Michael Whalen

Movies

American Experience: Ulysses S. Grant (Part 2)
Music
As a general, he had fought to preserve the Union. As president, he helped to oversee the transformation from union to nation. As a former president, he was the embodiment of the very idea of national union, and of America's entry onto the world stage. As a dying general, he was the symbol of the nation's greatest and most traumatic war. The story of Ulysses S. Grant's life, from his first days on the Ohio frontier to his last days out-writing death in the Adirondacks, is an endlessly fascinating one. Few public figures have ever held a such a firm grip on the American popular imagination. Grant was a man whose rise from obscurity made him a hero to millions who could see themselves in him. An ordinary man who faced and met extraordinary challenges, his successes and failures seemed to encapsulate the national character. He was so popular with the American public that, despite his two scandal-ridden terms as president, he was nearly nominated to run for a third term.
American Experience: Ulysses S. Grant
Music
As a general, he had fought to preserve the Union. As president, he helped to oversee the transformation from union to nation. As a former president, he was the embodiment of the very idea of national union, and of America's entry onto the world stage. As a dying general, he was the symbol of the nation's greatest and most traumatic war. The story of Ulysses S. Grant's life, from his first days on the Ohio frontier to his last days out-writing death in the Adirondacks, is an endlessly fascinating one. Few public figures have ever held a such a firm grip on the American popular imagination. Grant was a man whose rise from obscurity made him a hero to millions who could see themselves in him. An ordinary man who faced and met extraordinary challenges, his successes and failures seemed to encapsulate the national character. He was so popular with the American public that, despite his two scandal-ridden terms as president, he was nearly nominated to run for a third term.
Chasing Destiny
Music
A repossession agent falls in love with a woman whose father is high on his list of priority accounts.
Stolen from the Heart
Music
A former prostitute kidnaps a baby boy at birth to satisfy her drug-dealing husband, who has told her that he is going to divorce her and put her out on the streets if she cannot produce him a son. Obviously the real mother becomes emotionally wrought and determined to get her baby back. Barbara Mandrell gets thrown into all of this mess as the mother's mother, who just happens to be beset with heart problems.
Confirmation: The Hard Evidence of Aliens Among Us?
Director
Real witnesses. Real encounters. Never before seen footage.
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
Music
Her name conjures up beauty, grace, talent and style. One of the greatest actresses of her time, she is best remembered for a natural and vulnerable persona which was so genuine and alluring. Her cinematic contributions produced such classics as Casablanca, Gaslight, and Anastasia. But Ingrid's story goes deeper than the triumphs of her movie career. Ingrid Bergman Remembered is a loving retrospective of a woman who lived a remarkable life. Ingrid's daughters Pia Lindström and Isabella Rossellini take a personal look back at the life of their mother. Seen from their perspective, this profile of Ingrid goes beyond the acting career and tells the story of her life from her childhood in Sweden to her premature death at age 67 from breast cancer.
Yul Brynner: The Man Who Was King
Original Music Composer
There is only one Yul Brynner. No other actor had his looks, his range of talents, his energy, and his capacity to draw others into the spell of his charm. A true sophisticate of deliberately mysterious origins, Yul Brynner was at home in a wide variety of languages and social environments.
It's Alive: The True Story of Frankenstein
Music
Mary Shelley created a monster in 1818, and writers, actors and filmmakers haven't been able to get enough of it ever since. The history of the creature on and off the screen includes clips from Thomas Edison's 1910 filmization to Kenneth Branagh's 1994 treatment, plus interviews with Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks, Roger Corman and others. Hosted by Roger Moore; narrated by Eli Wallach.
The LaLaurie Mansion
Producer