September on PBS: The Hayloft Gang

The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance will premiere on PBS in September.

Narrated by Garrison Keillor, The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Barn Dance tells the story of a changing America through the lens of one of the nation’s most popular country music radio shows during the 1930s and 40s: the National Barn Dance.

Last month, BTB announced an opportunity for fans to participate in a special online video contest in the tradition of home talent shows as seen in this PBS documentary.
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Tags: folk music, Garrison Keillor, hayloft gang, ITVS

Watch GARRISON KEILLOR Tonight on American Masters

“This documentary, created for PBS’ American Masters series, is an amiable portrait of this somewhat enigmatic radio performer…”
- San Francisco Chronicle

Garrison Keillor is an author, a highly sought public speaker and is credited with reviving the lost art of live radio. His weekly program, A Prairie Home Companion, began in 1974 and has more than four million listeners. GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes follows a year in his life as he performs in large and small towns across the country, bringing wit, commentary and his unique take on America.

Watch a preview below:

GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes airs tonight at 8:00 PM on American Masters on PBS (check local listings)

It’s hard to believe, but sometimes Keillor’s funniest moments happen off the camera. Check out these hilarious video outtakes from his journey across the country. See more video >>

Tags: American Masters, Garrison Keillor

Filmmaker Profile: Peter Rosen, GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes

Peter Rosen’s career wasn’t always in filmmaking. Shortly after graduating from Cornell University with a degree in architecture, he changed course and decided to pursue his passion––film.

“Once I saw you had to work for some company for about 30 years before they would actually let you design anything, I quit after a year or so,” Rosen says.

Since he was a teenager, Rosen had enjoyed taking still photographs and received several awards for his work. His love of photography led naturally to filmmaking and in college he began making documentaries. Today, he has produced and directed over 100 full-length films and television programs, which have been distributed worldwide and have won awards at many major film festivals.

In 1990, while directing the PBS special Carnegie Hall at 100: A Place of Dreams, Rosen and his production team brought back all the performers who played on the famous stage, including Garrison Keillor, best known for his role as host of the radio program A Prairie Home Companion. At the time, Rosen decided Keillor would be a great subject for a documentary, and 16 years later, he got the chance to make the film.

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Tags: American Masters, Garrison Keillor

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

“In defense of television, it’s all about picking and choosing. There are brilliant programs that engage, uplift, entertain and educate… [such as] an upcoming film on PBS’ Independent Lens called CRIPS AND BLOODS.”
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“A CLASS APART is in a class all its own…which tautly explores the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Hernàndez v. Texas. … If for no other reason than because it is a powerful reminder of the civil rights movement and the gaping holes in that story in Texas, A CLASS APART is one to watch.”
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“Vet PBS arts documentarian Peter Rosen’s GARRISON KEILLOR: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes takes an aptly rambling, leisurely, fond look at this professional anachronism, whose gently satirical variety show celebrates a small-town Americana of yesteryear (or never-was).”
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“Of all the films nominated for a Foreign Language Oscar this year, director Ari Folman’s WALTZ WITH BASHIR reaped substantial press and stirred the most controversy.”
Read more and the Q&A with director Ari Folman >>

Tags: Garrison Keillor, newspaper reviews, Texas