ABC NEWS SPECIAL: IN SEARCH OF AMERICA: A JULY FOURTH MUSICAL CELEBRATION (TV)
Summary
A documentary special celebrating Independence Day that combines live and historical footage, taking the viewer back and forth across the United States in a narrative of the nation's musical history. Host Peter Jennings introduces the program from George Washington's estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. The program begins with Woody Guthrie's song "This Land Is Your Land," played by Guthrie's son Arlo. Next, Hank Williams, Jr. plays "Outdoor Lovin' Man" and "America Will Survive" at an outdoor festival in Livingston, Montana. Music historian Nick Spitzer joins Jennings at Mount Vernon. There, Jennings introduces musical acts while Spitzer provides a background on each music genre. Spitzer begins by describing the fiddle, and fiddle player Ralph Blizzard performs in Port Townsend, Washington. Next, soul singer India Arie performs at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. An old clip of Marion Anderson singing "My Country 'Tis of Thee" is followed by a clip of James Cagney singing "The Yanks Are Coming." The U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants perform at the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. In Hannibal, Missouri, children compete in Tom Sawyer's Day events. Lonnie Brooks plays blues at the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport, Iowa. In a clip from 1938, Kate Smith sings "God Bless America." Other clips feature jazz musicians Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra perform "The Portrait of Louis Armstrong." Next, rock band Los Lobos performs in Livingston. An old clip depicts Mahalia Jackson singing gospel music. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin performs with his band at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in South Oak Cliff, Texas. Next, bluegrass musician Gillian Welch plays "Red Clay Halo" in Livingston. In Philadelphia, Secretary of State Colin Powell is presented with the 2002 Philadelphia Liberty Medal, and the Philadelphia Boys Choir sings "Amazing Grace." A clip from 1984 shows Bruce Springsteen playing "Born in the U.S.A." A segment of a concert by conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops is shown, and a sequence of clips depicts work by Richard Rodgers from musical theater, including "Oklahoma!"; "Showboat"; "The Musicman"; and "West Side Story.” A clip depicts Elvis Presley singing, after which Sheryl Crow performs in Livingston. Other clips feature Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. At the River Cafe in New York City, Steve Tyrell sings a medley of Frank Sinatra songs. A parade in Bristol, Rhode Island celebrates Independence Day. A short segment describes the work of American songwriter Stephen Foster, whose songs include "O Susanna!" and other American favorites. In Portland, Oregon, barber shop quartet Michigan Jake performs. A clip features The Beach Boys singing "Surfin' USA." In Erath, Louisiana, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys perform. Sheryl Crow, in Livingston, plays "Steve McQueen." At the Milwaukee Summerfest, Brooks and Dunn play "Only in America." Lastly, Sandy Patty sings "The Star Spangled Banner" in a big finale. Includes commercials, promos, and public service announcements. This program is closed-captioned.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: July 4, 2002 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:54:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:73136
- GENRE: Music/Variety; Public Affairs/Documentaries; Specials
- SUBJECT HEADING: Composers; Fourth of July Celebration (July 4th); Music, popular (songs, etc.); Orchestral music
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV, 2002
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "American Legends" video
- TV - Commercials - "Lilo and Stitch" feature film
- TV - Commercials - "The Bourne Identity" (feature film)
- TV - Commercials - "The Country Bears" feature film
- TV - Commercials - ASPCA animal adoption
- TV - Commercials - Allstate insurance
- TV - Commercials - Arm & Hammer deoderant
- TV - Commercials - Bank of America bank
- TV - Commercials - Benadryl anti-histamine medication
- TV - Commercials - Best Western hotels
- TV - Commercials - Burlington Coat Factory department store
- TV - Commercials - Celebrex arthritis medication
- TV - Commercials - Chili's restaurant
- TV - Commercials - Clairol shampoo and conditioner
- TV - Commercials - Clorox 2 detergent
- TV - Commercials - Ensure nutritional drink
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - French's mustard
- TV - Commercials - Frontline Plus flea and tick control
- TV - Commercials - Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal
- TV - Commercials - Garnier Nutrisse hair color
- TV - Commercials - Glucerna diabetic candy bars
