With the coming of the Civil War, and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before -- permanently altering the character of the republic and the psyche of the American people. Contending with death on an unprecedented scale posed challenges for which there were no ready answers when the war began. Americans worked to improvise new solutions, new institutions, and new ways of coping with death on an unimaginable scale.
This latest episode, as with earlier episodes, is available online as well (such as the story of the Amish, Jesse Owens, and the Hoover Dam). And more great American Experience programs are on the way:
-- The Day Carl Sandburg Died (Monday, September 24, 2012, 10:00-11:30 p.m. ET):
A panoramic story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, his work and his legacy, including contributions to poetry, history, music and children’s literature.
-- Inventing David Geffen (Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET):
An exclusive and candid look at the legendary Geffen and his far-reaching influence on American popular culture. He launched the early successes of Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Jackson Browne; co-founded DreamWorks; produced Cats and Dreamgirls; and has become an important political and philanthropic voice. Geffen’s life is illuminated through powerhouse friends such as Cher, David Crosby, Barry Diller, Rahm Emanuel, Elton John, Frank Rich, Stephen Spielberg, Neil Young and more.
PBS has announced a full schedule of fascinating programs for the fall, including:
-- POV (Thursdays, September 20 to October 25, 2012, 10:00 p.m. ET):
The award-winning POV series, which features America’s best independent filmmakers, premieres five films on Thursdays this fall. September 20: “I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful” is Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme’s intimate account of a woman’s five-year crusade to rebuild her beloved neon-green house, her church and her New Orleans community after Hurricane Katrina. September 27: “El Velador (The Night Watchman)” documents the life of a mausoleum guard in Mexico — a reminder that peaceful existence persists amid the turmoil of Mexico’s deadly drug war. October 4: “Give Up Tomorrow” exposes shocking corruption within the Philippines judicial system and one of the country’s most sensational trials. October 18: “Sun Kissed” shows a Navajo couple’s tragic realization that they continue to face consequences of the Navajos’ Long Walk — their forced relocation by the U.S. military in 1864. October 25: “Nostalgia for Light” presents a remarkable meditation on memory, history and eternity in Chile’s remote Atacama Desert.
-- Call the Midwife (Sundays, September 30 to November 4, 2012, 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET):
Based on a best-selling trilogy by the late Jennifer Worth, CALL THE MIDWIFE is a fascinating portrayal of birth, life and death in a world drastically different from ours. This six-part series offers an unconventional twist to Sunday-night British dramas and brings mid-20th-century London to life, focusing on the joys and hardships of a group of midwives working in London’s East End.
-- NOVA (Wednesdays, beginning October 10, 2012, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET):
From cutting-edge police science and space exploration to ancient structures and evidence of ancient technology, NOVA brings viewers stories of intriguing mysteries from this planet and beyond. Go back in time on “Secrets of the Viking Super Sword” (10/10), “Mystery of Easter Island” (11/7) and “Ancient Computer” (w.t.) (11/21) to discover some of science’s best-kept secrets from ancient cultures. See the gritty reality of the forensic crime lab and why forensics in the U.S. is in a state of crisis on “Forensics on Trial” (10/17) and experience exhilarating moments with the team of scientists and engineers responsible for the new Mars rover on “Mars Curiosity” (w.t.) (11/14).
-- The Dust Bowl (Sunday, November 18 and Monday, November 19, 2012, 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET):
Ken Burns’s new two-part, four-hour documentary THE DUST BOWL chronicles the environmental catastrophe that destroyed the farmlands of the Great Plains, turned prairies into deserts and unleashed a pattern of massive, deadly dust storms in 1930s America. Personal survival stories and rare archival footage tell the story of the country’s worst manmade ecological disaster.
I can always count on PBS to ensure we have a meaningful television season. Even if all the new shows tank, we still have something great to watch on public television.
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