Ken Burns Films

  • Premiered: Nov 1981
  • Episodes: 142
  • Followers: 4
  • Running
  • PBS
  • Unknown
  • Documentary

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Season 2019
2019x1
Country Music: The Rub (Beginnings-1933)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 15, 2019
See how what was first called “hillbilly music” reaches new audiences through phonographs and radio, and launches the careers of country music's first big stars, the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers.
2019x2
Country Music: Hard Times (1933-1945)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 15, 2019
Watch as Nashville becomes the heart of the country music industry. The genre grows in popularity during the Great Depression and World War II as America falls in love with singing cowboys, Texas Swing and the Grand Ole Opry's Roy Acuff.
2019x3
Country Music: The Hillbilly Shakespeare (1945-1953)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 15, 2019
See how the bluegrass sound spreads in post-war America, and meet honky-tonk star Hank Williams, whose songs of surprisingly emotional depth are derived from his troubled and tragically short life.
2019x4
Country Music: I Can't Stop Loving You (1953-1963)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 15, 2019
Travel to Memphis, where Sun Studios artists Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley usher in the era of rockabilly. Ray Charles crosses America's racial divide by recording a country album. Patsy Cline shows off Music City's smooth new Nashville Sound.
2019x5
Country Music: The Sons and Daughters of America (1964-1968)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 22, 2019
See how country music reflects a changing America, with Loretta Lynn speaking to women everywhere, Merle Haggard becoming "The Poet of the Common Man" and audiences looking beyond race to embrace Charley Pride.
2019x6
Country Music: Will the Circle Be Unbroken? (1968-1972)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 22, 2019
Learn how country music responds to a nation divided by the Vietnam War, as Army captain turned songwriter Kris Kristofferson sets a new lyrical standard, and artists like Bob Dylan and the Byrds find a recording home in Nashville.
2019x7
Country Music: Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way? (1973-1983)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 22, 2019
Witness a vibrant era in country music, with Dolly Parton finding mainstream success; Hank Williams, Jr. and Rosanne Cash emerging from their famous fathers' shadows; and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings launching the “Outlaw” movement.
2019x9
Country Music: Don't Get Above Your Raisin' (1984-1996)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 22, 2019
Learn how “New Traditionalists” like George Strait, Randy Travis and the Judds help country music stay true to its roots. Witness both the rise of superstar Garth Brooks and the return of an aging Johnny Cash to the industry he helped create.
2019x8
Country Music: Music Will Get Through (1973-1983)
Episode overview
Air date
Sep 25, 2019
Though no longer on country radio, Bluegrass still has a core of avid fans. Marty Stuart tours with Lester Flatt and sometimes with the “Father of Bluegrass,” Bill Monroe. Back in his .. show full overview
2019x9
College Behind Bars: No One Ever Taught Me Any of That
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 25, 2019
Incarcerated men and women are admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) and discover they are held to the same academic standards as students on the Bard College main campus.
2019x10
College Behind Bars: I'm Trying to Get Home to My Family, Too
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 25, 2019
Students address the difficult circumstances of their past. The debate team preps to face the University of Vermont. Some make strides academically, while others are accused of breaking prison rules.
2019x11
College Behind Bars: Every Single Word Matters
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 26, 2019
The debate team faces West Point. Seniors embark on their thesis projects. Rodney and Dyjuan's families visit, while Shawta reckons with her path to prison. Jule struggles to find work in New York.
2019x12 Season finale
College Behind Bars: Home is a Work in Progress
Episode overview
Air date
Nov 26, 2019
The debate team faces Harvard. Most seniors complete thesis projects but Giovannie is sent to SHU and might not finish his. Students at Taconic and Eastern celebrate at graduation.

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