PBS AMEX S26E02 - RIPLEY: BELIEVE IT OR NOT (WGBH)

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• published: 22 Jun 2015
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PBS American Experience S26E02 - Ripley: Believe It Or Not (2015) Narrated by Oscar winner actor Oliver Platt. LeRoy Robert Ripley rose to fame during the Great Depression, transforming himself from a skinny, buck-toothed boy into an entertainer who mesmerized the nation with his razzle-dazzle blend of homespun Americana, colourful exotica and freakish oddities. Over 3 decades, his "Believe It Or Not" franchise grew into an entertainment empire, expanding from newspapers to every form of "new media" in the 20th century: radio, film, and ultimately, commercial television. At the centre of it all was Ripley, whose obsession with the odd and keen eye for the curious made him one of the richest men in the country. Americans not only loved his bizarre fare, but were fascinated by the man himself, and the eccentric, globetrottin' playboy became an unlikely national celebrity. This is the story of the man who popularized the iconic phrase, and proof of why we still can't resist his challenge to: "Believe it - - or not." PROGRAMME CREDITS Written, Produced & Directed by CATHLEEN O'CONNELL Coordinating Producer MELISSA M. POLLARD Edited by BRIAN FUNCK Original Music JOHN KUSIAK Director Of Photography STEPHEN McCARTHY Archival Consultant EDWARD MEYER Archival Research RICH REMSBERG Production Assistant TESLA CARIANI Research Intern KELLY NATOLI Sound Recording EDSON ÁLVAREZ MARIO CÁRDENAS RAY DAY MARK MANDLER Motion Graphics Animator MIKE OLSON Photo Animation AARON D. NEE ALISA PLACAS FRUTMAN BRIAN FUNCK Colourist MICHAEL H. AMUNDSEN Sound Design & Mix JOHN JENKINS, C.A.S. Online Facility THE OUTPOST AT WGBH Boston Consultant NEAL THOMPSON Additional Music BILLY NOVICK (who plays clarinet) KENNY KUSIAK (who plays keyboards) Other musicians BETH COHEN (violin & viola) JILL DREEBEN (flute) RICHARD RANTI (bassoon) P. ANDREW WILLS (German accordion) From "PATRIOT'S DAY" RICHARD SEBRING (french horn) STEVEN EMORY (trumpet) DREEBEN & NOVICK plays too Additional Archival Research ABSOLUTELY ARCHIVES Archival material courtesy of RIPLEY ENTERTAINMENT, INC. CORBIS F.I.L.M. ARCHIVES GETTY IMAGES GLOBAL IMAGEWORKS L.L.C. HISTORIC FILM ARCHIVES L.L.C. INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS (ITN SOURCE) LIBRARY OF CONGRESS LOBSTER FILMS THE NY PUBLIC LIBRARY ERIC RICHARDSON SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTRE SAN FRANCISCO HISTORY CENTRE S.F. PUBLIC LIBRARY STREAMLINE FILMS, INC. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. (*) Special Thanks to ANGELA JOHNSON ALLAN HOLTZ The Stripper BUGS BAER, JR. FOREST HILL ASSOCIATION JONATHAN PEARLROTH MR. ROBERT WHITEMAN & HIS WIFE For American Experience/WGBH Post-Production Supervisor VANESSA RUIZ Editor GLENN FUKUSHIMA Senior Producer, Digital Content & Strategy MOLLY JACOBS Production Assistant for Digital Media KATHARINE DUFFY Production Manager NANCY SHERMAN Contracts & Rights Manager SUSANA FERNÀNDES Production Coordinator LAUREN NOYES Production Secretary JULIANNA NEWMEYER Legal JAY FIALKOV JANICE FLOOD SCOTT KARDEL Marketing Account Manager CHIKA OFFURUM Publicity MARY LUGO & CARA WHITE Post Production SPENCER GENTRY & JOHN JENKINS Series Theme by JOEL GOODMAN Series Manager LAUREN PRESTILEO Coordinating Producer SUSAN MOTTAU Series Producer SUSAN BELLOWS Senior Producer SHARON GRIMBERG Executive Producer MARK SAMELS Available on DVD on: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=52425286 Your purchase supports your local PBS station. Contents of this episode & transcripts available on: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/ripley Download on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/ripley-believe-it-or-not/id950417685?uo=4&at;=11l3Sf&ct;=RipleySITE (C) 2015 by WGBH Educational Foundation. All rights reserved. American Experience is a trademark of WGBH. American Experience is a production of WGBH Boston, who is solely responsible for its content. Support WGBH: http://www.wgbh.org/support #SupportWGBH #americanexperience For educational purposes only. (*) Clip of "Believe It Or Else" a Merrie Melodie first premiered on cinemas on June 25th, 1939. Production No.: 8837. Final appearance of Egghead. Directed by Fred Avery. Animation by Virgil Ross. Story by Dave Monahan. Musical Direction of Carl W. Stalling. On public domain.