KCOS Highlight Details

This July 4, America’s biggest and brightest birthday party celebrates 30 spectacular years on air. The multi-award winning A CAPITOL FOURTH will be hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, with unrivaled performances by some of the country’s best-known musicians, including multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning country music superstar Reba McEntire; country music sensation Darius Rucker; actor and singer John Schneider; and renowned classical pianist Lang Lang with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly (additional talent to be announced). A CAPITOL FOURTH will air live in HD from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home and to our service members around the world on the American Forces Network. A CAPITOL FOURTH can also be heard live in stereo over NPR member stations nationwide. Bringing viewers the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation, the 30th annual broadcast of A CAPITOL FOURTH will capture the stunning pyrotechnics from every vantage point with 18 TV cameras stationed around the city — including the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument and across the Potomac River. In tribute to America’s 234th birthday, the show will be capped off with a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture,” complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and now A CAPITOL FOURTH tradition.

This revealing documentary follows musician Merle Haggard for two years, on tour and at home on his ranch. Known for his distinctive voice, finger-picking and interpretations, the former prison inmate recently survived major lung surgery; he’s now in top physical shape, full of creative juices and hitting new artistic and commercial highs. The program includes interviews with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Ray Price, Dwight Yoakam, Lucinda Williams and Allison Krauss.

The fifth “inning” of Ken Burns’s landmark 1994 film BASEBALL looks at baseball’s desperate attempts to survive the Great Depression and Babe Ruth’s fading career, while a new generation of stars, including Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, is on the rise. It also presents the parallel world of the Negro Leagues, which thrived in the shadow of the Major Leagues. The inning culminates with the greatest showdown in the history of the Negro Leagues: Satchel Paige, arguably the best pitcher ever, against Josh Gibson, “the black Babe Ruth,” in the Negro League World Series. This episode airs as part of the lead-up to the September 2010 premiere of Burns and co-director Lynn Novick’s THE TENTH INNING, a new two-part, four-hour documentary series that takes BASEBALL from the 1990s up to the present and explores the sport’s new Golden Age — an era of unprecedented home-run totals, popularity and prosperity — as well as some of baseball’s darkest hours — the steroid era. Part 5 of 9.

The sixth “inning” of Ken Burns’s landmark 1994 film BASEBALL leads off with the baseball season of 1941, one of the most exciting of all time. Joe DiMaggio hits in 56 straight games, the longest hitting streak in history. Ted Williams becomes the last man to hit .400. The Brooklyn Dodgers win their first pennant in 20 years. Then the war intervenes and baseball’s best players become soldiers. On their return, the game — and the entire country — are changed forever: Branch Rickey integrates baseball on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson takes the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Baseball finally becomes what it had always claimed to be: America’s national pastime. This episode airs as part of the lead-up to the September 2010 premiere of Burns and co-director Lynn Novick’s THE TENTH INNING, a new two-part, four-hour documentary series that takes BASEBALL from the 1990s up to the present and explores the sport’s new Golden Age — an era of unprecedented home-run totals, popularity and prosperity — as well as some of baseball’s darkest hours — the steroid era. Part 6 of 9.

In the seventh “inning” of Ken Burns’s landmark 1994 film BASEBALL, rare newsreel film and interviews celebrate the glorious heyday of New York City baseball with some of its most memorable moments: the “shot heard round the world,” Bobby Thomson’s home run off Ralph Branca in 1951; Willie Mays’ incredible catch in the 1954 World Series; and Don Larsen’s perfect game. The highlight of the episode is 1955, when the Brooklyn Dodgers, sparked by Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, finally win their first World Series, only to be moved by their owner to a new city 3,000 miles away: Los Angeles. This episode airs as part of the lead-up to the September 2010 premiere of Burns and co-director Lynn Novick’s THE TENTH INNING, a new two-part, four-hour documentary series that takes BASEBALL from the 1990s up to the present and explores the sport’s new Golden Age — an era of unprecedented home-run totals, popularity and prosperity — as well as some of baseball’s darkest hours — the steroid era. Part 7 of 9.

An A-list cast of comedians — including Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock — salutes Bill Cosby, the 12th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Taped at the Kennedy Center ceremony, the program includes clips of Cosby’s career highlights: from his role on ”I Spy” to the two comedy series bearing his name.

This annual special this year salutes Billy Crystal, the tenth recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Taped at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on October 11, the program features tributes and comic performances from Bob Costas, Robert DeNiro, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, John Goodman, Jon Lovitz, Madeleine Peyroux, Rob Reiner, Martin Short, Barbara Walters and Robin Williams and includes classic film and television clips from Crystal's career.

