|
|
| Click on banner above to shop at the Stefanie Powers Archives Mall and help support the WHWF! |
______________
THE POLISH AMERICANS
1998
THE POLISH AMERICANS aired on PBS as part
of the summer 1998 pledge drive. It applauds the spirit, determination and solidarity of an immigrant success story like no
other. Using vintage film footage, family photos, personal recollections and experiences, this documentary special embodies
Polish pride in a televised "family album" of the Polish-American experience. Singer Bobby Vinton, actor Stefanie Powers,
former U.S. National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland), author Suzanne Strempek
Shea and others share their stories in this tribute to Polish Americans. Actor Casey Siemaszko narrates. In America, families
gave the cultural identity of a divided homeland new life.
THE POLISH AMERICANS takes viewers to the little Polska
across the United States, from New York City and Schenectady to Cleveland and Chicago, where parents instill in their children
the virtues and values of their native land and a love of its traditions, like the pierogi so many mothers filled and pinched
just right.
While strongly American and part of the larger culture, Polish Americans maintained a desire to keep their
heritage alive with rewarding results. As a Harvard student, Brzezinski, decided to make a name for himself "in spite of"
his difficult Polish name. Vinton tells how he revived his recording career with "Melody of Love," a song whose lyrics came
from a Polish term of endearment his mother used. Powers describes her greatest thrill as the "privilege" of leading the New
York City's Pulaski Day Parade as 1995's Grand Marshall. And Mikulski embodied the "norms" of excellence she was raised to
achieve when she became the first woman elected to a U.S. Senate seat in her own right. THE POLISH AMERICANS celebrates these
proud achievements and the ultimate expression of cultural and religious pride, an election of a Polish Pope.
***
WILLIAM HOLDEN: The Golden Boy
William Holden: The Golden Boy reveals a charming
unconventional man with a "wild streak" and a compulsion to test himself at every turn. His success as an internationally
acclaimed actor shines in clips from some of his best films. Also featured are on-camera interviews with Robert Wagner, Robert
Mitchum, Cliff Robertson, Sidney Lumet, and Stefanie Powers.
***
THE AMERICAN SPORTSMAN
Footage of Bill Holden discussing his beloved Kenya
and clips of Stefanie Powers who continues his conservation efforts with the William Holden Wildlife Foundation
***
RETURN JOURNEY
Stefanie Powers takes us on a tour of the WHWF
Education Center and the Animal Orphanage in Kenya
***
COCOS ISLAND
Sharks of Treasure Island
Narrated by Stefanie Powers, the Cousteau team follows pirate footsteps
to legendary Treasure Island. An expedition designed to unravel the secrets of this eastern Pacific atoll, the group discovers
that the real mysteries lie within the island's tropical rain forest and coral reefs. THE COUSTEAU VIDEO LIBRARY is the masterwork
of premier explorer-environmentalist Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who with his son, Jean-Michel, examines the globes great rivers,
far promontories, remote islands and undersea worlds.
***
PIONEER OF THE SEA
His name is Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his credo was to document, protect, and celebrate all that
he explored. This video salutes this great pioneer upon his 75th birthday (June 10, 1985). With rare photo-graphs and remarkable
footage from his greatest expeditions, this film biography probes the life, the mind, and the accomplishments of a man who
first revealed the beauty and extraordinary life of the undersea world. Join Stefanie Powers, John Denver, Ted Turner, Jose
Ferrer and many others, to celebrate the birthday of the man who co-invented the Aqua-Lung, invented the diving saucer, helped
perfect underwater photography, and won three Oscars and numerous Emmy Awards for his memorable documentaries.
***
SEARCH FOR THE RED APE
In this DISCOVERY SHOWCASE, Indonesia's Komodo dragons, temple monkeys, Sumatrin tigers and
orangutans interest Stefanie Powers and Zoo Atlanta's team of researchers during the Americans' tour of the ancient archipelago.
The group encounters lush vegetation and peculiar wildlife while rafting down a muddy jungle river. Scientists study the
red primates in hopes of helping these "men of the forest" survive in their shrinking habitat.
***
BIOGRAPHY, 1999
William Holden: An Untamed Spirit
Ernest
Borgnine, Cliff Robertson and Stefanie Powers share their memories of Hollywood's "Golden Boy."
***
Queen Noor: Between Two Realms
BIOGRAPHY on A&E
She is the Grace Kelly of the Woodstock generation; an American-born
beauty who won the heart of a King. Her intelligence, grace and commitment won the love of her adopted people and respect
worldwide. Interview with Stefanie Powers and others.
***
Intimate Portraits: AVA GARDNER
(Stefanie Powers,
Narrator)
Ava Gardner: Hollywood Diva
A Southern beauty who rose from humble roots to the pinnacle of Hollywood stardom, Ava Gardner
shone bright in the 1940s and '50s. But her star eventually faded as she lived a quiet life abroad.
