Fishko Files from WNYC

By WNYC Studios

Society & Culture Arts History Performing Arts

What's Fishko Files from WNYC about?

From WNYC, New York Public Radio, join WNYC's cultural attaché Sara Fishko for her personal radio essays on music, art, culture and media.

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Fishko Files from WNYC episodes:

05.07.2021
Vast Wasteland
On May 9th, 1961, a still-celebrated speech rocked the world of broadcast television. In it, FCC Chairman Newton Minow zeroed in on television's vapid programming landscape, and the words "vast wasteland" became a contemporary catchphrase. More from WNYC's Sara Fishko in this...
04.30.2021
Empire State: Going Up
Tomorrow, May 1st, marks the 90th anniversary of the opening of the Empire State Building. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, the building's rise to its 102-story height is only one of the ways it towered over all the rest. More, in this...
04.23.2021
Stanwyck & Co.
In honor of this weekend's Oscars: WNYC's Sara Fishko with this Fishko Files from the archive, filled with the award-winning voices of some of the great women of Hollywood's Golden Age. (Produced in 2013)
04.16.2021
Poets' Voices
In honor of April, National Poetry Month, WNYC's Sara Fishko asks the question: what's the connection between poets' speaking voices, and the poems they create? (Produced in 2012)
04.09.2021
Peter and the Wolf
The celebrated children's tale with music, Peter and the Wolf - as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us - was first heard in Moscow in the spring of 1936, an ominous time in the Soviet Union. Everywhere it went after that, it thrilled...
04.02.2021
Bernstein, Made for TV
When we produced a feature on the celebrated Leonard Bernstein concert-broadcasts known as the Young People's Concerts (1958-1972), we were thrilled to find Roger Englander, the celebrated producer and director of the broadcasts, still alive. The interview is contained in...
03.26.2021
Sibling Harmony
The tradition of siblings singing together is as old as song. WNYC’s Sara Fishko looks at brothers, sisters, and sibling harmony in this edition of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2001)
03.19.2021
Changes
A hundred years ago, as WNYC’s Sara Fishko tells us, a popular song appeared at a time similar to our own - when people desperately wanted to 'move on' from crisis. In this episode of Fishko Files, the unsentimental resolve of...
03.12.2021
Michael Rabin
Michael Rabin, who lived from 1936 to 1972, was a midcentury, classical music phenomenon - a genuine violin prodigy, concertizing as a teenager and, later, stumbling in his career and his life. In this archival Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko talks...
03.05.2021
James M. Cain
James M. Cain's novel The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) was adapted for the movies seven times. The most celebrated version was released 75 years ago, when Cain was on a roll - with three film adaptations made from his...
02.26.2021
A Samuel Barber Classic
Pieces of music, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, can change in impact over time. On the 80th anniversary of a beloved violin concerto's premiere, Sara and guests consider the case of the American classical composer, Samuel Barber, in this episode of Fishko...
02.19.2021
The Chopin Paradox
The composer Frédéric Chopin, whose first published music appeared about two hundred years ago in the 1820s, eventually wrote hundreds of piano pieces, many of them memorable and popular. The musical influences that struck him along the way are considered by...
02.12.2021
Jacqueline Kennedy's White House
On Valentine's Day 1962, in the simpler days of television, all three networks aired a now-celebrated tour of the White House led by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. A stunning number of Americans tuned in and took notice, as WNYC's Sara Fishko...
02.05.2021
Message Pictures
The recent death of screenwriter Walter Bernstein has WNYC's Sara Fishko ruminating on the subject of dissent, protest and the movies, in this edition of Fishko Files. Walter Bernstein is memorialized in many obituaries, including this one in The New York Times. MLK/FBI and The Front are available on Amazon...
01.29.2021
Alex North (1910-1991)
Composer Alex North was best known for his sharp and observant film scores, including the iconic music for "A Streetcar Named Desire" - but his music always spoke for itself. 30 years after his death, WNYC's Sara Fishko looks at one of...
01.22.2021
Chayefsky
It's 45 years since the film Network had its premiere. It seemed pretty far out in its time - but now seems remarkably prescient, thanks to the writing by Paddy Chayefsky, the subject of this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2006)
01.15.2021
MLK: 2 Films
Today, the new documentary film MLK/FBI is available to screen. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, it's a dark and revealing update to civil rights movement history. That, and an older Dr. King film, are the subjects of this edition of Fishko Files. MLK/FBI is out today...
01.08.2021
Man with a Movie Camera
It's 125 years since the birth of Dziga Vertov, the Russian documentary film and newsreel director. That's a good excuse, says WNYC's Sara Fishko, to look at his remarkable and pioneering 1920s film Man with a Movie Camera, the subject of this Fishko...
01.01.2021
Life of the Party
In this last gasp of 2020, we face a New Year's without parties - unless you count the ones in this Fishko Files episode, composed of party scenes from movies over the last many decades. (Produced in 2016)
12.25.2020
Ida Lupino
The actress, director, and film business pioneer Ida Lupino's 1950 film "Outrage" has been added to the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. To celebrate, we bring you this Fishko Files meditation on her life and work. (Produced in 2010)
12.18.2020
Fantasia at 80
80 years ago, in the dark fall of 1940, just before World War II, Walt Disney’s classical music film Fantasia opened across America. WNYC’s Sara Fishko and guests explore its ups, downs, and in-betweens in this episode of Fishko Files. Fantasia is now streaming on Disney...
12.11.2020
Film Noir
Any time the nights get long, cold, and a little ominous, film noir comes to mind. Here's this Fishko Files with WNYC's Sara Fishko and the "Tsar of Noir" Eddie Muller. (Produced in 2004)
12.04.2020
An Hour with Dave Brubeck (Centenary)
This Sunday is the Dave Brubeck centenary - the late, celebrated jazz player was born December 6th, 1920. WNYC's Sara Fishko had a memorable time talking with Brubeck back in 2004, resulting in this program, "An Hour with Dave Brubeck," filled with...
11.27.2020
Stuff Smith
Violinist Stuff Smith: Once you hear his fabulous, swing-era playing, it's hard to forget. WNYC's Sara Fishko and guests celebrate Smith in this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2017)
11.20.2020
JFK and TV (2020)
In the last many months, television has been our WFH window into a disastrous pandemic as well as a deeply divisive presidency. In this special edition for On the Media, WNYC's Sara Fishko takes us back to November 22nd, 1963 - the...