Learn new ways to start the day! BREAKFAST SPECIAL is a celebration of going out for a morning meal in America. Rick Sebak visits interesting and unusual breakfast spots, from a Cuban cafe in downtown St. Augustine to a mid-western eatery in a shopping center outside Columbus, Ohio. He lets viewers sample pancakes in rural New York state, try "congee" in San Francisco and see what's cooking at the Tin Shed in Portland, Oregon. There's more to breakfast than a bowl of cold cereal.

On a bright May morning, more than 5,000 sailors and Marines bid farewell to their loved ones before the mammoth USS Nimitz pulls out of Coronado, California, and sets a course for Hawaii and beyond. Among the men and women who live and work on board are an airman who describes the ship as a small town; a pilot who considers the ship a powerful instrument of diplomacy; a sailor who questions “why we’re fighting to defend someone else’s freedom when we barely have our own”; a cook who dishes out 15,000 meals a day; and an airman who has just learned that his girlfriend is pregnant.

The men and women of the USS Nimitz live beneath the runway of a major airport. They sleep on the roof of a nuclear power plant. It’s a perilous environment. Their only bulwark against danger and chaos is to bond with their units on board the ship. The “Shooters,” who launch the jets, have a “Circle of Trust”; the Ordies (ordnance personnel) pride themselves on being a “mafia”; the F-18 squadrons — the Black Aces, the Hoboes and the Marine Red Devils — are tight fraternities.

The ship’s location and itinerary are classified. Details of how the nuclear reactor works are top secret. Many aspects of life on a nuclear aircraft carrier are hush-hush. Dating and sex aboard ship are strictly forbidden, but according to one sailor, with 5,000 people on board, relationships are “inevitable,” resulting in a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that applies to relationships as well as sexual orientation. When the Nimitz pulls into Hong Kong for a four-day port call, a scandal dramatically alters the lives of two sailors. As the ship departs, the crew learns their itinerary has changed. The captain announces that they are heading for Korea, but the crew can’t share this information with their families back home … because it’s a secret.

Mentoring and camaraderie are what hold the ship together. But life on deployment is stressful for everyone aboard, and there can be considerable friction between enlisted personnel and their superiors. Port calls allow sailors to blow off steam, but they don’t relieve all the pressure. In Guam, a young sailor coming to terms with his upbringing can’t play by the rules and is forced out of the Navy. From Guam, the Nimitz sails through the Straits of Malacca, past Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, the last liberty call before the long haul to the Persian Gulf.

Long before the days of giant theme parks, the United States had many amusement parks where families gathered for a cool escape on a hot summer day. This program celebrates these pre-Disney parks, visiting Playland in Rye, New York; Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana; and California's Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, where vacationers can still reach for the brass ring on the merry-go-round. The special also checks out some old wooden roller coasters and other classic rides. Rick Sebak narrates.

Rocketing to stardom and worldwide fame in the early 1980s, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland and Sting — better known as the Police — boldly revitalized the 1970s rock ‘n’ roll scene with their signature fusion of punk, New Wave and reggae sounds. Despite a host of hit singles, including “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle” and “Every Breath You Take,” five smash albums and six Grammy Awards between 1980 and 1984, the Police parted ways in 1986, with frontman Sting embarking on a successful solo career. More than two decades after the break-up and 30 years since the initial release of “Roxanne,” Sting, Summers and Copeland teamed up one last time in 2007 to launch the band’s farewell tour. GREAT PERFORMANCES captures the Police in this once-in-a-lifetime concert from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In a remote corner of the Himalaya, in the forbidden Kingdom of Mustang, mysterious caves, perched high on cliff faces and carved by humans thousands of years ago, have lain just beyond reach — until recently. In April of 2007, a team of climbers and scientists climbed inside the long-hidden chambers for the first time in modern history. This film follows the riveting story, told by filmmaker Liesl Clark, about her husband, seven-time Everest summiter Pete Athans, and big-wall climber Renan Ozturk, who take on the dangerous job of climbing into the crumbling caves, searching for nine legendary cave temples called “kabum.” What they find goes far beyond their expectations, as their cameras document every hair-raising move. It’s an explorer’s dream … until the unexpected happens: A posse of local horsemen gallops up while Ozturk is perched high on a dangerously eroding cliff. The climbers intend to document and preserve what may be inside the cave, but the site is sacred to the locals. Dramatically heightening the stakes, the villagers start pulling on the ropes, placing weight on the fragile anchors; they then demand payment. Should the team set a precedent by paying the locals to climb into their cave? Should they risk violating the sacred in a dangerous effort to preserve it?

