Set your DVRs right now. In honor of the youngest baby boomers turning 50 this year, PBS presents American Masters: The Boomer List, a documentary by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, premiering tonight from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m.
As a baby boomer myself, I’ve been eagerly awaiting this show. Our generation has been highly influential due to our sheer numbers alone, but the 19 icons featured here prove we’ve made powerful and groundbreaking contributions as individuals.
Greenfield-Sanders tells the story of the baby boomers by literally putting faces to the statistics, and showcasing one icon born each year of the baby boom.
1946 Tim O’Brien, Vietnam vet / author
1947 Deepak Chopra, M.D., New Age guru
1948 Samuel L. Jackson, actor
1949 Billy Joel, singer-songwriter
1950 Steve Wozniak, co-founder, Apple Computer
1951 Tommy Hilfiger, fashion designer
1952 Amy Tan, author
1953 Eve Ensler, playwright
1954 Julieanna Richardson, founder, The HistoryMakers
1955 Maria Shriver, journalist
1956 Kim Cattrall, actor
1957 Virginia Rometty, CEO, IBM
1958 Ellen Ochoa, Director, Johnson Space Center
1959 Ronnie Lott, athlete
1960 Erin Brockovich, environmentalist
1961 Peter Staley, AIDS activist
1962 Rosie O’Donnell, entertainer
1963 David LaChapelle, artist
1964 John Leguizamo, actor
It’s an impressive list, and each person is fascinating to listen to as they reminisce about the events and experiences that shaped them.
I easily related to Ellen Ochoa remembering when girls were allowed to wear pants to school for the first time (that was 6th grade for me), and Eve Ensler learning politics through song lyrics and dreaming of doing in writing what women like Grace Slick and Tina Turner were doing in rock and roll (for me, it was Joni Mitchell).
I listened to peer after peer talk about the values their parents instilled in them: a solid work ethic, stick-to-itiveness, being polite, writing thank you notes. And I hoped we had instilled those same values in our children.
I paid special attention to Ronnie Lott, who was born in 1959 just like me. He points out that the American dream is not about having a house but, rather, it’s about exhibiting the qualities that were banged into our generation’s heads: doing your best, accepting that you’re going to fail and getting up and doing your best again. And I worried that, by teaching our kids that “everybody wins!” we’ve done them a huge disservice.
“We thought we could rule the world,” says Julieanna Richardson, and we didn’t sit back and wait for someone to hand it over. We were willing to fight to right every wrong. We protested against war and racism and sexism. We demanded a treatment for AIDS. And I bemoaned the fact that we’ve hovered over our kids, enabling them instead of empowering them, and squashing their own initiative.
When Virginia Rometty says, “We grew up believing we could do anything,” and explains that we became activists because we understood “growth and comfort never co-exist,” I turned to my husband and asked, “Do you think this generation believes they can do anything?” I guess that remains to be seen. I don’t mean to suggest that this generation lacks passion or gumption. We’re the ones who raised them, after all. But I do feel that the world these boomers were talking about was a very different one than the one in which we now find ourselves.
So, although this documentary is called The Boomer “List” and each individual portrait is certainly compelling, I would have loved more of a narrative to put their lives into a larger context and give them a wider perspective.
Honestly, I’m sure you can find 19 people in every generation to represent similar accomplishments. I’d be more interested in learning about our generation as a whole since, to me, that’s where the real story lies.
Meanwhile, be sure to watch the show and let me know what you think. If you miss it, it will be released on DVD on October 1.
And keep your DVR set for the PBS premiere of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, which will air from 10:30 to midnight, immediately following The Boomer List.
I love watching documentaries so this show would be right up my alley. The lineup of guest speakers is awesome.
You had me at Samuel L. Jackson! I will have to check this out!
I will be sure to watch this on PBS. What you have highlighted has peaked my interest.
I love Billy Joel. I will set my DVR to record it.
Billy Joel is a classic. I am definitley watching this, too!
I find this whole study of demographics and the impact on the future to be really truly fascinating. I would watch this. I don’t have a DVR but I can catch it later maybe live. I am interested to see when they determine that the cut off is for baby boomers. I am not one but I also relate to the advocacy and the sense that that generation felt they could change the world. I am a baby boomer at heart in that one sense.
Thank God for the DVR! I never tire of Boomer stuff. Ever.
I’ve never heard of this before and to be honest I don’t watch too much TV. My TV is usually on Disney Jr but this sounds like a show I may have to DVR and take a look at.
This is going to be a great show and we can not wait. I love watching documentaries.
