Season 31

American MastersSeason 31

2017
10 Episodes

Episodes

By Sidney Lumet
S31E01

By Sidney Lumet

In a 2008 interview, director Sidney Lumet talks about his life and career, which included 44 films in 50 years.

03 Jan 201790m
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
S31E02

Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

The life of author and activist Maya Angelou, with comments from Oprah Winfrey, Common, Bill and Hillary Clinton and others.

21 Feb 201790m
Patsy Cline
S31E03

Patsy Cline

A profile of influential country singer Patsy Cline (1932-63), featuring archival performances of such songs as "Walkin' After Midnight," "I Fall to Pieces" and "Crazy"; and remarks from artists who knew her and others influenced by her.

01 Mar 201790m
James Beard: America’s First Foodie
S31E04

James Beard: America’s First Foodie

Experience a century of food through the life of one man, James Beard (1903-1985). Dubbed the “Dean of American Cookery” by The New York Times, Beard was a Portland, Ore., native who loved and celebrated the bounty of the Pacific Northwest. He spoke of the importance of localism and sustainability long before those terms had entered the vernacular.

19 May 201790m
Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft
S31E05

Jacques Pépin: The Art of Craft

Discover the story of Chef Jacques Pépin (b. December 18, 1935), a young immigrant with movie-star looks, a charming Gallic accent, and a mastery of cooking and teaching so breathtaking he became an early food icon—joining James Beard and Julia Child among the handful of Americans who transformed the way the country views the food world.

26 May 201790m
Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny
S31E06

Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny

A trove of never-before-seen archival footage provides an unconventional look at the fiercely independent style of filmmaking that emerged out of Austin, Texas in the late 1980s and 1990s with Linklater as its poster boy.

01 Sept 201790m
Tyrus
S31E07

Tyrus

The unlikely story of 106-year old Chinese American artist Tyrus Wong, and how he overcame poverty and racism in America to become a celebrated modernist painter, Hollywood sketch artist, and “Disney Legend” for his groundbreaking work on the classic animated film, Bambi.

08 Sept 201790m
Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive
S31E08

Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive

This documentary draws on the rich palette of Poe’s evocative imagery and sharply drawn plots to tell the real story of the notorious author, exploring the misrepresentations of Poe as a drug-addled madman akin to the narrators of his horror stories.

30 Oct 201790m
Inspiring Woman Web Series
S31E09

Inspiring Woman Web Series

Six innovators tell their own stories and explain how they’re changing their respective industries: podcast host Tracy Clayton, Chef Angie Mar, JavaScript developer Sara Chipps, web-cam performance artist Molly Soda, entrepreneur Rakia Reynolds, and visual artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.

08 Nov 201790m
This is Bob Hope
S31E10

This is Bob Hope

A candid look at a remarkable life with unprecedented access to Bob Hope’s personal archives, including writings voiced by Billy Crystal and clips from Hope’s body of work to reveal a gifted and very human individual who recognized the power of fame, embraced its responsibilities and handled celebrity with extraordinary wit and grace.

13 Nov 201790m