Would Ya Hit a Guy with Glasses?: Nerds, Jerks, & Oddballs
While America, a country of immigrants, has always championed the idea of inclusiveness, the outsider has been a source of constant amusement. Perhaps best epitomized today by characters in such blockbuster Judd Apatow comedies as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and Superbad, this episode also looks back at the bespectacled wannabe (Harold Lloyd) and the vain coward (Bob Hope) as the outsiders of their day. Along with pioneering women in comedy like Phyllis Diller and truly zany characters who seem to have arrived from another planet (Jonathan Winters, Andy Kaufman and Robin Williams), the great social upheaval of the 60s and 70s introduced counter-culture favorites Cheech & Chong, as well as superstar nerds like Woody Allen and “jerks” like Steve Martin – who ultimately became so popular that the idea of the outsider had to be re-cast.
Honey, I’m Home!: Breadwinners and Homemakers
The domestic comedy may be the most American of comic concepts. The moment that Burns and Allen admitted to their radio audience that they were a married couple, a tradition of laughter on the home front began. Groundbreaking television sitcoms like The Goldbergs, I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, The Dick Van Dyke Show, All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Roseanne, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons reflect the ongoing changes at home and in the workplace. Sitcoms continue to be a consistently humorous barometer of American gender roles and attitudes toward racism and politics.

Slip on a Banana Peel: The Knockabouts
Physical comedy and slapstick have always found rich soil in America. From the mastery of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton to the computer-generated antics that helped transform Jim Carrey into a human cartoon, slapstick has evolved into a sophisticated art, stretching the boundaries of time and space. This episode explores the comic genius of teams like Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Martin and Lewis, and the Marx Brothers, and the one and only Lucille Ball.
When I’m Bad, I’m Better: The Groundbreakers
In the ongoing war against hypocrisy, conservatism, political correctness, prejudice, prudery, censorship, sentimentality, liberalism, extremism, and complacency, it was always the comedian who led the first wave of attack. Rather than using risqué jokes and four-letter words simply to get a rise out of an audience, the most audacious comedians – from pioneers like Mae West and Moms Mabley to 60s and 70s bad boys like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin – invoked what the First Amendment of the American Constitution calls “freedom of speech” to bring the biggest and most dangerous laughs to the American public.

Never Give a Sucker an Even Break: The Wiseguys
America loves the wiseguy who defies convention by speaking the truth no matter the consequences. Whether in the form of the curmudgeonly W.C. Fields of the 1930s or today’s Larry David, who manages to aggravate everyone within reach, the wiseguy (or gal) always gets the last – and funniest – word. Along with classic smart-alecks like Groucho Marx and con men like Phil Silvers, other legendary names in this episode’s “Wiseguy Hall of Fame” include Jack Benny, Paul Lynde, Joan Rivers, Redd Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Chris Rock.
HSock it to Me?: Satire and Parody
Americans have always loved to make fun of the world around them using the slings and arrows of parody and satire. Whether it was Will Rogers, Johnny Carson, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert poking a finger in the eye of the government, or Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks and the “Saturday Night Live” gang lampooning the latest blockbuster, generations have reveled in the anarchic tradition of mocking American life, politics and preoccupations.

Chaco Canyon, located in northwest New Mexico, is perhaps the only site in the world constructed in an elaborate pattern that mirrors the yearly cycle of the sun and the 19-year cycle of the moon. How did an ancient civilization, with no known written language, arrange its buildings into a virtual celestial calendar, spanning an area roughly the size of Ireland? Why did this society, ancestors of today's Pueblo Indians, choose to establish the center of their world in the middle of such an arid, barren land? And why, after constructing buildings the size of the Roman Coliseum, did these same people deliberately seal them and abruptly leave? These enigmas have puzzled archaeologists for centuries. This program presents substantial evidence that the Chacoan people expressed a complex solar and lunar cosmology in their magnificent architecture. The discoveries documented in the film have transformed scientific understanding of this site — one of the most elaborate and mysterious of ancient Native-American ruins — and are revolutionizing perceptions of the Chacoan civilization. Robert Redford narrates.

From its powder-white beaches to snow-capped mountain peaks, the island of Mull, off the coast of western Scotland, hosts an amazing diversity of life: golden eagles, rare white tailed eagle gulls, oystercatchers, curlew, skylarks in the air; minke whales, bottlenose dolphins, grey seals and basking sharks in the sea; and otters, deer, mink, and perhaps the elusive wild white goats on land. Cameraman Gordon Buchanan turns his lens on his birthplace to give viewers an unparalleled insight into the wild characters of this remarkable island.