Gardner was raised by staunch Baptist tobacco farmers who were very strict with their five daughters. When Gardner turned
18, she received a special present from her beloved sister "Bappie," who was 19 years her senior: the news that an MGM talent
scout demanded that Gardner take a screen test. The scout had spotted a photo of Gardner when she was a small-time model.
Bappie convinced both her mother and Ava to leave for New York City for the test. It was a success; Gardner was promptly offered
a contract with MGM for seven years at $50 a week. Gardner's first few roles were tiny parts in minor movies such as "We Were
Dancing" and "Sunday Punch." But in 1946, she hit it big with her first starring role in "Whistle Stop," and then again in
"The Killers," opposite newcomer Burt Lancaster. From there, she established herself as one of Tinseltown's select group of
glamorous starlets.
After brief, unhappy marriages to some of the biggest names in show business — actor Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie
Shaw and crooner Frank Sinatra — Gardner became disillusioned with Hollywood. In the late '50s, she moved to Spain,
where she continued to make films; she also acquired a home in London.
Gardner lay low until 1963, when fabled director John Huston flew to Madrid and convinced her to play opposite Richard
Burton in Tennessee Williams' "The Night of the Iguana." It was Gardner's last notable movie appearance, but she did take
on a few TV roles until the late '80s, when she suffered a stroke that left her arm partially paralyzed. (An ongoing battle
with alcoholism also kept her away from acting.) On January 25, 1990, one month after her 67th birthday, Gardner quietly passed
away in her London apartment
***
|
| "I guess my first real love [was] dancing, because as a kid, I was always in motion." |
Intimate Portrait: Stefanie Powers
(Narrated by Angie Dickinson)
Best known for her portrayal of Mrs. H. on the hit television series "Hart to Hart," Stefanie Powers has had one of the
most diverse careers in Hollywood. But no matter which hat she's wearing — dancer, actor or preservationist —
she always comes across as a sophisticated lady.
Stefanie Powers was born in Los Angeles on November 2, 1942. Raised on a ranch by her mother and stepfather, Stefanie enjoyed
a carefree childhood, surrounded by race horses, peacocks and other exotic animals. This upbringing would eventually lead
her to become involved in philanthropic work on behalf of many endangered species.
From an early age, Stefanie had a keen interest in the performing arts. She began taking ballet while in grade school,
then switched to modern jazz when she attended Hollywood High School. While studying with choreographer Matt Maddox, Stefanie
was noticed and cast in Jerome Robbins' film "West Side Story." Unfortunately, several months later, when it was discovered
that Stefanie was a minor, she was fired.
In the face of this setback, Stefanie decided to focus on her other love: acting. Her first big break came while attending
a drama workshop at Columbia Studios, where she bumped into director Blake Edwards. Impressed with her beauty and charm, Edwards
cast her opposite Lee Remick in "Experiment in Terror." From then on, things moved quickly for Stefanie — she signed
a contract with Columbia Pictures and made 15 films in the course of five years.
By the time she was 24, Stefanie had starred in such movies as "McClintock," "Love Has Many Faces" and "Stagecoach"; she
had also landed a starring role on the series "The Girl From Uncle." During this busy time, Stefanie married actor Gary Lockwood;
although they tried to make their marriage work, the couple divorced after only six years. Then, at the age of 30, Stefanie
met the love of her life: Oscar-winning film star William Holden.
Stefanie's second career break came when she was offered a role opposite Robert Wagner on Aaron Spelling's TV series "Hart
to Hart." The on-screen couple were an immediate sensation, and the next few years provided Stefanie with some of the happiest
memories of her life — both on-screen and off. She and Bill were inseparable, and they traveled frequently to Africa,
immersing themselves in the continent's culture and wildlife at their ranch in Kenya. Then, in 1981, after nine blissful years
together, Bill died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall. Stefanie was grief-stricken — she had lost not only
her best friend but also one of the greatest influences of her life.
Stefanie turned her attention to a project her husband had always hoped to pursue: creating a haven for endangered species
in Africa. She took over his Mount Kenya game ranch and transformed it into the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, a charitable
organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered species.
Currently, Stefanie is hard at work raising money for the foundation.
***
Hollywood Legends: Angie Dickinson (Stefanie Powers,
Narrator)
***
"Wild Horses: Homeless on the Range"
...narrated by Stefanie Powers
Wild mustangs living on "Public" lands are being rounded up and sold at auctions to make make for grazing sheep and
cattle. The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has created a wild horses adoption program for these horses, where they
are sold only as pets, but evidence has emerged which suggests that in actuality these mustangs are being purchased by brokers
who sell them overseas for human consumption. Conservation groups such as the "Fund for Animals" are continuing to fight
the BLM in court on this issue, claiming the BLM's political influences cause it to be biased towards the very animals it's
designed to protect.
|
