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Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Season 28 Episode 9 | 1hr 24m 11s

American Masters – Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work takes the audience on a year-long ride with Joan Rivers in her 76th year of life; it peels away the mask of an iconic comedian, laying bare both the struggle and thrill of living life as a groundbreaking female performer.

Aired: 09/22/14 | Expires: 10/08/14
Support for American Masters is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AARP, Rosalind P. Walter Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Blanche and Hayward Cirker Charitable Lead Annuity Trust, Koo and Patricia Yuen, Lillian Goldman Programming Endowment, Seton J. Melvin, Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Anita and Jay Kaufman, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, The Charina Endowment Fund, The Marc Haas Foundation and public television viewers.
Extras
Celebrate the life and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver.
Explore the life and legacy of notable Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois.
How Du Bois used "The Crisis" and NAACP efforts to expose racism and celebrate Black achievement.
Born in 1868, W.E.B. Du Bois rose from hardship to academic excellence.
At the 1900 Paris Expo, Du Bois used data to present a visually captivating case against racism.
Reconstruction saw Black progress, then backlash erased gains after brief equality.
Du Bois’ death at the 1963 March on Washington marked a passing of the torch in civil rights.
Poet Cindy Tran found her voice on Yelp and writes about family, identity and belonging.
Trumpeter Lani B. Supreme carries forward a musical legacy that transcends generations.
Musician Hannah Mayree organizes workshops and performances celebrating the banjo's Black history.