AMNA: GOOD EVENING.
I'M AMNA NAWAZ. GEOFF BENNETT IS AWAY.
ON THE NEWS HOUR TONIGHT. THE U.S. AND ISRAEL'S BOMBING
CAMPAIGN AND IRAN'S RETALIATORY ATTACKS ROIL THE REGION, WHILE
PRESIDENT TRUMP VOWS TO KEEP THE WAR GOING AS LONG AS IT TAKES.
>> WE CONTINUE THIS MISSION WITH FEROCIOUS, UNYIELDING RESOLVE TO
CRUSH THE THREAT THIS TERRORIST REGIME POSES TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE. AMNA: VIEWS FROM ON THE GROUND
IN IRAN,AND IN LEBANON -- WHERE THE CONFLICT BETWEEN ISRAEL AND
HEZBOLLAH HAS REIGNITED. AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FOLLOWED
STARTING WITH SURGING ENERGY , PRICES.
>> WE SHOULD T -- SEE RELATIVELY LITTLE IMPACT IN THE U.S. UNLESS
THINGS ESCALATE. NNOUNCER: MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE
"PBS NEWS HOUR" HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY --
>> ON AN AMERICAN CRUISE LINES JOURNEY ALONG THE COLUMBIA AND
SNAKE RIVERS, TRAVELERS CAN RE-CREATE THE LEGENDARY ROUTE
FORGED BY LEWIS AND CLARK MORE THAN 200 YEARS AGO.
AMERICAN CRUISE LINES' FLEET OF MODERN RIVER BOATS SAIL THROUGH
REGIONAL LANDSCAPES AND VISIT HISTORIC LANDMARKS, WHERE YOU
CAN EXPERIENCE LOCAL CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND CUISINE.
AMERICAN CRUISE LINES. PROUD SPONSOR OF PBS NEWS HOUR.
ANNOUNCER: THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS AND
INSTITUTIONS. AND FRIENDS OF THE NEWS HOUR
INCLUDING LEONARD AND NORMA KLORFINE, AND THE JUDY AND PETER
BLUM KOVLAR FOUNDATION. AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF
THESE INDIVIDUALS AND INSTITUTIONS.
THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS
STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.
MNA: WELCOME TO THE NEWS HOUR. WE'RE NOW IN THE THIRD DAY OF
THE AMERICAN AND ISRAELI WAR AGAINST IRAN AND THE U.S. STATE
DEPARTMENT IS NOW CALLING ON U.S. CITIZENS TO EVACUATE
COUNTRIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. TODAY MARKED ONCE AGAIN BY
PUNISHING AIRSTRIKES ACROSS THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC.
IN RESPONSE, IRAN CONTINUES TO WIDEN THE WAR -- SENDING VOLLEYS
OF MISSILES AND ROCKETS ACROSS THE REGION, TARGETING MOST OF
ITS ARAB NEIGHBORS AND ISRAEL. MEANWHILE, THE PENTAGON
ANNOUNCED AT LEAST SIX U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN KILLED
IN REPRISAL ATTACKS. NICK SCHIFRIN BEGINS OUR
COVERAGE. NICK: TODAY IN TEHRAN, THE
EPICENTER OF THIS WIDENING WAR, THE PLUMES OF SMOKE WERE MASSIVE
AND EXCLUSIONS THUNDEROUS. OME OF THE CAPITAL STREETS AND
IN DEBRIS AND DREAD. ENTIRE BUILDINGS COLLAPSED.
A POLICE STATION CONVERTED INTO A CARCASS.
THE IRANIAN RED PRESS -- CROSS ASSOCIATION SAYS THERE ARE MORE
THAN 150 KILLED. WHEN EXCLUSION HIT ONE OF
TEHRAN'S MOST PROMINENT HOSPITALS.
NURSES EVACUATED BABIES IN INCUBATORS.
THE CAMPAIGN IS THE LARGEST IN ISRAEL'S HISTORY, TARGETING
LEADERSHIP AND THE MILITARY. AMERICAN TOMAHAWK MISSILES AND
AIRSTRIKES ARE TARGETING IRAN'S MISSILE INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> WE CONTINUE THIS MISSION WITH FEROCIOUS UNYIELDING RESOLVE TO
CRUSH THE THREAT THIS TERRORIST REGIME POSES TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE. ICK: THE WAR ALSO THREATENS
SERVICE MEMBERS. THREE AMERICAN F-16S
ACCIDENTALLY SHOT DOWN BY KUWAITI AIR DEFENSE.
NE FEMALE PILOT MET BY GRATEFUL KUWAITI CIVILIANS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HELPING US. ICK: THE U.S. SERVICE MEMBERS
WERE KILLED ON THIS KUWAITI BASE WHEN U.S. OFFICIALS SAY AN
IRANIAN BALLISTIC MISSILE EVADED AIR DEFENSE.
IN TOTAL, IRAN HAS LAUNCHED MORE THAN 1000 ROOMS AND MISSILES
INTO ARAB COUNTRIES. INCLUDING ITS FIRST-EVER ATTACKS
ON GULF HOTELS AND RESIDENCES, AND TODAY IT EXPANDED THOSE
ATTACKS TO ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING SAUDI ARABIA'S LARGEST
OIL REFINERY. IT WAS ANOTHER ATTACK TODAY ON A
TANKER OFF THE COAST OF OMAN. TODAY IRAN VOWED TO SHUTDOWN THE
CRUCIAL STRAIT OF HORMUZ THROUGH WHICH ROUGHLY 1/5 OF THE WORLD'S
OIL IS TRADED. ISRAEL EXPANDED ITS OWN STRIKES
INTO LEBANON AFTER IRANIAN ALLY HEZBOLLAH LAUNCHED AN ATTACK ON
ISRAEL, ISRAELI JETS POUNDED BEIRUT, KILLING DOZENS AND
SETTING FIRE TO RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.
IRAN HAS LAUNCHED HUNDREDS OF MISSILES AND DRONES IN ISRAEL
INCLUDING THIS ATTACK ON SATURDAY WEST OF JERUSALEM THAT
KILLED NINE. TODAY, IT IS REALLY PRIME
MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU VISITED THE SITE AND REITERATED
HIS GOAL. THE ELIMINATION OF THE
IRANIAN THREAT. >> IF THIS REGIME, THE TERRORIST
REGIME OF THE KIND WE'VE NEVER SEEN IN THE WORLD, IF THEY GET
NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THE MEANS TO DELIVER THEM, BALLISTIC
MISSILES, INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE'S, THEY WILL
THREATEN ALL OF HUMANITY. NICK: AT THE PENTAGON TODAY,
SECRETARY PETE HEGSETH AND CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF
STAFF STAN KANE TO MAKE SURE THE U.S. MILITARY OBJECTIVES WERE
LIMITED TO IRAN'S DRONES AND NAVY.
>> THIS OPERATION IS A CLEAR, DEVASTATED, DECISIVE MISSION.
DESTROY THE MISSILE THREAT AND NAVY, NO NUKES.
>> OUR MISSION IS TO DEFEND AND PROTECT OURSELVES AND TOGETHER
WITH REGIONAL PARTNERS, PREVENT IRAN FROM THE ABILITY TO PROJECT
POWER OUTSIDE OF ITS BORDERS. AND BE READY FOR FOLLOW ON
ACTIONS AS APPROPRIATE. >> THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO HAVE
A NUCLEAR WEAPON. ICK: BUT AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
PRESIDENT TRUMP LISTED MAXIMALIST GOALS INCLUDING THE
DESTRUCTION OF THEIR MISSILE CAPABILITIES, "ANNIHILATING
THEIR NAVY, PREVENTING IRAN FROM HAVING A NUCLEAR WEAPON, AND
BLOCKING THEIR FUNDING AND REGIONAL PROXIES."
>> WHATEVER>> THE TIME IS, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
WE WILL ALWAYS AND WE HAVE RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, WE PROJECTED
FOUR TO FIVE WEEKS. BUT WE HAVE CAPABILITY TO GO FAR
LONGER THAN THAT. WE ALSO PROJECTED FOR WEEKS TO
TERMINATE THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP AND AS YOU KNOW THAT
WAS DONE IN ABOUT AN HOUR SO WE ARE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
NICK: IN MULTIPLE INTERVIEW SINCE THE WEEKEND, THE PRESIDENT
PROVIDED VARIED TIMELINES AND GOALS.
HE CALLED THE VENEZUELA MODEL WHERE THE U.S. MILITARY CAPTURED
NICOLAS MADURO BUT LEFT INTACT HIS ENTIRE GOVERNMENT "THE
PERFECT SCENARIO" IN IRAN. HE SAID HE HAD MULTIPLE CHOICES
BUT THEN HE TOLD ABC NEWS IT'S NOT TO BE ANYBODY WE WERE
THINKING OF, BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL DEAD.
HE TOLD THE ATLANTIC HE HAD AGREED TO RESUME NEGOTIATIONS
WITH A SENIOR OFFICIAL LATER CLARIFIED THE PRESIDENT WOULD
NEGOTIATE "EVENTUALLY." SIMULTANEOUS -- SIMULTANEOUSLY
TRUMP SAID IRANIANS WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OVERTHREW THE
GOVERNMENT, THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF NEGOTIATIONS TO KEEP THE
REGIME. ECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO
SAID THERE WERE NO CONTRADICTIONS BETWEEN LIMITED
MILITARY GOALS AND AN EXPANSIVE LONG-TERM VISION.
>> THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS OPERATION ARE TO DESTROY
BALLISTIC MISSILE CAPABILITY AND MAKE SURE THEY CAN'T REBUILD AND
THEY CAN'T HIDE BEHIND IT TO HAVE A NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
THAT'S THE OBJECTIVE OF THE MISSION.
THAT SAID, IT'S ABUNDANTLY CLEAR, WE WOULD LOVE THERE TO BE
IN IRAN NOT GOVERNED BY RADICAL SHIEH CLERICS.
ICK: TONIGHT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID THE BIGGEST WAVE OF STRIKES
IS "COMING SOON." AMNA: TELL US MORE ABOUT THE
GOALS OF THOSE VARYING CONTRADICTING STATEMENTS.
WHAT ARE U.S. OFFICIALS TELLING YOU?
NICK: THE KEY IS WHAT YOU HEARD FROM RUBIO.
THE U.S. MILITARY IS DESTROYING AROUND MISSILES, DRONES AND
NAVY. U.S. OFFICIALS REJECT THE COLIN
POWELL POTTERY BARN MODEL, YOU BREAK IT, YOU OWN IT.
BUT THE LONG-TERM GOAL IS STILL REGIME CHANGE.
U.S. OFFICIALS TELL ME BY FOCUSING ON CHANGE IN THE REGIME
RATHER THAN CHANGE OF THE REGIME.
IF IRAN GIVEN TO ALL THE U.S. DEMANDS AT THE NEGOTIATING
TABLE, THAT WOULD ACHIEVE U.S. GOALS.
OR IF THE IRANIAN PEOPLE OVERTHREW THE GOVERNMENT IN SOME
KIND OF INSURGENCYND A WAR THAT ISRAEL WOULD HAVE STARTED ANYWAY.
AMNA: AS REPORTED EARLIER, THE U.S. HAS ISSUED EVACUATION
ORDERS FOR MORE THAN A DOZEN COUNTRIES.
WHAT MORE DO WE KNOW FOR THAT? NICK: LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THIS
GRAPHIC JUST POSTED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT.
THE PART NOW FROM THE COUNTRIES LISTED BELOW USING AVAILABLE
COMMERCIAL TRANSPORTATION TO THE SERIOUS SAFETY RISKS.
BAHRAIN, EGYPT, IRAN, IRAQ, ISRAEL, WEST BANK, GAZA, OMAN,
%
MNISWHRAANIRST
E . ENEPD INHE01D
2024HEEG BASE SAID THEY REPORTED THIS PART OF
THE AGENDA.
TODAY WE ARE SEEING BACKLASH.
TUCKER CARLSON CALLED THIS DISGUSTING AND EVIL.
FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE, A FORMER FRIEND
OF THE PRESIDENT AND NO LONGER. SHE SAID, WE VOTED FOR AMERICA
FIRST AND ZERO WARS. HE IS GETTING SOME DEFENSE
THOUGH FROM FAR RIGHT ACTIVISTS LIKE LAURA BLUMER, WE KNOW SHE
DOES TALK TO THE PRESIDENT OCCASIONALLY.
WHEN YOU ALSO LOOK MORE BROADLY AT HOW THE AMERICAN PUBLIC IS
RESPONDING, WE ARE STARTING TO GET SOME POLLING.
REUTERS AND APES HOSTED A POLE POST THESE ATTACKS.
IT SHOWED ONLY 27 PERCENT OF
AMERICANS APPROVED U.S. STRIKES THAT KILLED AROUND LEADER.
43% DISAPPROVED OF THE IRAN STRIKES.
29% SAID THEY WERE NOT SURE. MORE THAN HALF, 56 PERCENT OF
AMERICANS, SAID THEY BELIEVE THE PRESIDENT IS TOO WILLING TO USE
MILITARY FORCE. THE PRESIDENT DEFINITELY STILL
HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
AMNA: SO THAT'S WHERE THE
AMERICAN PUBLIC IS. HOW ABOUT CONGRESS?
WHERE ARE THEY? >> AS REPORTED, THE SECRETARY OF
STATE WAS ON THE HILL TALKING TO THE TOP EIGHT LEADERS TODAY.
I WANT TO POINT OUT SOMETHING HE SAID TO THE PRESS.
HE MADE THE ARGUMENT THE PRESIDENT NOT ONLY DOESN'T NEED
AUTHORITY FROM CONGRESS BUT DID NOT NEED TO NOTIFY ALL OF
CONGRESS. LISTEN.
>> THERE'S NO LAW THAT REQUIRES THE PRESIDENT TO HAVE TO DO
ANYTHING WITH CONGRESS. NO PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION
HAS EVER ACCEPTED THE WAR -- WAR POWERS AS CONSTITUTION.
NOT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS AND NOT DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTS.
THAT SAID WE FOLLOWED THE NOTIFICATION OF 48 HOURS AND WE
ARE HERE TODAY.
>> THE WAR POWERS IS NOT A SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE OF THE WAR
POWERS, BUT IT LIMITS PRESIDENTS TO HAVING THIS COMPLEX POWER FOR
60 TO 90 DAYS .
WILL KEEP IT FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN.
IT WAS REMARKABLE HE SAID THIS JUST DAYS BEFORE WE EXPECT A
VOTE IN THE HOUSE OVER WHETHER CONGRESS SHOULD BLOCK ACTION IN
IRAN WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL.
THERE WAS A TOUGH VOTE ESPECIALLY FOR DEMOCRATS OR
PRO-ISRAEL DEMOCRATS, THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE ARTICLE ONE AND
CONSTITUTIONALIST DEMOCRATS NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ON THE FRONT
LINE. RIGHT NOW I DON'T THINK IT HAS
THE VOTES TO PASS THE HOUSE. IT WILL BE A VOTE TO WATCH.
AMNA: THE PARTIAL GOVERNMENT
SHUTDOWN, WILL THE IRAN ACTION IMPACT THAT AT ALL?
>> THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO. DEMOCRATS ARE STICKING IN AND
THEY SAY WE MAY HAVE SOMETHING OVERSEAS WE NEED TO PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE ISSUES.
WHAT COULD CHANGE IS WHEN MORE PEOPLE START
-- >> WHAT SOUNDS LIKE
ANTIAIRCRAFT AND ONE OTHER THING I NEED TO
POINT OUT IS AROUND 1:30 AM, THE INTERNET ACCESS WAS CUT OFF AND
THAT IS UNUSUAL. WHEN THIS WAR STARTED, THE
GOVERNMENT CUT OFF THE INTERNET, IT WAS ONLY ACCESS FOR THE
NATIONAL NETWORK. IT WAS A CLOSED NETWORK.
IT WAS USING VPN AND I WAS ABLE
TO GET ACCESS TO THE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK.
THAT STOPPED AROUND 1:30 A.M.
LOCAL TIME. WAS IT RELATED TO THE LATEST
AIRSTRIKES THAT STARTED AROUND MIDNIGHT, IT'S NOT CLEAR.
NO INTERNET, THAT'S WHY I'M TALKING TO YOU ON THE PHONE.
EARLIER TODAY, MORE INTENSE AIRSTRIKES TARGETING THE HEART
OF THE CITY.
THEY ARE TARGETING THE SECURITY APPARATUS.
INCREASINGLY WE ARE SEEING ON
THE GROUND NONMILITARY TARGETS BEING HIT OR SEVERELY DAMAGED,
HOSPITALS, A SCHOOL ON SATURDAY. EARLIER TODAY I WENT TO A MAJOR
SQUARE HERE WHERE A POLICE HEADQUARTERS WAS HIT.
THE POLICE STATION WAS DESTROYED BUT SURROUNDING IT WERE SCORES
OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS. THEY WERE EITHER DESTROYED OR
SEVERELY DAMAGED. I WENT TO A CAFE ACROSS FROM THE
POLICE STATION. I TALKED TO A PATRON WHO WAS
THERE DURING THE AIRSTRIKES WHO WAS SMOKING A HOOKAH WHEN THE
MISSILE HIT AND HE SHOWED ME
GRUESOME VIDEO OF A FELLOW PATRON WITH HIS HEAD SUFFERED.
