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LENGTH: 30 Minutes
MSRP: $9.95
CATALOG #: 20459
UPC #: 6-4603204599-4
ISBN #: 1-56839-383-0
RELEASE YEAR: 2011
PRODUCER: Milwaukee Public Television
STREET DATE: Available June 8th, 2011

AS SEEN ON PUBLIC TELEVISION

No trip to Australia would be complete without a ride on Puffing Billy, one of the oldest operating steam locomotives on the Australian continent. Visit with an Atlanta man whose dream layout has come to life, visit the North Carolina Transportation Museum, and stand in Union Station in St. Louis – the center of a combined rail operation that is still going strong in the Gateway to the West.

This magazine-style series has a unique appeal for train lovers of all ages, for railroading novices as well as experts, as it explores every aspect of the railroads of the world.Now broadcast on more than 200 PBS stations across America, host Spencer Christian (formerly of ABC’s Good Morning America) presents the best of steam locomotives, railroad stories, model trains and art. “We’re striving for more depth in each episode,” said David Baule, executive producer and director of the series. “The stories will intrigue a variety of viewers, while walking a middle line between technical and general information. Our goal is to capture the excitement and history of railroading. We continue to explore everything involved with it, from model trains and museums to collectors and authors.”

Other DVDs in this collection:

• Tracks Ahead: The Ringling Circus Train/ Watson O Gauge Toy Layout, Wisconsin/ Taieri Gorge Railway, New Zealand/ The Hellgate Bridge, New York
• Tracks Ahead: Mexico’s Copper Canyon/ Gray HO Gauge Layout, California/ Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, Washington/ Ted Benson, California
• Tracks Ahead: Indian Pacific Railroad, Australia / Lash O Gauge Layout, Washington, DC / Wiskey River Railway, Wisconsin / John Bromley, Nebraska
• Tracks Ahead: The Road Railer Story / Tennessee Valley Railroad, Tennessee / The Daylight Story, Oregon
• Tracks Ahead: Northlandz Railroad Attraction, New Jersey/ Trautwein HO Gauge Layout, Wisconsin/ Texas State Railroad, Texas/ Henry Kisor, Illinois
• Tracks Ahead: The Ghan Train, Australia/ Strong Garden Layout/ Kentucky Railway Museum, Kentucky/ St. Louis Car Company
• Tracks Ahead: Lionel Trains/ Baltimore Railroad Club/ Cypress Gardens Model Railroad, Florida/ Silverwood Central Railway, Idaho
• Tracks Ahead: The Trains of Cuba/ Borne HO Gauge Layout, Minnesota/ Conway Scenic Railway, New Hampshire, Rochelle Railroad Park, Illinois
• Tracks Ahead: San Francisco Cable Cars/ Twin Cities Model Railroad Club, Minnesota / Herber Valley Railroad, Nebraska / Homer Henry, Illinois
• Tracks Ahead: New Zealand Rails / Decoster Garden Layout, Connecticut / Omaha Zoo Railroad, Nebraska / Artist Bruce Friesch
• Tracks Ahead: Union Station, Washington, DC / Zane HO Gauge Layout/Collection Maryland / Australia’s Orient Express / South Shore Lines, Indiana
• Tracks Ahead: The Pacific Fruit Express Juice Train / Anderson Sn3 Gauge Layout, California / Barossa Wine Train, Australia / Kenosha Transit System, Wisconsin

Related Titles:

1. Tracks Ahead: The Ghan Train, Australia/ Strong Garden Layout/ Kentucky Railway Museum, Kentucky/ St. Louis Car Company
2. Tracks Ahead: Indian Pacific Railroad, Australia / Lash O Gauge Layout, Washington, DC / Wiskey River Railway, Wisconsin / John Bromley, Nebraska
3. Tracks Ahead: Northlandz Railroad Attraction, New Jersey/ Trautwein HO Gauge Layout, Wisconsin/ Texas State Railroad, Texas/ Henry Kisor, Illinois

Kid Guides follows two young hosts as they travel to the most exciting zoos in the world.

