Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio

1991
1h 53m
7.5

7.5/10

8 votes • View on IMDb
Documentary History
Overview

For 50 years radio dominated the airwaves and the American consciousness as the first “mass medium.” In Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Ken Burns examines the lives of three extraordinary men who shared the primary responsibility for this invention and its early success, and whose genius, friendship, rivalry and enmity interacted in tragic ways. This is the story of Lee de Forest, a clergyman’s flamboyant son, who invented the audion tube; Edwin Howard Armstrong, a brilliant, withdrawn inventor who pioneered FM technology; and David Sarnoff, a hard-driving Russian immigrant who created the most powerful communications company on earth.

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Status: Released

Language: EN

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Production Information

Production Companies
Florentine Films
Production Countries
United States of America
Spoken Languages
English

Keywords

radio wave radio

Quick Facts

Release Date October 1, 1991
Status Released
Language EN
IMDb ID tt0238199
Website Visit Site

Cast

Jason Robards
Jason Robards

Narrator (voice)

Red Barber
Red Barber

Self - Radio Announcer

Erik Barnouw
Erik Barnouw

Self - Historian

Ken Bilby
Ken Bilby

Self - Biographer of David Sarnoff

Norman Corwin
Norman Corwin

Self - Writer

Susan Douglas
Susan Douglas

Self - Historian

Frank Günther
Frank Günther

Self - Engineer

Jeanne Hammond
Jeanne Hammond

Self - Niece of Edwin H. Armstrong

Loren Jones
Loren Jones

Self - Engineer

Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor

Self - Writer

Helen Kelley
Helen Kelley

Self - Radio Broadcaster

Robert Morris
Robert Morris

Self - Engineer

Key Crew

Tom Lewis
Producer
Ken Burns
Producer
Morgan Wesson
Producer
Ken Burns
Director
Geoffrey C. Ward
Writer
Ken Burns
Executive Producer