America’s foremost humorist and social pundit, Garrison Keillor takes his skits and monologues across the country in his popular radio show, A Prairie Home Companion. American Masters trails this yarn-smith and his crew of actors and musicians as they spin stories and song into American gold in Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes, premiering nationally Wednesday, July 1, 2009 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). DVD with additional features will be released by Docurama Films on July 7th.
Through the course of a year, an intimate lens captures Keillor on- and off- stage as he mingles fact and fiction to create America’s collective hometown, Lake Wobegon, on a radio program that carries bona-fide nostalgia. The result is a fascinating inside look at the enigmatic raconteur and how the imaginary world he created became a real place in America.
“Keillor is an American institution,” says Susan Lacy, creator and executive producer of American Masters, a six-time winner of the Emmy Award for Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series. “His stories of Lake Wobegon speak to our inherent patriotism and bring back memories of a simpler time.”
On A Prairie Home Companion, Keillor’s running commentary about the human condition has the uncanny ability to home in on the pulse of America. Inventing his own brand of quirky small town stories and everyday characters, mixed with a witty dose of social politics and philosophy, Keillor relates a deeply felt reflection of ourselves, somehow familiar to us all.
“His writing is never from an elevated space, so he connects with his audience,” said Peabody and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Rosen. “But the production value of his show is highly elevated, and the novelty for viewers of this film will be to see how the magic happens.”
An author with more than 20 books to his credit and a syndicated weekly column, Keillor is also a highly sought after speaker and lecturer. He is credited with reviving the virtually lost art of live radio entertainment in America; his weekly radio show, started in 1974, has more than 4 million listeners and is broadcast on 590 stations. Keillor and his characters leapt onto the big screen and an even wider global audience in Robert Altman’s 20o6 film, A Prairie Home Companion.
Keillor’s down-home commentary and love of heartland America, have made him into an “everyman philosopher.” His highly entertaining radio show is written with a poet’s heart. While comparisons will be made between him and America’s great humorists and essayist – from H. L. Mencken to Mark Twain, from James Thurber, Robert Frost and Will Rogers – Garrison Keillor is unique. In this untraditional biography, we begin to see how and why.
Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio In The Red Shoes is a co-production of Peter Rosen Productions, Inc., THIRTEEN’S American Masters for WNET.ORG and ITVS. The film is produced and directed by Peter Rosen and written by Sara Lukinson, based on the monologues of Garrison Keillor. Executive Producers are Susan Lacy and Sally Jo Fifer. Sally Jo Fifer is Executive Producer of ITVS. Susan Lacy is the creator and Executive Producer of American Masters.
American Masters is produced for PBS by THIRTEEN. To take American Masters beyond the television broadcast and further explore the themes, stories, and personalities of masters past and present, the companion Web site offers interviews, essays, photographs, outtakes, and other resources. American Masters is made possible by the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding for American Masters is provided by Rosalind P. Walter, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Jack Rudin, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, and public television viewers.
This author is not one of my faves, I tried many times to read a book he wrote called “Happy To Be Here,” but just could never get into it. His radio show never interested me, either. I plan to donate the book to the library. Maybe a Keillor fan will be happy to get this trade paperback book, still in excellent condition, at a bargain basement price. (I paid $8.95, plus tax, for it.)
Aloha Dear Friend,
I hope all is wonderful with you, your O’hana and extended companions at the Prairie Home. I have written a set of several couplets. These couplets were written in less than an hour. It was not until I had completed the, “Convoluted
Rhyme” that I picked the Oxford Dictionary and looked the word ‘convolutions’ up.
With Aloha I share my vision with you:
We construct the longest poem this side of Venus, or maybe less. The convoluted rhymes could be put on the internet where anybody could continue the poem by adding his/her own creative couplet. There would be no limit as to how many couplets one submits. Before, or, after the poem the individual could tell the World, who they are, where they live and/ at what point of the globe they stand at that very moment.
I imagine a ’Joke” night and perhaps the most popular ‘convoluters’ (You won’t find that word in “any” dictionary) would get a chance to “Share some Air-time.
With fun, and anticipation, I look forward to hearing from you.
Joseph Henry Wilkinson, Volcano, the Island of Hawaii
Mahalo
The Convoluted Rhyme
By Joseph Henry Wilkinson
This mystical shape-shifter
Has woke us just in time
We realize there is nothing so great
As a convoluted rhyme
A decent convoluted rhyme
May take you by surprise
It may even give the Bel
Le laughter a rise
Tune into Garrison Keillor
At six on Saturday night
Just turn on the talking box
And set the volume right
Listen to Garrison’s poetry
And surely you will find
At least one clever
Le placed convoluted rhyme
So tune into Garrison
And listen to his rhymes
So for sure; he is the best
In these convoluted times
Listen-in to our companion
Check out the tunes and rhymes
They may even change your mood, if
You tap your toe in time
((Copyright Joseph Henry Wilkinson 2011))
We should have a big contest
It will surely be sublime
We’ll post the top one-hundred
Convoluted rhymes
There will be a big cash prize
For winners; seven to twenty-nine
The top six will get a paper saying
Better luck next time
We’ll sing ‘em around the campfire
Make’em up, or add a line
There is something educational
About a Convoluted rhyme
Remember when writing this stuff
Keep rhythm and rhyme in time
And never pass the opportunity
For a Convoluted rhyme
Some of your rhymes might sound quite dumb
But there is no need to fear it; thank the IS’
And all that’s good
There was no one around to hear it
We may be short on corn this year
And we are almost out of wine
Thank goodness there’s no shortage of
The convoluted rhyme
Choose your favorite color
Be it gray, dark-brown or lime
Remember, all we’re trying to do
Is make a convoluted rhyme
I’ve made it to the top of the mountains
It was one of my toughest climbs
At last! I’m free! there’s no one here
Making convoluted Rhymes
((Copyright Joseph Henry Wilkinson 2011))
I
just finished watching the most intertaing program on opb. the station by its self is the best, but watching
garrison keillor just made it so very good. Thank you mr. keillor for being human and wanting to talk to all of usand making me feel so important I am going to order the dvd of red shoes and have my grand son watch it with me. Thank you again.