Local Programs

previously Shown on ScreenTime

Art on the Block

When Kansas City leaders pushed for major urban redevelopment in 2003, H&R Block was one of the first corporations to locate their world headquarters downtown. At the heart of this move was a commitment to support local and regional talent through the H&R Block Art Program, using art as an agent for urban renewal. "Art on the Block" documents the ambitious collaboration between H&R Block and the ten regional artists creating site-specific art for Block's new headquarters.

Be Good Smile Pretty

Be Good Smile Pretty tells the story of one daughter's struggle to know her father, who was killed in the Vietnam War. Embarking on a journey of discovery, memory and loss, she confronts a grief shared by the estimated 20,000 Americans who lost their fathers in Vietnam.

Winner of the 2004 Best Documentary Emmy. Produced by KCPT.
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Bessie Coleman: Follow Your Dreams

Sandra Campbell performs her one-woman show, "Follow Your Dreams," in front of a live audience at the Gem Theatre. The performance tells the life story of the first known black aviatrix, Bessie Coleman, from her birth in Texas, throughout her hardships, to her decision to leave America and travel to Paris in pursuit of her dreams of flight.

Buy the VHS.

Birds of Wisconsin An "In Wisconsin" Special

Get remote, urban and inspiringly close to majestic, rare, large and common avian wonders in virtually every corner of the state. Featured are whooping cranes in Sauk County, tundra swans in Buffalo County, great grey owls in Douglas County, common terns in Ashland County and eagles in Cassville. Because of its water-based treasures, 15,000 lakes and the Mississippi flyway, there are nearly 400 species that live in Wisconsin full time or are part-time visitors. Many of those also are depicted in Birds of Wisconsin. The 60-minute presentation is not a how-to of bird watching, but any bird watcher will be inspired by the flocked diversity and people whose lives join wing with birds.

Community Builder: The Life and Legacy of J.C. Nichols

Community Builder is an hour-long look back at a man whose motto was planning for permanence--and whose developments and real estate ventures shaped a lot of our best known neighborhoods--the Plaza, Brookside, Mission Hills, as well as cultural institutions like UMKC and the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Even though Nichols' name is almost synonymous with suburbs and the automobile, he's found favor these days with many of the planners who call themselves New Urbanists. They see him as a pioneer when it came to developing the kinds of places where people could comfortably live and work, without needing to move on every 20 years or so.

Co-produced by KCPT.
Buy the DVD.

Crossroads of Culture (Shawnee Indian Mission)

Learn a great deal more about those old brick buildings on 53rd Street just off Shawnee Mission Parkway. They're all that remains of a much larger operation, acres and acres of a training center for youth from the Shawnee and Delaware tribes dating back to 1839. Johnson County got its name from the man who founded the mission, and the Union even camped soldiers there during the Civil War, among other things. To order: Visit the Kansas State Historical Society, www.kshs.org.

The Elders: Live at the Gem

KCPT cameras were rolling at the historic Gem theater in March of 2005 and captured Kansas City's own Celtic tiger...The Elders. During the sold-out concert, The Elders performed in front of an audience of hundreds of loyal fans. But KCPT has made sure that those who didn't make the concert at 18th & Vine will get their chance to see the "gem" of a concert.

The Elders: The Movie

A glimpse into the musical world of a Kansas City band called "The Elders." These six guys mix the influences of traditional Irish melodies and instrumentation with years and years of rock ‘n roll training. And they’ve built up a substantial fan base doing it-- not just here, but in cities across the country that seem to love their particular blend of Celtic rock. One of the band’s biggest fans is KCMO radio’s Mike Murphy, who even featured them on his final show back in December. The documentary mixes footage from a previous visit to the Murphy program with some musical moments in their recording studio.

Greensburg

On May 4th, 2007, Greensburg, Kansas was hit by an EF5 tornado, the most powerful and devastating storm possible; perhaps one of the worst tornados in American history. This twister packed winds of over 200-miles-per-hour and destroyed nearly every inch of Greensburg, including churches, schools, homes, all municipal buildings, and the hospital. In thirty minutes, the town of Greensburg was turned to ruins.

In the film, Greensburg, producer, writer and director, Brian Schodorf travels back to his native state of Kansas to document the destruction. Schodorf talks to Sebelius, FEMA, weather experts, and the people of Greensburg who are now struggling to restore what is left of their lives. After all the deaths, sadness, and destruction, the spirit and courage to rebuild survived. Schodorf captures the spirit of this small town as residents tell their stories of loss and survival.

For more information, visit the official Web site: www.greensburgfilm.com.

