American Masters — Ricky Jay: Deceptive Practice
Season 29 Premiere | Friday, January 23, 9-10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
For the first time in the series’ 29-year history, American Masters profiles a magician: the inimitable Ricky Jay, one of the world’s greatest conjurers, a best-selling author, historian, actor and leading collector of antiquarian books and artifacts. Journey through the mysterious world of sleight-of-hand through new interviews with Jay, his friends and collaborators, including writer/director David Mamet. Tracing the story of Jay’s achievement, beginning at age 4 as apprentice to his grandfather Max Katz, an accomplished amateur magician, the documentary features rare footage of some of the most influential magicians of the 20th century: Cardini, Slydini, Al Flosso, Dai Vernon and Charles Miller. Narrated by Dick Cavett, the film also features rare performance footage from Jay’s one-man shows and classic TV appearances, among them a hilarious turn with Steve Martin on Dinah Shore’s 1970s program. Filmmakers Molly Bernstein and Alan Edelstein explore the arduous demands of the magician’s craft, the use of language and storytelling central to the art, and this ancient tradition’s future. One hour.
American Masters — August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand
Premieres Friday, February 20, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) in honor of the 70th anniversary of Wilson’s birth, 10th anniversary of his death and Black History Month
Explore the life and legacy of playwright August Wilson (April 27, 1945 – October 2, 2005), the man some call America’s Shakespeare, from his roots as an activist and poet to his indelible mark on Broadway. Film and theater luminaries including Viola Davis, Charles Dutton, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Suzan-Lori Parks and Phylicia Rashad share their stories of the career- and life-changing experience of bringing Wilson’s rich theatrical voice to the stage. Unprecedented access to Wilson’s theatrical archives, rarely seen interviews and new dramatic readings bring to life his seminal 10-play cycle chronicling each decade of the 20th-century African-American experience, including the Tony- and Pulitzer-winning Fences and Pulitzer-winning The Piano Lesson. Family, friends, colleagues and scholars trace Wilson’s influences, creative evolution, triumphs, struggles, and quest for cultural determinism before his untimely death from liver cancer. Directed by Emmy-winner Sam Pollard (If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise; When the Levees Broke; Slavery by Another Name). 90 minutes.
American Masters – Judy Garland: By Myself
Repeat broadcast of the original 2004 documentary, March 20, 2015, 9-11 pm (check local listings). 120 minutes.
Culled from recordings Garland made in preparation for an autobiography she never finished, her writings and archival interviews, By Myself uniquely reveals Garland as she saw herself. In the first film that drew on Garland’s own words to tell her story, Garland says, “Do you realize how many people have talked about me, written about me, imitated me? Well, it’s high time to stop. This is the story of my life and I, Judy Garland, am gonna talk.”
American Masters – Jascha Heifetz: God’s Fiddler
April 16 or 17, 2015 (check local listings)
Discover legendary musician Jascha Heifetz, the first truly modern violin virtuoso, through dazzling vintage performance clips.. This insightful film portrays a prestigious concert artist for whom only perfection would do, a musical wunderkind who went on to set standards for nearly a century. Get to know Heifetz through home movies and personal family photos taken from 1903-1987. This new documentary includes interviews with other great violinists of Heifetz’ generation and many of his former students, who reveal how Heifetz was a mysterious figure whose story embodies the dual nature of artistic genius: the paradox of how a mortal man lives with immortal gifts – gifts he must honor at a lifelong price. Directed by Emmy winner Peter Rosen. 60 minutes.
American Masters – American Ballet Theatre: A History
Premieres nationwide Friday, May 15 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) in honor of the company’s 75th anniversary
Delve into the rich, 75-year history of one of the world’s preeminent ballet companies. Ric Burns’ documentary combines intimate rehearsal footage, virtuoso performances and interviews with American Ballet Theatre’s key figures: artists pivotal to the company’s formation, including Alicia Alonso and the late Donald Saddler and Frederic Franklin; contemporary luminaries, including dancers Susan Jaffe and Julie Kent, choreographer Alexei Ratmansky and Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie; and past and present stars Misty Copeland, Gillian Murphy, Marcelo Gomes and Hee Seo. This entertaining film will touch and transform both seasoned aficionados and those who never have seen a ballet.
Harper Lee: American Masters
Airs nationwide Friday, July 10, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
A special encore broadcast of Harper Lee: American Masters airs in honor of the release of her new novel Go Set a Watchman (July 14, 2015 by HarperCollins).
American Masters: Althea
Premieres nationwide Friday, September 4, 9-10:30 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
Discover the story of Althea Gibson (1927-2003), a truant from the rough streets of Harlem, who emerged as the unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world in the 1950s. Bringing a fierce athleticism to the game, she was the first African American to play and win at Wimbledon and the U.S. Nationals (precursor of the U.S. Open) — a decade before Arthur Ashe. Gibson’s life and achievements transcend sports, and are part of African-American history. The documentary explores Gibson’s roots as a sharecropper’s daughter, her family’s migration north to Harlem in the 30s, and her mentoring from boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins and others. Interviewees include Dinkins, Wimbledon champion Dick Savitt and Billie Jean King, who also serves as one of the film’s executive producers. Produced and directed by Rex Miller (A Chef’s Life, Private Violence). 90 minutes.
American Masters: Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer’s Journey
Premieres Friday, September 18, 9-10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings)
Discover the remarkable life and work of Pedro E. Guerrero, a Mexican American born and raised in segregated Mesa, Arizona, who had an extraordinary, international photography career. Using Guerrero’s words and images, the program explores his collaborations with three of the most iconic American artists of the 20th century: Frank Lloyd Wright and sculptors Alexander Calder and Louise Nevelson. This film is a special co-presentation with VOCES.
American Masters: The Women’s List
Premieres Friday, September 25, 9-10 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings)
Hear from 15 women who created and defined contemporary American culture in the newest chapter of filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ “List” series (The Boomer List, The Black List, The Latino List, The Out List). This film features interviews with Madeleine Albright, Gloria Allred, Laurie Anderson, Sara Blakely, Margaret Cho, Edie Falco, Betsey Johnson, Alicia Keys, Aimee Mullins, Nancy Pelosi, Rosie Perez, Shonda Rhimes, Wendy Williams and Nia Wordlaw.