When this great spine-like mountain range rose from the sea, it created a new continent and a bridge that joined North and South America, allowing flora and fauna from each to mix and diversify. Today, the Andes continue to grow and evolve and are home to a rich tapestry of environments, including the largest ice field outside the poles, a desert where penguins nest and vertical mile-high geysers where flamingos huddle for warmth.

Thanks to its realistic presentations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is recognized as one of the most significant and spectacular aquariums in the world. Instead of exhibiting collections of animals, the aquarium presents entire habitats, virtual slices of ocean that include 30,000 animals and plants. But how does an aquarium work? What’s the science behind the magic? Each of the animals here has a story to tell, but of all the animals to be seen here, there is one animal in particular whose presence is drawing world-wide attention — a great white shark.

In 1950, Russian and American fighters clashed over Korea in the fastest dogfights ever seen. This was the world’s first jet war, pitting the two most advanced planes of their day, the American F-86 Sabre and the Soviet MiG-15, in furious air battles that pushed their pilots’ skills to the limit. The epicenter of the air campaign was MiG Alley, a strip of airspace between the Korean-Chinese border. Flying higher and faster than ever before, American and British pilots had little idea of the hidden dangers that awaited them if they were shot down. Thirty-one Sabre pilots are believed to have survived crash landings, and the evidence suggests that a few of the pilots were captured and secretly imprisoned in Russia. In “MiG Alley,” NOVA follows the poignant and sometimes harrowing efforts of family members to trace what happened to pilots who went missing more than a half-century ago. The program combines forensic detective work with an in-depth look at why the Sabre and the MiG acquired their reputations as legendary fighting machines. With the help of dramatic reconstructions, rare archival footage and interviews with veteran aces, NOVA puts viewers in the cockpit to experience the lethal split-second duels in the skies over MiG Alley.

NOVA presents a gripping investigation of what went wrong when two Boeing 747 airliners collided in thick fog on the runway at a tiny airport in the Canary Islands, killing 583 passengers and crew — the worst loss of life in any air disaster. With heart-breaking survivor interviews, re-enactments and a detective story approach, NOVA pieces together the clues that led to a fatal take-off decision by the highly experienced captain of the KLM 747, who couldn't see the Pan Am 747 still parked on the runway, lost in the fog ahead of him. The disaster led to fundamental improvements in air safety, but experts worry that a repeat of the Tenerife disaster could still happen.

On April 21, 1918, Germany's most feared fighter ace, Manfred von Richthofen, known as the "Red Baron," took off on patrol over the Somme Valley with his notorious red-painted "Flying Circus." What happened next has divided historians and air buffs for decades. NOVA's exciting new investigation of the Red Baron's death presents newly discovered documents that overturn the conventional theory of von Richthofen's demise. In accounting for the Baron's singular success, NOVA explores the origins of the first fighter planes and the evolution of aerial tactics. The show features thrilling re-enactments of hair-raising duels between the fragile fighters of World War I.

President and Mrs. Obama will host a concert on June 2 in honor of musician Sir Paul McCartney’s receipt of the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The event in the White House East Room will include performances by McCartney himself and Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello, Jonas Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Emmylou Harris, Corinne Bailey Rae, Dave Grohl, Faith Hill, Lang Lang and Jack White, with remarks by Jerry Seinfeld. (Program subject to change.) President Obama will present the Gershwin Prize to McCartney during the event. The music special, part of the IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE series, will feature the concert event, as well as behind-the-scenes footage and interviews.

Coming to PBS in Fall 2010 Hit the road with CIRCUS, a new six-hour series from the filmmakers behind the Emmy Award-winning CARRIER, and take an unforgettable trip with the legendary Big Apple Circus. From the big top to the “back lot” — where the real heart of the circus beats — explore a distinctive world with its own rules, lingo and no fixed address. Get involved with the diverse characters who make up the Big Apple family. Share their fears and frustrations, triumphs and failures and find out what it really means to live life in the ring. Listen and watch as producers Maro Chermayeff and Jeff Dupre relive the journey with crew members, acrobats, clowns and other amazing characters under the tent.

Though apartheid ended in South Africa in 1994, economic injustices between blacks and whites remain unresolved. As revealed in this incisive documentary, the most potentially explosive issue is land redistribution. The film follows two black communities as they struggle to reclaim land from white owners, some of whom have lived there for generations. Amid rising tensions and wavering government policies, the land issue remains South Africa’s “ticking time bomb,” with far-reaching consequences for all sides. “Promised Land” captures multiple perspectives of citizens struggling to create just solutions. By Yoruba Richen.

