Braddock: City of Magic (1992)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
"David Lynch goes into clean neighborhoods and finds the germs and bugs beneath; I go into dirty neighborhoods and find the life." That's how filmmaker Tony Buba describes his twelve documentaries about his hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Buba is the son of Italian immigrants, part of the wave of Europeans who came to America in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to work in the steel mills of Braddock and other towns around Pittsburgh. Now the steel industry is almost dead, and Braddock is the prototypical post-industrial "'rust belt" town, a town where a person either lives by his or her wits or lives in poverty. Buba tours through the streets of Braddock, past the old Croatian and Slovak social clubs and through streets, now empty, that once bristled with activity.
Keysville, GA: Old Dreams in the New South (1989)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
On January 4, 1988, 63-year-old Emma Gresham became the first black mayor -- the first mayor in a half century -- of Keysville, Georgia, winning the election over her white opponent by ten votes. In the town courthouse, a trailer mounted on cinderblocks, a banner reads "Justice Knows No Boundaries," a constant reminder of both the town's troubled history -- residents live in extreme poverty, with seventy percent still hauling their own water -- and the vision for its future. Emma Gresham serves up a recipe of motivation, education, patience and political action, along with her famous biscuits, to lead this small, mostly African-American Southern town to realize the American dream of a better life.
Catfish Culture (1994)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
From songs and literature, folklore and fishing, the catfish occupies a special place in American culture. It's also replaced cotton as the number one cash crop in many parts of the Mississippi Delta. See a beautiful photo of Sam and Lula Walker, residents of Turin Landing along the Mississippi River. Also, see a photo of Big Jack Johnson, who sings in the documentary, and a shot of a catfish harvest.
D.C. Riots: Then and Now (1988)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
The 1968 Washington, D.C. riots and the federal government's response altered the social and political climate of the nation's capitol. This portrait of Washington in 1988 draws from the perspectives of a variety of people whose lives were and are directly affected by those events.
Jarbidge, Nevada (1998)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
Johnny Williams, Jarbidge's jack-of-all-trades, takes listeners on a tour of the mountain town. See a bonus photo of Johnny in front of the Jarbidge Jail.
Hazardous Coal Mines (1993)
RealAudio • MP3
Coal mining is still one of this country's most hazardous occupations, especially in small mines. This report, from southwest Virginia, examines the dangers of coal mining and what's being done to make it safer.
Branson Postcards (1995)
28.8K • 56K • DSL
Branson is home base for aging country and pop stars such as Mickey Gilley, Roy Clark, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, and Charlie Pride. With a population of 5,000, Branson boasts over 50,000 theater seats (more than on Broadway), four times more motel rooms than residents, and scores of restaurants. The "Branson Boom," as it is called, happened virtually overnight. "Branson Postcards" explores how and why the town went from relative obscurity to entertainment mecca and the social and economic implications of such rapid growth for the community and its residents.
Lincoln Avenue Motels (2000)
28.8K • 56K • DSL • MP3
Long before the expressways, travelers coming to Chicago from the north or northwest entered the city by way of Lincoln Avenue. Back then, Lincoln Avenue -- also known as U.S. Highway 41 -- was a major thoroughfare for motorists. All along the strip, motels with art deco signs and optimistic names like the "Tip-Top," the "Summit" and the "Diplomat" sprang up to serve travelers. More than a dozen of the old motels still line Lincoln at the north edge of Chicago. Long seen as havens for prostitution, drugs and other illegal activities in recent years, most have been targeted for demolition or renovation by the city of Chicago. The city wants to turn the "Spa" into a police station, the "Acres" is slated to become a library and the site where the "Riverside Motel" once stood is being turned into a park. Seedy or not, these low rent motels are home to a number of men and women who've lived there for months -- even years. Some are people down on their luck with nowhere else to go. Others chose to live there -- simply, in small quarters. See photos of some of these gorgeous old signs, many of which since have been destroyed.
