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

Leaving Hollywood for Broadway

1m 15s

Marvin Hamlisch won three Academy Awards in one evening in 1974, making him a film composer star in Hollywood. But he longed to work as a composer in Broadway theater, so he left Los Angeles to work with Michael Bennett on the then Off-Broadway theater production in the works, "A Chorus Line." As the lyricist Marilyn Bergman puts it, "Theater beckoned."

Marvin Hamlisch, a Mensch

10m 4s

The great composer Marvin Hamlisch is a mensch, a Yiddish term for a person of integrity and honor. He offered his genuine concern, time, and problem-solving skills to everyone in his life from taxi drivers to Broadway cast members to those planning events for the president of the United States and heads of state.

Marvin Hamlisch and The Yankees

1m 43s

Marvin Hamlisch received the gift of going to Yankee Fantasy Camp from his wife, Terre Blair Hamlisch. Former Yankees manager Joe Torre, a Broadway fan, talks about getting to meet the composer.

Marvin Hamlisch: Genius at Work

7m 20s

Luminaries of music and entertainment speak to the genius of Marvin Hamlisch, who was a musical prodigy who entered Juilliard, the country's most prestigious conservatory, at the age of six. Attesting to Hamlisch's brilliance and versatility are childhood companions Leslie Uggams and Christopher Walker, and celebrated composers, conductors and musicians.

Marvin Hamlisch: Sweet Smell of Success

1m 47s

Hamlisch's Broadway musical "Sweet Smell of Success," based on the 1950s eponymous film, earned Tony nominations for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. Its star John Lithgow earned the Tony for Best Actor. Lithgow describes Marvin Hamlisch's score as having hallucinogenic colors. Hear parts of the music and see annotated pages from the score in this film excerpt.

Teaser for Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’

1m 15s

Alongside Jimi Hendrix's sinuous moves while playing guitar, this preview includes Hendrix's thoughts on how he expresses himself, and interviews with Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood and Linda Keith on Hendrix's mesmerizing showmanship on stage. Hear My Train A Comin’, the documentary unveiling previously unseen performance footage such as the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, premieres November 5, 2013.

Preview of Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’

2m 4s / TV-14

Along with clips of Jimi Hendrix performing, this preview includes Hendrix's thoughts on his self-expression, and interviews with Paul McCartney, Steve Winwood and Linda Keith on Hendrix's mesmerizing showmanship on stage. Hear My Train A Comin’, the documentary unveiling previously unseen performance footage such as the 1968 Miami Pop Festival, premieres November 5, 2013. Directed by Bob Smeaton.

Virginia Slims Tour

4m 38s

A look back at the Original 9's Virginia Slims Tour, formed in 1970. Featuring archival photos and footage, and original interviews with Judy Tegart Dalton, Ingrid Löfdahl Bentzer, Rosie Casals, Peachy Kellmeyer, Larry King, Billie Jean King and Julie Heldman.

James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket

1m 57s

Using rarely-seen archival footage from nine different countries, the film melds intimate interviews and eloquent public speeches with cinéma vérité glimpses of Baldwin and original scenes from his extraordinary funeral service in December 1987.

James Baldwin: Civil Rights Highlights

3m 23s

Features highlights of Baldwin's deep involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including "The Fire Next Time," the March on Washington, the March from Selma to Montgomery and the Baldwin/Buckley Debate at Cambridge University -- all excerpted from the film, JAMES BALDWIN: THE PRICE OF THE TICKET.

James Baldwin: Writer, Teacher, Preacher

54s

Words -- both written and spoken -- were James Baldwin's greatest gift to America and to people of all races all over the world. He knew how to electrify readers, his insights about what it meant to be black in America were both intimate and accessible. He preached brotherhood, not violence, with searing honesty; his truth was laced with pain and anger. But he never lost hope.

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