American Masters

History Series / 11 Seasons

American Masters, committed to producing comprehensive film biographies about the broad cast of characters who comprise our cultural history.

1h 51m / TV-14

Bing Crosby's Innovations in Technology

4m 44s

Not only was Crosby a multimedia star, he advanced the technology to record music and make television --- such as the laugh track. Filmmaker Robert Trachtenberg describes how his crew was able to include in "American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered" the private letters Crosby recorded on dictabelts. American Masters Executive Producer Michael Kantor adds perspective on Crosby's significance.

Bing Crosby and David Bowie Christmas Duet

1m 50s / TV-PG

Bing Crosby and David Bowie sing a duet in Crosby's Christmas television special in 1977. See their performance of "The Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth" and find out what it took to get Bowie to appear on the show. Two songwriters recount their quick turnaround of the song to win Bowie over. Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Dec. 2 on PBS at 8 pm; holiday encore on Dec. 26 at 9 pm.

Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin Sing Together

2m 53s

America's most famous crooners --- Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin --- sing "The Oldest Established" song from the musical Guys and Dolls. This web-exclusive clip captures the three legendary singers in a televised performance that took place in 1964. This is an web-exclusive outtake from American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered, premiering Dec. 2 at 8 pm on PBS.

The Road Films: Bing Crosby and Bob Hope

1m 46s

At the age of 37, Bing Crosby had 24 films behind him and his Hollywood career was at a crossroads. He found the perfect comedic partner in Bob Hope, with whom he had first performed on stage in 1932. Starting in 1940, Hope and Crosby would star in seven "Road" films. This film excerpt from American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered is rich in archival footage of interviews and film.

Web Exclusive: Bing Crosby Roasts Film Director Raoul Walsh

1m 36s / TV-14

In this exclusive outtake from Bing Crosby Rediscovered, hear never-before-released audio of Bing Crosby singing the lyrics he penned to roast Hollywood director Raoul Walsh. The filming of "Going Hollywood," starring Crosby and Marian Davies, had its obstacles. When Bing poked fun at the director and film, Louis Mayer at MGM Studios banned Walsh and Bing from future MGM productions.

Bing Crosby and Maurice Chevalier Duet

3m 20s / TV-14

Legends Bing Crosby and French entertainer Maurice Chevalier sing "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore" from the film "Gigi" on Bing Crosby's television special in 1961. This film outtake is from American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Robert Trachtenberg.

Filmmaker Interview: Bing Crosby Rediscovered

3m 29s

Director Robert Trachtenberg worked with the Bing Crosby estate to bring a wealth of audio recordings and images to the public from the first time. In this interview he speaks about the challenge of presenting the man who down-played how hard he worked to become a sensation in film, radio and television. American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Tue., Dec. 2 at 8 pm on PBS.

Bing Crosby, Maurice Chevalier and Carol Lawrence Perform

4m 44s / TV-14

Bing Crosby, French entertainer Maurice Chevalier and musical theater actress Carol Lawrence sing "Riding High" during Crosby's television special in 1961. This film outtake is from American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered, directed by Emmy Award-winning director Robert Trachtenberg.

Bing Crosby Rediscovered

1m 56s

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.

Crosby Family Remembers Bing

1m 30s

In this exclusive clip, Bing Crosby's family reflects on his life as a performer and family man. Hear all surviving members of Crosby’s immediate family — his wife Kathryn, daughter Mary and sons Harry and Nathaniel, and see archival footage from the film. American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered premieres Tues., Dec. 2 at 8 pm and has a holiday encore on Fri., Dec. 26 at 9 pm.

Bing Crosby Sings with the Crosby Boys

1m 49s

Bing Crosby sings the African-American spiritual "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho" with three of his sons on his television special in 1960. Crosby's first four sons --- Gary, twins Dennis and Philip, and Lindsay --- created the The Crosby Boys quartet in 1959. This is a web-only full version of the performance, as seen excerpted in American Masters - Bing Crosby Rediscovered.

The Powerful Memory of Music

1m 52s / TV-14

Serving in Vietnam and the music of the era are inextricably linked for veteran and author Tim O'Brien (b. 1946). "One of my most powerful memories of Vietnam has nothing to do with bullets and firefights," he says. It's about the moment when two platoons started singing together. This outtake is from The Boomer List, premiering Sept. 23, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS, featuring 19 iconic baby boomers.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work - Preview

37s / TV-MA

American Masters – 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 film by Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg premieres September 23, 2014 at 10:30 pm on PBS (check local listings).

The Boomer List - Trailer

1m 35s / TV-PG

The baby boomer generation (1946-1964) has significantly and uniquely changed our world. 2014 marks an important shift in American culture, as the last boomers turn 50. American Masters: The Boomer List, premiering Tues., Sept. 23, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS, tells the story of this influential generation through the lives of 19 iconic boomers. Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

Lange's Photos of the Internment of Japanese-Americans

The U.S. War Relocation Authority hired photographer Dorothea Lange to document the relocation of Japanese-Americans to internment camps during World War II. It horrified her, but she felt it was important to record what has happening. "This is what we did. How did it happen? How could we? Now, I have never had a comfortable feeling about that war relocation job," she later said.

Lange's Eye on The Great Depression and Sharecropping

2m 53s

Dorothea Lange's photographed resilient men and women struggling with the Great Depression and sharecropping system. Lange tells the story of Tom Collins, the manager of "Migratory Labor Camp," whom she met. He became a character in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath. American Masters: Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning premieres Friday, August 29 at 9-11 pm on PBS.

Dorothea Lange's Museum of Modern Art Retrospective

1m 51s / TV-PG

In this excerpt from Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning, curator John Szarkowsi and Lange prepare for her career retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). It would be the first exhibition the museum dedicated to a woman photographer and it would cover 25 years of her work. American Masters: Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning premieres Friday, August 29 at 9-11 pm on PBS.

Web Exclusive: Japanese-American Internees Today

4m 46s

Photographer Paul Kitagaki Jr. found surviving Japanese-Americans who were photographed by Dorothea Lange and others as they were taken to internment camps during World War II. This forced relocation process was led by the U.S. War Relocation Authority in 1942. Kitagaki took portraits of these former internees, often taking the photos in the same locations or arrangements as the 1942 photos.

Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning - Preview

3m 31s / TV-G

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, the two-hour film premieres Friday, August 29 at 9 pm on PBS.

The Dust Bowl: Documenting the First Migrants to California

2m 41s

Photographer Dorothea Lange and her husband were the first to witness and to understand the causes of the huge migration to California in the 1930s: families were escaping the Dust Bowl. In this excerpt, Lange describes photographing the first car arriving in California. American Masters — Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning premieres nationwide Friday, August 29, 9-11 pm on PBS.

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