Milwaukee PBS Specials

Culture Series

Milwaukee PBS Specials are local public television programs presented by WMVS/WMVT Milwaukee.

26m 53s

Milwaukee: A City Built on Water

53m 22s

Historian John Gurda explores how the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan spurred Milwaukee's growth. The settlers used rivers and Lake Michigan to transport grain, lumber, leather and beer. Learn how the lower Milwaukee River was eventually reduced to an open sewer by 1900, with Lake Michigan suffering similar indignities.

Milwaukee's Diamonds in the Rough

26m 46s

It's more than a game, it's a lesson for life. Played out on the fields between two iconic youth baseball programs in Milwaukee. The leagues, the Beckum-Stapleton Little League and the Felix Mantilla Little League, both draw inspiration from two hometown heroes. Wearing the uniform is considered a rite of passage for urban kids as they hone their skills in baseball and life itself.

Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery

54m 6s

Host Dan Jones looks at the history of one of the oldest and largest cemeteries in Milwaukee, WI. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in the year 2000, the 200-acre Forest Home Cemetery is a final resting place to more than 100,000 former Milwaukee-area residents--including some nationally known names like Pabst, Blatz, Schlitz, and war hero Billy Mitchell.

National Parks: Wisconsin

27m 45s

Patty Loew and Dan Small explore Wisconsin's National Park System, including the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and the North Country National Scenic Trail. Beautiful footage of natural wonders is interwoven with profiles of park administrators, volunteers, trail designers, and those who live off the land.

Sherman Park: THE AFTERMATH

26m 46s

SHERMAN PARK: THE AFTERMATH convenes community leaders to discuss their ideas on what sparked the events on August 13 and 14 in Sherman Park, and thoughts on how the Sherman Park neighborhood, and the greater community, can move forward during this uncertain time.

Storia Italiana: Milwaukee

56m 6s

The 150-year-old history of Milwaukee's Italian community is explored. This documentary takes you on a compelling, never-before-told journey of courage and faith. It also looks at where the community is today and what's needed to keep this Italian heritage alive and well in Milwaukee.

Wisconsin Remembers John F. Kennedy

28m 45s

Milwaukee PBS looks at the relationship between Kennedy and Wisconsin and revisits his campaign here, his presidency, and his assassination. Producer Dan Jones talks to people who knew Kennedy, and to others who simply admired him.

Freedom Walkers for Milwaukee

28m 15s

This documentary traces Milwaukee's most turbulent events during the Civil Rights struggle of the mid-1900s. Using archival footage, photographs, and interviews with Milwaukeeans, the film sheds light on the fight for equal employment, open housing, and equitable educational opportunities, and reveals how Milwaukee earned the nickname, "The Selma Of the North".

For Jobs and Freedom: A Black Nouveau Special

27m 15s

On August 28, 1963, roughly 250,000 Americans participated in the "Great March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." Organized by labor and social activists A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, the event brought together major Civil Rights Organizations, Labor Unions, religious leaders, and ordinary citizens.

5th Annual MLK Concert

56m 48s

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with the Bel Canto Chorus and the Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ choir. Through inspirational music and the words of Dr. King, this concert works to bridge the great divide in our nation set by prejudice and segregation.

Mettle & Honor: Vietnam

28m 16s

We meet a Milwaukee attorney who was among the first U.S. forces to take part in the conflict. Milwaukee TV personality John Malan recounts how he was wounded in a tank battle. A medic discusses witnessing the last moments of life for men who had become close friends. Learn more about the Southeast Asian battlefront through the eyes of Wisconsin vets who risked their lives serving their country.

Behind The Pearl Earrings: The Story of Dickey Chapelle

56m 46s

Clad in fatigues, an Australian bush hat, harlequin eyeglasses, a Leica camera slung around her shoulders and an infamous pair of pearl earrings, Dickey Chapelle stood out and defied everyone's notion of what a war correspondent was. Striving to not just capture the horrors of the war, but also the day-to-day lives of soldiers, and how combat took a heavy toll on them.

Bridge to Vietnam

28m 51s

Images of the Vietnam War still burn in the American psyche, but today the Socialist Republic of Vietnam blends their Communist heritage with capitalist vision. Journalist Mark Siegrist explores how greater Milwaukee is building economic and humanitarian bridges to the former enemy nation.

Field of Honor: A Salute to the Greatest Generation

56m 48s

Thousands of World War II veterans from Wisconsin are honored at Miller Park in Milwaukee during the "Field of Honor: A Salute to the Greatest Generation" day-long celebration. MPTV covers this spectacular event both inside and outside the stadium.

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