ORDER DIRECT FROM JANSON MEDIA: SUMMER SPECIAL $7.95

LENGTH: 110 Minutes
MSRP: $9.95
CATALOG #: 20353
UPC #: 6-4603203539-1
ISBN #: 1-56839-296-6
RELEASE YEAR: 2008
PRODUCER: Echo Entertainment

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DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN from Amazon.co-National Zoo, Washington, DC
DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN from Amazon.co-St. Louis Zoo, St Louis, Missouri
DOWNLOAD-TO-OWN from Amazon.co-Ft. Worth Zoo, Ft. Worth, Texas

Not only do Matt and Brittney explore these locations like regular tourists, they also go behind-the-scenes with interactive experiences that kids can only dream of. Join Matt and Brittney as they handle venomous snakes, feed giraffes, and participate in a Sea Lion show. Kid Guides is your ticket to fun and adventure!

National Zoo, Washington, DC
Over three hundred species of animals live at the National Zoo, and Matt and Brittney get to meet a lot of them. Hands-on experiences include learning how to care for pandas and elephants, handling venomous snakes (carefully!), and getting the inside scoop on why poison dart frogs are critical to their environment. In “Explorer’s Corner,” Matt and Brittney learn what it takes to be an animal keeper at a zoo. Featured “Animal Star” — pandas!

St. Louis Zoo, St Louis, Missouri
At the St. Louis Zoo, Matt and Brittney learn about the great apes and efforts to save orangutans in the wild. They learn about caring for penguins,get a chance to feed some laurakeets (without losing any fingers!), and get a chance to chill with some crazy, fun-loving otters. In addition, Brittney participates in a Sea Lion show, and they both help set some butterflies free. In “Explorer’s Corner,” Matt and Brittney learn about the zoo’s campaign to save the American Burying Beetle. Featured “Animal Star” — the Black Rhinoceros!

Ft. Worth Zoo, Ft. Worth, Texas
At the Ft. Worth Zoo, Matt and Brittney get to hang around with some hungry orangutans, and watch an elephant painting session. They feed a wide variety of birds and get close enough to pet some friendly giraffes! Matt and Brittney participate in a bird of prey training session, and learn a lot of interesting facts about otters and bears. Featured “Animal Star” — flamingos!

EXTRA FEATURE: Best of Kid Guides

Awards »
Three Emmy ® Awards:  Excellence in Children’s Programming

Parents Television Council’s “Seal of Approval”:  The PTC’s mission is to promote and restore responsibility and decency in the entertainment industry

Two Parents’ Choice Awards, 2006 & 2007: Children’s Television

CINE Golden Eagle 2006: Children’s Television

Silver Globe, World Media Festival, 2006: Children’s Entertainment

Gold Remi, Houston International Film Festival, 2006: Outstanding
Children’s/Family Television series

Silver Remi, Houston International Film Festival, 2007: Outstanding Children’s/Family Television series

Four Telly Awards: Two for Children’s Television Series, One for Travel Television Series, One for Wildlife/Nature Television Series

Winner, International Family Film Festival, 2007: Educational Television Short

Finalist, World Media Festival, 2007: Children’s Entertainment

Related Titles:

1. Kid Guides: Museums
2. Kid Guides: Aquariums
3. Kid Guides: Kids Sea Camp Curacao

People said that it would fall and that a poorly funded project would leave the nation with a half finished monument.

ORDER DIRECT FROM JANSON MEDIA: SUMMER SPECIAL $19.95

LENGTH: 58 Minutes
MSRP: $24.95
CATALOG #: 20349
UPC #: 6-4603203499-8
ISBN #: 156839-293-1
RELEASE YEAR: 2007
PRODUCER: Civil Pictures, Inc

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Download from iTunes – Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America

In the end, it would become an international symbol of the United States. It is an architectural and design masterpiece that has touched everyone who has touched it. From the individuals who worked tirelessly to champion funding, to the Steel Workers who dangled 630 feet in the air during construction, it is a triumph that will forever mark the lives of those involved with it. It is… The Gateway Arch.

The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America chronicles for the first time the complete story of this great American symbol… from Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and St. Louis’ role in westward expansion; to the eventual construction of the largest stainless steel structure in history. The film is narrated by Academy Award-winner and St. Louis native Kevin Kline and produced by Civil Pictures, producers of the international award-winning documentary The World’s Greatest Fair.

Extensive research was conducted at archives across the United States to produce this documentary. Over 10,000 documents and images were examined, including Eero Saarinen’s private papers and earliest conceptual drawings held at Yale University. The production team spent months tracking down long lost construction footage; transferred and seen here for the first time in digital cinema. The production team conducted countless behind-the-scenes interviews and 24 on-camera interviews over the course of two years. This process brought to light information previously unknown to the general public; including the fact that engineers feared the Arch would buckle when placing the final piece resulting in a catastrophic failure. Interviews with World Trade Center Memorial architect Daniel Libeskind, New York-based architecture critic Jayne Merkel, and Eero Saarinen’s daughter Susan, give new insight into the genius of Saarinen’s design as well as the fact that the technology to build his “ribbon of steel” did not exist in 1947 when he submitted his winning design.

