Mandy Patinkin to Narrate PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS JOFFREY, 12/28

Mandy Patinkin will narrate PBS's AMERICAN MASTERS JOFFREY BALLET on Friday December 28th at 9pm. The special will cover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company founded by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, who pioneered a new dance philosophy.

In his 1980 Broadway debut, Mandy won a Tony Award® for his role as Che in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita and was nominated in 1984 for his starring role in the Pulitzer Prize–winning musical, Sunday in the Park with George. In 1991 he returned to Broadway in the Tony Award®-winning musical The Secret Garden and in 1997 played a sold–out engagement of his one-man concert, Mandy Patinkin in Concert.

PBS will also present special national encores of classic American Masters films in honor of the 90th annivesary of Judy Garland's birth, the 50th anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death, Woody Guthrie's centennial and the new Ken Burns series The Dust Bowl.

More info on all these programs is below.

American Masters Judy Garland: By Myself National Encore Friday, June 22, 9-11 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Garland's birth (6/10/22), 43 years after her death (6/22/69) New video interviews with filmmaker, series creator and executive producer Susan Lacy & more:

American Masters Marilyn Monroe: Still Life National Encore Sunday, August 5, 8-9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death (8/5/62)

American Masters The Day Carl Sandburg Died Premieres nationally Monday, September 24, 10-11:30 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Sandburg's death (7/22/67) For much of the 20th century, Carl Sandburg was synonymous with the American experience, a spokesman on behalf of "the people." Using his unique life -- from impoverished beginnings on the Illinois prairie to the halls of Congress to The Ed Sullivan Show -- as the basis for free-verse poetry, Sandburg became one of the most successful writers in the English language: a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winner, biographer (most notably of Abraham Lincoln), children's storyteller, novelist, and captivating performer. Yet, after his death in 1967, his literary legacy faded and his poems, once taught in schools across America, were dismissed under the weight of massive critical attack. American Masters provides a dynamic examination into the life, work and controversy surrounding Sandburg, exposing his radical politics and anarchist writing during WWI as well as the burgeoning resurgence of interest in him and his contributions. 90 minutes.

American Masters Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home National Encore Tuesday, November 13, 8-9:30 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) in honor of the centennial of Guthrie's birth & in conjunction with the premiere of Ken Burns's new two-part documentary The Dust Bowl (Sun. 11/18 & Mon. 11/19, 8-10 p.m. ET on PBS)

American Masters Inventing David Geffen Premieres nationally Tuesday, November 20, 8-10 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) Notoriously press and camera-shy, David Geffen reveals himself for the first time in this unflinching portrait of a complex and compelling man. His far-reaching influence -- as agent and manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood and Broadway producer, and billionaire philanthropist -- helped shape American popular culture for the past four decades. He launched the early successes of Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Jackson Browne, Tom Cruise, and Guns N' Roses; he co-founded DreamWorks, the first new Hollywood studio in more than 50 years; he produced Cats and Dreamgirls; he is one of the largest contributors to the fight against AIDS; and he has become an important political voice. This dealmaker extraordinaire is witty, self-aware and candid. He and everyone from Yoko Ono and Cher, Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd, Stephen Spielberg and Barry Diller, David Crosby and Neil Young, Elton John and Rahm Emanuel illuminate his rich and riveting story. Two hours.

American Masters Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance Premieres nationally Friday, December 28, 9:00-10:30 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings) Discover the story of the first quintessentially American dance company. The Joffrey Ballet founders Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino pioneered a new dance philosophy by daringly combining modern and traditional techniques, art with social statement, and integrating pop and rock music scores. Tracing the struggles and triumphs of the Company from 1956 to the present, the film features interviews with former and current Joffrey dancers, the breakthroughs of choreographers Twyla Tharp, Laura Dean and Margo Sappington, and rare archival performance footage, including excerpts from signature works "Astarte," "Trinity," and "Billboards." Mandy Patinkin narrates. 90 minutes.

About American Masters

Award-winning biography series American Masters celebrates our arts and culture. Created and launched in 1986 by Executive Producer Susan Lacy, the series set the standard for documentary film profiles, accruing widespread critical acclaim:23 Emmy Awards, including for Outstanding Primetime Non-Fiction Series eight times since 1999; 12 Peabody Awards; an Oscar; three Grammys; and the 2012 Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television. Now in its 26th season, the series is a production of THIRTEEN for WNET, the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York's public television stations, and operator of NJTV. For nearly 50 years, WNET has been producing and broadcasting national and local documentaries and other programs to the New York community. For more information on American Masters, visit http://pbs.org/americanmasters and http://facebook.com/americanmasters. 

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