright and author of "A Raisin in the Sun", Lorraine Hansberry. Narrated by actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson and featuring the voice of Tony Award-winning actress Anika Noni Rose as Hansberry.

Produced by Reframed Pictures in association with American Masters, the new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamar Story explores how Lamarr's true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. Her pioneering work as an inventor becomes the basis for secure Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth based on radio frequency-hopping.

A profile of Major League Baseball hall of famer and Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams (1918-2002), including his complex relationships with his Mexican-American background, family, press and fans. Discover the many sides of the Baseball Hall of Famer with Bob Costas, Wade Boggs and Joey Votto.

Discover the 1960s art world icon who changed art history and women's place in the picture.

Follow the artist's journey from impoverished childhood to maverick artist, voiced by Meryl Streep.

Uncover the hidden depths and complex inner life of the iconic artist you thought you knew. With his life's work as a background, examine his wide range of influences, including modern artists, war, film and the African American community.

Discover the anonymous New York graffiti artist turned '80s art world rock star.

Explore the life of the famous Jewish violinist, a transcendent performer and polio survivor.

Meet James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist behind the double helix as he confronts his complex legacy. With unprecedented access to Watson and his family, "American Masters: Decoding Watson" explores his life, achievements, controversies and contradictions.

Sammy Davis, Jr. had an indisputably legendary career that was vast in scope and scale. His life was also complex, complicated and contradictory. Davis strove to achieve the American Dream in a time of racial prejudice and shifting political territory. A veteran of increasingly outdated show business traditions, he worked tirelessly to stay relevant, even as he frequently found himself caught between the bigotry of white America and the distaste of black America. In addition, Davis was the most public black figure to embrace Judaism, tying his identity to that of another persecuted minority. Featuring exclusive interviews with Billy Crystal, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg and Kim Novak, as well as never-before-seen photos from Davis' vast personal collection and rare footage from his performances in television, film and concert, American Masters – Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me explores the life and art of a uniquely gifted entertainer whose trajectory paralleled the major flashpoints of American society, from the Great Depression through the 1980s.

See how country star Charley Pride used music to triumph over prejudice and injustice.

Experience the power of song in the fight for equality through the feminist singer-activist's story.

Discover the man behind the award.

Discover the life and work of Garry Winogrand.

Explore the six-decade career of four-time Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally.

Follow the journey of one of the greatest choral music conductors in the world, Robert Shaw.

Explore the legacy of the feminist author who transformed U.S. literature with her science fiction.

Discover the life of charismatic Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia, known for his versatile roles.

Discover the art world giant whose color fields changed art history, and now fetch millions.

Discover the man behind the legend. With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, rare photos and new interviews.

Dive into the life and career of groundbreaking writer, performer and subversive star Mae West.

An artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller that examines her life and works.

A story of a defiant movement of women of color, transforming politics from the ground up.

Mark the women's suffrage centennial with stories of pioneering women who shaped American politics.

Meet the columnist who created the fast-paced, politically charged journalism that dominates today.

Discover the Grammy-winning conductor, pianist, composer and National Medal of Arts recipient.

Explore the definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring who blazed a trail through the art scene of ‘80s New York and revolutionized the worlds of pop culture and fine art. The film features previously unheard interviews with Haring.

Explore the life of the unlikely author whose books helped shape American ideas of the frontier.

A documentary that tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American women entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process.

Explore the world of a literary icon whose provocative fiction was unlike anything published before.

Explore legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp's career and famously rigorous creative process, with original interviews, first-hand glimpses of her at work and rare archival footage of select performances from her more than 160 choreographed works.

Explore the career of Doc Severinsen, bandleader to "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.".

Dive into the life of the neurologist and author who helped redefine our understanding of the brain.

The life and career of author Amy Tan, with archival imagery, home movies, photographs, animation and original interviews.

The story of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, a company of men who dance on pointe as ballerinas.

The career of blues guitarist Buddy Guy, a pioneer of Chicago's West Side sound, and his influence on rock musicians including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

Discover how Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winners. Explore her 70-year career with new interviews, clips of her iconic roles and scenes of the star on set today.

The life and career of choreographer Alvin Ailey, whose dances focus on the Black experience, interviews with those close to him and a glimpse into his dance studios.

