Edward R. Murrow

Deconstructing Dad: The Music, Machines and Mystery of Raymond Scott

Stanley Warnow

John Williams, Mark Mothersbaugh

His filmmaker son probes the professional and private lives of his remote but fascinating father: bandleader, composer, inventor, and electronic music pioneer Raymond Scott.

Satchmo the Great

Louis Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein

In this 1957 biography film of the jazz-great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American good-will ambassadors bring jazz at its best to the people of the world. Within the film, the life of Louis Armstrong is portrayed through the music. One of the outstanding scenes in this "biography/docudrama" shows blind songwriter W. C. Handy, with tears streaming down his face, as Armstrong, backed by Leonard Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, play Handy's immortal "St. Louis Blues."

Tennessee Williams: Orpheus of the American Stage

Merrill Brockway

Tennessee Williams, Carroll Baker

A study of Tennessee Williams's life and work as a whole, ranging from his youth in Mississippi and in St. Louis to success and acclaim, followed by the final difficult years. Includes some of the most celebrated scenes from film adaptations of Williams' work, among them extracts of A Streetcar Named Desire (1951),Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Night of the Iguana, The (1964), and Suddenly, Last Summer (1993) (TV). Contains footage of Williams being interviewed, including conversations with David Frost, 'Edward R. Murrow (I)', and Melvyn Bragg, as well as reminiscences from people who knew and worked with him, among them Edward Albee, Gore Vidal, and his lifelong friend, Lady Maria St. Just. Features readings from Elia Kazan's Notebook by Kim Hunter.

Edward R. Murrow - Harvest of Shame

Fred W. Friendly

Edward R. Murrow

In this CBS News production broadcast on Thanksgiving 1960, Edward R. Murrow points out the plight of migrant farm workers in America. Topics range from the harsh living conditions, endless travel, low wages, and poor opportunities for their children.

Ethel

Rory Kennedy

Ethel Kennedy, Rory Kennedy

Filmmaker Rory Kennedy interviews her mother, Ethel Kennedy, who discusses family, marriage and politics.

The Movie Orgy

Joe Dante

Goodman Ace, Jane Ace

Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and government films of the 1950s and 1960s are intercut together to tell a single story of various creatures and societal ills attacking American cities.

The Soul of America

KD Davison

Jon Meacham, John Lewis

Writer, journalist, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and presidential biographer John Meacham offers his timely and invaluable insights into the country’s current political and historical moment by examining its past. Based on his 2018 bestseller of the same name.

Maria by Callas

Tom Volf

María Callas, Joyce DiDonato

Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.

This Is England

Humphrey Jennings

Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow narrates Humphrey Jennings' short documentary about life in England during wartime.

Sink the Bismarck!

Lewis Gilbert

Kenneth More, Dana Wynter

The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen—during the early days of World War II. The Bismarck and her sister ship, Tirpitz, were the most powerful battleships in the European theater of World War II. The British Navy must find and destroy Bismarck before it can escape into the convoy lanes to inflict severe damage on the cargo shipping which was the lifeblood of the British Isles. With eight 15 inch guns, it was capable of destroying every ship in a convoy while remaining beyond the range of all Royal Navy warships.

Thomas Hart Benton

Ken Burns

Thomas Hart Benton, Jason Robards

Thomas Hart Benton's paintings were energetic and uncompromising. Today his works are in museums, but Benton hung them in saloons for ordinary people to appreciate.

Backstory: How Green Was My Valley

Michele Farinola, Mimi Freedman

Rino Romano, Darryl F. Zanuck

Documentary about how the creative energies of Darryl F. Zanuck and John Ford combined to forge an enduring masterpiece despite the challenges of wartime production.

The Night America Trembled

Tom Donovan

Edward R. Murrow, Alexander Scourby

A recreation and commentary on how people reacted to the radio broadcast of The War Of The Worlds in 1938.

Around the World in Eighty Days

Michael Anderson

David Niven, Cantinflas

Based on the famous book by Jules Verne the movie follows Phileas Fogg on his journey around the world. Which has to be completed within 80 days, a very short period for those days.

Dover

Edward R. Murrow

Documentary short featuring a visit by American newsman Edward R. Murrow to the English town of Dover during the Second World War.

Survival Under Atomic Attack

Edward R. Murrow

A Civil Defense film that focuses on what the average American can do to protect himself if caught out in the open or at home during a nuclear attack.