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.

53m 3s

The influence Marilyn Monroe had on many generations

1m 3s

Sam Shaw's name isn't well known, but his photographs of Marilyn Monroe are. Here, Shaw's children reminisce about growing up around Monroe. Shaw was also the brainchild of the famous white halter dress shot from 'The Seven Year Itch.'

Marilyn Monroe's nude photograph by Leif-Erik Nygards

1m 20s

Leif-Erik Nygards' one photograph of Marilyn Monroe. Nygards was an assistant to photographer Bert Stern. Following a shoot, Nygards asked for the privilege to take just one picture: he got more than he asked for.

Why Marilyn Monroe was "made for a camera"

1m 4s

Marilyn Monroe still surrounds us: store windows, building sides, restaurants, art. Voices: Bob Henriquez (photographer), Patty Bosworth (writer), Gloria Steinem (writer/activist), Leon Constantiner (collector) Amy Greene (first wife of photographer Milton Greene).

The “Black Sitting” session with Marilyn Monroe

1m 16s

How Milton Greene photographed Marilyn Monroe (voiced by Greene's first wife, Amy Greene). Greene was one of many photographers in and out of Monroe's life. But, they were closer than most. Monroe even lived with his family for a short time. More than anything, Greene shot her in such a prolific way. The 'Black Sitting' is just one of their many sessions.

Marilyn Monroe's most iconic photograph in blowing dress

2m 1s

George Zimbel's photographs: Joe Dimaggio walking out on Marilyn Monroe. Zimbel was there on the street among several photographers to document what would become Monroe's most lasting image: a blowing white halter dress. More than the dress or the scene, Zimbel remembers a Joe Dimaggio that couldn't take all the bright lights that night. Voices: Family of Sam Shaw, Norman Mailer, Zimbel

The Atlanta Race Riot 1906

3m

Born in 1900, young Margaret Mitchell was profoundly influenced by a violent race riot perpetrated by white mobs against innocent blacks. The Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 ravaged her home city and haunted the hub of the South for decades.

James McBride on To Kill a Mockingbird

3m 29s

James McBride, author of the memoir The Color of Water, discusses how Harper Lee used the voice of her protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird to bravely provide an accessible and radical point of view about racism in 1960. He describes and how today's authors can expand upon Lee's views. HarperLee: Hey Boo airs Monday April 2nd at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel

1m 31s / TV-PG

Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime - Gone With the Wind won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, 75 years ago. With over 30 million copies sold to date, it is one of the world's best-selling novels. The film adaptation broke all box office records, and received 10 Academy Awards. Premieres nationally Monday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

Interview with Pamela Roberts

3m 36s

As part of a segment filmed during pledge for Georgia Public Broadcasting, Pamela Roberts, director of Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel, gave an interview about her creative process and commitment to telling the true story of Gone With The Wind and the life of Margaret Mitchell. Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel premieres nationally on Monday, April 2 from 9-10 p.m.

Mark Childress on To Kill a Mockingbird

2m 37s

Mark Childress, author of Crazy in Alabama, describes how Harper Lee's protagonist Scout Finch, the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird, was a radical voice of change in the segregated south of his childhood. Harper Lee: Hey Boo airs Monday April 2nd at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

Pat Conroy: My Mother and Gone With The Wind

4m 31s

One of the great writers of our time, Pat Conroy tells a poignant story of growing up in the South and listening to his mother read Gone With the Wind with heartfelt emotion and joy. The author of The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini and The Lords of Discipline attributes his mother's impassioned love of Gone With the Wind to his decision to become a novelist.

Wally Lamb on To Kill a Mockingbird

3m 4s

Wally Lamb, author of the critically acclaimed She's Come Undone and I Know This Much Is True and former Director of Creative Writing at University of Connecticut, discusses Scout's universally sympathetic voice and the ways in which To Kill a Mockingbird and all literature can act as an agent of change. Harper Lee: Hey Boo airs Monday April 2nd at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

The Grand Premiere

4m 50s

The premiere of the blockbuster movie Gone With the Wind took place in Atlanta on December 15, 1939. With crowds swelling to the hundreds of thousands, it was apparent the South had been waiting a long time for this moment. For many, Margaret Mitchell's story of survival helped to redeem the South from decades of pain and suffering experienced after the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Margaret Mitchell's Pulitzer Prize Night

3m 25s

Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize in the spring of 1937, to the dismay of some critics and the delight of others. Mitchell received news of the prize by phone, along with multiple requests for interviews. Hating publicity, she fled to a gospel concert at a small black church in Atlanta with her husband and close associates. The press scoured the city but never found her.

Richard Russo on To Kill a Mockingbird

3m 34s

Novelist Richard Russo describes how he reluctantly read To Kill a Mockingbird as a student in Catholic school. Russo explains how the relationships described in the book influenced him as a writer and provided inspiration for his own characters in his Pulitzer prize-winning novel, Empire Falls. Harper Lee: Hey Boo airs Monday April 2nd at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

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