Studs Terkel
Author
Description
At nearly 95, Studs Terkel has written about everyone's life, it seems, but his own. Here he offers a memoir which takes us back to his childhood, describing the hectic life of a family trying to earn a living in Chicago, his experiences as a poll watcher charged with stealing votes for the Democratic machine, as a young theatergoer, and, eventually, as an actor, radio personality, and oral historian. Finally, he discusses his involvement with progressive...
Author
Description
"P.S. brings together these significant and deeply enjoyable writings for the first time and reflects Studs Terkel's wide-ranging interests and travels, as well as his abiding connection to his hometown, Chicago. Here we have a remarkable and moving conversation with James Baldwin, possibly Studs's finest interview with an author; vivid portraits of studs's heroes and cohorts; the transcript of Studs's famous broadcast on the Depression, the essence...
Author
Description
Death waits for us all, but only those sentenced to death know the day and the hour-- and only they can be sure that their last words will be recorded for posterity. From the famous, such as Nathan Hale to Ted Bundy, to the forgotten, these final statements range from heartfelt to horrific.
Description
With the failure of President Hoover's policies at the end of 1929, marked by the stock market crash on October 24, 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, the decade that began with the dream of endless progress and prosperity came to an end with millions unemployed. American industrial workers who had lost their jobs lined up in the streets for a bowl of soup and hunk of bread. Depression, new technology and foreclosure by the banks drove more than...
Description
An exploration into the life and work of the iconic American, Carl Sandburg. From an impoverished youth on the prairie of Illinois to the halls of Congress and international notoriety, it was a tale of perseverance and success. During his lifetime he was revered, becoming one of the most successful writers of the 20th century, but when he died in 1967, his legacy suffered an unusual and inexplicably fast decline. His work was disparaged and his remarkable...
Description
By 1924 to 1928, jazz is everywhere in America and spreading abroad. For the first time, soloists and singers take center stage, transforming the music with their distinctive voices. This episode traces the careers of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Sidney Bechet, Bessie Smith, Earl Hines, Ethel Waters, Bix Beiderbecke, the first great white jazz artist and Benny Goodman, the son of Jewish immigrants.
Description
From 1917 through 1924, the "Jazz Age" begins with speakeasies, flappers and easy money for some. The story of jazz becomes a tale of two cities, Chicago and New York, and of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, whose lives and music will span three-quarters of a century. This episode also follows the careers of jazz greats James Reese Europe, King Oliver, Willie Smith, Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman and James P. Johnson.
Series
Description
Film of the award-winning play about a struggling black family living on Chicago's South Side and the impact of an unexpected insurance bequest. Each family member sees the bequest as the means of realizing dreams and of escape from grinding frustrations.
" ... The Younger family, frustrated with living in their crowded Chicago apartment, sees the arrival of a $10,000 insurance check as the answer to their prayers. Matriarch Lena Younger promptly...