For Release: January 24th, 2000
KET proudly presents Kentucky native Ashley Judd and veteran actor Eddie Bracken in "The Ryan Interview," the pilot program of the network's new American Shorts series. The drama, adapted from famed playwright Arthur Miller's short play originally commissioned by Actors Theatre of Louisville (ATL), airs Monday, Feb. 7 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET.
Judd plays an urban newspaper reporter who ventures into the country to interview a centenarian on his birthday, and Bracken plays her interview subject, an eccentric collector of junk and earthy wisdom.
Launched in 1998 with $100,000 in grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Shorts is a drama anthology series based on new short plays introduced by ATL and other innovative regional theaters. Judd chose to participate in the project because she was impressed by the quality of the script and by the goal of American Shorts to highlight the creativity and cultural importance of regional theater.
The drama is followed by a short documentary segment featuring interviews with Miller, Judd, Bracken and ATL's Jon Jory, plus footage shot during the 1999 Humana Festival of New American Plays.
Judd, daughter of singer Naomi Judd, sister of singer Wynonna and a former UK student, first gained attention in the 1993 independent film Ruby in Paradise. She received critical praise for her work in the 1997 thriller Kiss the Girls and starred in this fall's blockbuster hit, Double Jeopardy. She also stars in the new release, Eye of the Beholder.
Eddie Bracken has been in show business for 82 of his 84 years, starting in Vaudeville and the silent version of Hal Roach's "Our Gang comedies." He starred in two classic comedies by Preston Sturges, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and Hail the Conquering Hero, and was a mainstay of Broadway for decades. Mr. Bracken was featured in the 1993 TV version of Athur Miller's "The American Clock." His recent movie roles include the nervous baseball-club owner in Rookie of the Year (1993) and the kindly toy store clerk in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He also made a notable apprearance in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) as Roy Walley, owner of the Walley's World amusement park.
American Shorts is a creative partnership between KET and Boston-based independent director Fred Barzyk, who is directing the first season of programs. A 40-year veteran of public television, Barzyk directed "The Lathe of Heaven" and "The Phantom of the Open Hearth," among other PBS dramas, as well as major instructional projects produced such as "The Western Tradition."
"The Ryan Interview" was shot in high-definition video format on location in Lexington and Woodford County. PBS will premiere the program in high definition nationally later this year on the national primetime schedule.
Heading up American Shorts production at KET is Guy Mendes. Nancy Carpenter is executive producer. "The Ryan Interview" is closed-captioned for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Viewers can find out more about programming on KET by visiting the KET Web site at http://www.ket.org, a Kentucky .com affiliate.
Contact: Ira Simmons
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Ashley Judd and Eddie Bracken star in "The Ryan Interview," pilot for KET's American Shorts drama series.
Ashley Judd and Eddie Bracken star in "The Ryan Interview," pilot for KET's American Shorts drama series.
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