American Masters: Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee

Though their successes were nearly 30 years apart, Margaret Mitchell (11/8/1900 – 8/16/1949) and Nelle Harper Lee (born 4/28/1926) share much in common: two Southern white women who each won the Pulitzer Prize for their debut novels — Gone With the Wind (1936) and To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), respectively — two of the bestselling classic books of all time, both adapted into timeless, Oscar-winning films. Both women were ahead of their time, challenging the social order and making a cultural impact with their books that still resonates today.

Margaret Mitchell was no ordinary writer. The one book she published in her lifetime – Gone With the Wind — sold millions of copies at the height of the Great Depression in America and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937, 75 years ago. With over 30 million copies sold to date, it is one of the world’s best-selling novels. Equally impressive, the film adaptation of Gone With the Wind broke all box office records when it premiered in 1939, and received 10 Academy Awards. Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel premieres nationally Monday, April 2 at 9 p.m. followed by Harper Lee: Hey, Boo at 10 p.m. (check local listings).

Harper Lee: Hey, Boo illuminates the phenomenon behind Lee’s first and only novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and the 1962 film version, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Offering an unprecedented look into Lee’s mysterious life, Emmy®-winning filmmaker Mary McDonagh Murphy (author of Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of To Kill a Mockingbird) interviews Lee’s friends and family, including her centenarian sister Alice, who share intimate recollections, anecdotes and biographical details for the first time: her rise from small-town Alabama girl to famous author, her tumultuous friendship with Truman Capote, and the origin of her most memorable characters: Atticus Finch, his daughter Scout, her friend Dill, and Boo Radley. The documentary also explores the context and history of the novel’s Deep South setting and the social changes it inspired after publication and through the film starring Gregory Peck. Tom Brokaw, Rosanne Cash, Anna Quindlen, Scott Turow, Oprah Winfrey, and others reflect on the novel’s power, influence, popularity, and the ways it has shaped their lives. Lee gave her last interview in 1964 and receded from the limelight.

Source for Margaret Mitchell Photo: Wikipedia; credit for Harper Lee Photo: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/category/video/web-exclusives/

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American Masters: Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee

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