Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio
Genres
Overview
For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
113 min
Release Date
1991-10-01
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
8
Vote Average
7.5
Jason Robards
Narrator (voice)
Red Barber
Self - Radio Announcer
Erik Barnouw
Self - Historian
Ken Bilby
Self - Biographer of David Sarnoff
Norman Corwin
Self - Writer
Susan Douglas
Self - Historian
Frank Günther
Self - Engineer
Jeanne Hammond
Self - Niece of Edwin H. Armstrong
Loren Jones
Self - Engineer
Garrison Keillor
Self - Writer
Helen Kelley
Self - Radio Broadcaster
Robert Morris
Self - Engineer
Dana Raymond
Self - Friend of Edwin H. Armstrong
Gertrude Tyne
Self - Engineer
Fred Allen
Self - Predicts Demise of Radio (archive footage)
Gene Autry
Self - Sings (archive sound)
John Barrymore
Hamlet (archive sound)
Winston Churchill
Self - Finest Hour Speech (archive sound)
Charles J. Correll
Self - Prepares for Amos 'n' Andy Broadcast (archive footage)
Lee De Forest
Self - Objects to Quality of Radio Programming (archive footage)
Ralph Edwards
Self - Host of 'This Is Your Life' (archive footage)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Self - Announces Landing in Normandy (archive footage)
Eugenia Farrar
Self (with Lee De Forest) (archive footage)
Freeman F. Gosden
Self - Prepares for Amos 'n' Andy Broadcast (archive footage)
Guglielmo Marconi
Self - Visits Sarnoff at RCA (archive footage)
Marie Mosquini
Self - with Lee De Forest (archive footage)
Nelson Rockefeller
Self - Eulogizes Sarnoff (archive footage)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Self - Makes Broadcast About Banking Reform (archive footage)
David Sarnoff
Self - with Marconi at RCA (archive footage)
Frank Sinatra
Self - Serenades Sarnoff (archive footage)
Arturo Toscanini
Self - Conducts NBC Symphony (archive footage)
Harry S. Truman
Self - Announces Bombing of Hiroshima (archive sound)
Bob Warren
Self - This is Your Life Announcer (archive footage)
Orson Welles
Self - Professor in War of the Worlds Broadcast (archive sound)
0.0
Untitled KROQ Documentary
The history and enduring legacy of one of the world's biggest and most influential radio stations.
| en
0.0
Gros chat
Siméon Malec, host on Pakueshikan FM radio, receives Marie-Soleil Bellefleur on the air to discuss new regulations concerning salmon nets. To their great dismay, the duo is constantly interrupted by increasingly worrying calls... It seems that a lion has been seen in the community!
2022-06-28 | fr
6.9
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.
2018-06-06 | en
7.7
The King's Speech
The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
2010-11-26 | en
6.0
Glorious 39
A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.
2009-11-20 | en
6.4
Sex and Broadcasting
SEX AND BROADCASTING is a feature length documentary about New Jersey's WFMU, the world's strangest and most unique radio station, and one man's attempt to keep it alive in the face of recession, the persistent threat of commercial media, and the challenges that come with keeping a rebellious group of outsiders together.
2014-11-15 | en
7.2
A People’s Radio – Ballads from a Wooded Country
A People’s Radio – Ballads from a Wooded Country is a carnivalesque portrayal of the Finnish landscape of the soul and abode. The short film is based on the iconic YLE programme “People’s Radio”, and its visual material has been created by the road movie method of driving across summery Finland. The film paints a panorama of what Finland looks like today. Its narration progresses through humour into civic anarchy, ultimately also towards the longing for human connection.
2021-03-10 | fi
0.0
Jack Benny: Comedy in Bloom
Co-stars and celebrity admirers go through Benny's entire career
1992-10-05 | en
6.7
Jakob the Liar
In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German Kommondant, Jakob overhears a German radio broadcast about Russian troop movements. Returned to the ghetto, the shopkeeper shares his information with a friend and then rumors fly that there is a secret radio within the ghetto.
1999-09-16 | en
7.3
Restrepo
Directors Hetherington and Junger spend a year with the 2nd Battalion of the United States Army located in one of Afghanistan's most dangerous valleys. The documentary provides insight and empathy on how to win the battle through hard work, deadly gunfights and mutual friendships while the unit must push back the Taliban.
2010-06-25 | en
6.7
Kick Out the Jams: The Story of XFM
Titled after the first-ever song to play on their airwaves, Kick Out the Jams follows the development of XFM from its rebellious pirate radio roots in the early 90’s, through to its official FM radio launch in 1997 as a major platform for launching alternative talent into the mainstream. The doc deep-dives into the struggles and influence of the station which gave rise to the likes of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, whose global hits The Office and The Ricky Gervais Show were originally developed while working at the radio station.
2022-08-31 | en
10.0
A Mediocre Documentary with Tom And Dan
'A Mediocre Time' with Tom and Dan' was becoming a hit podcast...until big radio made them shut it down. Now, after quitting their terrestrial radio jobs and making the podcast a career, they will embark on their biggest event yet: showcasing their podcast at the Hard Rock Live!
2018-05-03 | en
0.0
The Gap
A dramatization to promote the Territorial Army.
1937-09-01 | en
7.4
Service public
Salhia Brakhlia has filmed the set and behind the scenes of Franceinfo's breakfast show during a year. How to inform at the time of social media and fake news ? How careful are journalist with those news ? How do they connect to politicians during an presidential election campaign ? This unique immersion gives us a part of the answer.
2022-11-23 | fr
5.8
Yellow Caesar
Using edited archive footage, mockery is made of Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini.
1941-05-24 | en
7.6
Radio Unnameable
The story of legendary New York City disc jockey Bob Fass who pioneered free expression on the airwaves with his long running FM program 'Radio Unnameable'.
2012-09-19 | en
0.0
When Moyles Met the Radio 1 Breakfast DJs
DJ Chris Moyles looks at how the Radio 1 Breakfast Show has reflected life in Britain over the past 40 years, as he meets his predecessors in the early morning slot.
2010-05-09 | en
8.0
The Great Radio Comedians
Documentary about radio comedies primarily focused on Burns & Allen, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, The Jack Benny Program, Fibber McGee & Molly, The Bob Hope Show, and The Fred Allen Show.
1971-05-11 | en
0.0
Annie Nightingale: Bird on the Wireless
Radio 1's longest-serving broadcaster Annie Nightingale takes us on a counter-cultural journey through the events, people and sounds that have inspired her illustrious career.
2011-06-03 | en
0.0
Airplay: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio
The 50 year struggle between rock pioneers and powerful business/government interests for the soul of music radio, told by America's favorite deejays and the artists they made rock stars.
2008-09-26 | en