This is a provocative exploration of how massive international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. In Kenya’s rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multimillion-dollar rice farm. Across the country in Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest shantytown are being demolished as part of a U.N. slum-upgrading project. The gripping stories of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development present a unique opportunity see foreign aid through eyes of the people it is intended to help. By Landon Van Soest.

Past and present collide as award-winning filmmaker Natalia Almada (POV “Al Otro Lado,” 2006) brings to life audio recordings she inherited from her grandmother, daughter of Plutarco Elias Calles, a revolutionary general who became Mexico’s president in 1924. In his time, Calles was called El Jefe Maximo (Foremost Chief). Today he is remembered as El Quema-Curas (Priest Burner) and a dictator who ruled through puppet presidents until his exile in 1936. Airing during the centennial of the Mexican Revolution, “El General” moves between a daughter’s memories as she grapples with history’s portrayal of her father and the weight of his legacy on Mexico today. Winner of the 2009 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Directing Award: Documentary. A co-production of ITVS in association with Latino Public Broadcasting.

Imagine being picked up off the street, told you have committed a murder you know nothing about and then finding yourself sentenced to 20 years in jail. In December 2005, this happened to Antonio Zúñiga in Mexico City and, like thousands of other innocent people, he was wrongfully imprisoned. The award-winning “Presumed Guilty” is the story of two young lawyers and their struggle to free Zúñiga. With no background in film, Roberto Hernández and Layda Negrete set about recording the injustices they were witnessing, enlisting acclaimed director Geoffrey Smith (POV “The English Surgeon,” 2009) to tell this dramatic story.

On a foggy night in July 1956, two trans-Atlantic passenger ships collided in a tragic accident that spurred the largest naval rescue operation in history. The world watched in horror as the Andrea Doria , one of the grandest luxury liners, sank before their eyes. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the disaster, "The Sinking of the Andrea Doria" combines archival footage, survivor accounts, interviews with divers, exclusive underwater images of the decomposing ship and CGI to lay bare exactly what happened that fateful night, explain why so many divers have lost their lives on the wreck and reveal a startling insurance company cover-up that has remained hidden for the last 50 years.

In 1910, Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen was hanged for poisoning and dismembering his wife, after he attempted to flee the country with his young lover. However, investigators have now found that the human remains discovered in Crippen’s cellar were not those of his wife. Their further DNA work — revealed exclusively in this film — throws up startling new evidence about what really happened. It exposes a historic miscarriage of justice and poses uncomfortable questions about the police and prosecutors, who claimed to have solved the crime of the century.

For the third installment of TAVIS SMILEY REPORTS, host Tavis Smiley and Academy Award®-winning director Jonathan Demme travel to New Orleans, five years after Hurricane Katrina. Through the lens of the rich culture, Smiley examines the efforts of the city’s most resilient residents as they rebuild their schools, churches and homes against enormous odds.

The first episode introduces George Shultz through the details of his early life: his service as a U.S. Marine, his academic career as a free-market economist at MIT and as dean of the business school at the University of Chicago and his early cabinet posts as secretary of labor and secretary of the treasury under President Nixon. As he’s sworn in as secretary of state under President Reagan, the war in Lebanon presents a dangerous diplomatic challenge. A second crisis boils over when it’s discovered that the CIA is secretly aiding Nicaraguan Contra rebels. Through it all, Shultz clings to one goal: to bring Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leaders together for the first time.

Philippines dissident Nimoy Aquino is assassinated and the island nation is thrown into turmoil. The administration continues to be concerned with the Nicaraguan Contras and with the release of hostages in Iran. As Reagan is sworn in for his second term, Shultz works to set up a summit meeting with the new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. While Reagan and Shultz are in Geneva, the situation in the Philippines erupts when Aquino’s widow, Corazon, is elected president but Ferdinand Marcos declares himself the winner. Ignoring White House staff objections, Shultz persuades Reagan to abandon Marcos and recognize Aquino.

Shultz is in the midst of preparations for the summit meeting between Reagan and Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, when news breaks that the United States was indeed trading arms for the Nicaraguan Contras to secure the release of the Iran hostages, and Newsweek reveals that the CIA is mining the harbor in Managua. The Reykjavik summit leads to the most significant nuclear arms reduction pact of the Cold War and is the pinnacle of Shultz’ career in government service. In January 1989, Shultz leaves the State Department. He returns to the world of ideas as a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and continues to travel the world as a passionate advocate for nuclear disarmament.