To the Best of Our Knowledge

PROMO       12/09/2007        "Cultural Touchstones"
*Sometimes, a single word speaks volumes about its era. "Sputnik"
conjures up both the heady excitement of the early Space Race and the
whole scary history of the Cold War.  In this hour To the Best of Our
Knowledge touches on a few of these cultural touchstones....from Sputnik
to Snoopy. We'll talk with the biographer of Peanuts creator Charles
Schulz and find out how much of himself the cartoonist revealed in good
old Charlie Brown. And we'll hear why Miles Davis' landmark recording
"Kind of Blue" remains one of the best-selling albums ever made, almost
fifty years after its release.

PROGRAM RUNDOWN:  "Cultural Touchstones"

0:00 - 16:58        SEGMENT 1: (16:59)
            David Michaelis is the author of "Schultz and Peanuts." 
            He tells Steve Paulson that Charles Schultz put a lot of
            himself into the Charlie Brown character, was greatly
            influenced by his mid-Western upbringing. He was a man of
            many contradictions and great ambiguity. We hear Schultz
            in his TV appearance with Al Roker, as well as excerpts
            from some of the Charlie Brown TV specials. Also, Doug
            Gordon assembles some of the great movie musical
            touchstones of the 20th century.
            
            Segment One Outcue:  "...PRI - Public Radio
            International."

16:59 - 17:28  LOCAL OPTION with music bed (:29)

17:29 - 37:10       SEGMENT 2: (19:43)
            Nick Abadzais is the author of a graphic novel called 
            "Laika."  She was the little dog the Russians sent up
            into space aboard Sputnik II.  Abadzais tells Anne
            Strainchamps about "Laika," the dog and his book.  Also,
            Ashley Kahn takes Steve Paulson through the creation of
            Miles Davis' landmark recording "Kind of Blue."  The
            piece is lavishly illustrated with music from the album.

                    
            Segment Two Outcue:  "...PRI - Public Radio
            International."

37:11 - 37:40       LOCAL OPTION with music bed (:29)

37:41 - 53:00       SEGMENT 3: (15:19)
            Frank Lloyd Wright is a titan of American architecture,
            but he was grievously wounded, at least, psychologically,
            by a tragedy that occurred when he was in his forties.  
            We hear the story of the murder of Wright's mistress, and
            the fire at the original Taliesin.  Jim Fleming provides
            the narration. Other participants include Nancy Horan,
            author of the novel Loving Frank, and William Drennan,
            author of "Death in a Prairie House: Frank Lloyd Wright
            and the Taliesin Murders."
                    
            Segment Three Outcue: PRI Audio Logo


For a copy of this hour, call 1-800-747-7444, and ask for program number
12-09-B.

© 2007 WHA Radio and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. All rights reserved.