More than just a dry historical record, this movie presents a message of optimism, the human capacity to pursue dreams and America’s ability to achieve great things.

Awards »
4 Mid-America Emmy Awards (2007)
2 International AVA Awards
An International Questar Award – “Best of Documentaries”
A Telly Award
A Davey Award
A Riverfront Times “Best of St. Louis” Award

Reviews

“An excellent new documentary film, The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America directed by Scott Huegerich and Bob Miano, and narrated by Kevin Kline provides an engaging account of the scheme’s genesis and realization.” -The New York Times Review of Books

“Boasting excellent production values (including beautifully restored archival footage) and no less than 24 on-camera interviews with architects, authors, engineers, and ironworkers, The Gateway Arch—a beautiful hour-long tribute to the St. Louis landmark—plays like a valentine to inspiration and innovation, as it honors a timeless symbol of the indomitable American spirit. A “ribbon of steel” conceived by architect Eero Saarinen in 1947 and completed (after the necessary technology was developed) in October 1965, the 630-foot stainless steel arch is one of the most-recognized landmarks in the U.S. Narrated with enthusiastic flair by actor and St. Louis native Kevin Kline, the documentary begins with a concise historical overview (complete with vintage photographs and authentic reenactments) establishing the significance of St. Louis as “the gateway to the West,” before turning its attention to the design and often treacherous construction of the Arch, which reportedly claimed 13 lives as its curving legs climbed into the sky toward their joining point. DVD extras include 30 minutes of bonus material (in-depth interview excerpts, more specific aspects of St. Louis history, etc.). Highly recommended.” -Video Librarian

“Drawing upon more than 10,000 documents and images (including the private papers of its architect, Eero Saarinen and the earliest conceptual drawings held in the archives of Yale University), “The Gateway Arch” also features interviews with World Trade Center memorial architect Daniel Libeskind, New York-based architecture critic Jayne Merkel, and Eero Saarinen’s daughter Susan. The DVD format allows for the inclusion of an extra 30 minutes of relevant and appropriate special features. The result is a superbly produced and entertaining historical documentary that is confidently and enthusiastically recommended for inclusion in both school and community library DVD collections.” -Midwest Book Review

“When its construction launched in 1963, St. Louis’s famed Gateway Arch had already spent decades in the rudimentary conception and discussion phases. A definitive symbol not simply of Americana, but of American westward expansion and Manifest Destiny, the arch embodies a “gateway to the west” – standing, as it does, at the very head of the Lewis & Clark trail – and thus, when it finally came to be, represented a culmination of almost 200 years of American history. As narrated by Academy Award-winning thespian Kevin Kline, the hour-long documentary The Gateway Arch: A Reflection of America tells the full story of the arch’s initiation as a project, its development by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, and the events that led up to its completion and designation as a national historic landmark in 1965. The program draws from exhaustive research to incorporate long-obscure construction footage from the early ’60s, dozens of interviews, archival illustrations and blueprints, and much, much more.” ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The St. Louis Gateway Arch is a national historic landmark, which stands at the head of the Lewis and Clark Trail. Using construction footage from the early 1960s, dozens of interviews, archival illustrations and blueprints, this hour long historical documentary about the building of the St. Louis Gateway Arch is an excellent and entertaining production. The 630 foot arch, built of stainless steel, is one of the most-recognized landmarks in the United States. Kevin Kline, a St. Louis native, narrates the script. It begins with a historical overview before turning its attention to the design and construction of the Arch, which reportedly claimed 13 lives during its construction. Bonus footage includes 30 minutes of interview excerpts and specific aspects of St. Louis history

Some of the documents and images include the private papers of the architect, Eero Saarinen. Notable interviews are with World Trade Center Memorial architect Daniel Libeskind, New York-based architecture critic, Jayne Merkel, and Eero Saarinen’s daughter Susan.

This DVD is recommended for both school and community library collections, as well as public libraries. Highly Recommended – Educational Media Reviews Online

Related Titles:

1. America’s Team: Being A U.S. Air Force Thunderbird
2. Lion and the Mouse: The Story of America and Bermuda