HE DESCRIBED WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A
DOUBLE TAP STRIKE. HE SAID THE INITIAL STRIKE WAS
NOT MUCH. A FEW MINUTES LATER, A MASSIVE
EXPLOSION. THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF THE
CYCLE OF VIOLENCE WE ARE EXPERIENCING.
AMNA: LET ME ASK ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM U.S. OFFICIALS.
PRESIDENT TRUMP CLAIMED YESTERDAY THAT IRAN HAD REACHED
OUT TO TALK AND NEGOTIATE TODAY. HE WARNED OF A "BIG WAVE" OF
STRIKE THEATER COMMANDED NOT RULE OUT U.S. TROOPS ON THE
GROUND. WHAT HAS BEEN TO RON'S RESPONSE
TO ALL OF THIS? REPORTER: TEHRAN'S
RESPONSE IS NO TALKS.
TO THEIR POINT OF VIEW, THERE IS NO TRUST.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN THE MIDDLE OF NEGOTIATIONS, WITHOUT
WARNING, THEY HAVE BEEN UNDER ATTACK.
THEY TRIED TO PROJECT RESILIENCE.
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL IN A
STATEMENT SAYING THEY ARE READY AND THEY DON'T NEGOTIATE WITH
TERRORISTS. THE TEAM SAYING THEY LEARNED
LESSONS FROM U.S. PRESENCE IN THE REGION AND THEY WILL USE
THOSE LESSONS TO DECIDE HOW THE WAR ENDS.
THEY ARE PROJECTING RESILIENCE, TOUGHNESS, AND SEEMINGLY IN THE
REGION THEY ARE CARRYING OUT AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN TARGETING
U.S. BASES AND ASSETS. GULF STATES, MILITARY BASES.
THEY ARE ALSO TARGETING HOTELS BECAUSE THEY HAVE INTELLIGENCE
THAT U.S. SERVICEMEN HAVE LEFT THE BASES TO GO TO THE HOTELS.
AMNA: THAT IS OUR SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT RAZZIES JOINING US
TREY LOOK AT THE WIDER REGION, LET'S GO TO OUR SPECIAL
CORRESPONDENT IN LEBANON, A COUNTRY BEING DRAGGED BACK INTO
CONFLICT AS HEZBOLLAH HAS RESUMED ATTACKS ON ISRAEL.
SIMONA FOLTYN IS COMING TO US FROM THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE
CAPITAL, BEIRUT. WE KNOW THOSE HEZBOLLAH ATTACKS
ON ISRAEL, MORE THAN A YEAR AFTER THE WAR THAT LEFT HAS
BELOW VERY MUCH WEAKENED. WHY WOULD THEY DECIDE TO ATTACK
NOW?
REPORTER: HEZBOLLAH HAS WEIGHED A DOMESTIC INTEREST WITH THE
DESIRE OR DUTY TO SUPPORT ITS MAIN REGIONAL ALLY.
THEY FUNDED THIS AS THE LATTER
INTEREST PREVAIL. THERE'S A BIG QUESTION ABOUT THE
MILITARY VALUE OF THE ATTACK.
THE ROCKETS WERE INTERCEPTED AND THERE IS LIMITED IF ANY DAMAGE
ON THE ISRAELI SIDE WHEREAS THE IDF RESPONSE WAS MUCH MORE
DEVASTATING. OF COURSE AS YOU MENTIONED,
HEZBOLLAH HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY WEAKENED IN THE LAST FULL-SCALE
WAR WITH ISRAEL.
AMNA: YOU MENTIONED THE IDF RESPONSE TO THE LATEST ATTACKS
THAT KILLED MORE THAN 50 PEOPLE IN AND AROUND BEIRUT.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AGAIN BEING DISPLACED FROM
SOUTHERN LEBANON AND BEIRUT'S SOUTHERN SUBURBS.
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE IMPACT AND THE REACTION FROM INSIDE
LEBANON. REPORTER: THE IMPACT HAS BEEN
QUITE DEVASTATING ESPECIALLY FOR HEZBOLLAH AND -- LOTS OF
BOMBARDMENT IN THE SOUTH AS WELL AS THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS.
IT HAS CAUSED ONCE AGAIN DISPLACEMENT, ONCE AGAIN PANIC,
A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHETHER THIS COUNTRY WILL ONCE
AGAIN BE PLUNGED INTO FULL-SCALE WAR.
EARLIER TODAY FOLLOWING AN
EMERGENCY CABINET SESSION, THE PRIME MINISTER ANNOUNCED A BAN
ON HAS BELOW MILITARY AND INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES.
THIS IS QUITE UNPRECEDENTED IN THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY
THE GROUP WAS SOMEHOW RECOGNIZED AS THE SO-CALLED RESISTANCE AND
BEING A PART OF THE COUNTRY'S DEFENSES.
EVENTUALLY WITH THIS DECISION, HEZBOLLAH HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT OF
AN OUTLAW GROUP, AT LEAST WHEN IT COMES TO THE MILITARY WING.
AMNA: WE KNOW YOU ALSO LIVED IN DUBAI FOR MANY YEARS AND YOU
REPORTED FOR THE REGION FOR YEARS.
THESE FEARS OF A WIDENING REGIONAL WORK, HOW BIG ARE THEY?
HOW REAL ARE THEY?
REPORTER: THIS IS QUITE AN UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION IN THE
REGION AND ESPECIALLY THE GULF COUNTRIES.
IF YOU LOOK AT PLACES LIKE THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES OR
CATARRH, THESE WERE AREAS THAT WERE CONSIDERED SAFE HAVENS FOR
ARABS AND MUSLIMS. THIS
IS SOMETHING THESE COUNTRIES HAVE NOT REALLY SEEN.
THE AIR DEFEATED -- DEFENSE SYSTEMS HAVE MANAGED TO
INTERCEPT MOST OF THE IRANIAN MISSILE ATTACKS AND TARGETING OF
THESE PLACES AND THAT HUMAN
CASUALTIES HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY LOW BUT THESE COUNTRIES HAVE
BEEN HIT WITH THE ECONOMIC ENGINES.
FOR EXAMPLE, DUBAI AIRPORT IS THE SECOND LARGEST IN THE WORLD.
THE PORT IS THE NINTH LARGEST
SHIPPING PORT IN THE WORLD. NOW ESSENTIALLY ALL THE ECONOMIC
ACTIVITY IN THE GULF REGION HAS COME TO A HALT.
AIRSPACE IS CLOSED. WE HAVE SEEN FOOTAGE OF
FIVE-STAR HOTELS BEING HIT WITH DEBRIS.
WE HAVE SEEN SPORTS TEAMS TARGETED.
WE HAVE SEEN OR WILL BEING TARGETED.
ALL OF THAT IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT.
AMNA: OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT SIMONA FOLTYN OUTSIDE OF LEBANON
-- OUTSIDE OF BEIRUT IN LEBANON. THANK YOU.
LET'S SHIFT OUR FOCUS TO THE
WAR'S IMPACT ON THE GLOBAL ENERGY MARKET.
OIL AND GAS PRICES SPIKED TODAY AS THE REGIONAL CONFLICT
ESCALATED, AND SHIPPING WAS DISRUPTED IN THE STRAIT OF
HORMUZ. ABOUT 20% OF THE WORLD'S OIL AND
LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS FLOWS THROUGH THE STRAIT EVERY DAY,
MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL OIL SUPPLY ROUTES ON THE
PLANET. WILLIAM BRANGHAM JOINS US WITH
MORE. WILLIAM: AT LEAST FIVE TANKERS
HAVE BEEN DAMAGED IN THE VICINITY OF THE STRAIT SINCE
SATURDAY, AND TRAFFIC SLOWED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE WEEKEND.
SEPARATELY, IRANIAN DRONES CONTINUE TO ATTACK ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE IN DIFFERENT ARAB GULF STATES.
TODAY, THOSE ATTACKS DAMAGED AN OIL REFINERY IN SAUDI ARABIA AND
HALTED THE PRODUCTION OF LIQUID NATURAL GAS OR LNG IN QATAR.
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS, WE'RE
JOINED BY DAN PICKERING. HE IS THE CHIEF INVESTMENT
OFFICER AT PICKERING ENERGY PARTNERS, A FINANCIAL SERVICES
AND ADVISORY FIRM FOCUSED ON THE ENERGY INDUSTRY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
LET'S PICK APART SOME OF THESE DIFFERENT IMPACTS.
FIRST ON THE MARKETS. WHAT HAPPENED WITH OIL PRICES
TODAY? >> WE HAD A STRONG RALLY IN OIL
PRICE UP 7%, WTI, THE U.S. BENCHMARK WAS ABOUT $72 PER
BARREL. IT WAS ACTUALLY UP LESS THAN
MANY PEOPLE EXPECTED. THE MARKETS DID
BETTER, THE BROAD STOCK MARKETS DID BETTER
AND OIL DID NOT RISE QUITE AS MUCH IS EXPECTED BUT STILL UP
STRONGLY. WILLIAM: WE MENTIONED THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AND THE ATTACKS AND
TRICKING US OF WHAT IS GOING ON. WHAT DO WE KNOW IS THE LATEST
HAPPENING? >> THE LATEST IS
ESSENTIALLY TANKER TRAFFIC HAS SLOWED TO
ALMOST NOTHING. SOME VESSELS ARE CONTINUING TO
MOVE THROUGH THE STREET. --
STRAIT. BUT BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS,
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF OIL MOVING THROUGH AND THERE IS A BIG
CHOKEPOINT GOING THROUGH. 20% OF GLOBAL SUPPLY COMES
THROUGH AND IT IS ESSENTIALLY SHUT DOWN RIGHT NOW.
WILLIAM: OBVIOUSLY THIS IS THE MAIN ROUTE, THAT'S WHY EVERYONE
HAS USED IT FOR SO MANY YEARS. IS THERE OR ARE THERE ANY
ALTERNATE ROUTES TO GET THE OIL TO MARKET?
>> FOR OIL, THERE ARE SOME OTHER
PIPELINE EXPORT ROUTES, MAY BE 5 MILLION BARRELS A DAY.
20 MILLION THROUGH THE STRAIT BUT PERHAPS 5 MILLION CAN GET TO
MARKET IN OTHER WAYS. 15% IS TRAPPED BEHIND THE STRAIT
ON THE GAS SIDE OF THE EQUATION. THERE REALLY IS NO OTHER OUTPUT
FOR QATAR'S LIQUID GAS.
THAT IS ABOUT 100% BLOCKED RIGHT NOW.
WILLIAM: DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT IRAN COULD DO TO BOTH
INCREASE THE PRESSURE ON THE LIMITED TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH,
AND WHAT MIGHT THE AMERICANS OR ALLIES DO TO ALLEVIATE THAT
CHOKEPOINT? >> WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN FROM HERE, IF IRAN
WAS TO RATCHET UP TENSION, IT PROBABLY WOULD NOT BE IN THE
STRAIT OF HORMUZ WHERE IT WOULD NOT BE FLOWING TRAFFIC.
IT WOULD BE LASHING OUT AT THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE AT THE
OTHER GULF STATES. ATTACKING SAUDI ARABIA'S
CAPABILITIES, ATTACKING KUWAIT, OMAN AND THE UAE.
I THINK THE ACTIONS THE U.S. AND
BE TO TRY AND SAFEGUARD THE STRAIT, WHETHER DOING THAT
MILITARILY WITH ESCORTS, AND/OR AERIAL SUPPORT AND POTENTIALLY
CREATING A FINANCIAL BACKSTOP THAT WOULD ALLOW TANKER TRAFFIC
TO MOVE THROUGH WITHOUT FEAR THAT THE DAMAGE WOULD BE
UNINSURED. WILLIAM:
YOU MENTIONED SOME OTHER POTENTIAL ATTACKS.
WE HAVE SEEN SOME OF THOSE ALREADY.
WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT THE STATE OF THE CONFLICT THAT IRAN
IS RIGHT NOW REACHING OUT TO TRY AND ATTACK THOSE OTHER STATES
AND OTHER REFINERIES? >> I THINK IT SAYS THIS IS
CLEARLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE SAW IN JUNE.
OBVIOUSLY, A MUCH BIGGER CONFLICT
AND ONE IN WHICH IRAN IS PREPARED TO FIGHT BACK AND
FIGHT BACK AGGRESSIVELY. I WOULD SAY THE FIRST 48 TO 72
HOURS ARE IMPORTANT AND NO SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE
DAMAGE HAS HAPPENED ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST.
I THINK WE HAVE TO FEEL GOOD THAT THERE HASN'T BEEN MORE
DAMAGE OR MORE IMPACT AND THE
EXPECTATION IS THEY WILL PROBABLY FIX THE STRAIT OF
HORMUZ IN THE NEXT 10 DAYS. SSS IS A FLASH POINT IN TIME,
BUT ONE THAT IS PROBABLY GOING TO SE IN TERMOF RISK AS WE
MOVE THROUGH THE NEXT WEEK TO TWO WEEKS.
WILLIAM: THERE WASNE ATTACK ON
AN LNGNG FACILITY IN QATARS 2 OGLOB L SY ALL
WHEN YOU TAKE 20% OFF LINE, WHICH HAS HAPPENED NOW, BUT
DAMAGE TO THE FACILITY PER SE -- PER SE, BUT JUST FORCING BECAUSE
THEY CAN EXPORT THE GAS, 20% IS A BIG IMPACT.
EUROPEAN PRICES ESCALATED. A LOT OF THAT LNG GOES TO ASIA
SO THAT SHORTAGE WILL BE FELT IN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO.
EUROPEAN PRICES REACT BECAUSE THE WHOLE GLOBAL MARKET HAS NOW
TIGHTENED. NOT A LOT OF EXCESS LNG CAPACITY
AROUND THE WORLD TO OFFSET THOSE CHILDREN'S.
WILLIAM: I KNOW WE ARE IN EARLY
DAYS AND ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE PREDICTIONS AT THIS POINT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT AND WHEN AMERICAN
CONSUMERS MIGHT FEEL THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF THIS CONFLICT?
>> I THINK WE ARE LUCKY IN THE
UNITED STATES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE THAT BECAUSE OF THE
SHALE REVOLUTION AND THE U.S. HAS BECOME THE WORLD'S LARGEST
OIL PRODUCER AT 14 MILLION BARRELS A DAY AND A SIGNIFICANT
GAS PRODUCER, WE ARE PRETTY SELF-SUFFICIENT HERE.
WE SHOULD BE RELATIVELY INSULATED FROM WHAT'S HAPPENING.
GLOBAL PRICES WILL IMPACT U.S. PRICES, BUT OIL IN THE 70'S AND
GASOLINE PRICES SHOULD BE
UNLESS THINGS ESCALATE FROM HERE, WE SHOULD SEE RELATIVELY
LITTLE IMPACTS IN THE U.S. UNLESS THINGS ESCALATE.
WILLIAM: THAT IS DAN PICKERING
OF PICKERING ENERGY PARTNERS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> GLAD TO BE HERE.
AMNA: FOR ADDITIONAL PERSPECTIVE
ON ALL THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS, WE TURN NOW TO OUR PANEL OF
EXPERTS. HOLLY DAGRES
IS A SENIOR OFFICIAL AT -- FELLOW AT THE
WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY, A WASHINGTON THINK
TANK. SHE SPENT HER TEENAGE YEARS IN
TEHRAN AND NOW CURATES THE IRANIST, A WEEKLY SUBSTACK
NEWSLETTER. ALAN EYRE SERVED IN THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT FOR FOUR DECADES. HE WAS PART OF THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION'S NEGOTIATING TEAM FOR THE JOINT COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN OF ACTION OR JCPOA DEAL WITH IRAN.
HE IS NOW AT THE MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE.
RETIRED COLONEL JOEL RAYBURN SERVED IN THE ARMY FOR 26 YEARS.
DURING THE FIRST TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, HE WAS ON THE
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFF FOCUSING ON IRAN AND THE MIDDLE
EAST. HE'S NOW A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE
HUDSON INSTITUTE. THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
I WILL BEGIN WITH YOU BECAUSE WE SEEN IN OUR REPORTING AND
EVOLUTION OF MESSAGING FROM THE ADMINISTRATION, PRESIDENT FROM
CALLING FOR REGIME CHANGE IN A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND NOW
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HEGSETH SAYING IT IS NOT ABOUT REGIME
CHANGE. WHAT IS YOUR REACTION AND HOW IS
THAT RESONATING IN IRAN? >> THE MESSAGES ARE CONFLICTING
AND IT IS A BIT DISTURBING. THERE'S A SENSE THAT SOME
IRANIANS ON THE GROUND GOT THAT THEY WERE ACTUALLY GOING TO SEE
SOME SORT OF CHANGE IN THE COUNTRY.
THIS WAS STARTED WITH THAT UNPRECEDENTED MASSACRE IN
JANUARY, AND PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING TRUMP IS ON THE WAY, TAKE
OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS. IT SEEMS WE ARE HEARING FROM
SENIOR U.S. OFFICIALS THAT THEY DO WANT THE IRANIAN PEOPLE TO
TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OWN FUTURE.
BUT AT THIS JUNCTURE, MUCH OF THE CLERICAL ESTABLISHMENT IS
STILL IN POWER. IT IS HARD TO ENVISION THAT.
