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IMDbPro

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

  • 19911991
  • TV-GTV-G
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
563
YOUR RATING
Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
DocumentaryHistory
For 50 years, radio dominated the airwaves as the first mass medium. Ken Burns examines the lives of three men who shared the responsibility for its invention and early success.For 50 years, radio dominated the airwaves as the first mass medium. Ken Burns examines the lives of three men who shared the responsibility for its invention and early success.For 50 years, radio dominated the airwaves as the first mass medium. Ken Burns examines the lives of three men who shared the responsibility for its invention and early success.
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
563
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Ken Burns
  • Writers
    • Ken Burns(additional)
    • Tom Lewis(book "Empire of the Air")
    • Geoffrey C. Ward
  • Stars
    • Jason Robards(voice)
    • Red Barber
    • Erik Barnouw
  • Director
    • Ken Burns
  • Writers
    • Ken Burns(additional)
    • Tom Lewis(book "Empire of the Air")
    • Geoffrey C. Ward
  • Stars
    • Jason Robards(voice)
    • Red Barber
    • Erik Barnouw
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 nominations total

    Photos6

    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)
    Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jason Robards
    Jason Robards
    • Narrator
    • (voice)
    Red Barber
    • Self - Radio Announcer
    Erik Barnouw
    • Self - Historian
    Ken Bilby
    • Self - Biographer of David Sarnoff
    Norman Corwin
    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
    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
    Fred Allen
    • Self - Predicts Demise of Radio
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Gene Autry
    Gene Autry
    • Self - Sings
    • (archive sound)
    • (uncredited)
    John Barrymore
    John Barrymore
    • Hamlet
    • (archive sound)
    • (uncredited)
    Winston Churchill
    Winston Churchill
    • Self - Finest Hour Speech
    • (archive sound)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ken Burns
    • Writers
      • Ken Burns(additional)
      • Tom Lewis(book "Empire of the Air")
      • Geoffrey C. Ward
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      At the end of the credits, there is a message in Morse code that reads "Baseball next". Ken Burns' documentary on baseball did come after this one.
    • Connections
      Featured in Ken Burns: America's Storyteller (2017)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    1/10
    How could anyone (let alone Ken Burns) do a documentary about the pioneers of radio with no mention of Nikola Tesla?
    First of all I recommend anyone reading this (especially Ken Burns) to pick up a copy of "Tesla" by Tad Wise. Tesla is one of the most brilliant and fascinating inventors of all time.

    Without Tesla we would not have radio! We would also not have television, alternating current, electric motors, fluorescent light, remote controls and the list goes on and on. He has around 300 patents and phony Marconi infringed on more than one. But he's not the only one to cheat Tesla, give Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse their due.

    So what happened Ken Burns? Were you getting your funding from Republicans that forced you to manipulate history? Wasn't Tesla enough of a money grubbing cheating capitalist for you? Well you lost a lot of credibility with this and it's a shame.

    I suggest you change the title slightly. Let's call this pretend documentary, "The Men Who Made-Off With Radio"

    To think that children trying to learn about the history of radio may as a result of your abomination never hear the name Nikola Tesla. This reflects so poorly on PBS and Ken Burns the thing should be retracted. At the very least Ken should appear at the beginning of the film apologizing and saying we really blew it with this one. We didn't do our research on something as basic as who invented radio.
    helpful•9
    9
    • Wellenstock
    • Jan 24, 2011

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production company
      • Florentine Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 53 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono

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