Fishko Files from WNYC

With the opening of Wonder Woman - a bracing, blockbuster break in the glass ceiling - we take you back to the late 1940s and '50s and the career of Ida Lupino. Lupino was an actress, director, writer and producer - a "hyphenate before they invented the term," Jeanine Basinger tells WNYC’s Sara Fishko - in this episode of Fishko Files. (Produced in 2010)

This spring, we celebrate Ella Fitzgerald's centennial birthday [b. April 25, 1917]. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, she was an undisputedly brilliant and exuberant scat singer, and she's featured, along with a few others, in this Fishko Files on the art of Scat. (Produced in 2004)

The free, open-air New York Shakespeare Festival opens for the season this week, with productions of Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night's Dream on the agenda. In this Fishko Files, WNYC's Sara Fishko tells the story of how the determined and daring Joseph Papp started the New York Shakespeare tradition - despite formidable obstacles - many years ago. (Produced in 2005)

In challenging times, we look to music for clarity and consolation. This archival episode from the weeks after September 11, 2001, takes us through some musical moments - both rousing and touching.

Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War are part of history. But as WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, that history came forward to provide inspiration and more through trying times in 20th century America. Thomas Doherty is a cultural historian, professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, and author of Projections of War: Hollywood, American Culture, and World War II. John Bodnar is a Distinguished and Chancellor's Professor of History at Indiana University, Bloomington. Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1938) and Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) are available to rent or buy on Amazon. For more information on Copland's Lincoln Portrait, and to see the score used by Andre Kostelanetz and hear excerpts of the various narrators, visit the New York Philharmonic Archives.

Bea Wain was only 90 when we interviewed her in 2007. That makes her a century old this week - and we're celebrating with another look at this archival edition of Fishko Files.

Tonight at Carnegie Hall, a star-studded cast performs the large-scale operetta "Babes in Toyland" by Victor Herbert. But WNYC's Sara Fishko turns her attention to a much more modest creation by that composer. The story of a popular standard - in this edition of Fishko Files. Carnegie Hall celebrates 75 years of MasterVoices with tonight's revival of "Babes in Toyland," starring Kelli O'Hara, Bill Irwin, Lauren Worsham, and Christopher Fitzgerald, with artistic direction by Ted Sperling. For tickets and more information, visit www.carnegiehall.org/. For more information on guitarist/composer James Chirillo, visit his website. Will Friedwald's Clip Joint: Scenes from the American Songbook, a new series at the 92nd Street Y, continues through June 20th. For tickets and more information, visit www.92Y.org.

The National Theatre in London is calling Tony Kushner’s two-part epic Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes the centerpiece of their programming this year. This archival Fishko Files looks back at the original 1991 Broadway production. (Produced in 2005) Angels in America (Part One: Millennium Approaches & Part Two: Perestroika) is at the National Theatre through Saturday, August 19.

In the 1940s, James Agee's film criticism took an artful look at Hollywood movies. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, Agee's fascination with cinema was a lifelong love affair. (Produced in 2005)

Tonight at the National Opera Center in New York, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom presents live excerpts of his work and speaks about his creative process. As WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, his influences come from an eclectic array of sources. (Produced in 2005) Creators in Concert: William BolcomThursday, April 57:00pmThe National Opera Center330 Seventh Ave.New York, NY 10001Tickets available at www.operaamerica.org/

Music can happen in the moment with great immediacy, or it can be edited, later, to perfection. WNYC’s Sara Fishko reflects on recordings by a few spectacular classical pianists in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005)

Once again, a production of Lillian Hellman’s classic play The Little Foxes is about to begin previews on Broadway. WNYC's Sara Fishko profiles its forceful lead female character, Regina, in this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2005) Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes begins previews Wednesday, March 29 and opens Wednesday, April 19 Directed by Daniel SullivanStarring Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon, Darren Goldstein, Michael McKean, and Richard ThomasFor more information, visit www.littlefoxesbroadway.com/

You can lose yourself, WNYC's Sara Fishko tells us, in three enormous coffee table books - no coffee table required.

Fifty years after the death of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the so-called “father of the atomic bomb,” there is still power in his story of genius, politics and remorse. This archival Fishko Files was produced just as two works stressing the “mythical” telling of his story had appeared: John Adams’ opera “Dr. Atomic” and a massive new biography, “American Prometheus.” (Produced in 2005)

The 89th Oscars ceremony will be broadcast this Sunday evening. Whatever the outcome, the run-up to the ceremony has Sara Fishko thinking about art, commerce and movies. Here is the next Fishko Files. (Produced in 2010) Andrew Sarris (1928-2012) was a leading film critic and author ("The American Cinema") and an early proponent of the "auteur" theory. He wrote criticism for Film Culture, The Village Voice, The Observer, and other publications. Daniel Eagan is a critic and author of America’s Film Legacy: the Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry. He writes for Film Journal and Film Comment.