PBS History docs
by enriquemadera | created - 07 Jun 2020 | updated - 5 months ago | PublicRanked, if seen; then wish list...
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1. Vietnam: A Television History (1983– )
660 min | Documentary, History, War
An in-depth look at the Vietnam War.
Stars: Will Lyman, Henry Kissinger, William C. Westmoreland, Dean Rusk
Votes: 334
2. The Story of English (1986– )
60 min | Documentary
A history of the English language from its early beginnings to present day English in all its variations.
Stars: Robert MacNeil, J.L. Dillard, Alistair Cooke, Siaka Stevens
Votes: 162
3. The Civil War (1990)
TV-14 | 76 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive survey of the American Civil War.
Stars: David McCullough, Sam Waterston, Julie Harris, Jason Robards
Votes: 18,455
4. Eyes on the Prize (1987–1990)
TV-PG | 360 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the American Civil Rights Movement from 1952 to 1965.
Stars: Julian Bond, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Andrew Young
Votes: 737
5.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
(2005)
Not Rated | 208 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Bob Dylan, B.J. Rolfzen, Dick Kangas, Liam Clancy
Votes: 12,107
6. Huey Long (1985)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
Ken Burns' portrait of Louisiana governor/U.S. senator Huey Long.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: Huey Long, Russell Long, David McCullough, Jennings Randolph
Votes: 570
7. The Vietnam War (2017)
TV-MA | 99 min | Documentary, History, War
A comprehensive history of the United States' involvement in the bitterly divisive armed conflict in Southeast Asia.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Huy Duc, James Willbanks, Duong Van Mai Elliott
Votes: 27,970
8. Jazz (2001)
1,075 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,497
9. Chasing the Moon (2019)
342 min | Documentary, History
An unprecedented look at the decade-long odyssey to land a man on the moon that pulls back the curtain on the familiar narrative of the moonshot that we think we know, revealing a ... See full summary »
Stars: Buzz Aldrin, Mike Collins, Ed Dwight Jr., Sergei Khrushchev
Votes: 790
10.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Radio Bikini
(1988)
Not Rated | 56 min | Documentary, Biography, History
It starts with a live radio broadcast from the Bikini Atoll a few days before it is annihilated by a nuclear test. Shows great footage from these times and tells the story of the US Navy ... See full summary »
Director: Robert Stone | Stars: Kilon Bauno, John Smitherman, Warren Austin, Bernard Baruch
Votes: 674
11.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Murder of Emmett Till
(2003)
TV-PG | 53 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary examining the 1955 murder of a 14-year-old boy from Chicago while visiting relatives in Mississippi, and the broad impact of his death, his funeral, and the subsequent trial and acquittal of his white killers.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Andre Braugher, Pat Antici, Oudie Brown, Harry Caise
Votes: 268
12. Baseball (1994–2010)
TV-PG | 104 min | Documentary, History, Sport
A documentary on the history of the sport with major topics including Afro-American players, player/team owner relations and the resilience of the game.
Stars: Daniel Okrent, George F. Will, John Chancellor, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 4,736
13.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Malcolm X: Make It Plain
(1994)
TV-PG | 150 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Director: Orlando Bagwell | Stars: Alfre Woodard, Sharon 10X, Benjamin 2X, Mohmaed Al-Faysal
Votes: 150
14.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
The Doors: When You're Strange
(2010)
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography, History
A chronological look at The Doors, focusing on lead singer, Jim Morrison (1943-1971), from the formation of the band in 1965, it's first gigs, and first album, to Morrison's death, after years of alcohol and drug use.
Votes: 56
15. The National Parks: America's Best Idea (2009)
690 min | Documentary, History
The history of the U.S. National Parks system, including the initial ideas which led to the world's first national parks and the expansion of the system over 150 years.
Stars: Peter Coyote, William Cronon, Dayton Duncan, Shelton Johnson
Votes: 1,948
16.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
(2010)
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography, History
A profoundly enigmatic musical poet, this film artfully pierces through the myths and misconceptions about this humming and hunched figure, whose fingers glided across the piano as no one's before or since.