11.13.2020
Andre!
Andre Gregory - of "My Dinner with Andre" fame - has told stories, on stage and screen, for decades, says WNYC's Sara Fishko. With his first book coming out next week, he's the guest on this edition of Fishko Files. Andre Gregory joins Adam Gopnik on...
11.06.2020
Shrinks on Screen (2020)
In this fraught time, when truth and reality are warped beyond recognition, we could all use someone to talk to. WNYC's Sara Fishko has more in this Fishko Files. (Produced in 2002) The Criterion Channel serves up a bevy of films about therapists...
10.29.2020
Scary Music
In our unsettled moment, people will find ways to mark an unusual Halloween this weekend. It's a time when music - scary music - comes to mind, as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this episode of Fishko Files. Psycho is streaming on Amazon Prime, and Rosemary's...
10.23.2020
An Hour with Ned Rorem
Composer Ned Rorem turns 97 today. In this hour from the archives, Rorem and Fishko share a long, winding conversation illustrated with plenty of his music, as well as some by those he admires - and those he doesn't. (Produced in 2002) For a feast of...
10.16.2020
Two American Dramas
Two dramas start streaming today, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and What the Constitution Means to Me. Looking at both, WNYC's Sara Fishko finds connections and commonality, in this episode of Fishko Files. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) and What the Constitution Means to Me (Amazon Prime)...
10.09.2020
Two Pianists and a Painter
Thelonious Monk was born October 10, 1917. WNYC's Sara Fishko looks at Monk, Glenn Gould, and Vincent van Gogh - and how their brilliant gifts mixed with their personal myths and mysteries. (Produced in 2017)
10.02.2020
Pre-Dean Teens
This week marks 65 years since the death of James Dean, film's "first American teenager." WNYC's Sara Fishko digs up the roots of the teen in movies in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005)
09.25.2020
Concert Piece
In this time of empty concert halls and virtual performances, WNYC's Sara Fishko is turning her attention to music with an audience, in this episode of Fishko Files.
09.18.2020
Frank Stella
Sometimes artists, seeking inspiration, find it in the very thing that challenges and haunts them most. Here, WNYC’s Sara Fishko talks with visual artist Frank Stella about some very productive pain. (Produced in 2011)
09.11.2020
Three Critics
A few years ago, a rash of books written by arts and entertainment critics inspired WNYC's Sara Fishko to talk to some of the critics/authors about the critical impulse. (Produced in 2006)
09.04.2020
Guthrie Archive
The Woody Guthrie archive is filled with riches, including some related to "This Land is Your Land," written 80 years ago. WNYC's Sara Fishko visited Woody's daughter, Nora, for a journey through a bit of Guthrie history in this archival Fishko Files, produced for his...
08.28.2020
Hill of Beans, Etc.
In the run-up to the election, we’re all listening to speeches - and many of them are grappling with the very idea of America: what do we want America to be? This episode of Fishko Files goes back to the World War II era,...
08.21.2020
The 'Indoor Man' and His Playmates
After nearly 70 years on newsstands, Playboy Magazine has ended its print run. In this archival episode produced for The United States of Anxiety, WNYC's Sara Fishko tells the story of Hugh Hefner, whose notion of the "Indoor Man" made Playboy a midcentury staple. The United States...
08.14.2020
The Personal and the Political (2020)
The artist David Wojnarowicz (1954-1992) was recently honored with a quilt created by friends and admirers in his memory. Wojnarowicz, who made art that captured his own decline during the AIDS crisis, was the subject of a Whitney Museum show that inspired this Fishko Files. (Produced in...
08.07.2020
Hazel Scott As Herself
Pianist and singer Hazel Scott was born in Trinidad a century ago, in the summer of 1920. Scott is well-remembered for her sparkling piano technique, as well as her style - but her biography reveals a powerful character with a rich and layered...
07.30.2020
The Great de Havilland
The death of actress and star Olivia de Havilland a few days ago has stirred many memories and considerations. WNYC's Sara Fishko chimes in for this episode of Fishko Files. William Wyler's The Heiress (1949) airs on TCM next month and is available on DVD and...
07.24.2020
Jon Hendricks (2020)
Annie Ross, the singer and actress who died this week at 89, was one-third of the phenomenally successful jazz vocal group Lambert Hendricks and Ross. Its heady days of success, as well as Ross herself, were recalled by the late Jon Hendricks...
07.17.2020
Harlem Renaissance
A cultural movement of Black writers and artists was flourishing a century ago in uptown New York, and it’s being remembered now with various virtual events. As WNYC’s Sara Fishko tells us in this episode of Fishko Files, the Harlem Renaissance movement was...
07.10.2020
Jazz Soundtrack (2020)
Composer and arranger Johnny Mandel died last Monday at the age of 94. In the sixty years prior, he gave us standards such as “Emily” and “The Shadow of Your Smile,” and ushered in an era of jazz-inflected movies with his 1958...
07.03.2020
John Levy, Jazz Master
This archival Fishko Files was produced in 2006 - the year musician and manager John Levy was given the prestigious title of "Jazz Master" by the National Endowment for the Arts. His profound impact on music could be seen in many forms, and for...
06.26.2020
Three Jazz Works
Some of the major struggles and victories of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s coincided with a most active period for jazz music. WNYC's Sara Fishko looks at a few cases where the movement and the music came together, in...
06.18.2020
Capturing Cohn
A documentary film about the late, infamous lawyer Roy Cohn premieres tonight. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, the variety of films and dramatic portrayals of Cohn reveal a figure both fascinating and repellent. More in this episode of Fishko Files. Bully. Coward. Victim....
06.11.2020
Miss Lonelyhearts
The Depression-era novel Miss Lonelyhearts, by Nathanael West, has been called "the purest expression of despair that American literature has produced, in any era." As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us in this Fishko Files, 80 years after the author's death the book - about...
06.05.2020
Strange Fruit
20 years ago, a book by David Margolick reminded us of the power of a historic song about lynching, Strange Fruit - made famous by the great Billie Holiday. As Americans march against systemic racism, this archival Fishko Files with Lena Horne and others on the song that some...
05.29.2020
See For Yourself
After the opening of the September 11th Memorial and Museum, record-breaking crowds traveled to Ground Zero, to the exact spot where the tragedy happened. In this archival edition of Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko asks - why?