Flint Hills: Meditations on a Kansas Prairie

The film tells how the Flint Hills have inspired the lives and work of musicians, authors, artists and residents. It features Dr. Denise Low author and faculty member at Haskell Nations Indian University, Mike Haddock of Kansas State University and author of "Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses," musician and visual artist Gary Gackstatter, Wichita State University geology professor Dr. Collette Burke, Dr. Jim Hoy, author and faculty member at Emporia State University, Jan Jantzen of the Grandview Ranch and 90-year-old Easter Heathman, eyewitness to the Knute Rockne plane crash of 1931. The music of Chapman Stick artist Trevor Stewart and singer/songwriter Gary Gackstatter (both Kansas musicians) accompany stunning imagery of the Flint Hills taken during all four seasons. To order: Visit www.flinthillsfilm.com.

Flyfishing the Ozarks

A Flyfishing adventure on the North Fork of the White River in Missouri, the largest population of Wild Rainbow Trout in the Oark Mountains.

Hear That Train A Comin'

Produced by Nebraska Public Television, That train is the Union Pacific's steam locomotive Challenger, a million pounds of low-tech machinery that's still chugging down the tracks today, thrilling and inspiring people who love what it tells us about our past. The show takes you on some scenic rides through Colorado and out to Cheyenne, introduces you to the conductors and engineers who still man the Challenger, and the mechanics who keep this temperamental beast running.

Jazz at the Gem: A Tribute to Billie Holiday

This is a tribute to Billie Holiday. The folks at the American Jazz Museum realized that had she lived, Lady Day would have been 90 last year.  So they put together a concert with some of the best players around, both local, like Bobby Watson and national, Nneena Freelon and Geri Allen, to play some of the songs for which Billie was best known.

Jazz at the Gem: Josephine Baker

On December 16, 2006, music and dance joined forces at Kansas City's Gem Theatre, saluting the life and legacy of Josephine Baker. Like the Billie Holiday tribute in 2005, KCPT's cameras were there to record the event, which featured vocalist Nnenna Freelon and dancers from the Alvin Ailey 2 troupe.

You can see highlights from this memorable night in this hour-long special Jazz at The Gem: A Tribute to Josephine Baker.

Following individual sets by each, a joint finale of "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" brought jazz and movement together for a rousing finale.

Production funding for Jazz At the Gem has been generously provided by American Century Investments and the Copaken Family Foundation.

Jazz in the Woods

This week, it's a look back at some musical performances that you may have heard in person earlier this summer if you attended Jazz In the Woods.  They call it the largest free festival in a six state area, and it's been going on for quite a while out there in the park-like setting of Johnson County's Corporate Woods.  Heavy on the smooth jazz artists like Spyro Gyra, and Grady Nichols, it also features the Average White Band and others, including singer Erin Bode from St. Louis.  The Overland Park South Rotary Club puts it all together, and wanted to share some Jazz In the Woods with you on ScreenTime.

Besides the entertainment value of Jazz In the Woods, the 3 day event is designed to raise money for three charities chosen by the Overland Park South Rotary Club.  Marillac, TLC and Lee Ann Britain Infant Development received more than $100,000 from the 2006 event.  You can learn more about the annual event by visiting the festivals' website at jazzinthewoods.com.

The Kansas City Free Health Clinic

In celebration of the clinic's 35th year in operation, this film delves into the founding and history of the organization. The documentary features interviews with and stories told by many of the Clinic founders.

KC Filmmakers Jubilee 2005 Sneak Preview

KCPT's Randy Mason talks with Jubilee President, Fred Andrews about this year's event. The Special ScreenTime gives a sneak preview of some of the films to be showcased April 22 - 28.

KC to Kanorado

For centuries now, native Kansans have endured the unflattering snubs about their home state: flat, boring, nothing to see or do. No, there are no mountains in Kansas, but wind and water have shaped their own peaks. Nor is there a crashing coastal surf, but you’ll find shimmering waves of wheat, majestic swells of prairie, even remnants of an ancient sea. But to see the real beauty, you must venture beyond the margins of the yellow stripes and orange cones of interstate 70. So join us on a journey that crosses 424 miles of the Sunflower state.

Produced by KCPT.
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Kansas vs. Darwin

In May of 2005, a 3-member subcommittee of the Kansas State Board of Education held hearings to determine whether Darwin's long-held Theory of Evolution should be challenged in public-school science curriculum. At stake was, in effect, the definition of science for Kansas schoolchildren.

Kansas vs. Darwin takes you inside the hearings to meet the characters who captured the world's attention: school board members who believe their literal interpretation of the Bible trumps modern scientific evidence, and members of the Intelligent Design Network who believe mainstream science is conspiring to suppress evidence that would overturn evolution. You'll also get face to face with an organization of Kansas scientists, educators, and citizens that organizes a worldwide response to put an end to what they see as a religiously-motivated kangaroo court.

For more information, visit the official Web site: www.kansasvdarwin.com.

