The Great American Songbook

Singer and musician Michael Feinstein hosts this retrospective of American popular music "from 'Yankee Doodle' to Elvis," offering a dazzling parade of hit songs as seen and heard in some of the most beloved films ever made. This delightful presentation features the musical genius of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen and Fats Waller as interpreted by a roster of familiar faces--from Al Jolson to Judy Garland to Frank Sinatra. Also included are rare home movies of many of the great songwriters of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, along with the 1942 MGM short "We Must Have Music," a publicity film explaining the workings of the studio’s music department, and "Michael's Memorabilia," a gallery from Feinstein's personal collection of musical artifacts. Originally broadcast as part of PBS' "Great Performances."