JUST ON THE NOTE THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID HE WOULD LIKE TO SEE
A VENEZUELA MODEL, GRANTED HE SAID THREE OF THE TOP CHOICES
WERE KILLED IN THE LAST THREE DAYS.
BUT IN JANUARY, IRANIANS WERE WORRIED ABOUT THAT PROSPECT.
ANY KIND OF DEAL OF THAT SORT WOULD BE CONTRARY TO WHAT MOST
OF THE IRANIAN REGIME STANDS FOR.
AMNA: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT,
THE PROSPECTS OF SOMEONE IN THE CURRENT REGIME STEPPING UP TO
TAKE OVER, IS THAT A POTENTIAL PLAN AND IS IT A GOOD ONE?
>> WHETHER IT'S A GOOD ONE OR NOT I THINK WOULD DEPEND ON THE
WAY THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS OR WEEKS GOES.
IN TERMS OF WHETHER YOU COULD ACTUALLY HAVE THE REMNANTS OF
THE CURRENT REGIME THAT ACTUALLY HAS THE CREDIBILITY AND CAPACITY
TO STABILIZE THE COUNTRY, ON TERMS IT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO
THE UNITED STATES AND ALLIES, THAT IS A SERIOUS QUESTION.
MILITARILY SPEAKING, THE OUTCOME OF THIS CONFRONTATION I THINK IS
A FOREGONE CONCLUSION. YOU WILL WIND UP IN ANY CASE
WITH THE REMNANTS OF A REGIME IN TEHRAN THAT I DON'T THINK HAVE
THE MILITARY WHEREWITHAL TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN CAPITULATE
AT SOME POINT ON THE TERMS THE PRESIDENT WOULD OFFER.
AMNA: WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT? AT THE PROSPECTS OF PEOPLE IN
IRAN RISING UP, DO YOU SEE THAT HAPPEN?
>> I WOULD NOT CHARACTERIZE IT
AS THE REMNANTS OF THE REGIME. THE REGIME IS MORE THAN JUST THE
INDIVIDUAL. SOME OF THEM WILL LIVE THROUGH
THIS. IT IS INSTITUTIONS.
I SEE NO INDICATION THOSE INSTITUTIONS ARE PRAYING, OR
THAT YOU CAN DESTROY THESE INSTITUTIONS FROM THE AIR.
IN TERMS OF REGIME CHANGE, FOR THAT TO HAPPEN, TWO THINGS WILL
HAVE TO HAPPEN. THE CURRENT INSTITUTIONS
LIKE THE IRGC, THE ISLAMIC
REVOLUTIONARY COURT, WOULD HAVE TO BE DESTROYED FROM THE AIR
WHICH I THINK IT IS IMPROBABLE. THEN YOU HAVE TO HAVE A
SUBSTITUTE INTERLINKING FUNCTIONAL SERIES OF
INSTITUTIONS TO PLUG IN ITS PLACE AND I THINK THAT'S EVEN
MORE IMPROBABLE. I THINK THE MORE LIKELY OUTCOME
IS AFTER FOUR WEEKS OR SO THEY WILL HAVE A VASTLY DEGRADED
COMMAND STRUCTURE IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC BUT THE CORE
INSTITUTIONS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER WILL STILL REMAIN.
AMNA: THE U.S. PRESIDENT HAS NOT
RULED OUT TROOPS ON THE GROUND. IS THAT A GOOD IDEA?
>> I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP LIKES
TO KEEP HIS OPTIONS OPEN AND STICK TO AMBIGUITY.
HE WOULD NOT LIKE TO RULE OUT A MILITARY OPTION THIS EARLY IN A
CAMPAIGN. BUT THE OBJECTIVES THAT HAVE
BEEN LAID OUT SO FAR BY THE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY OF STATE
RUBIO AND CLEARLY BY GENERAL DAN CAINE, THOSE ARE SOME VERY CLEAR
MILITARY OBJECTIVES. FINISHING THE ELIMINATION OF THE
REGIME'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM, ELIMINATING BALLISTIC MISSILE
CAPABILITY, ELIMINATING THE IRGC NAVY, THE PART OF THE REGIME
THAT HAS THE MISSION OF
DISRUPTING THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, AND THEN SEVERING TIES WITH
PROXIES. AS CHAIRMAN KANE PUT IT, VERY
INTERESTINGLY TODAY, IT'S THE FIRST TIME SOMEONE STATED WITH
THE MISSION OF THE THEATER COMMAND IS.
HE SAID IT WAS ESSENTIALLY TO PREVENT THE IRANIAN REGIME FOR
IRAN FROM HAVING THE PRITCHETT -- ABILITY TO PROJECT POWER
BEYOND ITS BORDERS. THAT IS A CLEAR END STATE.
THE MILITARY PHASE OF THAT , AS
ALLAN WOODEN SAYS, THE REMNANTS OF A REGIME IN TEHRAN THAT ARE
STILL THERE SOMEHOW AND SOMEWHAT ATTACHED BUT HAVE NO ABILITY TO
DAMAGE THE REGION BEYOND BORDERS OR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY.
AMNA: WE HAVE HEARD MORE FROM
U.S. OFFICIALS ABOUT JUSTIFICATIONS IN THE ORIGINAL
U.S. AND ISRAELI ATTACKS. DOES THAT LINE UP FOR YOU IN
TERMS OF WHAT THEY ARE SAYING THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL
IMMINENT THREAT, THAT THE U.S. IS ACTING BOTH DEFENSIVELY AND
PROACTIVELY?
>> WE ARE GETTING MIXED MESSAGING RIGHT NOW AND I'M NOT
ENTIRELY SURE WHAT LED TO THIS. IF WE REMEMBER, THERE WAS A
MASSACRE IN JANUARY AND IT WAS THAT REASON THAT TRUMP WANTED TO
RESPOND TO THAT AND HE SENT ASSETS TO THE REGION FOR THAT.
AMNA: YOU MEAN THE REGIME CRACKING DOWN ON PROTESTS.
>> YES, IN JANUARY. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN
NETANYAHU IN A MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYING BALLISTIC
MISUSE WERE A BIG ISSUE. IT SEEMS LIKE THE GOAL
POST ARE MOVING ABOUT WHAT THE MODUS
OPERANDI OF THE WAR WAS AND IT SEEMS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHY
ASSETS WERE MOVED IN JANUARY TO WHERE IT IS NOW.
AMNA: IS IT CLEAR TO YOU, THREE DAYS IN, AS THE PRESIDENT
PROJECTS THIS IS A CAMPAIGN THAT COULD GO ON FOUR TO FIVE WEEKS
WHAT THE OBJECTIVES ARE? >> I THINK THIS
ADMINISTRATION IS TRYING TO JUSTIFY THE WAR THE
SAME WAY JACKSON POLLOCK USED TO PAINT.
YOU JUST THROW A BUCKET OF PAINT AGAINST THE CANVAS AND HOPE THE
RESULT LOOKS GOOD. FOR EXAMPLE, IT SAID THERE IS AN
IMMINENT THREAT TO THE U.S. THE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTED HE
SAID THE IRANIAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM STOPPED IN 2003.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID THE UNDERLYING IRANIAN NUCLEAR
ENERGY PROGRAM WAS OBLITERATED IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR AND IT IS
STILL UNDER RUBBLE. OK.
MISSILES. IRANIAN MISSILES ARE A THREAT TO
THE UNITED STATES. THAT FALLS SHORT OF THE TRUTH BY
ABOUT 4000 MILES. YOU THEN GO TO THE OTHER SET OF
REASONS. THIS IS A PREVENTATIVE WAR
BECAUSE IRAN IS HOSTILE AND MIGHT ONE DAY BE A REAL THREAT.
IF THAT'S THE CASE, IF WE ARE DOING PREVENTATIVE WARS NOW, TO
PREVENT COUNTRIES THAT MIGHT ONE DAY BE A THREAT, IS NORTH KOREA
IN LINE? IS CHINA OR RUSSIA IN LINE?
I DON'T THINK SO. AS HOLLY SAID, I CAN'T MAKE HEAD
OR TAILS OUT OF THE REASON THIS ADMINISTRATION PUT FORWARD FOR
THIS WAR. AMNA: COLONEL, I WILL ASK YOU TO
RESPOND. OUR OTHER COUNTRIES IN LINE IF
THIS IS THE REASONING? >> AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, WE ARE
IN A POST-OCTOBER 7 ERA. THE IRANIAN REGIME POSED A
CONCRETE THREAT TO THE REGION AROUND IT AND ISRAEL AND OTHER
ALLIES. BY JOINING THE WAR OCTOBER 8.
AND REALLY HAMAS USED ON OCTOBER 7 CAPABILITIES THE IRANIAN
REGIME EQUIPPED IT WITH OVER THE COURSE OF MORE THAN 16 YEARS.
OCTOBER 7, OCTOBER 8, THEN THE
MISSILE ATTACKS IN 2020 4, 2025
BY THE IRANIANS ON ISRAEL, THIS IS THE COMBINATION OF THE
AYATOLLAHS HOSTILE FOREIGN POLICY IN THE REGION AND BEYOND.
THEY CONTINUE TO INTERVENE IN EUROPEAN SECURITY, FIGHTING THE
RUSSIANS WITH MILITARY MEANS TO ATTACK UKRAINIAN CITIES.
THIS REGIME WAS POSING A THREAT TO U.S. INTERESTS AND ALLIES NOT
JUST IN THE REGION BUT BEYOND. I DON'T THINK THEY WERE JUST
SITTING THERE NOT DOING ANY HARM AND THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
DECIDED OUT OF NO TO ATTACK THEM.
AMNA: LOTS MORE TO COVER IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AHEAD.
ALAN EYRE, COLONEL JOEL RAYBURN,
HOLLY DAGRES, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE START THE DAY'S OTHER
HEADLINES IN TEXAS. AUTHORITIES ARE INVESTIGATING A
DEADLY SHOOTING AT AN AUSTIN BAR THIS WEEKEND AS A POTENTIAL ACT
OF TERRORISM. THE ACCUSED SHOOTER, A
53-YEAR-OLD NATURALIZED U.S. CITIZEN, WAS WEARING A
SWEATSHIRT WITH AN IRANIAN FLAG DESIGN AND THE WORDS PROPERTY OF
ALLAH. AT LEAST TWO PEOPLE WERE KILLED
AND 14 INJURED WHEN HE ALLEGEDLY OPENED FIRE FROM A CAR WINDOW
SHORTLY BEFORE 2:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY.
LAW ENFORCEMENT SAID TODAY THEY ARE WORKING WITH FEDERAL
OFFICIALS TO DETERMINE A MOTIVE AND WHETHER THERE ARE ANY DIRECT
TIES TO THE U.S. WAR IN IRAN. >> WE ARE THINKING ABOUT
EVENTS AND WHAT'S OCCURRING IN THE
COUNTRY AS WELL. IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT
THIS WAS A HUGE, COMPLEX SCENE, WE ARE CALLING AND FEDERAL
PARTNERS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
AMNA: POLICE SHOT AND KILLED THE GUNMAN WITH THE MAYOR OF BOSTON
SAYING THERE QUICK RESPONSE HELP TO PREVENT FURTHER BLOODSHED.
THE SUPREME COURT TODAY SEEMED TO LEAN TOWARD LOOSENING A
FEDERAL LAW THAT BARS DRUG USERS FROM OWNING GUNS.
DURING ORAL ARGUMENTS, LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE JUSTICES APPEAR
TO SUPPORT A TEXAS MAN WHO ARGUED HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN
CHARGED WITH A CRIME BECAUSE HE OWNS A GUN AND USES MARIJUANA.
IT'S THE SAME LAW THAT LED TO HUNTER BIDEN'S CONVICTION IN
2024 BEFORE HE WAS PARDONED BY HIS FATHER, THEN PRESIDENT JOE
BIDEN. CRITICS SAY THIS COULD PUT GUNS
IN THE HANDS OF SERIOUS DRUG USERS.
A DECISION IS EXPECTED BY THE END OF JUNE.
IN NEW YORK TODAY, A COURT BATTLE GOT UNDERWAY THAT COULD
HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CLAIMS CONCERT GIANT LIVE NATION IS
RUNNING AN ILLEGAL MONOPOLY AFTER MERGING WITH RIVAL
TICKETMASTER IN 2010. OFFICIALS CLAIM THE COMBINED
COMPANY USES ITS POWER TO LIMIT COMPETITION AND DRIVE UP TICKET
PRICES. LIVE NATION DENIES THIS, SAYING
THAT THE MARKET IS MORE COMPETITIVE THAN OFFICIALS HAVE
CLAIMED. THE LAWSUIT WAS FILED DURING THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IN 2024, MAKING THIS A RARE INSTANCE OF
THE TRUMP DOJ FOLLOWING THROUGH ON A BIDEN-ERA CASE.
THE TRIAL IS EXPECTED TO LAST AT LEAST A MONTH.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO ABANDON
ITS EFFORTS TO TARGET A NUMBER OF LAW FIRMS SEEN AS FOES OF THE
PRESIDENT. THAT'S ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE
MEDIA OUTLETS, AND REPRESENTS A DRAMATIC U-TURN FOR THE
GOVERNMENT. THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IS
EXPECTED TO DROP ITS APPEALS IN FOUR CASES -- AFTER THE FIRMS
SUCCESSFULLY SUED TO HAVE PUNISHING MEASURES AGAINST THEM
BLOCKED. THE ORDERS SIGNED BY PRESIDENT
TRUMP LAST YEAR WOULD HAVE SEVERELY HAMPERED THEIR ABILITY
TO DO THEIR WORK, SENDING SHIVERS THROUGH THE INDUSTRY.
A NUMBER OF FIRMS STRUCK DEALS WITH THE ADMINISTRATION, RATHER
THAN FIGHT BACK. FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON
SAYS HIS COUNTRY WILL INCREASE THE SIZE OF ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES. SPEAKING AT A MILITARY BASE THAT
HOSTS ITS COUNTRY'S NUCLEAR ARMED SUBMARINES, THAT CALL ALSO
SAID -- MACRON ALSO SAID FRANCE WILL TEMPORARILY ALLOW THE
DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR-ARMED JETS TO ALLIES LIKE THE U.K.,
GERMANY, AND POLAND.D. GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT RUSSIAN
MILITARY AGGRESSION, AND ONGOING POLITICAL TENSIONS WITH
WASHINGTON. >>
TO BE FREE, ONE MUST BE FEARED.
AND TO BE FEARED, ONE MUST BE POWERFUL.
THIS INCREASE IN OUR ARSENAL ATTESTS TO THIS.
AS FOR OUR AMERICAN ALLIES, THEIR RECENT NATIONAL SECURITY
AND DEFENSE STRATEGY SHOWS A REARRANGEMENT OF AMERICAN
PRIORITIES AND A STRONG ENCOURAGEMENT FOR EUROPE TO TAKE
MORE DIRECT CARE OF ITS OWN SECURITY.
AMNA: FRANCE CURRENTLY HAS FEWER THAN 300 NUCLEAR WARHEADS WHICH
RANKS IT FORTH WORLDWIDE AND FAR BEHIND THE LIKES OF THE U.S. AND
RUSSIA. MACRO DID NOT SIGNAL HOW MANY
MORE FRANCE WOULD BE ADDING BUT IT WOULD BE THE FIRST INCREASE
SINCE AT LEAST 1992. OFFICIALS IN SOUTH SUDAN SAY AT
LEAST 169 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AFTER INSURGENTS RAIDED A REMOTE
VILLAGE IN THE COUNTRY'S FAR NORTH.
THE ATTACK TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY IN ABIEMNOM COUNTY NEAR THE
SUDAN BORDER. LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY 90 CIVILIANS
WERE KILLED, INCLUDING WOMEN AND CHILDREN.
THE U.N. MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN SAYS SOME ONE PEOPLE SOUGHT
SHELTER AT ITS BASE AFTER THE ATTACK.
THE KILLINGS ARE PART OF AN ESCALATING WAVE OF VIOLENCE
BETWEEN FORCES LOYAL TO THE CURRENT PRESIDENT AND THOSE
BACKING AN OPPOSITION LEADER, PUTTING THE COUNTRY ON THE VERGE
OF AN ALL-OUT CIVIL WAR. ON WALL STREET TODAY,STOCKS
ERASED THEIR EARLIER LOSSES TO AND LARGELY UNCHANGED.
THE DOW JONES POSTED A MODEST LOSS OF JUST 73 POINT.
THE NASDAQ MANAGED A SMALL GAIN OF AROUND 80 POINTS.
THE S&P 500 CLOSED THE DAY ROUGHLY FLAT.
>> THIS IS THE PBS NEWS HOUR
FROM THE DAVID M. RUBENSTEIN WETA STUDIOS
IN WASHINGTON, HEADQUARTERS OF PBS NEWS.
AMNA: WE WILL BE BACK SHORTLY BUT FIRST, TAKE A MOMENT TO HEAR
%
Well, where else is the Hour? When there are tense
times and big things happening on the world
stage? That's why you're here watching tonight.
That's why we're here in the studio, inviting you to
support PBS Wisconsin and the PBS NewsHour. The
NewsHour is driven by independence and integrity
and is powered by you. It's your donations, your
membership support that makes the NewsHour possible.
And when things get tense on the world stage and when
big things are coming at us, it's important to know what
the facts are. And it's important to have them
presented in depth and with context, so you can make
sense of what you're seeing and hearing and what's
going on around the world. And there's no better way
to do that than by watching the NewsHour here on PBS.
