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

Joan Jett Blakk: The drag queen who ran for president

6m 13s

On her 35th birthday, Joan Jett Blakk, the drag persona of actor Terence Smith, ran for president in lipstick, heels and eyeshadow, continuing a long tradition of drag as political activism. Blakk had also run for mayors of Chicago and San Francisco. During these “campaigns,” Blakk advocated for policies that many politicians are still talking about today, including universal healthcare.

Jose Sarria: Legendary Drag Queen and Queer Activist

5m 52s

A legend of the San Francisco drag scene. Out and Latino, Sarria dedicated his life to fight for queer rights and even ran as the country's first known openly gay candidate for public office. An international drag charity that he helped found continues his legacy with legendary drag galas to this day.

Renegades Pilot: Kitty O'Neil [Audio Description + ASL]

8m 55s

In this new digital series, musician and disability inclusion advocate Lachi explores the cultural contributions of people with disabilities and how they transformed America. This pilot episode investigates the amazing life and accomplishments of deaf stunt legend and speed racer Kitty O'Neil.

Renegades Pilot: Kitty O'Neil [Open Captions]

8m 55s

In this new digital series, musician and disability inclusion advocate Lachi explores the cultural contributions of people with disabilities and how they transformed America. This pilot episode investigates the amazing life and accomplishments of deaf stunt legend and speed racer Kitty O'Neil.

Gladys Bentley: Drag King of the Harlem Renaissance

5m 57s

A gender-bending, famed blues musician and drag king who was a part of the Harlem Renaissance. She performed with drag queens and openly loved women, until later in life when she was pressured to conform to 1950s social standards.

Julian Eltinge: Female Impersonator of the Vaudeville Era

4m 45s

In this new digital series, New York's sweetest drag diva Peppermint tells the story of pioneering American drag artists. In the process, she demonstrates how drag is a performance art form that has thrived in this country for generations, entertaining LGBTQ+ and general audiences alike, and providing the former with an important outlet of self-expression.

Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: This Is the Way We Rise

12m 16s

Filmmaker Ciara Lacy documents Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, a Kanaka Maoli wahine poet, activist and academic, and her continued work towards justice for Hawaii’s native population.

Amyra León: Strange Grace

15m 18s

Filmmaker Malika Zouhali-Worrall provides a portrait of Amyra León, the musician, poet, author and activist who channels deeply personal experiences of pain and healing into raw, majestic, and often cathartic performances that celebrate love, Blackness and womanhood.

Maia Cruz Palileo: Becoming the Moon

11m 54s

Filmmaker Ligaiya Romero amplifies the life and work of Maia Cruz Palileo, the multi-disciplinary, Brooklyn-based artist who explores themes of migration and the permeable concept of home in their works, inspired by the oral history of their family’s arrival in the United States from the Philippines.

Vincent Valdez: The Beginning is Near

11m 1s

Filmmaker Ray Santisteban highlights the art of Vincent Valdez, the San Antonio, TX-born artist who emphasizes themes of social justice, memory, and ignored or under-examined historical narratives in his work.

Anik Khan: Street Level

13m 9s

Filmmaker Sofian Khan explores the music of Anik Khan, the Bangladesh-born, Queens, NY-raised hip-hop artist whose music sketches the immigrant experience with rare poetic flare and incisive depth, with a whole masala of influences at his fingertips.

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah: The New Chief

11m 20s

Filmmakers Amitabh Joshi and Erik Spink spotlight Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, the Grammy-nominated, modern jazz musician from New Orleans who defies the expectations of jazz music while challenging how music is taught in universities nationwide.

Bunky Echo-Hawk: The Resistance

8m

Filmmaker Ben-Alex Dupris explores how the reality and resistance of Native Americans inspire the work of Pawnee artist Bunky Echo-Hawk, igniting discussions about environmentalism, Native rights, and numerous other current topics.

Damon Davis: Apologue for the Darkest Gods

11m 52s

Filmmaker Elissa Blount Moorhead provides a look into the art of award-winning, post-disciplinary artist Damon Davis, the St. Louis native whose work spans across illustration, painting, printmaking, music, film, and public art that explores the African American experience.

Jacques Pépin makes easy and delicious crêpes

6m 5s

"I always had crêpes as a child, and made them countless times for my daughter and granddaughter. There is nothing easier than making crêpes. I put a piece of butter to melt in a skillet, and by the time that butter is melted I have mixed enough milk, flour, and an egg to make half a dozen crêpes. You can serve them with jam inside or something savory, like ham or cheese. Easy and delicious."

Jacques Pépin makes buttermilk pancakes

3m 3s

"Very often, especially during the holidays, I buy cream—and very often I have cream left over. After a week or so I put that cream in the food processor and make butter—we can always use butter. And of course, with the butter you also get buttermilk. Occasionally I will use the buttermilk to make pancakes, which is easy to do. I serve them with whatever fruit I happen to have around."

Jacques Pépin makes an easy cream cheese soufflé

3m 28s

"For an elegant first course for a nice dinner you can make these cream cheese soufflés, which are extremely easy to do. A mixture of whipped cream cheese and an egg is placed into some little containers, or you can make one larger one. Serve them alone on a plate, or with a salad."

Jacques Pépin makes cocotte eggs

3m 48s

"A nice way to serve eggs is to cook them in a little container we call a “cocotte”, a little soufflé mold or ramekin. You can eat them with a little spoon right out of the cocotte, usually the yolks will still be runny, or you can unmold them—usually onto a round crouton or a toast—for a bit more of a presentation."

Jacques Pépin makes rice cakes with eggs

3m 22s

"I often have leftover rice—from going to a Chinese restaurant, or just leftover from something I cooked at home, sometimes plain, sometimes seasoned in one way or another—and when I do I like to put it in a skillet to make a kind of rice pancake, which is crusty on the bottom. On top I usually put a couple of eggs at the last minute, to make a great lunch dish."

Jacques Pépin makes a country omelet

6m 6s

"This is kind of a rough omelet, a bit in the style of a Spanish tortilla or an Italian frittata. I sauté potato and onion, and with that I add the eggs and cheese, I like Gruyère in this case, and some chives, and I add a layer of tomato on top and that goes under the broiler for a couple of minutes to be served slid out of the skillet or unmolded on the plate. A great lunch."

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