What's Fishko Files from WNYC about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Fishko Files from WNYC episodes:

Vast Wasteland

Empire State: Going Up

Stanwyck & Co.

Poets' Voices

Peter and the Wolf

Bernstein, Made for TV

Sibling Harmony

Changes

Michael Rabin

James M. Cain

A Samuel Barber Classic

The Chopin Paradox

Jacqueline Kennedy's White House

Message Pictures

Alex North (1910-1991)

Chayefsky

MLK: 2 Films

Man with a Movie Camera

Life of the Party

Ida Lupino

Fantasia at 80

Film Noir

An Hour with Dave Brubeck (Centenary)

Stuff Smith

JFK and TV (2020)

Andre!

Shrinks on Screen (2020)

Scary Music

An Hour with Ned Rorem

Two American Dramas

Two Pianists and a Painter

Pre-Dean Teens

Concert Piece

Frank Stella

Three Critics

Guthrie Archive

Hill of Beans, Etc.

The 'Indoor Man' and His Playmates

The Personal and the Political (2020)

Hazel Scott As Herself

The Great de Havilland

Jon Hendricks (2020)

Harlem Renaissance

Jazz Soundtrack (2020)

John Levy, Jazz Master

Three Jazz Works

Capturing Cohn

Miss Lonelyhearts

Strange Fruit

See For Yourself

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