American Masters

History Series / 14 Seasons

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

Watch Latest: S39 E1

1h 23m / TV-14

Steve Brodner sketches Cab Calloway Part 2

4m 23s

Stever Brodner creates a second sketch of Cab Calloway to Calloway's classic hit "Minnie The Moocher" for the documentary AMERICAN MASTERS Cab Calloway: Sketches, premiering nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (check local listings). Brodner's completed sketch comes alives and dances alongside Matthew Rushing, choreographer/principal dancer of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Danny Holgate plays Gershwin

26s

Danny Holgate plays a section of George Gershwin's "Ain't Necesarily So" from Porgy and Bess, a song sung by a Cab inspired character, in an outtake from the documentary Cab Calloway: Sketches. Cab Calloway: Sketches premieres nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). In the New York metro-area the film airs Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Chris Calloway Brooks Discuss His Grandfather

3m 42s / TV-PG

Chris Calloway Brooks, musician and current director of the Cab Calloway Orchestra, discusses his grandfather Cab Calloway's accomplishments and style. Cab Calloway: Sketches premieres nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). In the New York metro-area the film airs Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Steve Brodner sketches Cab Calloway Part 1

2m 36s

Watch Steve Brodner create one of the sketches used in the documentary AMERICAN MASTERS Cab Calloway: Sketches to the soundtrack of Cab Calloway's "Everybody Eats When They Come To My House."Cab Calloway: Sketches premiering nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

Cab Calloway vs. Dizzy Gillespie

2m 29s

Jazz writer Gary Giddens and jazz critic/cultural historian Stanley Crouch tell one of the great stories about the rivalry between Cab Calloway and Dizzy Gillespie, both eccentric performers in their own right, when Gillespie played trumpet in Calloway's band. Cab Calloway: Sketches premieres nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

Cab Calloway's Straight Hair

1m 49s

Horn player Gerald Wilson, jazz writer Gary Giddens, and jazz critic/cultural historian Stanley Crouch discuss how Cab's straight hair, unusual in people of African American descent, and his ability to toss it while performing, played into his persona and popularity as an entertainer. Cab Calloway: Sketches premieres nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

Cab Calloway: Sketches

30s / TV-14

Calloway was also an ambassador for his race, leading one of the most popular African American big bands during the Harlem Renaissance and jazz and swing eras of the 1930s-40s. American Masters celebrates "The Hi De Ho Man's" legacy during Black History Month with the documentary Cab Calloway: Sketches premiering nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).

The Blues Brothers Band Remembers Cab Calloway

2m 22s

Lou Marini (saxophone), Steve Cropper (guitar), and Donald "Duck" Dunn (bass) tell a story about a time when Cab Calloway sang "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess while walking to their respective elevators. Cab Calloway: Sketches premieres nationally Monday, February 27 at 10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). In the New York metro-area the film airs Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2m 11s / TV-14

American Masters opens its 26th season with the biography of a conflicted troubadour who, with guitar in hand, stood up for what he believed in and challenged us all to do the same. Three-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker Kenneth Bowser examines one of America's most iconic folk music heroes in Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune, premiering nationally Monday, January 23 at 10 pm (check local listings).

Interview with Christopher Hitchens

5m 51s

Before his untimely passing on December 15, 2011, author and journalist Christopher Hitchens sat for an interview for Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune, airing January 23 at 10 pm (check local listings). Hitchens offered his viewpoint on the music of Ochs, the United States involvement in Chile, how the modern documentaries have replaced folk music in activism, and more.

Interview with Kenneth Bowser

3m 8s

Emmy Award nominated director Kenneth Bowser explains why he chose to make a documentary about Phil Ochs, why he seems to have been written out of the history of folk music, and the unique way that Ochs' music marries activism and his personal life. Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune premieres Monday, January 23 at 10 pm on PBS (check local listings) and Sunday January 22 at 7:30 pm in New York.

Eames Outtakes: Charles' Uniform

1m 9s / TV-G

Find out about Charles Eames' decision to dress himself in similar clothes every day as a uniform - something he believed saved his energy for decision making at the office. Narrated by James Franco, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter

2m 17s / TV-G

Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey's definitive documentary delves into the private world the Eameses created in their Renaissance-style, Venice Beach, California studio, where design history was born. Narrated by James Franco, the film premieres nationally Monday, December 19 from 10-11:30 p.m. (ET/PT) on PBS (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Eames Outtakes: Cranbrook

1m 3s / TV-G

Charles and Ray met at the Cranbrook academy in Michigan. But they also absorbed an approach to design there that had a profound affect on their later work. Narrated by James Franco, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Eames Outtakes: Having Fun

2m 39s / TV-G

In archival footage from "An Eames Celebration," a film for WNET created in 1973, Ray Eames struggles to describe any activities that give her more joy than success in their projects and works. Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Eames Outtakes: Ray Driving

1m 52s / TV-G

Friends recount that Ray Eames was so obsessed with the visual world around her that she couldn't keep her eyes on the road. Narrated by James Franco, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Eames Outtakes: L.A. Unrestrained

3m 8s / TV-G

In archival footage from "An Eames Celebration," a film for WNET created in 1973, Charles Eames describes the city of Los Angeles as an illustration of what happens when design lacks constraints. Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Interview with Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey

5m 51s

Directors Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey discuss the making of Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter and how they took a visual approach towards documenting these two great designers. Narrated by James Franco, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres Monday, December 19 from 10-11:30 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

Eames Outtakes: Scripts

2m 51s / TV-G

Art historian Judith Wechsler tells a story about the time Charles Eames threw out ONE OF her scriptS and taught her a valuable lesson in the process. Narrated by James Franco, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter premieres nationally Monday, December 19 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) as the 25th anniversary season finale of American Masters.

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