"Waves at Genji's Door: Japan Through Its Cinema," includes Joan Mellen's study of Japanese film, Japanese history and Japanese culture. Some of Mellen's topics include Akira Kurosawa's films, Samurais and the ritual suicide of Seppuku.

When asked, Jen Kruuse said he wrote his book, “A War for an Afternoon,” as a result of life being madness. As a morale booster, to make the men of the SS army feel invincible, they were ordered to exterminate the town of Oradour-sur-Glane, France. The women and children of the town were rounded up, placed in the town’s church and the church was burned. All the men of the town were shot dead. The entire incident, explained Kruuse, was madness, pure madness.

In the first part of this program Studs Terkel discusses French theater with critic Jean Vilar. In the second part, Studs and Eugène Ionesco discuss Ionesco’s work and the Theater of the Absurd.

Discussing the novel, Hot to Trot, and interviewing the author, John Lahr, also well-known as a drama critic.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

The biographer gives Studs some insight into the research that went into his book, Malcolm Lowry: A Biography.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Interviewing author, theater critic and director Robert Brustein.

Discussing "Les Brown's Encyclopedia of Television," (published by Visible Ink Press)with the author and television critic Les Brown.

Terkel interview author Geoffrey Wolff about his latest book. Entitled "Black Sun," it is a biography of Harry Crosby.

Reverend Will B. Dunn and Mother Teresa are among the many subjects of Doug Marlette's book, "There's No Business Like Soul Business." Marlette explained his cartoons are either political or they deal with the religious right and race relations. The majority of the interview consists of Marlette and Studs Terkel reading lines from the cartoons in the book.