Sammy Davis Jr.

Against a rich Hollywood backdrop, "Commitment to Life" documents the true story of the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles - and how an intrepid group of people living with HIV/AIDS, doctors, movie stars, studio moguls and activists changed the course of the epidemic.

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This special explores the history of Black entertainers in Las Vegas and celebrating those who are now ruling the historic strip.

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Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong's life from his perspective. From musical phenom to civil rights activist to world-renowned artist, this illuminating film shows sides of Armstrong few have seen.

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In the 1950s, a small group of artists monopolized the attention of the cameras and the public. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford together form the "rat pack": they sing the most popular hits of the moment, star in the most profitable Hollywood films and are already making a splash on television . This documentary, produced by a recognized specialist in the history of Hollywood, recounts the exceptional destiny of this informal group which flirted with the greats of this world, notably through Sinatra, personal friend of American President Kennedy.

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A feature-length documentary on the life of one of the last surviving actresses from the golden age of Hollywood – Joan Collins. This epic film is told from the ringside as Joan narrates her rollercoaster life story with her inimitable wit and verve. A worldwide television phenomenon with her decade-defining role in Dynasty, Collins shares her extraordinary archive and never before seen home movie footage, giving an intimate glimpse into one of the world’s most iconic figures. Against a backdrop of Collins’s own narration, her story showcases the extraordinary life of a woman who has lived through the glitz, the glamour and the enduring moments of Hollywood history, and survived it all with panache.

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Dean Martin had a laid-back charm that made him successful in everything from big-screen comedies to television variety shows to live acts in Las Vegas. Filmmaker Tom Donahue explores Martin’s varied career, including his complicated relationships with Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, and others. We hear from admirers such as critic Gerald Early, actor Jon Hamm, and Hip-Hop artist RZA who testify to Martin’s enduring mystique.

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An exposé on how Hollywood and the mainstream media manipulate the multitudes by spreading propaganda throughout their content.

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During his career, Bob Hope was the only performer to achieve top-rated success in every form of mass entertainment. American Masters explores the entertainer’s life through his personal archives and clips from his classic films.

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A star-studded roster of interviewees (including Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal) pay tribute to the legendary, multi-talented song-and-dance man.

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Armed with a limitless Rolodex and a Benedict Canyon enclave with its own disco, Allan Carr threw the Hollywood parties that defined the 1970s. A producer, manager, and marketing genius, Carr built his bombastic reputation amid a series of successes including the mega-hit musical film "Grease," until it all came crashing down after he produced the 1989 Academy Awards, a notorious debacle.

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The gripping story of legendary American actor John Travolta: his rise to stardom in the 1970s; his agonizing fall in disgrace in the 1980s; and his stunning artistic rebirth in the 1990s.

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About the last two years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield’s life and the speculation swirling around her untimely death being caused by a curse after her alleged romantic dalliance with Anton LaVey, head of the Church of Satan.

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A retrospective of Chita Rivera's film, television and stage career, including interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and others. Originally aired as Episode 2 of Season 43 of the PBS series Great Performances.

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The space race, the cold war, "free love," civil rights and more: The decade of the 1960s shaped our history -- and changed the world. In collaboration with Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, CNN explores perhaps the most transformative decade of the modern era in a 10-part documentary series and brings new insights into how those events shaped today.

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Before Linda Lovelace's untimely death in 2002, the sex superstar sat for a no-holds barred interview with pop-culture historian Legs McNeil for his book, The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry. Fortunately McNeil hired a film crew to record the historic event as Linda recounted the making of ""Deep Throat,"" the most successful X-rated film in history, how she introduced oral sex to America, her turbulent relationship with manager/husband Chuck Traynor, her role (and exploitation by) the anti-porn movement that she helped launch with her bestselling book, Ordeal, in 1980, and her subsequent return to pornography in 2001. With additional comments by Marilyn Chambers, FBI Agent Bill Kelly, Chuck Traynor.

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A collection of live performances of the rat pack

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Half a century ago, Brazilian composer and musician Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim (1927-1994) introduced bossa nova to a worldwide audience with "The Girl from Ipanema." This relaxed, cool, sensuous music blended jazz and samba. After recording an album of songs by his friend Jobim, Frank Sinatra is reported to have said, "I haven't sung so quietly since I had laryngitis." Naturally, "The Girl from Ipanema" and Frank Sinatra are featured in this musical collage of countless seamlessly edited excerpts of concert footage that cover decades of events all over the world: from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon, Paris, Copenhagen, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Montreal, New York and back to Rio.

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BBC archive performances from musicals, including Ella Fitzgerald singing Mack the Knife, Captain Sensible performing a classic from South Pacific and Jay Z taking on Annie.

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The history of Playboy magazine as told by Hugh Hefner.

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A celebration of the musical work of a group of session musicians known as "The Wrecking Crew." a band that provided back-up instrumentals to such legendary recording artists as Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, and Bing Crosby.

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This documentary offers an unparalleled behind-the-scenes look at the life of Elvis Presley. Using rare footage from his films, press conferences, outtakes, movie trailers, news clips, and comedy sketches, Elvis Thru the Years is a fitting commemoration of the man who became a legend.

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An in-depth look at the early days of television and its first stars.

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The life and career of one of America's leading cultural figures, told through video clips and rare photos.

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Discover how television has reflected the African American experience in this retrospective of the medium's first half-century. Actors, writers and historians discuss the image of black America on television from Amos and Andy to the present day. The interviews accompany clips from groundbreaking shows and performances by entertainment pioneers that create a timeline of the portrayal of African Americans throughout TV history.

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A collection of songs performed by Frank, Dean and Sammy - both solo and together

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He was a beloved American icon. Dean Martin, the coolest, the most debonair, the smoothest. This film is a loving and moving tribute to one of the most admired, idolized and accomplished entertainers the world has ever known. No other entertainer in history so thoroughly conquered the fields of recording, live performances, television and movies as did Dino, not even his good friend Frank Sinatra. Features footage and photos of Dean from throughout his life and career, as well as rare interview segments with Dean.

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Legendary performer Sammy Davis Jr. is the subject of this affectionate documentary, which chronicles how the singer, dancer and actor broke through racial barriers yet still felt the sting of discrimination throughout his storied career. From his 1925 stage debut at age 3 to his years with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, the Candy Man's biography is conveyed through archival footage, photographs and interviews with friends and associates.

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Collection of songs performed at the "Frank Sinatra Spectacular," a 1965 benefit by the various members of the Rat Pack.

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"The Television Years" examines the events that took place in the years between 1956 and 1960, in which Elvis Presley excited a whole nation as the "King of Rock and Roll" in the big television shows of the time. One highlight of this time periode was Elvis' 1960 combeback hosted by Frank Sinatra, which marked his first appearance on televison after his two-year stay in the army.

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