Votes: 73
17.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind
(2001)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Life story of the controversial African-American leader Marcus Garvey.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Carl Lumbly, Carlos Coombs, Brittany Cooper, Webley Dickenson
Votes: 28
18.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Ishi: The Last Yahi Indian
(1994)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
The last member of a diminished Native American tribe from California makes himself known at the beginning of the 20th century.
Star: Linda Hunt
Votes: 18
19.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World
(2010)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The American Experience looks at the history of American whaling from its off-shore origins in the 17th century to the golden age of deep water whaling and the eventual decline in the decades after the Civil War.
Director: Ric Burns | Stars: Philip Bosco, D. Graham Burnett, Margaret S. Creighton, Willem Dafoe
Votes: 122
20.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter
(1988)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Votes: 19
21. The Day After Trinity (1981)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography
Scientists and witnesses involved in the creation and testing of the first ever atomic bomb reflect on the Manhattan project and its fascinating leader, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who upon ... See full summary »
Director: Jon Else | Stars: Hans Bethe, Holm Bursom, Haakon Chevalier, Stirling Colgate
Votes: 1,234
22. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,933 | Gross: $0.27M
23.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Kennedy vs. Wallace: A Crisis Up Close
(1988)
TV-PG | 52 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Filmmaker Robert Drew updates his 1963 documentary Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963) which followed the confrontation between President Kennedy and Alabama governor George Wallace.
Director: Robert Drew | Stars: Clarke Bittner, Nicholas Katzenbach, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy
Votes: 15
24.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Battle Over Citizen Kane
(1996)
TV-PG | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary about the battle between Orson Welles and William Randolph Hearst over Welles' Citizen Kane (1941). Features interviews with Welles' and Hearst's co-workers also as a relative complete bio of Hearst.
Directors: Michael Epstein, Thomas Lennon | Stars: Richard Ben Cramer, William Alland, Thomas Anderson, Peter Bogdanovich
Votes: 1,456
25.
Independent Lens (1999– )
Episode:
Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
(2019)
TV-14 | Documentary
The Native American influence in popular music, including the Native American roots of early pioneers of the blues and jazz and how Native Americans helped define the evolution of the folk-rock era that took hold in the 1960's and 1970's.
Votes: 15
26.
Independent Lens (1999– )
Episode:
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
(2016)
TV-14 | Documentary
Director: Stanley Nelson
Votes: 19
27.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
My Lai
(2010)
TV-14 | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, History
American Experience investigates the My Lai massacre an atrocity during the Vietnam War that killed more than 300 unarmed civilians.
Director: Barak Goodman | Stars: Aubrey Daniel, Fred Widmer, Lawrence La Croix, Greg Olsen
Votes: 225
28.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'
(2013)
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
the Definitive documentary about the extraordinary life of the greatest guitarist of all time, features new performance footage, home movies and an archive of unearthed primary documents.
Director: Bob Smeaton | Stars: Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Al Hendrix
Votes: 580
29.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
A Letter to Elia
(2010)
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography, History
This episode page reflects the re-showing of the original title A Letter to Elia (2010) as part of the American Masters Series
Directors: Kent Jones, Martin Scorsese | Star: Martin Scorsese
Votes: 34
30.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
LennoNYC
(2010)
Not Rated | 115 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A look at the period of time musician John Lennon and his family spent living in New York City during the 1970s.
Director: Michael Epstein | Stars: John Lennon, Roy Cicala, Earl Slick, Andy Newmark
Votes: 683
31.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Freedom Riders
(2011)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
From PBS and American Experience - This inspirational documentary is about a band of courageous civil-rights activists calling themselves the Freedom Riders.
Director: Stanley Nelson
Votes: 98
32. Frank Lloyd Wright (1998)
TV-PG | 146 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A biography of the life and work of the American architect.