Wisconsin NewsHour is here for you. This is your
chance to be here for the NewsHour with your
membership support. So please call the number on
your screen and become a member right now.
>> Hello, I'm Diane Agans, and welcome to the PBS
Wisconsin Spring Membership Drive and your opportunity
to make a gift of support that will keep this
wonderful service going and going. Your call really is
important. And when you do call in right now, we would
like to thank you with the following thank you gifts
at this time, call and make a monthly donation of $15 a
month, and we will send you this PBS Crossbody Tote bag.
It's a cute little guy. He's about 13 by eight by
five. Little pocket in front, zipper on the top,
little gusseted bottom. Cute little bag to carry
around. Also has a wonderful little cross
strap too that can come off and on. Now that's what the
gift of $15 a month. Also, with a gift of $15 a month,
you could choose to have this really sweet PBS
Wisconsin Insulated Camp mug. This is just so sweet.
It's a yellow mug, but it has PBS Wisconsin on one
side, and on the other side, you have these Wisconsin
wildflowers that are incorporated into the
design of a bumblebee that is really sweet, wonderful
insulated mug, 15oz. And that, again, is also our
way of thanking you with a $15 a month gift, or make a
gift of $25 a month and you won't have to choose. You
can send both. We'll give you both a tote bag as well
as the insulated mug is our way of saying thank you for
supporting us here today. Give us a call. We've got
live human beings. 1-800-236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling. I'm director of friends of
PBS Wisconsin. We are grateful for the support of
Sustainers who make monthly ongoing gifts to PBS
Wisconsin. This steady, ongoing source of revenue
for us is really important. It's very stable, and those
sustainers know that their membership is always
current. They know that they're doing their part to
keep the news coming to themselves, to their
families, to their whole communities. Good news is
you can become our newest sustainer with your call
today. You can go online and become a sustainer.
Being a sustainer simply means that you're making a
monthly ongoing payment. You choose the amount and
that is automatically deducted from your checking
account or your credit card. You know that your
membership is always current. You get that
feeling of knowing you're doing your part. To keep
PBS NewsHour right here. It's so easy. Go online.
You can use that QR code that's on your screen, or
you can give us a call right now at (800) 236-3636.
>> The NewsHour is irreplaceable and it's
indispensable. And you know what? You are irreplaceable
and indispensable, too. We're here for you every
day. And the NewsHour is here for you five nights a
week. And it's here because of you. And so your support
is irreplaceable and indispensable. This is a
great symbiotic relationship. The NewsHour
presents presents the news with no interest in mind
but yours. Serving your interest is what the
NewsHour is all about. It is absolutely impeccable in
the way it goes about it. And you know that by
watching, by getting the information, by hearing the
way it's presented, by the depth and breadth that you
just don't get anywhere else. And of course, the
neutrality. So you get to make up your own mind about
the issues of the day, but you get them informed by
the great team at the NewsHour, and you're part
of that team when you make your membership gift. So
why don't you make it right now, please?
>> You are building the future of public television
in Wisconsin. When you make that gift today. And again,
when you do make that gift at this time, we would like
to thank you with these following items here. Now
make a membership gift of $15 a month and we will
send you this wonderful PBS Wisconsin tote bag. It's a
cute little 13 by eight by five inch PBS Wisconsin
tote. It's got PBS Wisconsin logo on the front
and a little pocket on the front, two zipper on the
top, and a little gusseted thing and a crossover strap
too. But now you could also for $15 a month, if you
prefer to have this wonderful PBS Wisconsin
Insulated Camp mug. This is a wonderful little 15 ounce
camp mug. Warm or cold drinks, and it has these
wonderful little Wisconsin wildflower designs that are
in the shape of a bumblebee. It's just really sweet now.
Or if you wish to make a $25 a month gift, that
would be awesome. If you could do that, we will send
you both a tote bag and and the mug as well too. But
the important thing is to step forward right now,
because what you're doing is like creating that
future, investing in that future of something that we
all come to depend on. So give us a call right now.
1-800-236-3636. >> Please do make that
investment in the future. Let's keep PBS Wisconsin
strong together. It takes all of us to provide this
vital service to the people of Wisconsin. We have so
many great ways to say thank you when you call or
you go online to make that gift today, whether you're
making a brand new gift, becoming our next member,
our next sustainer, or whether you're adding to
your gift, let us say thank you with any one of the
gifts that Diane mentioned, let us say thank you. With
that feeling of knowing you're doing your part,
you're a stakeholder in this vital service. But at
all those levels that Diane mentioned, you'll also get
our airwaves magazine, our monthly program guide. It
lets you know what programs are on and lets you plan
your viewing schedule, but it also gives you an inside
look at what's on Passport, what kinds of events we
have around the state. Maybe in your part of the
state we'll be there, but passports, another great
opportunity, a chance for a deeper catalog of news,
drama, whatever you choose, very deep catalog. It all
starts with your call to one (800) 236-3636. Thank
you. AMNA: WE RETURN NOW TO OUR TOP
STORY OF THE DAY WITH AN UPDATE WITH NICK SCHIFRIN.
THE NEWS THIS EVENING THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS A MASSIVE
EVACUATION OF AMERICANS FROM MORE THAN A DOZEN COUNTRIES.
WHAT IS THE LATEST? NICK: 14 COUNTRIES.
WE WILL BRING UP THIS GRAPHIC AGAIN.
NOT ONLY IS IT THE COUNTRIES BUT PEOPLE HAVE TO LEAVE, AND
NUMBERS AND WHATNOT OF HOW TO GET
INFORMATION. BAHRAIN, EGYPT, IRAN, IRAQ,
ISRAEL, JORDAN, KUWAIT, LEBANON, OMAN, UAE, YEMEN.
FORMER OFFICIALS TELL ME ,
NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE ON THIS SCALE.
A U.S. OFFICIAL TELLS ME TONIGHT SAFE TO SAY THIS IS MORE THAN
ONE MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE REGION.
THIS OFFICIAL ALSO SAYS WE SHOULDN'T READ INTO TOO
MUCH. THE LANGUAGE WE JUST THOUGHT
ABOUT SAFETY RISKS, THIS IS MORE ABOUT THE MOMENTUM OF THE WAR
AND WHAT WE ARE SEEING KIND OF CHRISTIAN DOING ACROSS THE
REGION. THE IRANIAN ATTACKS SPREADING
THROUGHOUT THE REGION AND COUNTERATTACKS AS WELL.
ALSO THAT U.S. OFFICIALS HAVE
GIVEN GUIDANCE TO DIPLOMATIC FAMILIES SO THEY HAVE TO ABIDE
LAWS GIVEN TO AMERICAN CITIZENS, BUT IT APPEARS TO BE AN
UNPRECEDENTED REQUEST FOR ALL AMERICANS ACROSS THE REGION AND
SOME AIRPORTS ARE ALREADY CLOSED.
AMNA: NICK SCHIFRIN WITH THE LATEST FOR US THIS EVENING.
THANK YOU. AND THAT'S THE NEWS HOUR FOR
TONIGHT. I'M AMNA NAWAZ.
ON BEHALF OF THE ENTIRE NEWS HOUR TEAM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US. ANNOUNCER: MAJOR FUNDING FOR T
"PBS NEWS HOUR" HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY --
>> CUNARD IS A PROUD SUPPORTER OF PUBLIC TELEVISION.
ON A VOYAGE WITH CUNARD, THE WORLD AWAITS.
A WORLD OF FLAVOR. DIVERSE DESTINATIONS.
AND IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES. THE WORLD OF LEISURE AND BRITISH
STYLE. ALL WITH CUNARD'S WHITE STAR
SERVICE. >> FRIENDS OF THE NEWS HOUR
ROBERT S KAPLAN AND WENDY J SULLIVAN THROUGH THE
RAYMONDJAMES CHARITABLE ENDOWMENT
FUND. ART COLLINS AND SOPHIA SHAW FOR
THE AUTHOR D COLLINS JUNIOR FOUNDATION AND GEORGE D HAMBY
THE THIRD. THE FORD FOUNDATION.
WORKING WITH VISIONARIES ON THE FRONT LINES OF SOCIAL CHANGE
WORLDWIDE.
THE JOHN D AND T. MACARTHUR FOUNDATION, COMMITTED TO
BUILDING A MORE JUST, VERDANT, AND PEACEFUL WORLD.
MORE INFORMATION AT MACFOUND.ORG.
AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF
THESE INSTITUTIONS.
THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS
STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU.
♪
NATIONAL CAPTIONING INSTITUTE, WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS
CAPTION CONTENT AND ACCURACY.] This program is brought to you by the combined resources
of the Wisconsin Historical Society
and PBS Wisconsin
Narrator: Long before theme bars, before fern bars
and teen bars, there were other kinds of bars
and before those bars
there were more bars.
Jim Draeger: Wisconsin is a tavern state.
It's something that defines the culture.
Narrator: On this map, the red dots show areas
with more taverns than grocery stores.
Draeger: In order to have taverns, you have to have beer
and Wisconsin was a brewing state, too.
A lot of the people who settled in Wisconsin
came from beer-drinking cultures.
Narrator: Over time, most historic taverns disappeared
or were remodeled to fit the times.
But somehow, a few remain
and each one has a story to tell.
Bottoms Up, Wisconsin's Historic Bars and Breweries
was funded by the Wisconsin History Fund
supported in part
by the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
Narrator: Before the coming of the railroads
horse-drawn stagecoaches
traveled Wisconsin's early roads.
Mark Speltz: The bumpy, dusty roadways
that connected all of the frontier towns.
And spaced out along these routes were stagecoach inns
places where people could spend the night
get a warm meal, and enjoy a drink
or game of cards in a taproom.
Narrator: At the midpoint on the Sheboygan and Fond du Lac line
weary travelers could rest at the Wade House.
Now preserved as an historic site
the Wade House tells the story
of a busy frontier tavern
run by Sylvanus and Betsy Wade.
David Simmons: When Sylvanus arrived here with his wife Betsy
and their nine children
he really had his sights set on building a town.
One of the key elements in building a town
was the construction of a tavern.
Betsy Urven: Folks that were coming in
might go to the parlor to wait for a meal
waiting for next stage that's going to pull out.
Or gentlemen would go across to the taproom.
Mr. Wade did serve gin, whiskey, and beer.
You could also get a non-alcoholic drink.
There was lemonade served here, as well.
It wasn't solely a place for the taking of drink.
But it was also a place
where passengers could get a meal and spend the night.
Urven: There are eight private bedrooms
off of this main hallway.
Each little room has a bed
a washstand with a pitcher and basin and a chamber pot
so you don't have to get up in the middle of the night
and go out to the outhouse.
The tavern served not on itinerant traffic
but also it was a place of gathering
for the local population.
Urven: Men from town would come in, again to get a drink
maybe just to socialize, play checkers
kind of catch up on the local news.
Mr. Wade did take newspapers from New York, other places.
Walls would be covered with notices
of maybe, local auctions.
Simmons: Being the largest structure in town
it afffor public gatherings
elections or meetingng
There may be theatrical performances
ed then also dances.ng
till and balls, we know were held
on the third floor of the Wade House.
Narrator: As railrds began to take e place
of stagecoach lines
thstagecoa tavn soone y
so there, , t mrectangular spaces100 et d
on the interior.
And when you walked in the inside of a saloon
you were met by a set of saloon doors
and a saloon screen.
The saloon screens were architecturally elaborate.
They had incorporated leaded glass
beveled glass, stained glass.
They were beautiful,
very architecturally wonderful features.
And the intention of the saloon screen
was to appease the objection
of the temperance people
that someone walking by could be exposed
to these immoral acts
of people drinking at the bar.
The women and children, the innocent
would see these activities and then they'd be swayed
and led off the path of righteousness
into this world of debauchery.
When you pass through the saloon doors
a back bar and front bar
run along the long edge of the space
and that creates sort of a work space
for the bartender
so he's not having all of the customers
mingling around where he's working.
It's kind of a defensible space
that creates a barrier between the customers and the booze
so he can keep an eye on his stock
and it kind of helps him
to control the business of the bar as well.
You may find tables and chairs like you do in taverns today.
But many of them didn't have it.
They were just standing.
No bar stools, people stood at the rail.
It was thought at the time
that it was more healthful to drink your beer standing up
or your booze standing up, than sitting down.
Next to them on the floor, strategically placed
were some big brass spittoons.
A lot of people chewed tobacco back at that point
so the spittoons were a place
where the excess of the tobacco went.
The 19th century tavern was almost exclusively men.
It was very much a male space.
The only exception to that was if you were in an area
that had a high German population
you would have found a separate room called the Ladies Lounge
that was for women, children, and families.
We're going to take a look at tt here.
This space is separate from the tavern
it's closed off by it's own doorway.
It has its own side entrance from the street
so women and families enter directly into this space
thereby shielding them from all of the un-virtuous activity
that's happening in the tavern.
So if you go into a bar in Wisconsin
and you see a separate back room with pool table in it
and a side or a rear entrance,
it was probably the ladies parlor.
Narrator: In New Glarus, Puempel's Tavern run by one family for 100 years
keeps the feel of an old storefront saloon.
Chuck Bigler: The bar was originally built by the Puempel family
Joe and Bertha, in 1893.
They ran it until 1935
when their son Otto took over.
He ran the bar for 58 years.
He lived upstairs all that time, raised a family, retired
and then finally sold the tavern to us.
So we're the third owner
and the first non-Puempel to own the tavern.
We bought it, basically, so that it would stay the same.
We didn't want somebody to buy it
and make wholesale changes to it
that would ruin the atmosphere of it.
So we bought it as a hobby.
I still work full-time outside of here.
That way, we don't have to do the things
that you might have to do to generate income
such as jukeboxes, video games, pool tables.
This has become the gathering place for the card games.
We have a lot of class reunions.
Things that require more of a quiet atmosphere
where people can actually visit, play cards, talk.
Usually every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays
they'll be there, we play Jass.
Well, I got four nils.
Oh my God in heaven!
Jass is a Swiss card game
that I don't understand how to play.
There they are... There they are.
You deal me these faceless cards, gee whiz!
[indistinct talking]
Oh, oh, missed one.
I got to get out.
Trouble in the house.
Bigler: Somebody will throw cards on the table and holler, "Schterk!"
Schterk!
Bigler: It must mean something, but I don't have any idea what it is.
Pfund: All my folks and all their neighbors played it.
We were in a Swiss neighborhood.
Every time they'd get together they had to play a game of Jass.
I'm still playing.
Mine's ace.
Pfund: Ace? Sure, I figured that was over here.
Goll' darn it!
Bigler: The paintings were done in 1913.
They were painted by Albert Struman
who was staying upstairs.
Back in the early 1900's, this was a boarding house.
Albert Struman needed something to help pay
his 60-cents-a-day room and board.
He asked if he could paint
murals on the wall.
He painted them off the postcards
that were chosen by the Puempel family.
We have the Andreas Hofer story of Austria
being taken away by Napoleon.
I'm going to take that.
How 'bout that one?
How 'bout this one? How 'bout that one?
Bigler: We put a thumbtack through the dollar bill
and we fold it around a 50-cent piece.
We let the customers throw it
and we donate it to charity.
We donated $1,556 off the back half last year.
Holy cats, you're mixin' drinks?
It seems to be more like home or family here.
It's just like the old neighborhood bar.
Bigler: If I was looking at it from a visitor's standpoint
I guess it's just a cool place to visit
if I didn't have to work there.
Narrator: Many small breweries once dotted the countryside
fueling a growing number of saloons.
And from its earliest days
Wisconsin was on its way to becoming a tavern state.
Draeger: To be a tavern state
you have to have access to beer.
Which means you have to have good clean water
you have to have agricultural lands
to grow all of the ingredients that are used to make beer
and you need to have people who will drink it.
And Wisconsin had the perfect blend of all of that.
There were all of the Germans, and Irish
and Eastern Europeans
who came to Wisconsin from a culture
that was a drinking culture.
Narrator: Soon, hundreds of breweries
hauled barrels of perishable beer
to local saloons.
Draeger: Early breweries were very, very local places.
The brewery was really focused on a neighborhood
or a small town.
Beer didn't keep well.
The earlier beers that were brewed in Wisconsin
the ales, porters, and stouts didn't last very long.
They had to be drank fresh.
Narrator: In Milwaukee, German immigrants
preferred the taste of lager beer.
Brewed with cooler temperatures
lagers fermented in caves cooled by ice.
Lager beer gave brewers an additional benefit.
It stayed fresh longer.
Draeger: It had a longer shelf life
so it was more shippable.
So you could brew lager beer and put it on a train car
and ship it out of the city limits
and ship it somewhere else.
Narrator: An expanding market meant that the lager brewers
in Milwaukee: Schlitz, Blatz, Miller
and Best, which would become Pabst
began to grow larger.
Fire?
Nothing much, over on DeKoven Street.
They'll probably blame it on a cow.
A cow?
Mrs. O'Leary's cow.
Draeger: The Chicago fire was probably the best thing
that ever happened to Milwaukee brewers
because when Chicago burned
it all of the breweries in Chicago, too.
As people came in to rebuild Chicago
that required a lot of beer.
Milwaukee brewers expanded quickly
to try to get a toehold in that market.
Yes, sir, nothing like a good, long drink of cool beer.
Quit jokin'.