Exploring the life and legacy of singer Marian Anderson and her work as an advocate for the civil rights advocate.

Narrated by Jason Momoa, discover the inspiring story and considerable impact of five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. He shattered swimming records and globalized surfing while overcoming racism in a lifetime of personal challenges.

Joe Papp, founder of The Public Theater, Free Shakespeare in the Park and producer of groundbreaking plays like "Hair," "A Chorus Line" and "for colored girls," created a 'theater of inclusion' based on the belief that great art is for everyone.

Explore the life and career of the singer, songwriter and co-founder of The Beach Boys. The film traces the legendary performer's journey of reflection on a drive through Los Angeles with his longtime friend and Rolling Stone editor Jason Fine.

Experience the story of the Oscar-winning Indigenous artist from her rise to prominence in New York's Greenwich Village folk music scene through her six-decade groundbreaking career as a singer-songwriter, social activist, educator and artist.

Explore Nobel Prize winner Saul Bellow's impact on American literature and how he navigated through issues of his time, including race, gender and the Jewish immigrant experience. Featuring interviews with Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie and others.

Discover the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor iconic comedian Groucho Marx. Their relationship is chronicled through interviews with Cavett, archival footage and interviews with George Burns and others.

American Masters: Roberta Flack follows the piano prodigy and one-time school teacher, from her start in a Washington, D.C. piano lounge through her skyrocketing into superstardom and becoming one of the most influential singers in American music history.

Filmmaker Brooke Pepion Swaney profiles independent film actress Lily Gladstone as she prepares for the release of a high-profile Hollywood film. Drawing from her childhood on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana and her peripatetic life as a professional actor, Gladstone learns to stand on her own two feet in order to make her voice heard.

Follow Dr. Anthony Fauci as he grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic and his 50-year career as the nation's leading public health advocate. American Masters: Dr. Tony Fauci reveals a rarely seen side of the physician, husband and father as he confronts political backlash, a new administration and questions of the future.

Opera singer J'Nai Bridges returns to the stage in "A Knee on the Neck," a tribute to George Floyd; country artist Rissi Palmer works on a new album.

See the world through the eyes of Nam June Paik, the father of video art and coiner of the term "electronic superhighway". Born in Japan-occupied Korea, Paik went on to become a pillar of the American avant-garde and transformed modern image-making with his sculptures, films and performances. Experience his creative evolution, as Academy Award nominee Steven Yeun reads from Paik's own writings.

Experience the meteoric rise and enduring legacy of Little Richard. With appearances by Keith Richards, Ringo Starr, Big Freedia and more, this portrait of the "King and Queen of Rock and Roll" explores his far-reaching influence — still felt in pop culture today — and his advocacy for the rights of Black artists in the music industry.

Follow the meteoric rise of firebrand politician and activist Bella Abzug. See how her commitment to women's rights and progressive causes upended the status quo in Washington.

Experience the political and personal journey of Jerry Brown, the longest serving governor in California history. First elected at 36 years old and again at 72, explore Brown's 50-year career tackling climate change and inequality.

Follow the 50-year career of preeminent First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams. See how his landmark cases—from the Pentagon Papers to Citizens United to Clearview AI—helped define free speech as it is known today. Join Dan Abrams, Ari Melber, Nina Totenberg and more as they explore how Abrams' career has shaped major changes in law, public discourse and civic action since the 1960s.

Trace the life and legacy of labor activist Cesar Chavez. Through interviews with Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Carlos Santana and more, see how music and the arts were instrumental to the success of the farmworkers' movement Chavez helped found.

Experience the groundbreaking sounds of bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach, whose far-reaching ambitions were inspired and challenged by the inequities of the society around him.

Discover the secrets behind Edward Hopper's most iconic and enigmatic works. Known for "Nighthawks" and other evocative paintings of American life, Hopper has left a lasting impression on our culture. Meet the man behind the brush, and see how his marriage to fellow artist Josephine Nivison Hopper shaped his art and career.

Discover the life and legacy of former U.S. Senator and diplomat Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Going beyond the "Moynihan Report," President Joe Biden, Ta-Nehisi Coates and others reflect on his decades-long fight to end national poverty.

Discover the intellectual evolution and political legacy of William F. Buckley, Jr. See how the author and commentator, one of the foremost public intellectuals in American history, galvanized the modern conservative movement.