American Masters

History Series / 16 Seasons

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

1h 23m / TV-14

Jeff Bridges Answers a Question From Facebook

41s

Jeff Bridges is the subject of an American Masters documentary (airing on PBS 1/12). In connection with that broadcast, we asked PBS's Facebook fans what *they* would want to ask him. Here is his answer to one of the most interesting questions we received.

Interview: Jeff Bridges "The Dude Abides"

2m 15s

How much of "The Dude" is still in Jeff Bridges? In this interview, he talks about the surprising reasons why he agreed to be the subject of an "American Masters" documentary. "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides" airs Wednesday, January 12, at 8 p.m.

Preview Excerpt from "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides"

3m 15s

In this clip from "Jeff Bridges: The Dude Abides" airing nationally Wednesday, January 12 at 8 p.m. (check local listings), Bridges visits the shop in New York's Greenwich Village called The Little Lebowski dedicated to collector items dedicated to The Big Lebowski and explains how he first got involved acting for the Coen Brothers.

Ray Roberts & Mementos of Glenn Gould

3m 36s

Ray Roberts, one of oldest friends, shares family albums, old clothing, and photographs of Glenn Gould from his personal collection, as well as stories about Gould's incredible personality. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

Lorne Tulk & Glenn Gould's Chair

2m 52s

Lorne Tulk, a former technician for CBC Radio in Toronto who worked with Gould, tells a story about Gould's attachment to the chairs sat in while recording and how he received one of those very chairs as a gift. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould Preview

34s / TV-PG

A profoundly enigmatic musical poet, there have been many documentaries about Glenn Gould, but they were typically sidetracked, focusing on the pills and fashions - missing the man, the magic and the message of music. American Masters pierces through the misconceptions in Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould airing nationally, Monday, December 27 at 9pm on PBS (check local listings).

Kevin Bazzana and the Notes of Glenn Gould

2m 42s

Music historian and biographer Kevin Bazzana shares stories from his research, insights into Gould's reputation as a hermit, and Gould's true depth of character discovered while browsing the artist's notes from his private life. This scene is an outtake from the DVD extras of Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould.

A Letter To Elia - Preview

20s

Composed of clips, stills, readings from Kazan's autobiography and his speech on directing (read by Elias Koteas), a videotaped interview done late in Kazan's life, and Scorsese's commentary on and offscreen, A Letter to Elia takes a close look at the life of art and its creation - the work, the distractions, the inspirations, the complications, the intersections between art and experience.

Cachao: Uno Mas - Preview

31s

The Grammy-winning bassist Israel "Cachao" Lopez died on March 2008, almost 90-years old. A maestro of legendary status ultimately considered one of the greatest Afro-Cuban musicians of all time, he had made his home in the United States for the past four decades. American Masters' bilingual film, Cachao: Uno Mas premieres Monday, September 20, 2010 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings.)

Memories of Cachao

9m 59s

Gloria Estefen, Andy Garcia, and John Santos tell their favorite stories and recall memories of Cachao. They describe the ways his music influenced their lives and tell anecdotes from his life, including one of Cachao's favorite jokes about how to kill a cat.

Deleted Scenes and Extras from

19m 17s

Watch film extras and footage from the cutting room floor from "Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself." The film features archival footage and interviews with Merle Haggard and his family, Robert Duvall, John Fogerty, Kris Kristofferson, Keith Richards, Tanya Tucker and more.

Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself - Preview

30s / TV-PG

Hailed as "country music's Frank Sinatra" in a recent review of his latest release I AM WHAT I AM (Vanguard Records), American Masters celebrates this "Lonesome Fugitive" in Merle Haggard: Learning to Live with Myself premiering Wednesday, July 21 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings.)

Filmmaker of Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself

4m 49s

Gandulf Hennig, the director of AMERICAN MASTERS Merle Haggard: Learning to Live With Myself premiering July 21, 2010 at 9pm on PBS(check local listings), explains his film making process and shares anecdotes about what it's like to interview and film a maverick country musician such as Haggard.

The Doors ~ About The Film

30s

The creative chemistry of four brilliant artists – drummer John Densmore, guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and singer Jim Morrison – made The Doors one of America’s most iconic, influential, and frightening rock bands.

John Densmore

2m 18s

John Densmore, the drummer for The Doors from 1965 to 1973, talks about Tom DiCillo's in-depth work on the film When You're Strange, Jim Morrison's original film "HWY: An American Pastoral" (presented with the program), and the different path he has taken as a rock star. When You're Strange, a film about The Doors premieres Wednesday May 12, 2010 at 9pm (check local listings) for AMERICAN MASTERS.

Robby Krieger

2m 48s

Robby Krieger, guitarist for The Doors, talked to PBS at the 2010 SXSW festival in conjunction with a screening of When You're Strange, a film about The Doors premiering for AMERICAN MASTERS. Krieger talks about the the use of previously unseen archival footage used in the film, the use of Doors fan Johnny Depp as the narrator, and his inspiration for creating music.

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