Hey! That is beer!
Where'd you get it?
They're shippin' it in from Milwaukee
Draeger: That's why Pabst, and Miller
and Schlitz, and Blatz
that's really why they became national beers.
Narrator: At the time, almost all beer was sold
in neighborhood saloons, which played an important role
in Wisconsin's rapidly developing communities.
Draeger: Many people in the 19th century lived in very modest houses
or in tenement buildings
that didn't really have any social space.
The tavern served as sort of an extended living room.
Saloons in neighborhoods were always community centers
a place where you could go
and relax outside of your cramped quarters
after a long working day.
If you were out of work
it was a place where you could ask about a job.
They were a great source of news.
That was the communication network of many neighborhoods.
So you'd go into a tavern to look for a place to live.
Somebody's on hard times and needs some help.
The barkeeper would help rally the neighborhood
and raise money for causes like that.
They were also political places.
The tavern owners themselves had a lot of sway in politics
because they had their ear to the ground.
They knew what the people were talking about.
They knew what the issues were.
Narrator: All over the city of Milwaukee
saloons sprang up to meet the needs
of its many immigrant groups.
In the Brady Street neighborhood
Wolski's tavern opened over a hundred years ago
to serve the local community.
Bernard Bondar: This was a Polish neighborhood
and it kind of evolved around St. Hedwig's church
which is up on Brady and Humbolt.
A lot of Polish flats, mostly frame houses.
There were quite a few tanneries around here on the river.
A lot of people worked at those tanneries
so, a working class neighborhood.
Our great-grandfather started this bar in 1908
and he was Bernard Wolski
so I guess I was named after him.
I'd say a shot-and-a-beer-bar.
We do make fancy cocktails Cosmos, Moscow Mules.
Twenty bar stools, five tables.
We offer pool tables.
We've had English darts from the day we opened.
The building, to our knowledge, was moved here.
It was on Brady Street.
We thought it was a dry goods store.
They moved the building here with horses and logs.
My great-grandfather had 14 children.
They all lived on this property.
About this street, Pulaski Street
it's shaped like a hockey stick.
Now, this was a creek that did feed the river.
We have the tavern on this side, and across was the butcher.
Then there was a bakery directly across.
And there was a dry goods store.
This street was just like its own little community.
There was actually a bar on each end of the street.
Dennis Bondar: It was run by my three great-uncles
which were his sons, for about 67 years.
Bernard Bender: My brother Mike and I took the bar over
from our third cousin
and then my other brother Dennis came in five years later.
Dennis Bondar: When I first started working here I knew that I would be
a part-owner of a 100-year-old, fourth-generation business.
That's really what kept me going.
How many people can say that?
I'll tell you, I would not want to do this business
all by myself.
It can be the best job in the world
and five minutes later, it's the worst.
The longevity in this bar
is because it's been run by three brothers
other than six years.
There's nothing like the trust you have with your brothers.
So many people that come to this bar
are just so attached to it.
It is truly a community house.
Bernard Bondar: Because of the bumper sticker, it's kind of a destination spot.
A lot of tourists come in here.
We've been them giving out, I'd say, 35 years,
at closing, to anybody that wants one.
After all these years, it's amazing the stories
I hear from people who have seen them wherever, from Africa
to the Great White North, to Alaska, Ireland.
The stories are incredible.
Bernard Bondar: When people go on holidays, we'll give them extra stickers
Europe or Russia, Antarctica
Afghanistan. We're really proud of that.
It's kind of neat.
It's of a Milwaukee calling card of something.
Rock on, Wolski's!
the studios of PBS Wisconsin. We're taking a
short break in Bottoms Up to invite you to become a
part of PBS Wisconsin through your membership
support. Loving this show about the taverns and bars
of Wisconsin. Get to see some places around the
state that have so much history, so much atmosphere,
so much culture, so much design. We're looking at
the architecture and history and some of the
social aspects of the bars and taverns in Wisconsin.
It's a great way to get to understand Wisconsin, and
really, it's just kind of a fun way to enjoy some time,
maybe at home, but reminding you of what maybe
you like in your favorite tavern, your favorite bar,
your favorite supper club. That's what we love about
PBS, PBS Wisconsin. It takes you to places that
are familiar, but maybe show them in a slightly
different light. Certainly, that's what this show does.
That's why we're glad that you're here to join us, and
we hope you will join us as a member of PBS Wisconsin
by calling the number on your screen.
>> Hello, I'm Diane Agans, and welcome to the PBS
Wisconsin membership spring spring membership drive, I
should say, your opportunity to give a call
to one of our wonderful volunteers here and show
your support, build that future for public
television here in Wisconsin. Your call really
makes a difference. And when you do call in during
this break, we have some very special ways of
thanking you. When you make that pledge of support. I'm
going to let you know what those are right now. Make a
gift of $12 a month and we would love to send you this
Bottoms Up book. Now this is a 270 page book. It's a
toast to Wisconsin's historic bars and breweries.
There's about 70 breweries and bars that are covered
in the book. Again, that's with a gift of $12 a month.
Now, if you want to step up to a gift of $15 a month,
we'll send you not one, but two of these really
wonderful PBS logo pint glasses. And this is for
this is to celebrate. Bottoms up. What we're
watching. But these pint glasses, they're 16oz each.
They have the PBS retro tricolor logo on them. Now
if you can't decide which you want, then go ahead and
make a gift of $20 a month and we will thank you with
the Bottoms Up book, as well as both of the PBS
logo pint glasses as our way of saying thank you for
supporting Wisconsin Public Television. Go ahead, give
us a call 1-800-236-3636. >> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling.
I'm director of Friends of PBS Wisconsin. Taverns in
Wisconsin are so much more than watering holes. We saw
how they are places for gathering, places for
playing cards, places for seeing friends. They're
like community living rooms. We are committed to telling
these stories of Wisconsin, sharing what's important
about Wisconsin, and you can be a part of that.
Please join us by becoming our newest sustainer. Being
a sustainer means you're making thatbersrship gift
of support, but it's ongoing. It's a monthly
sethee amount that's right fo you. You can set it at
in a special bottoms upou kind of way with the boooo
with the pint glasses, or with combination there.
But at all of those levels, you can be a sin.
means,ou know, your meersh is as
curren and we can know that your membership isadcoouoe uslht nat 1-800-236-3636.
>> Wisconsin has all the ingredients to be a great
state for drinking beer, a lot of agricultural land,
great great agriculture, great heritage and history
of the people who moved here, who were beer makers.
But bars and taverns in Wisconsin have their own
lore and their own role in our society. I remember my
friend David from Green Bay. David just turned 90, and
he talks about when he was seven, eight, nine, ten
years old, going to the tavern with his grandpa to
listen to the Packers game at the tavern. Then they
would go home for their dinner. Afterwards, grandpa
would go back to the tavern. David would stay home. This
is how family culture has grown up in bars and
taverns in Wisconsin. A very wholesome approach to
to family living in small town Wisconsin. It's a
great way to recognize our culture and our history.
Another great way to do that is with your
membership pledge at 1-800-236-3636.
>> And when you call and make that gift right now,
we would like to thank you with the following items.
Go ahead and make a pledge of $12 a month, and we will
send you the 270 page book. This is Bottoms Up a toast
to Wisconsin's historic bars and breweries
wonderful 272 page guide full of all kinds of
information, wonderful pictures of over 70
breweries and bars here in Wisconsin. Now make a gift
of $15 a month. And actually we will send you
two mugs here. These are PBS logo pint glasses.
They're each about 16oz and they have the PBS retro
tricolor logo on on them. And that's what the gift of
$15. Now with a gift of $20 a month, we'll send you
both. Okay. We will send you both the Bottoms Up
book, as well as both of the pint glasses, is our
way of saying thank you for calling us right now at
1-800-236-3636. >> Just like Malcolm was
talking about, there are so many great memories that
are formed in taverns in Wisconsin,
multi-generational memories. They're multi-generational
gathering places. They're such an important part of
of rural and urban life in Wisconsin. If you know, you
know, and if you don't know, you can learn on PBS
Wisconsin. Give us a call right now. Let us say thank
you in one of these special ways. Let us say thank you
with that feeling you get of knowing that you're
supporting storytelling that is by, for and about
Wisconsin. We're so committed to that. We can
also say thank you in a couple of different ways.
All the levels that Diane talked about, we can we can
send you our monthly program guide, "Airwaves",
so you can find out more about special Wisconsin
programs, the special programs that are coming to
you from Masterpiece, from from all the national shows
that you love and look for and also Passport and all
of these giving levels. You're eligible for the
member benefit of Passport, which gives you a deep
catalog of not only PBS Wisconsin shows, but lots
of your favorite dramas and so much more. It starts
with your call to 1-800-236-3636.
>> At PBS Wisconsin. We're all about the programs that
we create for you, and we don't talk much about
behind the scenes, but I do want to take just a minute
to remember the producer of this show, David Hestad
David, passed on in 2024 and we miss him. David was
a terrific producer. He had that inquisitiveness and
that wry ability to tell a story that made for great
television. You might have seen his one of his other
quirky shows about Wisconsin gas stations
called Filler Up. You might be familiar with his World
War Two stories, Hometown Stories, here on PBS
Wisconsin. We miss David. He was a great producer and
a better person. We thank him for all the gifts he's
given us. We ask you to support PBS Wisconsin and
programs like this one, and producers who come in
David's wake who are creating the shows you'll
see tomorrow and next year. Won't you support us right
now? >> Wonderful programs like
this that David produce live on because of member
support such as ours. And we truly are making a gift
for the future when we're sharing programs like this.
As Eric was saying, the community living rooms were
what these heart they they are and this is what we
have here in public television. It's like in a
sense, we are all part of this community living room.
You make it happen. We want to thank you. When you call
and support that, make a gift of $12 a month, we
will send you the Bottoms Up. A toast to Wisconsin
Historic Bars and Breweries Book, which has over 70
bars and breweries featured in the book or make a gift
of $15 a month and we will send you two PBS retro
tricolor logo pint glasses. They're 16. Well, you get
two 16 ounce pint glasses now that's with a gift of
$15 a month. Now, if you're able to make a gift of $20
a month, we hope that you'll do that. And we
would like to thank you with both of the pint
glasses as well as the bottoms up book. Again,
your support makes all the difference in the world.
You can do it. Give us a phone call. Right now we
have wonderful volunteers in the studio at
1-800-236-3636. We'd love to hear from you plenty of
time, but sit back and enjoy the show or go online
pbswisconsin.org. Narrator: As Wisconsin brewers
began to produce ever larger quantities of beer
they soon faced a big problem
as the price per barrel began to plummet.
Draeger: They're trying to get their beer into the taverns.
The tavern owner is basically buying his beer based on price.
Who can give me the best price on a barrel of beer.
The response of the brewers
was to become the tavern owners themselves.
If they owned the tavern
then they could dictate the price of beer.
This was very popular, and all of the breweries
began to buy up and open taverns.
At its peak, it's estimated about 85% of all taverns
during this period become tied houses.
They're called tied houses because they were
economically tied to the brewery through ownership.
Narrator: In Fall Creek, just outside of Eau Claire
the Walter Brewing Company built a tied house
now called Big Jim's Sports Bar.
Some of these old wrestling posters I've got
with like, Nord the Barbarian.
Then you've got Billy Robinson over here.
Narrator: Today, the walls showcase highlights
from the athletic career of owner Jim Gagnon.
Gagnon: I played football at the University at River Falls
as well as my brother Paul.
I actually went out to the Seattle Seahawks
and signed a professional contract in 1977
to play for the Seahawks.
I injured my knee after about a year there.
I decided to get into power lifting to strengthen my body.
I won the Wisconsin State Badger Open in 1986.
I set a couple records.
One in power lifting, which is 815-pound squat.
Verne Gagne called me up
and wanted me to get into professional wrestling.
I guess the highlight of my career would be
going to Germany in 1987 for the World Cup Tournaments.
I got to meet Andre the Giant, 7'6", 550-pound giant.
It was quite an experience to be with him.
On nights we weren't wrestling
we would going out on the town and partying a little bit.
In 1998, I owned the All American Wrestling.
We wrestled in a five state area.
That was a lot of fun. I had a good time with it.
Eventually, I decided to move on.
I was selling my league to a person from Augusta.
As I was driving through town
I saw this bar for sale here on the corner.
I got out of my car and walked over.
I looked through the window and saw this old bar in the back.
I thought, this is a neat place, I'd like to be in the business.
So I called the guy the next day
and I bought the tavern that day.
The story gets pretty good, because as I'm at the bar
the first day cleaning it up, and getting ready to open up
this older lady comes in
and she says, "Are you related to the Walter brewing family?"
And I said, "Yeah.
My grandfather used to own the brewery here in Eau Claire."
And she goes, "Didn't you have an uncle named John Walters?"
I said, well, "Yeah I've got an uncle
and I have a great-great uncle named John Walters, too."
She says to me,
"Hey, they bought the land and built the bar here."
I go, "Really?" I was just amazed at the fact
that I'd stumbled into this place by accident
and my great-great uncle actually started it up.
You know, there were dirt roads here.
I mean, basically there was nothing from here to Eau Claire
which is approximately eight to nine miles away.
They used to deliver the beer on horses.
It must have been quite a scene to see, you know?
Narrator: In Jefferson, the saloon on this busy corner was rebuilt
by brewer Rudolph Heger
to serve as a tied house for the Heger Brewery.
Now known as the Landmark Saloon
the pride and craftsmanship are still on display
with Rudolf Heger's initials carved right into the back bar.
Draeger: It was built by the brewery
as a showplace for their own beer.
So it's much more ornate and elaborate
than your typical neighborhood corner tavern.
It has this beautiful stained glass window here
with leaded glass around the outside.
In the center, there's a medallion
with a crest of the Rudolf Heger Brewery.
You can see the R and the H
and hop leaves in the center of the field.
It has a magnificent, very large scale back bar
built out of quarter-sawn oak.
A magnificent front bar
with foot rails, marble baseboards
wainscoting on the walls.
The ceiling is copper.
It's just a showplace of a tavern.
Breweries could spend a lot more money on a tavern
than a normal tavern owner could
so taverns got a lot more elaborate
as a result of the tied house movement.
Narrator: In Burlington, B.J. Wentker
competed with the tied houses
by building an elegant saloon
now preserved as a restaurant that still bears his name.
Draeger: B.J. Wentker's
is an upscale saloon for the period.
It has a lot of features that are pretty embellished.
It has a encaustic tile floor that's richly patterned
with medallions set in the floor.
It has subway tile wainscoting on the walls
a decorative tin ceiling
and a very rich oak back bar and bar front.
The bar fixtures were produced by the Brunswick Company
which was the largest maker of back bars.
Brunswick got it's start
making pool tables
and they realized they could sell a lot more pool tables
if they sold it with all of the furnishings for a tavern.
This bar has an incredible complement
of all of the original bar fixtures and furnishings.
It has the typical front bar and back bar
that we see in many Wisconsin taverns
but it also has kept its liquor cabinets, cigar humidor
the ice box.
What we see right here, set apart from the bar
is a short lunch counter, where every day
B.J. Wentker set out a buffet
of free food at lunch time: pickled eggs
pickled pork hocks, sausage.
The temperance movement
agitated for bars to start serving food
because they thought if people had full stomachs
they wouldn't drink as much.
But ironically it backfired for the temperance movement
because bars filled up at lunch time
with a lot of working class people
for which this was the biggest meal of the day
and you could get it for the price of a glass of beer.
Narrator: The power of the big brewers and their tied houses
promoted a drinking lifestyle
in an already alcohol-drenched culture.
The reputation of saloons became tainted due to excesses
what was called a "devil's trinity"
of drunkenness, prostitution, and gambling.
Draeger: There was a constant tension
between the forces of moderation
and the forces of "the good life."
Narrator: Since frontier days
temperance groups fought against the sale of alcohol
motivated by the costs imposed by drinkers
on the rest of society.
Former Janesville resident Frances Willard
led the Women's Christian Temperance Union
in its campaign against the damaging effects of drinking
on families.
I'm so lonesome for you...
Narrator: The sentiments of temperance advocates
were spelled out in "Ten Nights in a Bar-Room"
a novel turned into a highly popular play and film.
Don't call me You're a thief! a thief!
You're a thief!
[anguished yell]
Narrator: The tireless efforts of prohibition groups
resulted in Wisconsin ratifying the 18th Amendment
banning the sale of alcohol.
Draeger: Prohibition was an unmitigated disaster
for tavern owners and for brewers.
With the stroke of a pen
they took away the fifth largest industrial business
in the city of Milwaukee.
Narrator: Over nine and a half thousand Wisconsin saloons closed
or became soda fountains, or pharmacies.
But in some areas, saloons continued to operate
despite enforcement of the law.
In Hurley, spectacular raids slowed
but never stopped the sale of alcohol from the many bars
lining the main street, that had changed from saloons
to "soda fountains."
Prohibition had little effect on Hurley.
Hurley was never dry.
Brain Tarro: Hurley always has had a lot of bars.
It was a place where the miners came
at first with no wives.
Ted Erspamer: When I was a young man, it was quite a lumbering town
so we had a lot of lumberjacks.
Tarro: These were underground mines.
The tunnels needed to be shored up with timbers.
The mining companies contracted with many loggers
to supply the mines with this type of lumber.
Of course, then the bars opened up
and the girls came
and the dance halls, and so on, that sort of stuff.
