After the opening of the September 11th Memorial and Museum, record-breaking crowds traveled to Ground Zero, to the exact spot where the tragedy happened. In this archival edition of Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko asks - why?

After the opening of the September 11th Memorial and Museum, record-breaking crowds traveled to Ground Zero, to the exact spot where the tragedy happened. In this archival edition of Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko asks - why?By WNYC Studios

New York-born master filmmaker Alan Pakula produced To Kill a Mockingbird and directed Sophie's Choice, but, as WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests tell us, he's also known for a trio of dark and urgent thrillers which are not getting old - they're getting new. (Produced in 2018)

New York-born master filmmaker Alan Pakula produced To Kill a Mockingbird and directed Sophie's Choice, but, as WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests tell us, he's also known for a trio of dark and urgent thrillers which are not getting old - they're getting new. (Produced in 2018)By WNYC Studios

In the 1940s, author James Agee's film criticism revealed his unusually artful take on Hollywood movies. 65 years after his death, WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests explore Agee's lifelong passion for cinema. (Produced in 2005)

In the 1940s, author James Agee's film criticism revealed his unusually artful take on Hollywood movies. 65 years after his death, WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests explore Agee's lifelong passion for cinema. (Produced in 2005)By WNYC Studios

In this crisis, we're all looking at things a little differently, including movies both new and old. Are we losing ourselves in culture, or are we finding ourselves? A little of both, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, in this episode of Fishko Files. The Best Years of Our Lives, Rear Window, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Gold Diggers of 1933, and Follow the Fleet …

In this crisis, we're all looking at things a little differently, including movies both new and old. Are we losing ourselves in culture, or are we finding ourselves? A little of both, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, in this episode of Fishko Files. The Best Years of Our Lives, Rear Window, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Gold Diggers of 1933, and Follow the Fleet …

This Monday is May 4th, otherwise known as 5/4 - which has become an unofficial "Dave Brubeck Day" over the years, in tribute to the jazz pianist and composer's most celebrated tune, "Take Five" (1959), written in 5/4 time. WNYC's Sara Fishko talked to Brubeck [b. 1920, d. 2012] in 2004.

This Monday is May 4th, otherwise known as 5/4 - which has become an unofficial "Dave Brubeck Day" over the years, in tribute to the jazz pianist and composer's most celebrated tune, "Take Five" (1959), written in 5/4 time. WNYC's Sara Fishko talked to Brubeck [b. 1920, d. 2012] in 2004.By WNYC Studios

Charlie Chaplin entertained his way through the crises of the 20th century: his first appearance on the screen coincided with the start of World War I. During the Great Depression, audiences flocked to his Modern Times, a memorably satirical take on the era. He lampooned Hitler in The Great Dictator in 1940. Later on, he had a run-in with McCarthyi…

Charlie Chaplin entertained his way through the crises of the 20th century: his first appearance on the screen coincided with the start of World War I. During the Great Depression, audiences flocked to his Modern Times, a memorably satirical take on the era. He lampooned Hitler in The Great Dictator in 1940. Later on, he had a run-in with McCarthyi…

Joel Meyerowitz's new book is called "How I Make Photographs." But nearly 20 years ago he became known for another book, one that documented the armies of workers turning chaos into order after the 9/11 attacks. WNYC's Sara Fishko has more in this Fishko Files. Joel Meyerowitz's photographs of Ground Zero can be seen in the Phaidon book Aftermath. …

Joel Meyerowitz's new book is called "How I Make Photographs." But nearly 20 years ago he became known for another book, one that documented the armies of workers turning chaos into order after the 9/11 attacks. WNYC's Sara Fishko has more in this Fishko Files. Joel Meyerowitz's photographs of Ground Zero can be seen in the Phaidon book Aftermath. …

We learned earlier this week of the death of the remarkable and absolutely irreplaceable music producer Hal Willner, whom Sara Fishko interviewed at length and profiled for a Fishko Files in 2018. Willner died of complications from coronavirus. His knowledge and love of music - and sense of fun - gave an indelible, personal slant to everything he p…

We learned earlier this week of the death of the remarkable and absolutely irreplaceable music producer Hal Willner, whom Sara Fishko interviewed at length and profiled for a Fishko Files in 2018. Willner died of complications from coronavirus. His knowledge and love of music - and sense of fun - gave an indelible, personal slant to everything he p…

