Ken Burns has become arguably the leading American documentary filmmaker of our time. He's got another project just about ready for broadcast on public television.
It's about three members of one of the 20th century's leading political families, the Roosevelts.
Some might argue that the Kennedy family rose to even greater heights, electing one son president, two more as U.S. senators, along with other siblings contributing to great causes, as well as younger generations being elected to public office.
The Roosevelts, though, do stand on their own as a dominant force.
Ken Burns profiles three of them -- Theodore Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt -- in a landmark documentary that will be broadcast next month on Panhandle PBS. Who were these people? Franklin and Eleanor were husband and wife, along with being distant cousins; FDR served as president during the Great Depression and then during World War II, while Eleanor stod by his side and became his most trusted adviser and then a powerhouse in her own right after FDR's death in April 1945. Teddy Roosevelt preceded both of them in the public eye, serving as president at the turn of the 20th century.
But first things first.
We have a preview, which airs Friday at 9:30 p.m., also on Panhandle PBS.
It features interviews and behind-the-scenes material that tells the story of the making of this documentary.
Panhandle PBS has shown the preview already and it will be rebroadcast to generate even more interest in the special.
Here's my bet: There will be plenty of interest in it when it airs next month.
