Melvin Douglas and Frank Lovejoy discuss their roles in Gore Vidal's play "The Best Man", politics, and their careers.

Martin Duberman, historian and biographer, discusses his latest work which focuses on the singer, actor, and political activist Paul Robeson. Robeson was known for his performance in Showboat and Emperor Jones.

Photographer David Scherman talks with Studs Terkel about the stories that photos can tell, famous photographers, and the book “The Best of Life,” which Scherman edited. A recording of the song “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” by the Weavers is played.

Academy Award winning documentarian Barbara Kopple talks with Studs about her documentary "American Dream" and the battle fought and lost by union workers in Austin, Minnesota during the mid-80s. They set the backdrop in the small, tight-knit community that Hormel Foods had such a profound impact on, how the UFCW international union declined to support the local union, the gripping dynamics between family members who crossed picket lines, and the healing that occurred when the film was screened in the town several years later.

Anna Deavere Smith discusses and demonstrates her unique character portrayals from her works "Fires in the Mirror" and "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992."

Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. Verna Bloom continues to talk about how scared she was when being arrested. Bloom said she was hand-cuffed for an hour. One of Bloom's friends was able to smooth things over with the police and she was finally released.

The day after being arrested in Chicago, Verna Bloom talks about the outrage and humiliation she felt. In great detail, she describes what led up to her arrest. Bloom contends she was doing nothing other than enjoying the nice weather when a police officer arrested her.