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick | Stars: Edward Herrmann, Philip Bosco, Julie Harris, Sab Shimono
Votes: 916
33.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blue
(2016)
TV-14 | 105 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This episode page reflects the reshowing of the original title Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015) as part of the American Masters Series
Votes: 61
34.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Johnstown Flood
(1991)
TV-PG | 64 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Exploding dam kills thousands in massive flood catastrophe in Pennsylvania in 1889.
Director: Mark Bussler | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Patrick Jordan, Jennifer Lee Dake, Charles King
Votes: 128
35. Reconstruction: America after The Civil War (2019– )
Documentary
A comprehensive and compelling history of the United States immediately following the Civil War.
Stars: Martha S. Jones, Andia Winslow, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Mark Lund
Votes: 224
36. Country Music (2019)
Documentary, Music
The story of the creation of modern Country music.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Marty Stuart, Vince Gill, Rosanne Cash
Votes: 1,735
37.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Ansel Adams: A Documentary Film
(2002)
TV-PG | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Few American artists have reached a wider audience, or enjoyed more widespread popularity in their own lifetime, than Ansel Adams. None has had more profound an impact on how Americans ... See full summary »
Director: Ric Burns | Stars: Josh Hamilton, Barbara Feldon, Eli Wallach, Ansel Adams
Votes: 84
38.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
(2019)
Not Rated | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Musicians, scholars, family and friends reflect on the life of jazzer Miles Davis to reveal the man behind the legend. Full access to Davis' estate provides rare footage and photos, outtakes from recording sessions and new interviews.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Carl Lumbly, Miles Davis, Reginald Petty, Quincy Troupe
Votes: 3,283 | Gross: $0.19M
39. The Roosevelts: An Intimate History (2014)
TV-14 | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary that weaves together the stories of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, three members of one of the most prominent and influential families in American politics.
Stars: Peter Coyote, George F. Will, Geoffrey C. Ward, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Votes: 2,650
40.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
Storm Over Everest
(2008)
TV-MA | Documentary, News
David Breashears relives the rescue effort to save climbers who were stranded near the summit of Mount Everest during a ferocious storm on May 10, 1996.
Director: David Breashears | Stars: Neal Beidleman, David Breashears, Guy Cotter, Charlotte Fox
Votes: 184
41. Prohibition (2011)
60 min | Documentary, History
The story of the American activist struggle against the influence of alcohol, climaxing in the failed early 20th century nationwide era when it was banned.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Pete Hamill, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Michael Lerner
Votes: 3,423
42.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Chinese Exclusion Act
(2018)
TV-PG | 112 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The origin, history, and impact of the 1882 law that made it illegal for Chinese workers to come to America and for Chinese nationals already there to become U.S. citizens.
Directors: Ric Burns, Li-Shin Yu
Votes: 88
43.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Great War: Part 1
(2017)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Explore America's tortured, nearly three-year journey to war. In August 1914, a war unprecedented in size and violence broke out on the European continent. Ever the idealistic diplomat, ... See full summary »
Director: Stephen Ives | Stars: Jennifer Lee Andrews, Blythe Danner, Brandon J. Dirden, Josh Hamilton
Votes: 143
44.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Great War: Part 2
(2017)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Americas entry into World War 1 is recalled, including the speed of mobilization.
Director: Amanda Pollak | Stars: Jennifer Lee Andrews, Blythe Danner, Brandon J. Dirden, Josh Hamilton
Votes: 118
45.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Great War: Part 3
(2017)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Chart the ways in which the bloodiest battle in American history, and the ensuing peace, forever changed a president and a nation. In the fall of 1918, the deadly flu swept through cities ... See full summary »
Director: Rob Rapley | Stars: Jennifer Lee Andrews, Blythe Danner, Brandon J. Dirden, Josh Hamilton
Votes: 119
46.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
(2004)
Unrated | 89 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary on the curious American domestic terrorist group, infamous for the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst.
Director: Robert Stone | Stars: Russ Little, Michael Bortin, Timothy Findley, Dan Grove
Votes: 461 | Gross: $0.10M
47.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Abolitionists: Part 1
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The stories of the major figures of the pre-American Civil War political movement to eliminate slavery.
