American Masters (1986)

Season 34

March 3, 2020 8 Episodes

Episodes

Miles Davis Birth of the Cool
Episode 1
7.3

Miles Davis Birth of the Cool

Mar 3, 2020

90 minutes

Discover the man behind the legend. With full access to the Miles Davis Estate, the film features never-before-seen footage, including studio outtakes from his recording sessions, rare photos and new interviews.

Mae West: Dirty Blonde
Episode 2
3.0

Mae West: Dirty Blonde

Jun 16, 2020

90 minutes

American Masters — Mae West: Dirty Blonde is the first major documentary film to explore Mae West’s life and career as she "climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong" to become a writer, performer and subversive agitator for social change. West achieved great acclaim in every entertainment medium that existed during her lifetime, spanning eight decades of the 20th century. She possessed creative and economic powers unheard of for a female entertainer in the 1930s and still rare today.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
Episode 3

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Jun 1, 2020

90 minutes

Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers and critics on an exploration of the powerful themes she confronted throughout her literary career in this artful and intimate meditation that examines the life and work of the legendary storyteller.

Unladylike2020: The Changemakers
Episode 4

Unladylike2020: The Changemakers

Jul 10, 2020

90 minutes

Mark the women’s suffrage centennial with stories of pioneering women who shaped American politics.

Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip
Episode 5

Walter Winchell: The Power of Gossip

Oct 20, 2020

90 minutes

Meet Walter Winchell, the newspaper columnist, radio commentator and television personality who pioneered the fast-paced, gossip-driven, politically charged journalism that dominates today. At his peak, his audience was 50 million. Stanley Tucci portrays Winchell in a new American Masters documentary.

Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is
Episode 6

Michael Tilson Thomas: Where Now Is

Oct 23, 2020

90 minutes

Explore the life and career of the Grammy-winning conductor, pianist and composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient and longtime Grammy-winning music director of the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas helped set the standard that an American orchestra should champion modern music.

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy
Episode 7

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy

Dec 4, 2020

90 minutes

Explore the definitive story of international art sensation Keith Haring who blazed a trail through the art scene of ‘80s New York and revolutionized the worlds of pop culture and fine art. The film features previously unheard interviews with Haring.

Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page
Episode 8

Laura Ingalls Wilder: Prairie to Page

Dec 29, 2020

90 minutes

An unvarnished look at the unlikely author whose autobiographical fiction helped shape American ideas of the frontier and self-reliance. A Midwestern farm woman who published her first novel at age 65, Laura Ingalls Wilder transformed her frontier childhood into the best-selling “Little House” series.