PBS Summer Slate Celebrates the Cultural Milestones and Technological Triumphs of the Summer of 1969

01/05/2019

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: CHASING THE MOON

Ed White

PBS Summer Slate Celebrates the Cultural Milestones and Technological Triumphs of the Summer of 1969

Programming Lineup Documents the 50th Anniversaries of Pivotal Moments in U.S. History - Gay Liberation, Lunar Landing and Woodstock - with Limited Series and Specials

Chasing the Moon from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Headlines the Summer of Space lineup in July

ARLINGTON, VA; May 1, 2019 - PBS, America's home for documentary film, is telling the story of '69 with a special summer slate commemorating the cultural milestones and technological triumphs of 50 years ago.

Celebrating the golden anniversaries of pivotal moments and movements in U.S. history - gay liberation, the lunar landing and Woodstock - PBS will premiere new specials and limited series, including THE LAVENDER SCARE (Tuesday, June 18, 9:00 p.m. ET), the epic three-part Chasing the Moon on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (Monday, July 8 - Wednesday, July 10, 9:00 p.m. ET), 8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK (Wednesday, July 17, 9:00 p.m. ET), Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (Tuesday, August 6, 9:00 p.m. ET) and more, throughout the summer.

In addition, PBS is dedicating the entire month of July to commemorate the wonder and awe of the universe with its previously announced Summer of Space multiplatform experience. Viewers can watch on PBS stations, PBS.org and the PBS Video App (check local listings) to explore one of the most critical and eventful periods in American history.

Our summer programming slate celebrates discovery, embraces pioneers and risk-takers, and encourages our viewers to explore new worlds and expand their horizons, said Perry Simon, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming, PBS. As America's home for documentary film, we are excited to share 1969's monumental moments through a creative and thought-provoking collection of new programs. We hope to ignite and inspire the next generation of leaders and visionaries.

PBS' homage to the summer of '69 begins with a reprise of Stonewall Uprising from AMERICAN EXPERIENCE on Tuesday, June 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET, offering viewers an opportunity to explore what happened when police raided the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. The streets of New York City erupted in violent protests that lasted for days, marking a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement. The beginnings of the LGBTQ rights movement - a decade earlier - is documented in THE LAVENDER SCARE. Premiering on Tuesday, June 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET, the film shares the untold story of how tens of thousands of homosexual federal workers were either fired or denied employment in the 1950s, stirring outrage in the gay community.

The most monumental achievement of 1969 occurred on July 20, when Apollo 11 astronauts Commander Neil Armstrong, Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin and Command Module Pilot Michael Collins became the first crew to successfully land on the moon. With an audience of more than half a billion watching on television, Armstrong planted his foot on the moon and famously proclaimed, That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

To honor this incredible feat and its 50th anniversary, PBS is offering more than 15 hours of new science and history programming with Summer of Space, anchored by the epic and highly anticipated Chasing the Moon on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. The three-part, six-hour film tells the entire story of the space race, from its earliest beginnings to the first lunar landing. Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Stone, Chasing the Moon relives the journey that defined a generation. This special event premieres Monday-Wednesday, July 8-10, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET and the trailer is available online.

Viewers will also take a unique journey with the crew of Apollo 11 for their eight-day, three-hour, 18-minute and 35-second mission in 8 DAYS: TO THE MOON AND BACK, a new BBC Studios documentary co-produced with PBS. Premiering Wednesday, July 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET, the film seamlessly blends authentic, rare mission audio featuring candid conversations between Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins with newly shot studio footage, NASA and news archive, and stunning CGI recreation of the historic journey and landing to tell this amazing story in a riveting new way.

Premiering Wednesday, July 24, limited series ANCIENT SKIES (8:00 p.m. ET) and NOVA The Planets (9:00 p.m. ET and 10:00 p.m. ET) tell stories of the human quest to understand the universe. In the three-part ANCIENT SKIES (July 24 - August 7), audiences will discover how centuries of knowledge, experimentation and engineering helped our ancestors explore outer space. Expert contributors demystify astronomical myths with scientific explanations. The five-part NOVA The Planets (July 24 - August 14) tells the dramatic story of our solar system, spanning billions of years through the discoveries of the most groundbreaking space missions. The series treats viewers to an up-close look at faraway worlds, including Saturn's 45,000-mile-wide rings, Mars's ancient waterfalls and Neptune's winds-five times stronger than any hurricane felt on Earth.

Summer of Space also features new episodes of several viewer favorites, including SECRETS OF THE DEAD Galileo's Moon (Tuesday, July 2, 8:00 p.m. ET), ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Out of This World (July 8, 8:00 p.m. ET), NOVA Back to the Moon (Wednesday, July 10, 8:00 p.m. ET), and encores of popular specials like A YEAR IN SPACE (Wednesday, July 17, 8:00 p.m. ET) and BEYOND A YEAR IN SPACE (Tuesday, July 30, 10:00 p.m. ET). Additional celestial-based programming is available by visiting the Summer of Space interactive hub on PBS.org, which also invites viewers to submit videos, photo

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PBS Summer Slate Celebrates the Cultural Milestones and Technological Triumphs of the Summer of 1969

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