During the last presidential campaign season, Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd caught on for the way its story mirrored, to some degree, that of our current president's rise to power. As we watch the official, increasingly self-promotional daily briefings on our current crisis, Face comes to mind again. Though WNYC's Sara Fishko recommends her…

During the last presidential campaign season, Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd caught on for the way its story mirrored, to some degree, that of our current president's rise to power. As we watch the official, increasingly self-promotional daily briefings on our current crisis, Face comes to mind again. Though WNYC's Sara Fishko recommends her…

In the '60s, says WNYC’s Sara Fishko, the very eccentric Marshall McLuhan educated us all about the power of television and, ultimately, computers - and how they would someday connect us. He’s the subject of this edition of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2011)By WNYC Studios

In the '60s, says WNYC’s Sara Fishko, the very eccentric Marshall McLuhan educated us all about the power of television and, ultimately, computers - and how they would someday connect us. He’s the subject of this edition of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2011)

With the world in crisis, in a scattered, work-from-home mode, we’re also watching from home. Years ago, in challenging times, late night TV became our "cultural glue," as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2001)By WNYC Studios

With the world in crisis, in a scattered, work-from-home mode, we’re also watching from home. Years ago, in challenging times, late night TV became our "cultural glue," as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2001)

Many decades ago, in the midst of another period of turmoil and uncertainty, concerned citizens and artists took their cameras into the streets to document real life. (Produced in 2011)By WNYC Studios

Many decades ago, in the midst of another period of turmoil and uncertainty, concerned citizens and artists took their cameras into the streets to document real life. (Produced in 2011)

Sviatoslav Richter was born in March 1915 - and he was an astonishing, original, non-conforming, charismatic, mesmerizing pianist, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005 and updated in 2015)By WNYC Studios

Sviatoslav Richter was born in March 1915 - and he was an astonishing, original, non-conforming, charismatic, mesmerizing pianist, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005 and updated in 2015)

As you may have noticed, says WNYC’s Sara Fishko, the new production of West Side Story has sharply divided the critics, who’ve been using a range of adjectives to describe it - from “gutsy and exhilarating” to “infuriating!” When the show was brand new, in 1957, the creators then, too, awaited the reviews. The late Arthur Laurents, who wrote the o…

As you may have noticed, says WNYC’s Sara Fishko, the new production of West Side Story has sharply divided the critics, who’ve been using a range of adjectives to describe it - from “gutsy and exhilarating” to “infuriating!” When the show was brand new, in 1957, the creators then, too, awaited the reviews. The late Arthur Laurents, who wrote the o…

The Whitney's new show Vida Americana reveals the impact of Mexico’s revolutionary art of the '20s on American realism - and it has WNYC's Sara Fishko thinking about one of Mexico’s most radical composers of that period. More in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2002) Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945 continues…

David Lang’s one-act opera The Loser tells the story of two fictional piano students - both Glenn Gould wannabes - whose lives are turned upside down by their idolatry and frustration. Just before the work’s premiere in 2016, WNYC’s Sara Fishko spoke to Lang for this Fishko Files. David Lang's The Loser has just been released digitally and on CD.…

This Sunday will mark 70 years since a speech by Senator Joseph McCarthy cranked up America's post-World War II, anti-Communist crusade - and set in motion something known as McCarthyism. WNYC's Sara Fishko has more in this episode of Fishko Files.By WNYC Studios

One of the most eccentric and interesting artistic partnerships of the 20th century, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, was the collaboration between the composer Virgil Thomson and the writer and poet Gertrude Stein. Together, the two were instrumental in inventing American opera. More, in this episode of Fishko Files. The Metropolitan Museum of Art'…

As the Met Opera's production of Porgy and Bess enters its final weeks, WNYC's Sara Fishko sorts through the long, checkered history of the piece in this archival Fishko Files - produced during the polarizing 2012 Broadway revival. Porgy and Bess continues at the Met Opera through February 15.By WNYC Studios

Coming up in two weeks: New York Fashion Week! From WNYC’s Sara Fishko is this archival Fishko Files, with a little history.By WNYC Studios

