Secretary General of the British Arts Council Sir Roy Shaw and Studs Terkel discuss making the arts accessible for everyone and how the arts are a benefit to communities. Studs Terkel reads a quote from Kingsley Amos.

Sir Geraint Evans discusses his career in opera. He also discusses his life in Wales and the Welsh language.

Sir Geraint Evans discusses opera and his time as a performer. Includes an in-depth discussion of the opera Peter Grimes.

Sir George Bolton discusses how the 1929 American stock market crash affected international banking and investment and how economy and culture relate to each other.

Studs engages the former Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor, Sir Georg Solti, in a wide-ranging conversation about his life and career. From his early studies in Budapest with Béla Bartók, his string of good-luck opportunities before, during, and after World War II, meeting Toscanini in Lucerne, and starting on top conducting in Frankfurt, London, and finally Chicago. He discusses his many German and European musical influences and contemporaries, and stresses the importance of education, arts funding, and hard work.

According to Sir Cedric Hardwicke, plays are only fashionable in New York City even though people all around the country are hungry to see a good play. In England around Christmas time, Hardwicke says children are exposed to plays at an early age, unlike here in the states, where there aren't any plays geared toward children.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Known for their songs about the working class, both Florence Reece and Pete Seeger talk about how they come about writing the lyrics to songs. Seeger says unbeknownst to them, anyone can write a song. Included within this interview, Seeger plays the banjo and Reece sings a song.

On the eve of Irving Berlin's 101st birthday, both Studs Terkel and Tony Bennett talk about his album, "Bennett/Berlin," which is Bennett's tribute to Irving Berlin. When talking about his 90th album, Bennett explained none of Berlin's songs are dated. When asked about his own career, Bennett explained that he's learned more from his failures than he's learned from his successes.

Judy Collins converses with Studs about her early life and her career as a singer of folk music. The following songs are played throughout the interview: "Lark in the Morning;" "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry;" "Pretty Saro;" "Song of the Wandering Aengus," Yeats, W.B. read by Cyril Cusak; "Golden Apples of the Sun," Yeats, W.B./Edmonson, Travis; "The Bold Fenian Men," Kearney, Paedar; "The Ballad of the Carpenter," MacColl, Ewan; and "The dove." Traditional/MacColl, Ewan.

Excerpts of interviews with Simone Signoret (actress and author), Simone de Beauvoir (author), and Francoise Rosay (actress).

Studs Terkel interviews writer and artist Simone de Beauvoir at her home in Paris, France, where they discuss her family history, early writing career and artistic influences, individualism, and the creative commitment required to be a successful writer.

Simon Wiesenthal discusses his advocacy work after surviving the Holocaust and the publication of The Sunflower in 1969.

Simon Estes, bass-baritone opera singer, is in Chicago for four performances of George Fredric Handel's Oratorio "Saul." He talks with Studs about growing up, his education, and his career in classical music and opera. The following songs were removed due to copyright restrictions. "Symphony No.

Studs Terkel speaks with translator and lawyer Sidney Shapiro about Shapiro’s life in China and what life was like there before and after the Communist Revolution. An audio clip is played of Dr. George Hatem discussing his experiences of being a doctor in China during the Long March.

Bahamian actor Sidney Poitier talks with Studs Terkel about his most recent film "The Defiant Ones" and how racial type-casting for typically white roles works in Hollywood films. Besides being an actor, he is also a film director, author, and diplomat.