Director: Rob Rapley | Stars: Oliver Platt, T. Ryder Smith, Carol Berkin, Lois Brown
Votes: 123
48.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Abolitionists: Part 2
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The divide between North and South deepens, touching off a crisis that is about to careen out of control.
Director: Rob Rapley | Stars: Oliver Platt, Jeanine Serralles, Ingrid Alli, Kwabena Ampofo
Votes: 92
49.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Abolitionists: Part 3
(2013)
TV-PG | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The battle between pro-slavery and free-soil contingents rises to fever pitch.
Director: Rob Rapley | Stars: Oliver Platt, Jeanine Serralles, Ingrid Alli, Kwabena Ampofo
Votes: 92
50.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation
(2019)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, the 1969 three-day music and art fair at a farm in New York that marked the end of one of the most turbulent decades in American History.
Director: Barak Goodman
Votes: 179
51.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
FDR: Part I
(1994)
TV-PG | 55 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Polio at age 39, president at age 50. Explore the public and private life of a determined man who steered this country through two monumental crises: the Depression and World War II. FDR ... See full summary »
Director: David Grubin | Stars: Winston Churchill, David McCullough, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt
Votes: 150
52.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
FDR: Part II
(1994)
TV-PG | 69 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Polio at age 39, president at age 50. Explore the public and private life of a determined man who steered this country through two monumental crises: the Depression and World War II. FDR ... See full summary »
Director: David Grubin | Stars: David McCullough, Winston Churchill, Adolf Hitler, King George V
Votes: 79
53.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple
(2007)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Todays theme is Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Stanley Clayton, Hue Fortson Jr., Vernon Gosney, Neva Sly Hargrave
Votes: 105
54. The Great War: 1914-1918 (1996)
Documentary, Biography, History
A unique first-person narrative, sewn together from genuine testimonies of frontline soldiers.
Stars: Judi Dench, Salome Jens, Jay Winter, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 378
55.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End
(2016)
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography, History
An oral history of the Mount Rushmore of Country Music.
Director: Jim Brown | Stars: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson
Votes: 50
56. Jackie Robinson (2016)
TV-PG | 240 min | Documentary, Biography
Documentary chronicles the personal and professional life of Jackie Robinson from his birth in 1919 to his death in 1972. Robinson's rise from humble beginnings to became an American hero and pivotal figure in American history are detailed.
Stars: Keith David, Jamie Foxx
Votes: 534
57.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
None Without Sin
(2003)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Through playwright Arthur Miller and director Elia Kazan, the film explores the blacklist: its origins, the key agents of the Red Scare, and the damage done not only to those subpoenaed, but to America's political system as well.
Director: Michael Epstein | Stars: George Bartenieff, Warren Beatty, Walter Bernstein, Herbert J. Biberman
Votes: 162
58. Slavery by Another Name (2012 TV Movie)
90 min | Documentary, History
A documentary that recounts the many ways in which American slavery persisted as a practice many decades after its supposed abolition.
Director: Sam Pollard | Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Turron Kofi Alleyne, Michael Bacon, Douglas A. Blackmon
Votes: 308
59.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
McCarthy
(2020)
TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This documentary surveys the rise and fall of the notorious Communist-hunting Republican senator from Wisconsin, who helped spread a climate of suspicion and fear in early 1950s America.
Director: Sharon Grimberg | Stars: Thomas Doherty, Joseph McCarthy
Votes: 134
60.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Roads to Memphis
(2010)
TV-PG | 80 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This film tells the story of an assassin, James Earl Ray, his target, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the seething, turbulent forces in American society that led these two men to their ... See full summary »
Director: Stephen Ives | Stars: Daniel Amigone, Robert Byrd, John Campbell, Ramsey Clark
Votes: 126
61.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Mary Pickford
(2005)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Through interviews with film historians and biographers, and through archival footage, the rise and fall of the professional life of actress and businessperson Mary Pickford (1892-1979) - ... See full summary »
Director: Sue Williams | Stars: Jeanine Basinger, Scott Eyman, Robert Cushman, Kevin Brownlow
Votes: 109
62. The Statue of Liberty (1985)
TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, History
Documentary showing the history of the world-famous Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, the impact it still has on people and the state of liberty as a personal and political concept in America in 1985.