Some of the major struggles and victories of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s coincided with a most active period for jazz music. For Martin Luther King Jr. Day, WNYC's Sara Fishko looks at a few cases where the movement and the music came together, in this edition of Fishko Files. Max Roach's We Insist! Freedom Now Duke Ellington's My People…

It's forty years since Stanley Kubrick's The Shining showed us just what the remarkable Steadicam could do to our perception and sense of movement. This archival Fishko Files tells the story of its invention, the product of an unlikely obsession by a frustrated cameraman on a mission to perfect! (Produced in 2016)…

It's been 95 years since the death of Ferruccio Busoni - a complicated, underappreciated musical genius whose pianism, compositions, and ideas, says Sara Fishko, deserve better! (Produced in 2012)By WNYC Studios

The holiday season brings out the best in Baroque music. One of the best of the best is Bach's remarkable Chaconne, whose story is told by WNYC's Sara Fishko in this Fishko Files classic from 2003.By WNYC Studios

Since early fall, a corner of the Whitney Museum has been devoted to the sounds, thoughts, and visions of the jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran. As the year turns, the show goes into its final days. More from WNYC's Sara Fishko, in this edition of Fishko Files. Jason Moran's show at the Whitney closes on January 5, with final jazz performances …

2020 will mark 60 years since the debut of Hitchcock's Psycho - the film that made explicit what had only been suggested by the post-WWII genre of film noir. This Fishko Files with Eddie Muller was recorded years before his ascent to TCM's master commentator on the genre. (Produced in 2004)By WNYC Studios

The film Marriage Story starts streaming on Netflix today. It was in December 1979 that another well-acted, thoughtful film about divorce opened to mostly raves for its writer-director, Robert Benton - who is Sara Fishko's guest on this edition of Fishko Files. Kramer vs. Kramer, Places in the Heart, and many other Benton films are available on Ama…

“Heart and Soul,” a 1930s song of modest melody and lilting rhythm, occupies a special place in the culture of piano-playing. Without its lyrics - with just its simple, jaunty tune - it’s become an iconic American tradition, especially at the holiday season's social gatherings. Why? WNYC’s Sara Fishko meditates on the mysteries of a popular tune. (…

In the days following September 11th, television united Americans as it had few times before. In this special edition for On the Media, WNYC's Sara Fishko takes us back to November 22nd, 1963 - the Friday before Thanksgiving, when the medium was feeling its way, for the first time, through a devastating tragedy. (Produced in 2001)…

This weekend, Film Forum kicks off a 13-film festival celebrating the actor and filmmaker Lee Grant. In the prime of her career - her "ingénue years," as she calls them - she was blacklisted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, rendering her unemployable in Hollywood. She spoke to WNYC's Sara Fishko in 2014 about those years, and the b…

World War I presented civilization with unprecedented violence and destruction. The shock of the first modern, “industrial” war extended far into the 20th century and even into the 21st, and changed how people saw the world and themselves. And that was reflected in the cultural responses to the war – which included a burgeoning obsession with beaut…

World War 1 officially ended in 1919, and as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, its impact on art and culture during and after the war can still be felt. One early response to the war came from artists searching for a way to express their shock. More, in this edition of Fishko Files. Next Thursday, November 7 at 7pm, Sara Fishko will be live in The Green…

With Halloween looming, WNYC's Sara Fishko relates the story of "Isle of the Dead" - a dark, mysterious 19th century painting that captivated a whole generation. More in this episode of Fishko Files. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Wayne ShulmisterEditor: Karen Frillmann…

This Monday, the Guggenheim Museum celebrates 60 years since the opening of its arresting Frank Lloyd Wright building on Fifth Avenue. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, the building and New York had much to offer each other. On October 21 and throughout the rest of the month, the Guggenheim features music, tours, and conversations to commemorate the …

For decades, Dodsworth has been one of William Wyler's underappreciated films, despite Walter Huston's Oscar-winning performance and the familiarity of the material; it began as a Sinclair Lewis novel and had a life as a Broadway play as well. However - underappreciated no longer! Dodsworth will be shown at the New York Film Festival tonight, Thurs…

Filmmaker Shirley Clarke was born October 2, 1919. Her groundbreaking, atmospheric films - "Portrait of Jason," "The Cool World," and "The Connection," among others from the 1950s and '60s - are being shown digitally on the Criterion Channel, and theatrically at Film Forum all this month. (Produced in 2013)…