KCET Honors Women's History Month with Inspiring Documentaries in March

BURBANK, CA - Feb. 26, 2014 - KCET, the nation's largest independent

public television station serving Southern and Central California, commemorates Women's History Month with several fascinating documentaries

throughout March. These programs celebrate the courage,

commitment and strength of influential women and their significant impact on

the U.S. as well as the world.

No Going Back: Women and the War - Sunday, March 2 at 11 p.m.

North of the Mason-Dixon line, the

Industrial Revolution of the mid-19th century drew increasing numbers of women

out of the home and into the factories. In the agrarian, antebellum South, no

such exodus occurred. Many Southerners perceived the forces of modernization -

including the early rumblings of the women's suffrage movement - as a threat to

their traditional way of life. However, as Fort Sumter fell in April of 1861,

so too would many firmly held cultural and societal beliefs about a "woman's

place." Hardships and hunger forced ill-prepared, isolated and often

un-educated Southern women into the public sphere to demand relief from the

roles in society, changed during and after the Civil War. Grammy®-winning

singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter narrates. Interviews with well-known

historians and academics, reenactments at Civil War-era landmarks, and dramatic

readings from the letters and journals of women, both free and enslaved,

illuminate this fascinating chapter in American history.

Thatcher: A Memoir - Thursday, March 6 at 10 p.m.

Life Is A Banquet: The Rosalind Russell Story - Thursday, March 13 at 10 p.m.

Rosalind Russell, the star of Auntie Mame, His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and

scores of other memorable films and Broadway shows, came into her own during

Hollywood's Golden Era and was paired with many of the luminaries of that time,

including Joan Crawford, Cary Grant, and Kirk Douglas. An advocate for those

with disabilities, this unique and pioneering talent was struck with severe

rheumatoid arthritis in her later years, which derailed her career. Thereafter,

Russell championed the needs of millions also suffering from the disease.

Whether considered for her sophisticated comedy roles or dignity under duress,

her humanity shines through. Narrated by Kathleen Turner, this insightful and

warm profile comes on the occasion of the approach of the 75th anniversary of

Dennis in Auntie Mame (1958).  

Florence,

Italy, the cradle of the Renaissance, gave rise to some of the world's most

celebrated artists, architects and scientists, including: Michelangelo,

Brunelleschi and Galileo. Yet, little is known of the city's trailblazing

these largely forgotten Renaissance-era painters, revealing the "hidden

half" of one of the world's most beloved art cities. Infrared

reflectography and other high-tech equipment assists a dedicated group of

artists, historians, restorers and museum executives as they remove centuries

of decay and bring precious pieces of art history - salvaged from storage

facilities throughout Italy - back to life. Cameras chart this painstaking

process of reconstruction, restoration, preservation and conservation of two

works, "Lamentation with Saints" by Plautilla Nelli (1524-1588), a

cloistered nun and the first known female painter of Florence; and "David

and Bathsheba," by Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653).   

Sister Wendy and the Art of the Gospel - Thursday, March 20 at 10 p.m.

Sister Wendy, all teeth, glasses and

habit, burst on to our screens in the 1990s. An instant star in America and the

U.K., her secret is a rare ability to tell the stories in painting, and connect

us to their big emotional insights. However, she has told us nothing about her

biography, the unexpected international fame, or the core of her faith. For the

first time Sister Wendy looks back at her life, revealing intimate thoughts,

reminiscences and self-doubt. At the same time she uses great old master

paintings in the National Gallery, the Louvre and in the Fitzwilliam, and some

modern paintings, to tell us the gospel stories that were once universally

familiar, but are now regularly disregarded. These are the stories that

inspired her life of devotion -- stories that she feels, with absolute

certainty, have relevance today.

In Her Power - Sunday, March 23 at 11:30 p.m.  

Empowerment expert Helene Lerner

reveals the keys to "authentic power" in a dynamic new half-hour

documentary. Based on her book about personal reinvention, In Her Power encourages women to believe in themselves and pursue

even their most intimidating and inconvenient dreams. The program features

insights from actors including: Julianne Moore, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jane

Seymour; as well as Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, and other inspiring self-made

women. Lerner believes that accepting the discomfort of change helps women move

through fear and uncertainty. To illustrate her points, Lerner leads a

heartfelt discussion among four women who have faced distinct personal

obstacles and altered the course of their lives.

This is a story of a group of young,

determined and courageous women during World War II who broke through barriers

and shattered stereotypes. 

They were the first women pilots to ever fly for the United States military.

However, after a nasty and aggressive campaign by male pilots who wanted the

women's Air Force service pilots or WASP jobs during World War II, they were

the only wartime unit that was denied military status by Congress and were sent

home before the war was over and their jobs done. Because the women were denied

military status, the WASP received no insurance or benefits during or after the

war, and if a WASP died during training or while on a mission, their families

were not allowed to put a service star in the window, nor could the WASP

receive a military burial. It wasn't until the middle of the 1970s that they

would be recognized as World War II veterans, and it wasn't until 2010, that

the United States government would recognize those women who died during their

service and the surviving WASP would receive the congressional gold

medal. 

We Served Too provides a firsthand

account from WASP who tell their story and discuss their experiences during the

three pivotal periods that make up the WASP history. WASP experts and family

members also share their personal stories and expert knowledge.

On-air, online and in the

community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment

of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning

local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around

the world. Throughout its 50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major

awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its

national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and

children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website,

kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional

information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming

schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of

KCETLink.

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