Katy: Stories of the Trail

Experience the beauty of Missouri's forests and hills, prairies and bottomlands, farms and villages. Visit the people who live and work along the trail, hear their stories, and gain practical tips for your own journey on the Katy. This documentary is your first step into the seasons, the scenery and the lives of people you will never forget.

Produced by KETC.

Live at the Cotillion: Split Lip Rayfield

One might try to categorize Split Lip Rayfield as a bluegrass band with their acoustic guitar, banjo, and a one-string gas tank bass strung with a weed whacker line and nicknamed "The Stichgiver," but their intricate harmonies and wide range of songs that have made them so popular defy any true categorization. Kirk Rundstrom (guitar, vocals), Eric Mardis (banjo, vocals) and Jeff Eaton (gas tank bass, vocals) make up the trio that have built a strong following with their revelatory live shows. This performance at The Cotillion Ballroom in Wichtia, KS, filmed in December 2006 is one of the best. To order: Visit Split Lip Rayfield's Web site, www.splitliprayfield.com.

A Magical Life: Circus Flora

Produced in St. Louis, “A Magical Life” is about a small circus company based in Missouri. For fifteen years or so, Circus Flora has been mixing old school European circus style with modern theater techniques and touring the world with their one-ring extravaganza. It’s the brainchild of a man named Ivor David Balding, and this documentary from 2004 both peeks inside the tent and behind the scenes with a troupe of performers that include members of the famed Flying Wallenda Family.

Meet the Past

Kansas City history has been recorded in many different ways. Books, journals, newspapers, clips on radio and TV... these tell us a lot about the who's, what's and when's of our heritage, but sometimes they can seem awfully dry.

In Meet the Past, Crosby Kemper III, chief executive of the Kansas City Public Library, brings us a fresh twist on the whole notion of local history. He does it by interviewing famous figures in the grand hall of the Central Library. More>

Mr. K: A Common Man With Uncommon Vision
The Story of Ewing Marion Kauffman

This film biography captures Ewing Kauffman's unconventional approach to life as a great American entrepreneur, Major League Baseball team owner, and philanthropist. His remarkable story unfolds through a tapestry of historic footage, memorabilia, home movies, and photos. The visuals are blended with present-day interviews with Marion Laboratories associates, Foundation leaders and others - including Kansas City Royals stars George Brett and Frank White - along with stylized recreations and memorable baseball highlights. Hosted and narrated by Academy Award-winning actor and Kansas City native Chris Cooper, the film also draws upon the Kauffman family's personal archives as well as mementos collected by Kansas Citians.

Nelly Don: A Stitch in Time

In 1916, Nelly Don created a fashion empire and became one of the most wealthy and celebrated American women in business. She lived a fabled life and, were her incredible story not true, it would be hard to believe. To order: Visit www.nellydon.com.

Oil Dorado: The Life and Times of an Oil Field

From the 1910’s through the 1950’s oil permeated every aspect of life in Butler County. Those in the oil fields found work that was hard and dangerous, but also created bonds that lasted over the decades. Although quiet, the grasslands of modern Butler County still bare traces of the dynamic search for black gold that shapes our lives to this day. Produced by KPTS, Wichita, KS.

Ours to Give: The Long Legacy of an American Family

Eighty years ago, any Kansas Citian would have known the name of Robert Alexander Long. He owned the world’s largest lumber company, and his daughter smashed gender barriers in the show horse world. Today, Long is best remembered locally as the builder of Longview Farm in Lee’s Summit and Corinthian Hall in Northeast Kansas City – the home of the Kansas City Museum.

Ours to Give takes a fresh look at this remarkable family and finds several important legacies for our times. The Long’s story is told through archival photos and film footage, through interviews with people who knew them, and in narration by noted actor Michael Gross.

DVD copies of the Ours to Give are available by calling 1-888-876-2765.

Seasons of the Year, Seasons of the Heart

Seasons of the Year, Seasons of the Heart is Charles at his most elemental, reading excerpts from his newspaper columns and books, to a very receptive audience at the American Heartland Theatre.

Solomon Butcher: Frontier Photographer

Solomon Butcher, a photographer who took big glass plate photographs in the 1870s, deduced that there was money to be made out on the plains and hauled a pretty imposing camera out there to do it.  This documentary features the pictures that he took and even introduces some of the descendants of the folks who were in them. By using modern digital techniques on the photos, researchers at the State Historical Society have learned even more about the way life was lived back then. To order: Visit Nebraska ETV, netnebraska.org.