Director: Ken Burns | Stars: David McCullough, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Paul Roebling
Votes: 712
63.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer
(2009)
TV-PG | 111 min | Documentary, Biography, History
This biography presents a complex and revealing portrait of one of America's most influential scientists.
Director: David Grubin | Stars: Harold Agnew, Jeremy Bernstein, Robert Christy, Michael Cumpsty
Votes: 142
64. New York: A Documentary Film (1999– )
600 min | Documentary, History
Exploration of New York City's rich history as a complex and dynamic city that has played an unparalleled role in shaping the nation and reflecting its ideals.
Stars: David Ogden Stiers, Kenneth Jackson, Mike Wallace, Mike Wallace
Votes: 1,119
65.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part I - After the Mayflower
(2009)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In March of 1621, in what is now southeastern Massachusetts, Massasoit (actor Marcos Akiaten, Chiricauha Apache), the leading sachem of the Wampanoag, sat down to negotiate with a ragged ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Marcos Akiaten, Cassidy Alla, William Belleau, Ginew Benton
Votes: 163
66.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part II - Tecumseh's Vision
(2009)
TV-PG | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Each of the episodes focuses on important historical events and concludes with a short contemporary story that links the past to the present.
Directors: Ric Burns, Chris Eyre | Stars: Benjamin Bratt, Michael Greyeyes, Dwier Brown, Alex Meraz
Votes: 152
67.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part III - Trail of Tears
(2009)
TV-PG | 76 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The Cherokee would call it Nu-No-Du-Na Tlo-Hi-Lu, "The Trail Where They Cried." On May 26, 1838, federal troops forced thousands of Cherokee from their homes in the Southeastern United ... See full summary »
Director: Chris Eyre | Stars: Jackson Walker, Elijah Abdullah, Thomas N. Belt, Josh Blaylock
Votes: 129
68.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part IV - Geronimo
(2009)
TV-PG | 78 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In February of 1909, the indomitable Chiricahua Apache warrior and war shaman Geronimo lay on his deathbed. He summoned his nephew to his side, whispering, "I should never have surrendered.... See full summary »
Directors: Sarah Colt, Dustinn Craig | Stars: Keith Basso, Benjamin Bratt, Collin G. Calloway, Silas Cochise
Votes: 116
69.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
We Shall Remain: Part V - Wounded Knee
(2009)
TV-PG | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
On the night of February 27, 1973, fifty-four cars, horns blaring, rolled into a small hamlet on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Within hours, some 200 Oglala Lakota and American Indian ... See full summary »
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt, Benjamin Bratt, Carter Camp
Votes: 115
70.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Good Ol' Charles Schulz
(2007)
TV-14 | 84 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The life and career of the American cartoonist who created the Peanuts comic strip.
Director: David Van Taylor | Stars: Jules Feiffer, Lynn Johnston, Amy Lago, Hal Lamson
Votes: 124
71.
Baseball (1994–2010)
Episode:
The Tenth Inning: Top of the Tenth
(2010)
TV-PG | 118 min | Documentary, History, Sport
This latest entry covers the period from the early 1990's onward. Labor relations deteriorated badly in the early part of that decade leading to the players strike in August 1994. The ... See full summary »
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick | Stars: Keith David, Hank Aaron, Felipe Alou, Barry Bonds
Votes: 205
72.
Baseball (1994–2010)
Episode:
The Tenth Inning: Bottom of the Tenth
(2010)
TV-PG | 125 min | Documentary, History, Sport
As the new millenium dawns, Baseball is more popular and profitable than ever, but suspicions and revelations about performance enhancing drugs keep surfacing, calling the integrity of the game itself into question.