You can see the old movie, "Come and Get It"
which was Edna Ferber's novel
about Hurley and the logging industry.
Erspamer: A block away from us, you were in Ironwood, Michigan.
They always had strict laws on booze, liquor.
Most of the people that lived around the range
that wanted to go drinking came to Hurley, Wisconsin,
because it was a more wide-open town.
At the peak, we had around 88 bars.
Speltz: The tavern Dawn's Never Inn opened in 1925.
That'd be five years into prohibition.
It opened as Santini's hotel.
The Santini family installed
one of the most beautiful back bars in Wisconsin.
It's still intact today, built by Brunswick
mahogany, triple arches.
Tarro: The back bar is Art Nouveau style.
You can see the curlicues with the flowers
the plant leaves
and the carved heads of the winds.
Erspamer: Dr. Gresham bought this place
and his wife Dawn was a little bit teed off
and she said, "You'll never see me in that."
So he said okay, and he named the place "Dawn's Never Inn."
Dawn Gresham: He wanted to save the beautiful back bar.
He thought it would've been sent to California in pieces
and there goes the history, which I agreed to.
Eight months later, if the bar
which is 10 feet high, could've fit in our home
I don't think we'd be having this conversation today.
[laughs]
I don't, no.
Tarro: The main street is Silver St., and it's four blocks long
and it slopes toward the river.
This building is in a section called the "lower block."
Lower in every sense of the word
lower morality, etc.
They had girls upstairs and they had gambling downstairs.
Upstairs it was a hotel, by the hour.
Gresham: Down the hall is 13 rooms
that were used for salesmen.
That's what I was told.
Each room has a little buzzer on the door
for, I'm not sure what.
And one bathroom for all of them.
Tarro: This particular bar's draw
was that it was a gambling place.
If you go downstairs
you see that there is a hole in the wall
looking out at the poker players
to see that nobody was cheating.
The money was kept in the back
and the big money went through the opening in the wall.
This bar is perhaps the last one that remains
fairly authentic to what it originally was.
There's still a lot of places on the main street
but they've been remodeled and names changed.
Some have burned down, and some have been redone.
So that this is perhaps the most representative example
of what we had in Hurley in the old days.
Narrator: During prohibition, early tourists
made their way up to northern Wisconsin
where taverns were built to serve them in a rustic style.
The rustic northwoods style of architecture
is really based on a long-standing nostalgia
and an interest in frontier cabins
and logging camps and the lure of the northwoods.
Narrator: Outside St. Germain
Sisters Saloon preserves the rustic look
of an old resort restaurant and bar.
Speltz: Sisters Saloon got its start in the 1920s
as more and more tourists headed north.
They used this northwoods rustic architecture
to attract people.
Inside, the walls had the color of a crackling fire.
The bar, the cabinets behind
were created by a craftsman
who peeled little twigs, split them in half
and arranged them in a really unique and original design.
Cherie Anderson: It's one of the places
that people like to stop because it's very northwoodsy.
The newer places are fun too, I mean fancier
but this is a typical northwoods place here
that people like to come and look at.
It's a log structure, not easy to heat
but it's nice to look at.
It was always called Peacock Lodge.
I'm told the original owner of the place
worked in the southern part of the state
for a meat packing company called Peacock Hams
and that's why he named it Peacock Lodge.
In the '70s, my boyfriend's parents
used to own the tavern here, and the restaurant.
I used to ride my horse down to visit with the boyfriend
back in the '70s.
Then my sister had moved back home here.
We heard that the previous owner was thinking about selling
so we came and talked to them, and the rest is history.
I'm on a lake called Fawn Lake.
It runs into Big St. Germain Lake
and also Lake Content.
So I get a lot of lake traffic, the fishermen
and the boaters, and skiers come up
to come and have lunch or dinner or something with us.
I have people from years ago
that still have to stop and see the place
that honeymooned here, maybe back in the '40s or '50s.
They'll take a ride up north to come see the old place again
where they used to stay
because this was all a big resort at one time.
There was a lot of logging going on in the '20s up here.
I don't know where the original builder happened to be from.
He built several other restaurants in this area, too
in St Germain back in the '30s.
Behind the bar, it had to be all done by hand.
I don't know if they had to split the logs
but they're smaller and it must have taken a lot of work.
I'm sure it took him a lot of work.
I took woodworking in school
and I couldn't do that.
[laughs]
Narrator: In 1933, the disaster of prohibition
ended for brewers and taverns
setting off celebrations across the state
as beer and bars came back.
It had been a long haul for breweries large and small
which did what they could to survive.
Schlitz made candy bars, Pabst made malted milk.
Narrator: One of 73 brewers to survive prohibition
the Potosi Brewery first opened in 1852.
After prohibition, it grew to serve a regional area
before closing its doors in 1972.
Herb Page: Potosi was one of many little breweries in Wisconsin
that fought a good battle for a long time
and then finally went by the wayside.
Narrator: The Potosi Foundation
recently brought the building back to life.
Housing a brew pub and restaurant
the old Potosi Brewery houses the National Brewery Museum
telling the story of Wisconsin brewing
through artifacts of the industry.
The idea of the museum
is that our members can exhibit their collectitions.
Page: I was intrigued, you know, with artwork
on the labels and so forth
and with the history of breweries.
So I started collecting beer bottles.
Some of them started collecting cans, some of them with bottles.
Page: But gradually, other people recognized
the artistic aspect of these things
and they started collecting.
Before you know it, it had become a nation-wide obsession.
We have a cross section of things
from the larger breweries in Milwaukee
to very obscure, little breweries
in the small towns.
It was a competitive business
and they had to advertise.
A lot of this stuff
was before radio and television.
Some of it had very great artistic merit.
This is, of course, one of the things
that attracted the collectors to these items
because they're colorful, they have local color.
they have historical background and impact.
Bowden: Up above here, there are two wooden cases
from Semrad and Pusgh Brewery, in Highland, Wisconsin,
which is a little town north of Platteville.
The brewery went out of business in 1942.
The case is an illustration of some of the breweriana
that Semrad and Pusgh put out during the years.
A 1904 calendar that shows the bottling house
and it shows the brewery.
An old promo piece from there is a nice reverse-on-glass piece
illustrating one of their prime brands
which was called Old Regulator.
Page: Then we have some items
such as John Graf's Milwaukee Weiss Beer, for instance.
Weiss beer was the pre- soft drink beverage
for women and children.
Bowden: There's a Million's sign
that would've hung outside a tavern, double sided.
You can see Marshfield Brewery
which of course has been closed for years.
There's corner signs that hung outside of a tavern.
Page: Well, for us that manage the operation
it's a real pleasure to do that, because when we're here
it's an environment, you know, among the things that we love.
We hope that many other people can enjoy the same experience.
Narrator: When bars came back after prohibition
they operated under a stricter set of rules
that banned using the word "saloon" in a bar's name.
Draeger: There's a strong idea that they didn't want to go back
to the lawless saloons of the past.
Narrator: A new addition, bar stools gave a seat to a new clientele
women
who first began frequenting the prohibition bars
called speakeasies.
When the speakeasies come about, all bets are off.
Everything is changed
because no longer are there any rules whatsoever.
The women could come into the speakeasies
and commune with the men in a way
that they never could in the saloons of the past.
It attracts young women, flappers
who cast off those Victorian trappings of their parents.
There's a cocktail culture
that develops in the speakeasies
because they need something to mask the taste
of that rotten bathtub gin.
[coughs and sputters]
So sweet cocktails become of vogue
and women start drinking cocktails.
Narrator: Many of the new bars sported a different look
from the old saloons of the past.
Draeger: After prohibition, it's a blank slate.
The designers of taverns are free to do whatever they want.
They take their inspiration from movie sets of the period.
the Busby Berkeley musicals
with all of these dancers.
They can't have anything that's very intricate
so they have these very simple
bold, sweeping patterns that looked good on film
but it also made for kind of striking sets
inside of the taverns.
They start introducing curves into the design
lots of geometric shapes, circles and long bands of lines.
Narrator: A rare survivor of the era, the Casino Bar in La Crosse
reflects some of the design changes in bars.
Draeger: The curving booths that we have in here
the very streamlined corners on the bar
and the back bar.
The strong chevron zigzag pattern
on the canopy over the top of the bar
the real bold contrast of materials and colors.
They're slick, and clean, and smooth
and bold.
They don't have any of that very opulent ornament
that saloon architecture had.
The Casino is a classic cocktail bar.
It's meant to appeal
to kind of that smart set of people.
Serving more upscale liquor.
It's not just a shot and a beer.
They're serving mixed drinks and cocktails.
They have to accommodate a couple's trade
that never existed before.
So offering booths where couples
could get together with other couples
and be able to talk over the top of a table
was an innovation to try to capture that couple's trade.
The Casino had a lot of fun with the idea
of Jazz Age naughtiness
being kind of speakeasy-like in the legal era of liquor.
The Casino also reflects
this irreverence in the marketing of the Casino, too.
Their tag line for the tavern has been
since it opened in '33
"Lousy Service."
So they're setting this expectation
that when you come here
it's not a typical kind of upscale bar.
It's a little naughty, odd, and a little eccentric.
♪
Narrator: Bryant's, Milwaukee's first cocktail lounge
shows little sign of the old neighborhood bar
it used to be
before remodeling by owner Bryant Sharp.
John Dye: There was an old stove and it was very tavern-like.
Shirley Lafferty: He got tired of the neighborhood crowd
coming in and ordering a beer
and sitting there telling their problems, as the story goes.
So he closed the place up and completely remodeled it
into a cocktail lounge
and played nothing but classical music.
Dye: It was a pretty drastic change for the times.
Lafferty: He would ask what you wanted, and then he would tell you
"You don't want a beer, you don't want a shot.
You want one of our drinks."
That's how the cocktail thing began.
The Pink Squirrel, the Banshee, and the Bluetail Fly
was originated by him, which are all ice cream drinks.
Dye: The most famous drink he invented was the Pink Squirrel.
The Pink Squirrel!
Oh my gosh! That's my dinner!
Narrator: When Bryant Sharp passed away
Pat Malmberg carried on the vision, still used today
of offering hundreds of cocktails.
I can just make you something...
Narrator: With no menu, in a dimly lit atmosphere.
Lafferty: A lot of people would come in and make the remark,
"When are you going to pay your electric bill?"
or "Turn up the lights," and this is it.
We have over 400 unique drinks that were invented
either by Bryant or Pat, or one of the bartenders.
Lafferty: Jimmy was here over 36 years, Dennis was here 36 years.
It was almost like a family.
I just never left.
I just stayed.
Dye: This is a list of about 250 of our recipes.
The way we get people to figure out what they really want
is to ask them a series of questions.
Do you want something sweet, sour, bitter?
Narrator: In 1971, a devastating fire swept through
and destroyed much of the bar.
Lafferty: Oh, the downstairs was completely gutted.
The upstairs was smoke damaged.
Within three months, Pat had the whole place re-opened.
Dye: The cash registers are plated in gold
the McIntosh is plated in gold.
It's a one piece, three-tiered bar
which you don't see anywhere
It was custom built for the place.
The vibe and the wallpaper and the sound system, it's amazing.
He did it all in three months, which was really incredible.
[laughter]
It's a bar. It's definitely a bar.
It's a drinking establishment, but it's also almost a museum.
There's so much history and so much tradition here.
It's just wonderful.
Sometimes I feel like a curator mare than a bar owner.
Good bars have good days.
that tour through Bryant Park cocktail lounge, part
time capsule, right. Hi.
I'm Malcolm Brett volunteer at PBS Wisconsin asking you
to support this program and programs just like it.
Brought to you every day by PBS Wisconsin. Your
financial support is so important. You know, we're
looking at the inside of a cultural institution
cocktail bars, taverns, restaurants, pubs in
Wisconsin. Well, PBS Wisconsin is another social
institution that comes into your living room and really
reflects and helps create a sense of culture that we've
enjoyed for now, 60 years. It's been incredible, the
support we've gotten from the community, the ability
to bring you show after show after show after show
after show, just like this one. And it all starts with
your membership gift. So won't you please call the
number on your screen and join Wisconsin PBS? This is
a challenge break. Your gift will be matched dollar
for dollar. >> Hello, I'm Diane Agans,
a volunteer here at Wisconsin Public Television.
Thank you so much for joining us for our spring
membership drive. Your gift today makes just such a big
difference, and we'd love to hear from you. And we'd
like to thank you as some of these wonderful thank
you gifts associated with Bottoms Up. What a fun show.
Now, if you call and make a gift of $12 a month or
above, we will send you the Wisconsin Bottoms Up book.
It's a 272 page book. It's a toast to. Wisconsin's
historic bars and breweries cover about 70 breweries
and bars in that book. Now, you could also make a gift
of $15 a month and we will send you these PBS retro
tri color mugs. Now these are like, you know, pint
glasses. They're 16 ounce pint glasses. Again, a gift
of $15 a month. We'd like to thank you with that. Now,
if you can't decide which, then please go ahead and
make a gift of $25 a month. We will send both the PBS
logo pint mugs as well as the book to bottoms up. Our
way of saying thank you for giving us a call to talk to
one of our great volunteers during this very special
member Challenge break. Your gift is going to be
matched when you give us a call at 1-800-236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling. I'm director of Friends of
PBS Wisconsin. It is a challenge break. That means
it's a great time for you to call, because if you're
a new member, your gift will go twice as far. So
the phones are just starting to ring, but it's
a great time to call 1-800-236-3636. You can go
online to pbswisconsin.org. You can use that QR code
that's on your screen. The important thing is that you
get in touch with us and say you want to be a new
member. This kind of programing matters to me
and I want to be a new member. I want to do my
part to bring this programing to the state of
Wisconsin, its member support that makes this
kind of programing possible. It takes months, often
years of planning to bring you a show like this. Like
Malcolm said, we do it over and over again. So make
your dollar go twice as far. Please get in touch with us
right now during this Member Challenge break so
that your dollar goes twice as far. 1-800-236-3636.
>> We thank the members who made a special gift to PBS
Wisconsin to challenge you and to match your gift.
We're looking for 40 calls this break. You can double
the impact of your gift by calling during this break.
Because of that challenge, we're looking for 40 folks
to new members to call and and make this challenge
break successful. First $2,000 pledged will be
matched. Your pledge can be the next one to be matched.
You know, we make programs by, for and about Wisconsin
and we deliver them all over Wisconsin. And this
program has become a fan favorite over the years.
But you know what? Since we put it up on our YouTube
channel, we've gotten responses from Boston, from
the East Coast, from Germany, from the UK and
from Florida. And that's really exciting because we
are exporting Wisconsin's culture all around the
country. We will always, first and foremost be here
for you. But when we get it right, it's great to hear
that people all over the world are discovering what
you already know that your membership support of PBS
Wisconsin creates great programs for all of us.
Make that call right now. >> That's right. Your
stories. You know, we tell Wisconsin stories. The only
way we know how PBS Wisconsin does so uniquely
because of member support such as ours. We love our
stories. We love to share them. You make that
possible when you call and make that membership. Gift
of support. We do have some thank you gifts that we'd
like to thank you with, and tonight's show is just a
wonderful way of remembering a couple of
things here. Go ahead and make a gift of $12 a month
and we will send you the Bottoms Up book. Now, this
is a wonderful 272 page book. What I kind of like
to show is that there's a wonderful map inside that
shows all of the 70 breweries and bars that are
covered in the book. Wonderful road map if you
love me. I love maps too. So here you go. Now, with
the gift of $15 a month, we have the the two pint mugs
with the PBS logo on it, or with a gift of $25 a month.
We'll send you both of the pint mugs as well as the
Bottoms Up book. It's our way of saying thank you for
reaching out to us right now. Keeping that gift of
support going. Become a new member. Accept that member.
Challenge 1-800-236-3636. >> If you're already a
member. If you're already a sustainer of PBS Wisconsin,
thank you. Please consider reaching out to your text,
your friends. Text your family right now and say,
hey, it's a challenge break. It's a great time to make a
call. We've got eight calls already. We've got more
calls coming in. But reach out to your friends family
and let them know it's a great time to become a
member of PBS Wisconsin. If they're watching Bottoms Up
tonight, their dollar will go twice as far and help us
continue to bring this kind of programing. Consider a
gift membership for someone, so give us a call. If
you're already a sustainer, you can give a gift,
membership and somebody else's name. Help them be a
member too, because you know you get lots of great
benefits. In addition to the benefits that Diane
named. Tonight. "Airwaves" magazine, our monthly
program guide Passport our deep catalog of additional
videos you can watch, like Malcolm was talking about.
We're on YouTube. We try to be everywhere where you
consume video content, so help us keep that coming.
Join us as a new member right now. Join us as a new
sustainer. That just means you're making monthly
ongoing payments, knowing you're doing your part and
helping us create this kind of programing. It starts
with your visit to pbswisconsin.org, using
that QR code on your screen, or calling us right now at
1-800-236-3636. >> Wisconsin history and
culture are rich with great stories about people, about
movements, about cultures, and about the people who
came to the state and built this state. And you know
what? People are making history every day. And PBS
Wisconsin will tell the history that's been will
tell the history that's being made today, and we'll
tell the history that's being made tomorrow. These
are rich stories, really well told by our terrific
staff here at PBS Wisconsin. And it's all possible
because of your membership support during this
challenge break, you can double the impact of your
support. That means double the great stories coming
your way on PBS Wisconsin next week, next month, next
year. It all starts with you. We will go out and
find the stories. We will find the people to tell the
stories, and we will get them to you wherever you
are however you want to see them. But the important
thing is you support that storytelling with your gift
right now during this challenge break. Thank you.