My whole family loves documentaries. We are definitely planning on watching this!
Thanks for the heads up on both shows! I will set my DVR now.
I saw this show advertised at the AARP convention and have been awaiting its arrival. Thanks for the review.
That’s an impressive boomer list. So many of the super talented people out there came from the boomer generation.
Wow that is an amazing list of people – that is sure to be such an interesting show – I wonder if they will show it over here. x
Thanks so much for the reminder. I can’t wait to see this. As Carol said, I never get tired of boomers! I am going upstairs now to set my DVR and I am determined to not get distracted by 10 other things on my way. As a boomer, my memory is not the greatest!
How cool must watch this . I just realized my parents are baby boomers.
What a great show! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I didn’t know it was going to be on. I love Maria Shriver!
Wow, so many of these celebs look so young! i will have to tune in for sure!! Super interesting!
I really enjoyed this (I prescreened it, as you know). I do, though, wish I could see the uncut versions of each person’s “profile.” I’m sure much had to be cut when editing, simply so the show wouldn’t be a bazillion years long. Come to think of it, though, I think it would have been fascinating as a week-long series, ala Ken Burns’ PBS specials.
wow, it really wasn’t that long ago that girls were allowed to wear pants!
I can’t believe Leguizamo made this list. He seems so young!
Love this piece! And I couldn’t agree more that kids/young adults of today don’t speak the language of tenacity and hard work. A documentary of this generation will probably be a lot shorter.
That should be an interesting show. Boomers certainly have grown up in, and seen interesting times.
Yes, we have!
Thanks for the heads up! I would love to see this show!
LOL i just miss the boomer stage, what a great list of actors.
This sounds like an interesting program. There’s such a variety of boomers being showcased.
They picked a really great group – from actors to scientists to business people.
I’d love to see the Billy Joel one. Thanks for the heads up about this.
He’s great in this!
I would totally watch this. Maria Shriver is amazing and Amy Tan has written some great literature!
They’re both awesome here!
Looks like a great show that hubby and I would both love to watch together!
Can’t wait to hear what you think.
I have my DVR set. Before I read this I was most excited to see Amy Tan and Samuel L. Jackson (his voice just makes me melt a little….) but seriously, the quote by Ronnie Lott and someone talking about the first day wearing pants to school have me intrigued. I might just watch it live and then again later! Thank you for making this so much more personal and relevant and peaking my interest!
Amy Tan and Samuel L. Jackson are both fascinating in this!
Wow, that looks like a great show! I love Samuel L. Jackson!
I think this looks like it would be a terrific show. I love learning how people got to where they are in their lives right at this very moment.
That’s an interesting documentary, I need to check it out!
This looks really interesting. There are a few people I am anxious to see, Samuel L Jackson is one of my favorite actors.
It’s the music that changed me. The first time I ever experienced civil disobedience- and I liked it. Hahaaaa
Oh for fun. Samuel L Jackson is one of my faves!
I saw it on earlier and set the DVR can’t wait to watch it tomorrow!
This sounds like an amazing documentary. I find it interesting that so many people have different views on things.
Sounds like a really interesting watch. Unfortunately, I think this generation believes they can do anything that is already handed to them. Hard work does not seem to be “in” anymore.
As a member of the Baby Boomer “club”, I will be recording this to watch later. I love stuff like this and I would have missed it.
What a great list of boomers. I love to hear stories that can and will inspire this generation.
This looks like a really great show I am going to tune in and check this out.
Looks like I missed it. I hope you enjoyed it. I’ll see if I can catch the rerun.
I missed it last night, but I’m sure to catch it again!
I was able to catch the show and was impressed, though I missed the interview from my birth year, 1958. Like you, we girls were finally allowed to wear pants in 6th grade. The show was thoughtful, inspiring, a bit sad sometimes, and powerful!
Whoa, that is an impressive list. It’s amazing to think of some of these folks as being fifty or more. Rocky is my first example. 😉
I set my DVR and haven’t watched the show yet. Am looking forward to seeing it. Now I’m upset that I missed taping the Joan Rivers special.
I heard that documentary was great. Thanks for letting me know that it’s coming on. This is an awesome list of boomers. It’s amazing what you can get done in 50 years. I really need to do something more!
Wow, this is a great list of influential icons. I would definitely watch it!
I never realized so many of my favorite stars were Baby Boomers. I have to check this out for sure!
I’m sorry I missed this one. I’ll go look for it and watch it.
I will have to look for it – It looks like a great feature!