- TV - Commercials - Hamburger Helper food flavoring
- TV - Commercials - Hebrew National hotdogs
- TV - Commercials - Honey Nut Cheerios cereal
- TV - Commercials - Imodium A-D anti-diarrheal medication
- TV - Commercials - Kenmore appliances
- TV - Commercials - Kia automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Lawry's marinades
- TV - Commercials - Lipitor cholesterol medication
- TV - Commercials - Lowe's home improvement warehouse
- TV - Commercials - Maytag appliances
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's fast food restaurant
- TV - Commercials - Neutrogena body lotion
- TV - Commercials - Nissan automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Off! bug repellent lanterns
- TV - Commercials - Pantene shampoo
- TV - Commercials - Payless Shoe Source shoe store
- TV - Commercials - PediaSure nutritional drink
- TV - Commercials - Pizza Hut restaurant
- TV - Commercials - Pond's skin cream
- TV - Commercials - Reese's candy
- TV - Commercials - Rent A Center rental services
- TV - Commercials - Rent A Center rental services
- TV - Commercials - Reynold's Wrap aluminum foil
- TV - Commercials - Scrubbing Bubbles toilet wipes
- TV - Commercials - Sears department store
- TV - Commercials - Shout stain remover
- TV - Commercials - Spray 'n Wash stain remover
- TV - Commercials - State Farm insurance
- TV - Commercials - Taco Bell fast food restaurant
- TV - Commercials - Tylenol pain medication
- TV - Commercials - Vanilla Coke beverage
- TV - Commercials - Wendy's fast food restaurant
- TV - Commercials - Wendy's fast food restaurant
- TV - PSA - Generation E
- TV - PSA - Johnson + Johnson Be A Nurse
- TV - PSA - connectforkids.org
- TV - PSA - nationalservice.org
- TV - Promos - "8 Simple Rules"
- TV - Promos - "20/20"
- TV - Promos - "Alias"
- TV - Promos - "All My Children"
- TV - Promos - "Good Morning America"
- TV - Promos - "Houston Medical"
- TV - Promos - "In Search of America"
- TV - Promos - "Kansas City Indy 200"
- TV - Promos - "Life With Bonnie"
- TV - Promos - "Mole 2"
- TV - Promos - "Push, Nevada"
- TV - Promos - "Star Trek: First Contact"
- TV - Promos - "State V"
- TV - Promos - "The Horse Whisperer"
- TV - Promos - "World News Tonight"
- TV - Promos - ESPY Awards
CREDITS
- Tom Yellin … Executive Producer
- Ricky Kirshner … Executive Producer
- Stanley Spiro … Coordinating Producer
- Allen Cody … Coordinating Producer
- Rickie Gaffney … Senior Producer
- Barry Goodman … Senior Producer
- Thomas Touchet … Senior Producer
- Susan Mitchell … Producer
- Mary Raffalli … Producer
- Danny Harris … Producer, Livingston, Montana segments
- Michael Pierce … Producer, Davenport, Iowa segments
- Pete Austin … Producer, Erath, Louisiana segments
- Brad Newman … Producer, New York Battery Park segments
- Timothy Tison … Producer, Dallas, Texas segments
- Spike Jones … Producer, Director, Portland, Oregon segments
- Richard Burgio … Producer, Washington, D.C. segments
- Chris Lopez … Producer, Boston, Massachusetts segments
- Garry Hood … Producer, New Orleans, Louisiana segments
- Christine Calandra … Producer, Milwaukee, Wisconsin segments
- Craig Bengston … Producer, New York segments
- Carol Lehti … Producer, New York segments
- Roger Goodman … Director
- Bob McKinnon … Director, Livingston, Montana segments
- Larry Kamm … Director, Davenport, Iowa segments
- Geoff Mason … Director, Erath, Louisiana segments
- Eric Siegel … Director, New York Battery Park segments
- Alan Carter … Director , Dallas, Texas segments
- Peter Jennings … Host
- Nick Spitzer … Guest
- Jason Giambi … Talent, Arm & Hammer deoderant commercial
- Sarah Jessica Parker … Talent, Garnier Nutrisse hair color commercial
- Kelly Ripa … Talent, Pantene shampoo commercial
- Keith Lockhart … Conductor
- Wynton Marsalis … Conductor
- Boston Pops, The … Symphony Orchestra
- Philadelphia Boys Choir … Choir/Chorus
- U.S. Airforce Singing Sergeants … Choir/Chorus
- Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra … Music Group
- Los Lobos … Music Group
- Beach Boys, The … Music Group
- Brooks and Dunn … Music Group
- Michigan Jake … Music Group
- Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys … Music Group
- India Arie … Singer
- Kirk Franklin … Singer
- Arlo Guthrie … Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitarist
- Gillian Welch … Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitarist
- Hank Williams … Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitarist
- Sheryl Crow … Singer, Instrumentalist, Guitarist
- Ralph Blizzard … Instrumentalist, Fiddler
- Lonnie Brooks … Instrumentalist, Guitarist
- Sandy Patty … Singer
- Steve Tyrell … Singer
- Marion Anderson
- Louis Armstrong
- James Cagney
- Duke Ellington
- Stephen Foster
- Benny Goodman
- Woody Guthrie
- Mahalia Jackson
- Glenn Miller
- Colin Powell
- Elvis Presley
- Richard Rodgers
- Frank Sinatra
- Kate Smith
- Bruce Springsteen
- George Washington