NON FICTION TELEVISION: THE SHAKERS: HANDS TO WORK, HEARTS TO GOD (TV)
Summary
One in this series of independent documentaries. This documentary by Ken Burns and Amy Stechner Burns examines the history and legacy of the Shakers (the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing), a utopian religious society which reached the peak of its membership and influence in America in the mid-1800s. Narrated by historian David McCullough, this program includes vintage photos of the Shakers and their communal villages, interviews with some of the less than a dozen remaining Shakers, examples of their enduring architecture and design, footage of the villages that still exist today, and readings -- by actress Julie Harris, among others -- of Shaker writings and journals, and impressions written by famous figures who visited and observed the Shakers in the nineteenth century. This documentary begins with an introductory overview of the elements of Shakerism, including pacifism, feminism, equality of the races, celibacy, natural health and hygiene, community property, a fierce work ethic -- and "joyful personal worship" which led to an ecstatic "shaking" for which they were named. The body of the program includes examinations of the following topics, among others: the life of Ann Lee (1736-1784), who founded the Shakers in England as an offshoot of the Quakers, settled in America with a small group of followers near Albany, New York, shortly before the Revolutionary War and traveled across New England finding both converts and persecuting mobs; the period after Lee's death, during which a few inspired leaders began building the first communal Shaker buildings and accepted hundreds of new converts to the faith; the Shaker worship meeting, which included dancing and simple, but beautiful, hymns and songs; the daily rituals that governed everyday life; the central importance of celibacy to the spiritual aims of the Shakers; the history of the Shaker frontier settlement of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, and the distinct skills and spirit of the western Shakers; the Shaker belief in work as an act of piety -- and the many areas of endeavor in which Shakers excelled, including farming, carpentry, architecture, and the invention of labor-saving devices; the peak (circa 1840) of Shakerism in America, a time of great wealth and prosperity for the communities and a national membership of over 6,000 in nineteen villages -- and yet, also a time when increasing numbers of Shakers began to leave the fold for the outside world; the infusion of new faith that occurred during the 1840s after four girls were visited by Mother Ann's spirit; the excellent education, health care, and personal attention afforded Shaker children "orphaned" by their converted parents; the progressive leadership of Frederick Evans during the Civil War and Eldress Anna White at the turn of the twentieth century; the devastating effects of post-Civil War industrialization on the Shaker communities, the handmade products of the Shakers which could not compete in the marketplace with mass-produced goods; and the accelerating loss of young men to the outside world, which offered many business opportunities in the post-Civil War era. To close the program, a highly-prized Shaker chair is shown being sold at auction; and modern Shaker women talk about their pride in their heritage. Included are interviews with the following individuals: historian Ed Nickels; Eldress Gertrude Soule, a Shaker from Canterbury, New Hampshire; historian Helen Upton; Sister Mildred Barker, a Shaker from Sabbathday Lake, Maine; philosopher Jacob Needleman; Eldress Bertha Lindsay, a Shaker from Canterbury, New Hampshire; and Olive Hayden Austin, a former Shaker.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Preservation of the Post–World War II American Television Documentary Collection is supported in part by a Federal Save America’s Treasures grant administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS WNET New York, NY
- DATE: August 7, 1985 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:59:47
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:22082
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Christian sects; Religion; Religious communities; Shakers
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 1979-1986
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Non Fiction Television":
- Loxton David … Executive Producer
- Kathy Kline … Coordinating Producer
- For "The Shakers: Hands to Work, Hearts to God":
- Ken Burns … Film by, Cinematography by
- Amy Stechler Burns … Film by, Writer
- Wendy O'Connell … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Toby Shimin … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Kate Lynch … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Peter Agoos … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Peter Tagiuri … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Roger Sherman … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Camilla Rockwell … Production (Misc.), Production Associate
- Buddy Squires … Production (Misc.), Production Consultant
- Terry Hopkins … Cinematography by
- Stephen Marini … Consultant
- Ed Nickels … Consultant
- Jerome Liebling … Consultant
- John Ott … Consultant
- Flo Morse … Consultant
- Jim Thomas … Consultant
- Geoffrey Ward … Consultant
- Wendy Tilghman … Writer
- Tom Lewis … Writer
- Sabbathday Lake Shakers, The … Music (Misc. Credits), Traditional Shaker Music Sung by
- Jesse Carr … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Researched, Arranged, and Performed by
- John Colby … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Directed by
- Matt Glaser … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Performed by
- Russ Barenberg … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Performed by
- Billy Novick … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Performed by
- Bill Smith … Music (Misc. Credits), Other Shaker Music Performed by
- David McCullough … Narrator
- Paul Roebling … Voice
- Julie Harris … Voice
- Olga Bellin … Voice
- Wendy Tilghman … Voice
- I. Tucker Burr … Voice
- Steve Pudenz … Voice
- Jesse Carr … Voice
- Olive Hayden Austin
- Mildred Barker
- Frederick William Evans
- Lee, Ann (Mother Ann)
- Bertha Lindsay
- Jacob Needleman
- Gertrude Soule
- Helen Upton
- Anna White