Directors: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick | Stars: Keith David, Hank Aaron, Felipe Alou, Mike Barnicle
Votes: 159
73.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home
(2006)
TV-14 | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Hear the story of Woody Guthrie's creative energy, personal imperfections and family tragedy.
Director: Peter Frumkin | Stars: Peter Coyote, Rick Sharp, Robin Wiley, Peter Mark Joliat
Votes: 147
74.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Circus: Part 1
(2018)
TV-PG | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The history of the performing entertainment form in American history.
Stars: Richie Moriarty, Michael Murphy, Robert J. Thompson
Votes: 145
75.
Independent Lens (1999– )
Episode:
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
(2005)
R | 109 min | Documentary
Corporate audio and videotapes tell the inside story of the scandal involving one company's manipulation of California's energy supply and its, and how its executives wrung a billion dollars out of the resulting crisis.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Kenneth Lay, Peter Coyote, John Beard, Barbara Boxer
Votes: 4,539 | Gross: $4.06M
76.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern
(1995)
Unrated | 88 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Struggling to keep the family farm in the family.
Directors: Steven Ascher, Jeanne Jordan | Stars: Bob Blankenship, Dean Eilts, Marge Harold, James Jordan Jr.
Votes: 183
77.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Lucille Ball: Finding Lucy
(2000)
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography, History
For more than 30 years, Lucille Ball was one of the most recognized and loved entertainers in the world. Known to all simply as Lucy, she portrayed a scatterbrained housewife with the ability to turn simple chores into humorous disasters.
Director: Pamela Mason Wagner | Stars: Edie Adams, Cynthia Adler, Desi Arnaz Jr., Desi Arnaz
Votes: 187
78. People's Century: 1900-1999 (1995– )
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary
Series documenting the history of the twentieth century through the testimony of those who lived through it.
Stars: Sean Barrett, Veronika Hyks, Eva Hart, Sergei Butsko
Votes: 161
79.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Eugenics Crusade
(2018)
TV-PG | 115 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Tracing the movement to breed a "better" American race, which turned the science of heredity into an instrument of social control that led to forced sterilization campaigns.
Director: Michelle Ferrari | Star: Corey Stoll
Votes: 109
80.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
The Pilgrims
(2015)
TV-PG | 129 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Recounts the founding (1620) and early years of the Plymouth Colony in the 17th century. Includes the real story of the "First Thanksgiving".
Director: Ric Burns | Stars: Artemus Cragg, Calypso Cragg, Julian Elfer, Michael Elwyn
Votes: 166
81. Armenian Genocide (2006 TV Movie)
60 min | Documentary, History, War
The first Genocide of the 20th century when over a million Armenians died at the hands of the Ottoman Turks during World War I, between 1915 and 1918.
Director: Andrew Goldberg | Stars: Julianna Margulies, Ron Suny, Peter Balakian, Elizabeth Frierson
Votes: 4,982
82. The March of the Bonus Army (2006 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 27 min | Documentary
45,000 World War I veterans, impoverished by the Great Depression, who marched on Washington D.C. in the summer of 1932 seeking payment of the compensation promised them for their war service.
Director: Robert Uth | Star: Gary Sinise
Votes: 30
83. Lawrence of Arabia: The Battle for the Arab World (2003 TV Movie)
112 min | Documentary
Director: James Hawes | Stars: Michael Maloney, George Pagliero, Nadim Sawalha
Votes: 115
84.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story - Part 1
(2008)
TV-14 | 228 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Documentary about the first 85 years of Warner Bros. Studios, with scenes from hundreds of films that reflect the values, morals and attitudes of several generations, especially in the United States.
Director: Richard Schickel | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Susan Orlean, John Barrymore, Jack Warner Jr.
Votes: 301
85. Warship (2001– )
224 min | Documentary, History, War
The evolution of the modern naval warship, from the days of wooden vessels under sail to today's nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, submarines, and missile cruisers.
