Historical Programming Archives - Page 13 of 14

James Cameron and Bob Ballard NGC specials explore the Titanic disaster

April 6, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer 3

“For me, the mysteries [of Titanic] have never died.” So says filmmaker James Cameron during the opening of his new National Geographic Channel special about the legendary, doomed ship. Ever since the “unsinkable” RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic during its maiden voyage and sank to the bottom of the sea 100 years ago this month — on April 14, 1912 — people have been fascinated with its tale, a mix of human tragedy, engineering marvel and hubris. Of the 2,223 people onboard, 1,517 lost their lives in the sinking. And while the ship had the ability […]

“World War I in Colour” coming to Military Channel

April 6, 2012 Channel Guide Staff Comments Off

It’s a growing trend and a source of fascination for history buffs. Seeing footage of historic eras and events that we’re used to seeing only in black and white, but in color, or upgraded to HD. And, as fate would have it, some of the films built around this footage have been vivid and excellent regardless of the color factor. Documentaries about the Russian Revolution and, more recently, World War II featuring color and colorized images bring an immediacy to events that usually seem distant in part because of the antiquated media on which they often were captured. To that end, Military Channel […]

Military Channel presents “Edge of War”

April 3, 2012 Channel Guide Staff 2

Fans of Military Channel have something of a treat coming their way tonight with the premiere of Edge of War, hosted by retired U.S. Army General Wesley K. Clark. A worthy complement to the network’s recent Combat Tech series, Edge of War aims to take viewers link by link in the chains of events that led to the most consequential declarations of war in modern history. From World War II and Korea to Argentina and the Middle East, Edge of War examines how leaders throughout the world have brought their nations to the brink of war, and what their motivations were for […]

“American Masters” spotlights Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell tonight on PBS

April 2, 2012 Lori Acken 1

In a win-win for book and film lovers alike, tonight PBS’ acclaimed biography series American Masters will present back-to-back profiles of Gone With the Wind scribe Margaret Mitchell and To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee that present facts, photos and interviews fresh to even their most ardent fans. Though Mitchell was born in 1900 and Lee in 1926, like their works, these women are every ounce as compelling as any character from today’s entertainment realm, real or fictionalized. Did you know Mitchell rappelled down buildings as a newspaper reporter and funded the education of African-American medical students after GWTW […]

TV specials and movies commemorate 100th anniversary of Titanic disaster

March 23, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer 4

April 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the fateful and infamous maiden voyage of Titanic, which hit an iceberg late in the evening of April 14, 1912, and eventually sank into the icy depths of the North Atlantic early the next morning. In the weeks leading up to the exact anniversary date, various TV networks will remember the tragedy with premiere and encore specials and movies. Many of the documentaries offer promises of “the final word” or “mystery solved” regarding exactly what happened to the great ship. Whether they actually will or not may be beside the point. It might […]

Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores race, culture and identity in new “Finding Your Roots” series

March 22, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer 1

In recent years, genealogy has enjoyed a renaissance as a trend on reality shows like NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, and that can be attributed in large part to Harvard scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (pictured), whose PBS specials African American Lives, African American Lives 2 and Faces of America helped shed a light on the fascinating ethnic backgrounds of many different people. This passion that Gates has to, as he says, “get into the DNA of American culture” now continues on a larger scale in the new 10-part PBS series Finding Your Roots With Henry Louis […]

Military Channel to engage audiences with “Combat Tech”

March 19, 2012 Channel Guide Staff 4

As impressive and fascinating as military technology can be, the stories that drive the innovations are often just as compelling. The interplay between history and technology is at the heart of Military Channel’s new series Combat Tech, premiering tomorrow night. I talked with John Terp, executive producer of the show, to find out more. “Technology genres and history genres — they’re almost always treated as two separate entities,” Terp explains. “Where technology shows are all about the whiz-bang, marveling at cool technologies, the historical shows are the story of what happened in the past. I think what we’ve done — […]

PBS’ “American Experience” examines the Clinton presidency

February 13, 2012 Channel Guide Staff 1

PBS has announced that the first hour of its new, two-part American Experience documentary “Clinton” — which premieres on the network over two nights, Feb. 20 at 9pm ET and Feb. 21 at 8pm ET — will premiere exclusively on the free PBS apps for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch beginning today. This hour will also be available for free download on iTunes for one week before the broadcast. The full four-hour biography will be streamed on video.pbs.org, timed to the national broadcast. “With nearly one-third of our 148 million video streams in January coming from mobile apps, we […]

Black History Month 2012 TV schedule

January 27, 2012 Jeff Pfeiffer 11

Here are some notable new and returning television programs profiling memorable people, themes and events in African-American history, in celebration of February’s Black History Month. Programs and times are subject to change; check back throughout the month for updates and additions. Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans (encore) — PBS, February (check local listings). Lolis Eric Elie, a New Orleans newspaperman, takes viewers on a tour of the city in what becomes a reflection on the relevance of history folded into a love letter to his storied neighborhood, Faubourg Tremé. Arguably the oldest black neighborhood in America and […]

On the reality of Discovery Channel’s “Combat Cash”

January 23, 2012 Channel Guide Staff 11

There’s been a bit of discussion on this blog regarding the Discovery Channel series Combat Cash, including a few concerns about the veracity of some of the transactions seen in the series. (The series as we’ve seen it thus far ends Wednesday, Jan. 25.) To that end, and to get a better picture of the motives behind this series in general, I got on the phone with Rob Lihani, executive producer of the series, to discuss the show’s concept and what it means to him – as well as to ask about the allegations of staged transactions as encountered elsewhere […]