Okay. >> Let's run through some
of those thank you gifts again. Right now. Again,
become a sustainer at the $12 a month level. And we
would love to thank you with the Bottoms Up book.
It's a toast to Wisconsin's historic bars and breweries,
a wonderful 272 page book covering over 70 of the
brewers and bars here in Wisconsin, and wonderful
historic photos, great behind the scenes
information, great map. How to get to all those places.
Again, a real celebration of that. Now if you want to
have some fun, go ahead and make a gift of $15 a month
because you can have these two, not one, but two PBS
retro logo pint mugs. And these are 16 ounce mugs.
We'll send you the pair of them, or make a gift of $25
a month. And we'll send you both of the mugs as well,
sorry, the pints as well as the book. And again, that's
our way of saying thank you, knowing that you are making
possible into the future important programs like
this that celebrate all of us. Go ahead and give us a
call 1-800-236-3636. Rise to the Challenge Fund.
>> Our volunteers are busy on the phones. If you're
calling in, it's taking a little bit longer to get
through. Please be patient because this is the best
time to call. It's a challenge break. That means
if you're a new member, your gift is going to go
twice as far. Thank you for that call right there.
1-800-236-3636 is the number to call and support
documentary film here on PBS Wisconsin. PBS
Wisconsin is the place to be for documentary film.
Whether it's the Wisconsin films that Malcolm was
telling you about, whether the the kind of
lighthearted programs like this one like Bucky or more
serious national international documentary,
it's the place to Be. And you can follow our
broadcast schedule, or you can use the PBS app on your
smart TV. Any piece of equipment that you can use
to stream anything, watch anything, type PBS into
that search bar, get in there. And when you're a
member at any of the levels that Diane has told you
about, you'll have Passport as well, which is an even
deeper library beyond the free documentaries that are
available to you. So please join us. It's the
membership challenge drive. We're up to 18 calls
already. Go online. Use that QR code. Call us at
1-800-236-3636. >> Yes, this is a challenge
break and so your gift will be doubled. You know, there
are other challenges as well as this break PBS
Wisconsin's funding has been challenged in the last
year and the public has stepped up. And we're
looking ahead to how we are going to continue to
deliver against those challenges and to deliver
for you with your support. That's why it's more
important than ever before. It's a terrific setup that
we have with so many people supporting us, so many
people that we serve. As those numbers add up, the
most important number is the number one that stands
for you. When you decide to make a call, you are
ensuring our present and our future, and we will get
through these challenging times. And we will be
strong and our programs will continue to engage and
enlighten and delight you all because you made that
that call. Again, this is a challenge. Break double the
impact of your call by doing it right now.
>> You're hoping to hear from 40 folks. Before we go
back to the program. We've heard from 29 so far. We're
getting there. And if you're having trouble
getting through on the phones, why don't you just
get on pbswisconsin.org, get on the website totally
safe and secure way of making that gift and also
walking away with some of these wonderful thank you
gifts that we'd like to offer you right now. Again,
just a reminder, at the $12 a month level, we will send
you the Bottoms Up book. And then at the $15 a month
level, we also have these two pints of PBS retro logo
mugs here. And then at the $25 a month level, we'll
send you both of the pints as well as the book is our
way of thanking you for supporting us during this
member challenge break 1-800-236-3636.
>> Please give us a call. We're going back to the
program in just another minute here, but it is the
best time to call during this challenge break.
You're here because you're enjoying Bottoms Up. Great
documentary about Wisconsin. You're familiar with our
programing and our broadcast, but there's so
much work here at PBS Wisconsin that goes beyond
the broadcast. We have our education work. We work
directly with students, with kids, with families,
with their caregivers, with teachers to bring the power
of public media into the classroom, into the home,
all of that instruction. So your gift goes so much
farther beyond the broadcast. It's really,
really important. And it goes twice as far when you
call now one (800) 236-3636. [MUSIC]
Narrator: As Wisconsin suburbanized after World War II
the big brewers stepped up their marketing efforts
sponsoring sports teams
and getting into the new television market
to build national brands.
The big brewers also began to move away from taverns
by aiming at the home market,
and selling beer in bottles and disposable cans.
Draeger: Once there were beer cans
it meant that beer became a commodity that began to be sold
in grocery stores and in other places.
Taverns started losing a lot of that off-site sales
that was such a big part of their market.
The brewers also promoted sales
of bottles and cans because they realized
that getting people to drink at home
would be part of the way to safeguard the breweries
from prohibition happening again.
Bring it into the household
where family morals can help moderate
some of these ill effects of drinking
that were un-moderated within the taverns.
You see a lot of imagery of the housewife
serving her husband a glass of beer
of the husband and wife both sitting down together
having a beer in the living room.
Narrator: In the suburbs, zoning laws
meant that bars were no longer located in neighborhoods
but instead along a commercial strips,
where they competed for attention.
Draeger: As people become more mobile
how do you attract somebody to your tavern?
Try to come up with something novel.
Try to come up with something
that the other tavern doesn't have.
Lots of them hooked onto dramatic
or popular themes of the time
and found ways to set themselves apart.
Narrator: In Rochester, outside Waterford
the DMZ Bunker serves as a VFW post
that acquired decommissioned military equipment
through a government program.
Jeffrey Hartzheim: That's an M60A3 tank.
It has a 105mm barrel on it.
It weighs about 106,000 pounds.
It was heavily used in Vietnam, and after.
I've always wanted to do something with a military motif.
I've kind of been military most of my life.
This is an A-7 Corsair.
It flew about 90,000 missions
jets of that style, in Vietnam.
I talked to a couple friends, an Army and a Marine veteran
and we decided, yeah, we're going to do this.
This is a T-33 Trainer, they called it.
It's a two seater.
That's how they trained the pilots to fly.
This was our first jet used in Korea.
The Cobra attack helicopter is Vietnam era.
When somebody passes away, their son or daughter-in-law
somebody, will bring in--
"My grandpa had this in the basement."
They'll bring it in and we hang up
what we can, you know, it's a mix right now.
There's a lot of World War II, a lot of Vietnam
some Korea.
We're just starting to get into Iraq.
A lot of nice things.
We just hang up everything we get our hands on.
There's no method to it.
If we have room, we put it there.
Woman: Welcome to International Exports.
If you know the password, quietly whisper it in my ear.
If you don't have the password, we can't let you in.
Incorrect verb.
So do you think you know? I'll give you a try.
You can't get in, but we never turn away anybody.
You need to pass an undercover mission to gain entry.
[all clucking and laughing]
Woman: When you're on the run, you really need a safe house.
Man: Control told us to set this one up in Milwaukee.
The spies had to have a place to stop for a little R&R.
That's how it all started.
It's been going since 1966.
How fun is this?
Oh Oh 7: This is kind of a museum now.
We have pictures here from the old Soviet Union.
In fact, we have an oil painting
of the godfather of the KGB, Felix Dzerzhinsky.
We have a whole CIA collection from the Cold War.
We have a cell door from the Stasi Interrogation Prison
in East Berlin.
Agent, I have pulled you aside
because we have reason to believe you are a double agent.
Oh Oh 7: As long as there's two countries
there will always be espionage.
Eliza: When you come to the Safe House you have diplomatic immunity.
So everybody can, you know, relax
have some wonderful food and enjoy themselves.
What's whispered at the Safe House, stays at the Safe House.
By the way, you can't show this to anybody!
Yeah, don't show this to anyone!
It's a secret place, you know.
Narrator: Another bar with no sign outside
The Joynt, in Eau Claire enters its fifth decade
without an obvious theme.
But the walls tell the story of a time
when The Joynt served as a small and unlikely venue
for legends of jazz, blues, and folk music.
I was sitting over in this other corner
which we now call the Blue Room, although it's not blue anymore.
There used to be a Point beer sign in here that was blue.
So anyway, we were over there
and Ahmad Jamal came up on my jukebox
and I said, let's get this guy.
So, Ahmad Jamal came here. It was terrific.
I didn't have any PA, or anything.
We rented a piano.
Right in the middle of it, it occurred to me--
I gave the tickets away.
It was a really nice thing to do.
I thought, if we could just do this.
We'd sell, maybe six, eight or ten times a year at the most
call them "The Joynt Break Even Concerts."
That was a hell of an idea, only we never broke even, never!
So for whatever, from '74 to '91
I spent about every dime this place took in on music.
Over that course of time, we had everybody here.
Jazz, and Blues, and Folk music.
Dizzy Gillespie played here. Charles Mingus played here.
Woody Herman's band played here, and Stan Kenton.
McCoy Tyner, Bill Dixon, and Herb Ellis.
It was like church in here, no noise.
We didn't even ring the cash registers out.
Dave Van Ronk, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee were here.
Ramblin' Jack Elliot was here
Gary Burton was here with Pat Metheny.
And the Blues guys, Son Seals and John Lee Hooker.
Then, "Hey, your phone's off the hook."
I said, "Lady, please, it's going to be off the hook
for about another hour and a half."
"There's no point in taking your phone off the hook."
And I got Charlie Bird
or a great guitarist or somebody playing here
I say, "Lady, come on."
That's Phil Woods, and that's Gerry Mulligan.
There's no money in doing music
especially if you do something that's really good.
People said, "Well, why don't you get this guy?"
I said, "I don't like that guy."
I said, "Well, I don't think he's any good."
"Well, you might make some money."
I said, "Oh, great, I know what I'll do
I'll start having some shows that I don't like the players."
That doesn't make any sense!
When the Mercer Ellington Orchestra was here
they played Lambeau Field the next night.
Here's Eddy Harris, right here. There's Jack Elliot.
That's Mimi Fariña. There's Dizzy.
Bill Evans was here two nights.
There's Mingus, right there.
And Odetta, Freddie Hubbard, Ernie Watts
Bobby Hutcherson, Fat Joe Lewis, Dave Holland...
and Sam Rivers, and I could go on and on.
I think we did a 167 shows, or something.
I spent all the money this place made.
The Joynt didn't have a penny in the bank.
I thought, there are no old folks homes for club owners.
Let's put some money in the bank.
So I stopped in '94.
It was a very expensive hobby, and worth every penny of it.
It's sad, but it's okay.
Narrator: Since prohibition, the brewing industry consolidated
with the biggest breweries, the most successful
able to brew on a large scale, and create memorable ads.
It tastes great.
[yelling in foreign language]
All right. It's less filling.
About 70 brewers survive prohibition.
By the late 1950s, there are about 37 Wisconsin brewers left.
By 1975, there are eight of them.
Narrator: Four were giants of the industry.
Pabst, Miller, Schlitz and Heileman
all ranked in the top ten nationally.
But the fortunes of some of the smaller breweries
were about to change.
In Chicago, syndicated columnist Mike Royko
who harshly criticized the national beers
arranged for a blind taste test.
In a surprising result
the top three American beers
Point Special, Walter's Old Timer's, and Huber Premium
came from Wisconsin's smallest brewers.
Speltz: Royko's article provided a shot in the arm
and a lot of free publicity
for small Wisconsin breweries just when they needed it.
Narrator: In 1978,Newsweekmagazine
declared Leinenkugel's the best local beer in America.
That same year, President Jimmy Carter
signed a bill that loosened restrictions on the home brewing
unleashing a wave of innovation.
Draeger: People start experimenting in their basements
their garages, and their kitchens
with all sorts of different ingredients
and different mixes.
They'd go back to the old recipes of the past.
Narrator: When Deb Carey started New Glarus Brewing
with her husband Dan, she became the first woman in the US
to found a brewery.
Deb Carey: We were really tired of the corporate life
and just desperate to come back to my home state
and raise our very young daughters.
Dan Carey: Deb took a map of Wisconsin and with a compass
drew a 30 mile radius around Madison.
So I rented a car and I drove and around
which is kind of crazy
and stumbled upon New Glarus.
There was a warehouse here that was empty.
The guy who owned the warehouse came on as our first investor
and traded me stock for occupation of the building.
Narrator: One of the pioneers
of what are called "craft breweries"
New Glarus created dozens of varieties over the years.
Most popular is Spotted Cow
brewed from a recipe steeped in Wisconsin history.
Dan Carey: We're big fans of Old World Wisconsin.
We love to go out and walk around.
It's basically a working museum, an outdoor museum.
We went out to the German Village
and there was a crock covered with cheesecloth
and beer fermenting.
I thought, I wonder what that beer would've been like.
I imagined how the beer would be made.
It would be made with local barley, imported hops.
It would be made with an ale yeast.
It would be made with local corn.
And it would be unfiltered.
That's how we came up with the design for the beer.
Narrator: Craft beers created a new market niche for small brewers
and scores of breweries and brew pubs
once again dot the state
producing hundreds of distinctive beers.
While many small brewers have flourished
Wisconsin taverns haven't fared as well.
From World War II to the '70s
the number of bars went down by half
and have continued a steady decline since then.
Draeger: Mom and Pop owned bars have really declined.
There's a lot of turnover
and a lot of change in taverns.
Part of that is attributable to changes in attitudes
related to drinking and driving.
It's more expensive to have a license to open a tavern today.
As a result of that, it's not an easy startup business.
Narrator: But the number of Wisconsin bars
remains one of the highest in the country
and taverns continue to play a role in community life.
Draeger: It's much more part of the social fabric
than it is in other places.
Couples, children, extended families
all come to taverns.
It's always been that way.
It's that everybody's living room kind of function
that the tavern has
that really is why taverns are still around today.
Because they serve the same purpose
that they did a 100 years ago, or even a 150 years ago.
People in other states drink in their homes.
They drink in other gathering places.
In Wisconsin, people get together in taverns.
That's why Wisconsin is a tavern state.
story about so many great places in Wisconsin. And
you know what? So many great people. I loved this
episode about the joint and all the tremendous
musicians that came through that little bar in Eau
Claire, and this realization that they're
not making a profit on these shows. You know,
that's how PBS Wisconsin works. We don't make a
profit on these shows. In fact, we only make the
shows and we can only break even if you make your
membership gift. So taking maybe a little clue from
the joint Eau Claire call, help us fill the hole that
we create every time we make a show, because that's
how we create the money to make the next show. And you
play a big part. You play a big part by watching and by
becoming a member and supporting your public
television station, PBS Wisconsin. It's really easy
to do. You do it by calling 1-800-236-3636. Why don't
you do it right now and let's celebrate. Bottoms up.
>> Hello, I'm Diane Agans. Welcome to the PBS
Wisconsin Spring membership Drive. Just watch this
wonderful program and we have some wonderful thank
you gifts that we'd like to thank you with to remind
you of the great hour that we've just spent together
here. Make a membership gift right now at the $12 a
month level, and we will send you this really fun
book. It truly is called Bottoms Up! It truly is a
catalog of the history of historic bars and breweries
here in Wisconsin. Again, that is our way of saying
thank you for stepping up with a membership gift of
$12 a month. Now, with a gift of $15 a month, we
would like to thank you. With two of these, they're
sort of like PBS logo, the retro PBS logo, the Public
Broadcasting service. These are two wonderful pints,
you know, 16 ounce pints. Great for beer or I think
iced tea is what we really look nice in here. Now,
with the gift of $25 a month, you don't have to
make any choices because we would like to thank you
with both the the pint glasses as well as the
Bottoms Up book. It's our way of saying thank you for
calling 1-800-236-3636. >> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling,
I'm director of Friends of PBS Wisconsin, and I'd like
to thank the now over 80,000 families who are
members of PBS Wisconsin, bringing us that support
that Malcolm told you about, the support that's vital to
bringing you all of these programs, whether it's the
Wisconsin programs like you're watching right now
or the national programing for that matter. That's
where we are now. We need your support to be able to
do that. Let's keep PBS Wisconsin strong together
when you join us as a member, the best way to
join is as a sustainer. That means you're signing
up to make a monthly ongoing payment. It's a
deduction from your credit card or your checking
account. You know that your membership is always secure.
You know that you're continuing forward
supporting PBS Wisconsin on a monthly basis. It's safe.
It's secure, it's easy, it's solid. And that helps
us, bring us, bring you programs like this. Very
easy to do. You can go online with that QR code
that's on your screen. You can visit us at
pbswisconsin.org. Or you can call right now at
1-800-236-3636. >> We were so happy to
bring you a reprise performance of Bottoms Up.
Great program supported by people like you when we
first made it, and we continue to tell the
stories of Wisconsin. As long as you continue to
support PBS Wisconsin's ability to tell these
stories. We recently did a story about one Buckingham
Badger more lovingly known as Bucky. These are the
stories that really help understand who we are as
Wisconsinites. Coming soon. Wisconsin Hometown Stories.
The Madison edition will be coming your way in just
about a year and coming your way soon. Wisconsin
Scenic Treasures Wild Waters these are programs
we make with viewer support. That means your support. We
thank you for it. We appreciate it. We really
need you to make that call. Do so right now, won't you,
please? >> And when you call in
right now, we do have these great thank you gifts still
from the Bottoms Up program that we just watched. This
has been particularly popular tonight with the
gift of $12 a month, the Bottoms Up book, and this
is a 272 page volume full of all kinds of treasured
stories, historic photos, all kinds of information,
as well as locations of where you can find all of
this all over Wisconsin. Now, with a gift of $15 a
month, we'll send you a couple of these pint mugs
here. These are pint glasses from the Bottom Up
series. They have the old PBS Wisconsin Retro logo on
those now with a gift of I'm sorry, with $20 a month
with a gift of $20 a month, we'll send you both the the
mugs as well as the book. It's our way of saying
thank you for giving us a call here right now.
