American Icons

In this Peabody Award-winning show, Kurt Andersen sets sail in search of Moby-Dick. Herman Melville’s white whale survived his battle with Captain Ahab only to surface in the works of contemporary filmmakers, painters, playwrights and musicians. Kurt Andersen explores the influence of this American icon with the help of Ray Bradbury, Tony Kushner and Frank […]

You may think you know the story, but Kurt Andersen and guests will take you to places in the land of Oz that are more wonderful, and weirder, than you ever imagined. We’ll meet the original man behind the curtain, L. Frank Baum, who had all the vision of Walt Disney, but none of the […]

Kurt Andersen goes up, up and away with Superman and finds out why “The Man of Steel” remains as popular and elusive as ever.

Kurt Andersen follows the yellow brick road through America’s favorite story and discovers places in the Land of Oz more wonderful, and weirder, than you ever imagined.

Kurt Andersen explores how episodes of false identity, living large, and murder in the suburbs add up to the great American novel.

He was the most famous American in the world – a showman and spin artist who parlayed a buffalo-hunting gig into an entertainment empire. William F. Cody’s stage show presented a ne…

It set the model for the hit family sitcom. Lucy’s weekly antics and humiliation entered the DNA of TV comedy: from Desperate Housewives to 30 Rock – writers can’t live without Lucy.

When Malcolm X was assassinated at 39, his book nearly died with him.  Today it stands as a milestone in America’s struggle with race.

In this Peabody Award-winning show, Kurt Andersen sets sail in search of the great white whale.

This is the home of America’s aspirations and its deepest contradictions. Thomas Jefferson was as passionate about building his house as he was about founding the United States. Yet…