Stars: Stacy Keach, Tim L. Smith
Votes: 46
86.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Edward Curtis: Coming to Light
(2000)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, Biography, History
The dramatic story of eminent photographer Edward S. Curtis and the creation of his monumental portfolio of Native American images. Descendants of his photographic subjects tell stories ... See full summary »
Director: Anne Makepeace | Stars: Sheila Tousey, Bill Pullman
Votes: 137
87. Sinking the Lusitania (2001 TV Movie)
57 min | Documentary, History, War
The sinking of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania off the Irish coast on May 7, 1915.
Director: John Booth | Star: Will Lyman
Votes: 59
88.
Frontline (1983– )
Episode:
Memory of the Camps
(1984)
TV-MA | 56 min | Documentary, News
In 1945, camera crews went with the American and British armies in the nazis death camps and filmed the horror they found there. A group of directors among whom was Alfred Hichcock ... See full summary »
Director: Sidney Bernstein | Stars: Trevor Howard, Sidney Bernstein, Alfred Hitchcock
Votes: 288
89. Crucible of Empire: The Spanish American War (1999 TV Movie)
120 min | Documentary
Historical documentary on the Spanish-American war, the events surrounding it, and the people involved. Highlights events in Cuba and the Philippines.
Director: Daniel A. Miller | Stars: Emilio Aguinaldo, Gilberto Arribas, Paul Austin, Robert L. Beisner
Votes: 41
90. War and Peace in the Nuclear Age (1989 TV Movie)
715 min | Documentary, History, War
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age is a PBS produced 13 part documentary of appx 55 minutes each covering the Nuclear threat since it's inception in World War II to the present.
Stars: Gene Galusha, Robert J. Lurtsema
Votes: 19
91. Stalin (1990– )
Biography, History
The story of Stalin's life and terrible career, told mainly in interviews with survivors of his terror.
Stars: Ian Holm, Svetlana Alliluyeva, Stephen Cohen, Aleksandr Avdeyenko
Votes: 32
92. Columbus and the Age of Discovery (1992– )
50 min | Documentary
Stars: Mauricio Obregon, Will Lyman
Votes: 17
93.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference
(1994)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
As the campaign to force Jews out of Germany ramps up, the American government blocks efforts to help rescue many of these displaced persons, and Americans' antisemitism only seems to get worse.
Director: Marty Ostrow | Star: Hal Linden
Votes: 71
94.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Midnight Ramble
(1994)
TV-PG | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary about the history of African American race films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Directors: Pearl Bowser, Bestor Cram | Stars: Toni Cade Bambara, Robert Hall, Elton Fax, Pearl Bowser
Votes: 42
95. The Churchills (1996– )
50 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Stars: Ian Holm, Pamela Harriman, Diana Mosley, Winston Churchill
Votes: 25
96. Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery (1998– )
360 min | Documentary, History
The history of African Americans.
Stars: Angela Bassett, Jeremy Rabb
Votes: 78
97.
American Experience (1987– )
Episode:
Riding the Rails
(1998)
TV-PG | Documentary, Biography, History
The story of young teens who hopped freight trains in search of work and adventure during the Great Depression.
Directors: Lexy Lovell, Michael Uys | Star: Richard Thomas
Votes: 37
98. Culture Shock (2000– )
Documentary
Stars: Ellen Barkin, John Lithgow, Peter Bogdanovich, Courtney B. Vance
Votes: 19
99. Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain (2000 TV Movie)
220 min | Documentary
In 1940, World War II was Britain's to lose. It did not.
Director: Nick Read | Stars: Will Lyman, Tony Bradford
Votes: 63
100. David Macaulay: Mill Times (2001)
56 min | Documentary, Animation, History
Travel back to late 18th century Lowell, MA, now infamous for its textile mills and its "Lowell Girls," the poor, barely-educated waifs who helped turn those mills into sweatshops.
Director: Larry Klein | Stars: David Macaulay, Derek Jacobi, Richard Bebb, Brook Butterworth
Votes: 14
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