Biographer Barbara Leaming has written a new biography of Katharine Hepburn, which places the actress' life in the context of her family's history: one of tragic and political importance. Katherine Hepburn's grandfather committed suicide, as did her brother. Hepburn's mother was a major figure in the radical suffrage movement, and a friend of Margaret Sanger.
We speak with two veterans about their service during World War II. Tony Varone remembers V.E. DAY 50 years ago today. He served in the 9th Infantry Division which fought in Europe. He now is Commander of VFW POST in Long Island, New York. Donald Pearce fought in Europe in the Canadian Army. Pearce kept a diary during his tour of duty. His 1965 book Journal Of A War: North-west Europe 1944-1945 chronicles the battles fought in Belgian and the Netherlands.
Dean Kahler was wounded in the Kent State University shootings. Fifty years ago, the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of students demonstrating against raids into Cambodia. Four students were killed and nine were injured. The National Guard and Governor of Ohio (who ordered the Guard's presence) were exonerated of any responsibility for the shooting. Kahler was the only survivor to be paralyzed. (Image courtesy of Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections & Archives.)
Founder of National Empowerment Television (NET) and president of the Free Congress Foundation, Paul Weyrich. Weyrich is a staunch conservative who wants to lead people out of political apathy and towards involvement and influence. The NET likes to refer to itself as C-SPAN with an attitude. And conservatives, especially Newt Gingrich who hosts his own show on the NET, are big advocates of the programming.
Young's newest show is “VR.5,” on the Fox Network. The show follows Sydney Bloom, who accidentally discovers she can enter any landscape or time of her choosing through her computer. Young also produced the TV show "China Beach."
William Adler is author of, Land of Opportunity: One Family's Quest For The American Dream In The Age of Crack. It tells the story of the Chambers brothers, who moved to Detroit from Mississippi in the mid-80's in search of economic freedom. They found it by setting up the biggest drug business in the city -- complete with quality control, discounts, employee bonuses and a dress code.
Spencer's new book, Men In Black, was called "charmingly funny-sad" by the New York Times. His previous books include Last Night at the Brain Thieves' Ball, Endless Love, and Waking the Dead.
Amis is the author of The Information. The book is about rivalry in the literary world, which some have said parallels Amis' own life. Britain's literary world was shocked when Amis demanded a half-million pound advance on The Information, supposedly to pay for his divorce and costly dental work, and then dumped his long-time agent, who was also the wife of his best friend. The New York Times has called The Information "an uncompromising and highly ambitious novel that should also be a big popular hit."
Allende has published her first work of non-fiction, Paula. It's about her 28 year old daughter, who fell into an irreversible coma. Paula began as a letter to her dying daughter and turned into an autobiographical work about Allende's childhood in Chile, her exile in Venezuela and her move to San Francisco.
Writer/Director Kayo Hatta. Her film "Picture Bride," is the story of a young woman who moves to Hawaii as a "picture bride." Picture brides were Japanese women who moved to Hawaii in order to marry the Japanese plantation workers who settled there. The women would only have seen a picture of their future husband before they were married. The film is Hatta's first commercial release and the first Hawaiian production to gain a commercial release, and also won the 1995 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for best dramatic film.
Advocate for the aging Maggie Kuhn died last Saturday at age 89. She won national attention for the cause of the elderly when she formed The Gray Panthers, a highly successful lobbying group that pressured local, state and federal agencies recognize the rights of the aging. (Rebroadcast)
Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz considers the changing reputation but enduring skill of Pierre Boulez who, after years dedicating himself to composition, has returned to conducting.
The two time Pulitzer Prize winning novelist joins us to talk about his new book Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery. Mailer says we must ask "Who was Oswald?" as a prelude to asking "Who killed JFK?" The book profiles Lee Harvey Oswald's life. It's Mailer's 28th book.
