February 11, 1940. Hattie McDaniel becomes the first-ever African American to be nominated for, and then win, an Oscar. Her legacy is complicated. And the Oscar itself has been missing, mysteriously, for almost fifty years. What did it take for McDaniel to win? And, 80 Oscar ceremonies later, how do we understand her legacy today?
Thank you to our guest, Pro ... Show More
Nov 24
A Meteorite Hits Ann Hodges
November 30, 1954. At about 12:45 in the afternoon, a space rock comes plummeting through the roof of a house in Sylacauga, Alabama. It bounces off a stand-up radio, ricochets around the living room, and collides with the thigh of Mrs. Ann Hodges, who’s been napping on the couch. ... Show More
37m 23s
Nov 17
Ken Burns Reimagines the American Revolution | A Conversation with Ken Burns & Sarah Botstein
November 16, 1776. George Washington rows toward Manhattan to inspect the fort that bears his name, only to meet a full-scale British assault already underway. By afternoon, Fort Washington has fallen, and General Washington is forced to abandon New York City.
The Continental A ... Show More
38m 45s
Nov 10
The Grinnell 14 Take On the Bomb (feat. Peter Coyote)
November 16, 1961. Fourteen college students from Iowa have driven nearly a thousand miles to the White House. They’re fasting, protesting, and calling for an end to nuclear bomb testing. These students, later known as the Grinnell 14, will help ignite the student peace movement ... Show More
27m 56s
Mar 2024
Revisiting: The Surprising, Queer History of the 1974 Oscars Streaker
With the 96th Academy Awards this Sunday, we wanted to revisit this episode from last year. The Oscars seems to be cursed with a series of chaotic live television gaffes. But one moment in Academy Award history takes the cake. In 1974, a scrawny white man named Robert Opel ran ac ... Show More
38m 18s
Feb 2017
Oscars So Black...At Least, In Documentaries
A filmmaker of color is almost certain to win this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. In fact, for the first time, African-American documentarians made up most of the nominees. We talk with Ava DuVernay, whose movie "13th," made her the first black female director to be n ... Show More
24m 26s
Mar 2022
Oscars 2022 Recap: The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
The 2022 Oscars telecast will go down in history! For the Season 1 finale of Close Up, host Kelley Carter checks in with two Hollywood Reporter pals – ABC News Radio Entertainment correspondent, Jason Nathanson, and Entertainment Director at "The Grio" Cortney Wills to discuss Wi ... Show More
26m 24s
May 2022
Ava DuVernay is Triumphant
<p>Before Ava DuVernay became the first Black woman director to win Sundance and get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, she was a publicist with a little hobby, a big dream, and a lot of patience. Adam talks to Ava about how she turned her side gig of filmmaking into a bri ... Show More
35 m
Mar 2024
The Oscars are Sunday. Here’s what to catch up on.
<p>Today, we talk about the movies that have been nominated for best picture at the Oscars; what to see, what to skip and what we loved, ahead of the awards Sunday night.</p><p><br></p><p>Read more:</p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; ... Show More
40m 16s