Stories Under the Stone

The grave is the most democratic of institutions—the destination to which we all are bound. But the markers that adorn our burying grounds are far from equal. Small and simple, elegant and ostentatious, complex and quirky, these richly varied memorials inspire us to examine the stories under the stone. Travel with writer C.W. Gusewelle in this hour-long documentary, and explore an amazing array of history, artistry, imagery and symbolism just waiting to be discovered in cemeteries across the Heartland. Written and hosted by C.W. Gusewelle. Featuring music by The Kemps.

Buy the VHS or DVD.

10J: The History of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

10-J: The History of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City recounts the contentious process that led to the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank system in 1913. And how, thanks to a strong, united civic effort, Kansas City managed to snare one of only twelve regional banks it had chartered. Susie Gharib of the Nightly Business Report hosts.
More Information >
Purchase the DVD >

Through My Sights - A Gunner's View of WWI

Produced by award-winning filmmaker Linda Haskins, Through My Sights - A Gunner's View of WWI tells the story of Glenn Kappelman, an American gunner in an armored car in the 106th Cavalry Group, who took over 400 unique war-time photographs throughout France, Germany and Austria. Unlike many professional war photographers, Kappelman committed himself to shooting images of average soldiers at the troop level. Remarkably, those precious rolls of film survived. Kappelman and his buddy Art Barkis, who served as a radio operator in the same armored car, narrate this unusual and engaging production. Their down-to-earth recollections, triggered by the events and the candid scenes immortalized in the photos, capture a unique view of WWII that is alternately humorous, sobering and compelling. To order: Call The Raven Bookstore, 785-749-3300

Timeless Tractors

Produced by Iowa Public Television, Timeless Tractors traces the history of the farm tractor, takes a look at the people who shaped the evolution of farming, and examines at how farm tractors revolutionized American agriculture.

Two Birds, One Stone: The CCC in Missouri

Filmmaker Phil Helfrich of the Missouri Conservation Department found himself fascinated with the legacy left behind by the Civilian Conservation Corps decades ago an operation that was vital to America during the days of the Great Depression.

To order: Visit www.wsiu.org.

Two Times, One Torch

The story of young people in Missouri carrying the torch for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC); you'll meet Josh - our torchbearer, other teens, their parents, crewleaders, conservation officials, and some of the surviving members of CCC in this HEC-TV exclusive documentary. Join us for a look into a present day movement sweeping the country - the the YCC (Youth Conservation Corps). Produced by HEC-TV, St. Louis.

Uniquely Kansas City: A Great Town Rises

This installment looks back on such long-gone venues as the Gillis and Coates Opera Houses, and the Western Gallery of Art; at painters like George Caleb Bingham and John Douglas Patrick; and the city's contributions to the musical style known as ragtime.

Uniquely Kansas City: Making a City Beautiful

Join KCPT on a journey into Kansas City's architectural past, where visionaries and entrepreneurs build their way up from steep bluffs along the river to create a lasting legacy of parks and boulevards, fountains, sculpture and monuments of national renown. This program, originally produced in HDTV (High Definition Television), reveals much of the beauty that is "Uniquely Kansas City."

Uniquely Kansas City: The Golden Age: Kansas City's Artistic Renaissance

As the 20th century began, Kansas City blossomed with artistic activity in its theatres and concert halls. Soon its music, in the form of jazz, would awaken the world. Meanwhile, the birth of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Philharmonic and the emergence of the Kansas City Art Institute, marked the 30s and 40s as a golden age in our arts.

Buy the VHS tapes (5 total).

Water & Fire: A Story of the Ozarks

Narrator and Kansas City Star Columnist, C.W. Gusewelle says, "We decided to tell the story in a frame of seasons - seasons of the natural world, and seasons of lives." In fact, the story begins with one of the first seasons of the Ozarks, an ancient time when the region was a magnificent seabed of sixty foot sharks and predatory fish. Then it proceeds -- touching on the first native peoples, the early pioneers, and other settlers who depended on the region's rivers and timber for their livelihood.

Buy the VHS or DVD.

Wichita's Old Cowtown

Get an up close and personal look at what distinguishes Old Cowtown Museum as an accredited living history site, unique in America and right here in Wichita. "Cowtown," as it was called in the early 1950s and 1960s, has been open to the public for 53 years. The documentary gives viewers the chance to learn about the history of this cultural attraction that has served millions of visitors, including hundreds of thousands of school children and Girl and Boy Scouts. For those who have not visited the Museum in some time, the documentary illustrates the dynamic interplay between fun and learning that takes place daily at Cowtown. Go behind the scenes of historical interpretation as each interview highlights a different aspect of Wichita, Sedgwick County and southernplains history from 1865 to the 1880's and showcases each part of the 25 acre site such as: blacksmithing, printmaking and the Wichita City Eagle's history, buffalo hunting, cattle driving, the role of the woman, agriculture and commerce.

To order: Visit www.oldcowtown.org

The World of Virgil Ward

Missouri fisherman Virgil Ward