>> 1-800-236-3636 and when you do make that call, one
of the best feelings is feeling like you're doing
your part. But another benefit is Passport a deep
catalog. Let's have a look at Passport.
>> You're watching PBS Wisconsin because you love
what you find here. From dramas and documentaries to
travel and journalism, what could be better? How about
even more shows you love when you want to watch them?
Wherever you stream TV, look for PBS. You'll find
us anywhere. You select your streaming services,
and we have free on demand shows for you to enjoy
anytime. Plus, when you support PBS Wisconsin, your
member benefits can open up even more to explore with
PBS Passport. It includes more than 1200 titles with
new favorites from PBS and beyond, even dramas from
around the world. >> You ain't seen nothing
yet. >> Your investment makes
PBS Wisconsin possible for you, your family, and your
community, so join with a gift at any of the levels
we're suggesting, and then join an even more
adventures with PBS Passport.
>> Telling PBS Wisconsin stories is what we're all
about. Bottoms up is a great story about the
history of taverns in Wisconsin. It's really a
story about people, isn't it? Because every one of
those taverns was created through the vision and the
tenacity and the drive and the commitment of people,
and of course, the people who go there were telling
stories of people and telling Wisconsin's people
stories is what we're all about. Here at PBS
Wisconsin, we may go to a tavern to celebrate. We may
go to commiserate, but mostly we go to enjoy a
time with people in a social environment. And
when you come to PBS Wisconsin, you're enjoying
a time, a social time, learning about our state,
experiencing our state, celebrating our state. Why
don't you celebrate by making a gift to PBS
Wisconsin? We can all celebrate together when you
do that. Thank you. >> Members have created a
place where we can trust. Here at PBS Wisconsin, you
make that possible with your membership support.
And gosh, we couldn't be more grateful. And that's
why we'd like to thank you with some of these gifts
that help us remember the wonderful hour we've just
spent together. These gifts have to do with bottoms up.
Go ahead and make a pledge of $12 a month. We'll send
you the Bottoms Up book, which is the the wonderful
photography behind the scenes information from the
70 breweries and bars of Wisconsin throughout the
state. Now, with a gift of $15 a month, we have the
duo pint mugs here with the old PBS Wisconsin PBS logo
on it. And then with a gift of $20 a month, we'll send
you both of the pints as well as the Bottoms Up book.
Again, as a way of just kind of reminding you of
your importance in building this wonderful service that
we have here. Go ahead and give us al oror go online,
but give us a call here at 1-800-236-3636.
>> This is a program about legacy. And I want to take
a minute to talk with you a little bit about legacy.
Legacy of PBS, PBS Wisconsin here. Rich legacy
of innovation. Public media was invented here in
Wisconsin. We want to continue that tradition.
With your help, we can. We want PBS Wisconsin to
continue for generations, more and more generations
of PBS kids. I want to thank the members of our
heritage society, those donors who've made a gift
to us in their estate plans, who, through careful
endowment and stewardship of those funds, we can
continue that tradition. Every gift that you make
matters. Become a member. Now. Increase your
membership you're sustaining, and please
consider becoming a member of the Heritage Society.
See that this continues for generations to come.
>> 1-800-236-3636 whether Big Jim's or the DMZ,
bunker or wall skis in Milwaukee or pimples in New
Glarus, one of my favorite taverns that I've ever been
to here in Wisconsin, we've been celebrating the
taverns of Wisconsin, which means we've been
celebrating the people of Wisconsin. And we want to
celebrate with you, and we want you to celebrate all
those people, all those stories, all the stories
yet to be told by us at PBS Wisconsin. It's really easy
to make the future happen. You do it by making your
membership gift, because it's your dollars which
allow us to introduce you to these people and these
places, and the next show is going to be possible
with your gift. So please give us a call at
1-800-236-3636. Show your appreciation and build the
future of PBS Wisconsin and your viewing as a member of
PBS Wisconsin. >> Thank you.
Bottoms Up, Wisconsin's Historic Bars and Breweries
was funded by the Wisconsin History Fund
supported in part
by the National Endowment for the Humanities
and the Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
>> The following program is a PBS Wisconsin
original production
♪ >> These are some of Wisconsin's
most magnificent homes. >> When you walk into this home,
you know right away, it's a family of status.
>> Built in the 19th and early 20th centuries,
these houses continue to inspire our modern imagination.
>> He felt that he could build an American architecture
here in the prairies of the Midwest.
>> But who built them? And why are they still here
after so many generations? I'm Michael Bridgeman,
and I've been fascinated by architecture my entire life.
Over the next hour, I'll tour six of these grand homes
from all across our state. They have their own
unique designs, and each of them holds
an incredible story. >> He brought a mindset
to this house that was really revolutionary.
>> These are people of great privilege, and they don't
want to "rough it." >> This is one of the most
beautiful places I've ever seen. >> Join me on a journey
through the Remarkable Homes of Wisconsin.
>>Remarkable Homes of Wisconsin is funded in part by
the Jeffris Family Foundation of Janesville, Wisconsin.
Dedicated to Midwestern Historic Preservation
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
♪ >> Wadsworth Hall is a mansion
on the shores of Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin.
The home has been restored to its greatness of a century ago.
The massive restoration project, completed just before
the new millennium, was led by architect, John Nelson.
>> It was a very intense construction period.
I mean, there were times when there were over
a hundred workers on the site. >> The home was originally
constructed in 1905, at a time when a number of
the region's high society were building country estates
in Lake Geneva. Most of these movers and shakers
were from Chicago. They came to the lakes
of Southern Wisconsin to enjoy their beauty,
to maintain social status, and to get away from a city
going through unprecedented change.
♪ Chicago was America's
fastest-growing city in the 19th century.
In 1850, its population was below thirty thousand people.
In just 50 years, that number was fast approaching
two million. And living in cities
at this time could be downright unpleasant.
>> The streets were filled with horse manure.
There was soot and smoke in the air.
Cities were swept by disease like cholera, typhoid.
Cities were regarded as places that were not healthful.
>> Lake Geneva offered a striking contrast
to life in Chicago, enticing some of its wealthiest
people to vacation there in the summer.
The earliest would come because of a catastrophe.
[distant screams] >> The Great Fire of Chicago
began on Sunday, October 8, in 1871.
By the time it was extinguished two days later, it had claimed
at least three hundred lives and destroyed the heart of the city.
>> The wealthy don't want to live among the ruins of Chicago
while it's being rebuilt. So they temporarily take
residence up in Lake Geneva, and they establish this
tradition of living in these grand estates that surround
the lake. Norman Harris is just one of
a long line of Chicago people who make it a vacation
destination. >> Chicago investor
and philanthropist, Norman Wait Harris,
made his fortune in insurance and banking.
Harris hired a renowned Boston architecture firm to design his
getaway home in Lake Geneva. And it had to be prestigious,
something worthy of Harris's stature.
>> There's a long tradition, really, of architecture being
used to express status. And so what we see in Wisconsin
in a lot of these buildings in the late 19th and
early 20th century are the desire on the part of
its wealthiest citizens to express power.
And it was on the architecture itself, on the exterior
of these buildings as well as on the interiors.
They wanted to show that they were keeping up with
the Joneses, so to speak. >> Harris named his home
Wadsworth Hall to honor his mother's family
and his New England roots. And Harris chose a style
for this retreat that suited his self-image.
>> It's a terrific example of what you'd call
Colonial Revival Period architecture.
>> It's an architecture of American patriotism.
The architectural vocabulary is drawn from American
revolutionary culture. And the owners of Wadsworth Hall
are saying, we are Americans. Our success has come from
the success of America itself. So we picked an architectural
style that's expressive of the growth and success
of American culture. >> Wadsworth Hall has
a noble colonial style on its exterior.
But things change on the inside of the home.
♪ >> Here all the rooms
are slightly different. They're not totally out of place
in a Colonial building. They feel like they belong in
there, but they're not strictly period architecture.
>> For Norman Harris and his contemporaries in Lake Geneva,
using different styles was a conscious choice.
A good example of this is the library.
>> The style of the library is much more classical.
He's saying something about himself as a learned, educated
person that he couldn't say using the architectural style
of house itself. >> In a Colonial building
you wouldn't have a coved ceiling such as we do
in the room that we're sitting in right now.
>> That room is the great room, the heart of Wadsworth Hall.
It's punctuated by a magnificent staircase and chandelier.
And it leads out to the terrace and Geneva Lake.
>> If, as in many cases in the old days,
you arrived by boat, you would have actually come in
through the doors behind me, rather than through
the motor court in front. So this would be your
introduction to the house. >> One of the great room's
primary purposes was to entertain
large groups of people. And by the turn of the century,
Lake Geneva had a vibrant Chicago party scene
during the summers. These extravagant affairs
were serious business. >> Partying was definitely
part of that culture. So if you didn't have a party,
you weren't among the people who were the status people,
the image seekers. >> At Wadsworth Hall,
simply walking from the interior to the outdoors
has a magical feeling to it. For example, the sun room,
with its lovely view of the lake to the south,
has a surprise in store for those who venture outside.
A semi-circular portico creates a graceful transition
from the house to the outdoors. And then this allée
of beech trees draws the eye further into the landscape.
♪ The original landscaping was
done by the Olmstead brothers. They were the sons of
Frederick Law Olmstead, America's most famous
landscape architect. Much of the Olmstead brothers'
framework has been preserved. >> Now it's been altered
over the years, but there's enough of
the basic intent there that is really a landmark landscape
as well as an architectural landmark.
>> To explore the grounds of Wadsworth Hall,
is to be rewarded. For example,
there's a children's play area. It includes bite-sized buildings
and is hedged by a charming topiary sculpture.
This village was added as part of the restoration
done at Wadsworth Hall in 1999. The restoration was completed
for home-owner Richard H. Driehaus,
a Chicago businessman and philanthropist.
When Richard Driehaus bought the house,
the dining room ceiling was sagging badly.
The architects devised a careful plan to secure it
from above, and slowly pull the elaborate plasterwork
back into place. ♪
>> It had, over the years slipped, and miraculously
didn't start cracking or falling apart.
Most of the plasterwork in there is the original, and once
we got it secured again, it only took a coat of paint
to bring it back. >> Today, the home is in
exquisite condition, a testament to its masterful
renovation. Wadsworth Hall holds
a special place among Wisconsin's remarkable homes.
>> It's really a house that reflects the trends at the time
of the upper class; the way they lived,
the business history, the social history,
the cultural history. For all of those reasons,
the house should be preserved. ♪
>> This home in Neenah
was a very personal project for Havilah Babcock.
He was one of the founders of the Kimberly-Clark Corporation
and built his fashionable house on East Wisconsin Avenue.
Havilah Babcock supervised every aspect of construction
that went into his family's home.
>> My great-grandfather built this,
and it was a labor of love. I mean, this was a whole focus
of his private life. >> Because the home
has remained with the family to this day,
it is unique. It's story revolves around
a man who built success from humble beginnings,
and constructed his house as a form of self-expression.
♪ Havilah Babcock's
fascination with building began when he was a boy.
He worked with his father on the Neenah lock.
Then in his teens, Babcock got a job at a dry goods store
and advanced quickly. >> He grew to be quite tall
and good-looking, and dry goods was all about
selling dress fabrics to women. And he could sell them
all kinds of stuff on that principle of having
good-looking clerks serve women in dress goods.
>> Within a few short years, Babcock and his friend,
Alfred Kimberly, started their own dry goods store.
A local newspaper attested that young Havilah was
"a great favorite with the ladies" and went on to predict
that women would not fail to shop at his newly-opened store.
Babcock was just 19 years old. Havilah Babcock
and Alfred Kimberly were ambitious entrepreneurs.
They partnered with F.C. Shattuck and C.B. Clark
in 1872, forming what would become one of the largest
paper companies in the world. Kimberly Clark and Company
would make Babcock a wealthy man.
But at a price. >> He and Alfred Kimberly,
his partner, had to sell the store,
which was Havilah's great joy. I mean, it was the thing
he really liked doing and did very well at.
>> But it didn't take Babcock long to find
a new way to channel his artistic energy.
He set out to build his family a grand home.
And because of his background in construction and fashion,
Babcock was perfectly suited for the task.
He hired prominent Oshkosh architect, William Waters,
who drew up a Queen Anne style house.
The family moved into their new home in 1883.
But it would take Babcock several more years
to complete the interior to satisfy his taste and style
and to tell his story. >> Architecture in
the 19th century was seen as didactic.
It was a learning tool. In the Babcock house,
they're using certain motifs to say something about
what they valued and what they believed
and what their culture was all about.
>> Victorian America emphasized the virtues of family life.
And the home, more than anyplace else,
is where character was formed. Havilah Babcock integrated
moral lessons into the fabric of his new house.
♪ Storytelling imagery abounds
throughout the home. Socrates, Dante and Lord Byron
argue their philosophies in the libra.
In the front hall, the perils of unbridled lust
are cautioned through depictions of Lancelot and Guinevere.
And, with a hint of self-deprecation,
Havilah Babcock also shared stories about himself.
>> At the vestibule doors in the front hall,
you have a peacock and a pheasant.
The peacock and the pheasant are th birds where the male
is more ornamental than the female.
And, this is kind of a reflection of his character.
In the tnsom over these doors, is a parakeet.
The parakeet is a bird in which the sex is identified by
the male's ability to sing which the female ds not.
And Havilah was a tenor in the church r and
a se-pssnal singer. He'sel you le bit
abt hielndrely i Fes
fe in the late 10s in a high-status home like
Havilah Babcock's was strictly regimented by the different
zones of the house. ♪
>> These are perceived as being these very large houses.
And they are, but the lives were not spreading out wide and far.
They were rely very much circumscribed
into smaller areas. >> The Victorian house
was indeed a highly organized, contrived space.
There were male spaces of the house like the library,
which was where the man of the house could read,
but was also a space where he could showcase
his worldly knowledge. Whereas women essentially had
a sitting room, perhaps, where they would entertain.
♪ >> There was one room, however,
that the entire Babcock family certainly shared together.
>> The dining room was really, for them,
the center of family life. The ritual of dining was huge.
Meals were served in courses, it was the best china,
crystal, tablecloths. And so it was this very elegant,
very stately type of experience. >> The Havilah Babcock House
was built during a time of rapid technological
advancement. It was the first home in Neenah
to be wired for electricity. But with a boiler used for
heating, why did it have so many of these?
This was a modern home. It was warmed with central heat,
yet fireplaces appear in every room.
A practical backup system to be sure.
But also a tangible reminder of the family hearth.
The fireplaces in Babcock's home were decorative
and most of them were never used.
>> It was one of those things that were put in because
it just made you feel more comfortable.
There were ducts built in the walls to take the heat up
to the second floor, so that when it came to
converting to forced air it was very easy for us.
We thank him for that. >> Havilah Babcock's
great-grandson, Peter Adams, now lives in this home
with his wife, Patricia Mulvey. It has remained in the family
more than a century after Havilah's death
and is remarkably unchanged, thanks to two of his daughters.
>> After Havilah died, his wife stayed on
and ultimately it was just Helen and Elizabeth,
the oldest and the youngest, who made this their home.
They were terrified of changing anything that Father did
because it was all-important to him, it was an embodiment
of him. And we just ended up
doing the same. >> And this is why
Havilah Babcock's house remains so true to its past.
His descendants simply did not make changes.
So the extra-long couch in which tall Havilah took naps
still beckons in its spot. The unique tufted dado in
the parlor remains intact. And the ornate library ceiling
continues to attest to Havilah Babcock's design
sensibility. All as it was
some 125 years ago. An incredible family treasure,
and something of an inspiration. >> Throughout Wisconsin,
throughout the U.S. for that matter,
there are people who, every day, lose beloved family homes.
They don't know what to do. They don't think it's possible.
The reality is you can do it. And you don't necessarily have
to have a pile of money, because this didn't come with any money.
This was just the house. You just have to develop a plan.
We've been here forty-some years,
so we've made it work. It has not been easy.
It's been a lot of hard work. >> Today Babcock's house
gives us an authentic glimpse into the world of
wealthy Victorians in Wisconsin. And the home remains
a captivating expression of the colorful, handsome man
named Havilah Babcock. ♪
Hi, I'm Malcolm Brett, a volunteer at PBS Wisconsin.
We're taking a short break in this beautiful,
beautiful film about the remarkable homes of
Wisconsin to invite you to become a member here at PBS
Wisconsin to help support programs just like this one.
We first aired this show back in 2015. We brought it
out of the archives because it is a family favorite.
You know, it's not the Wisconsin, the remarkable
houses of Wisconsin. It's remarkable Homes of
Wisconsin because these are the stories not just of the
buildings, but the people who built them, the people
who lived there. And isn't that what makes a house a
home? And isn't telling the stories of Wisconsin? What
makes a state a home? PBS Wisconsin's been doing that
for many, many, many years. One of the first public
broadcasters ever. And we're still here. Thanks to
your support. We're still able to tell you tell you
stories like the Remarkable Homes of Wisconsin because
of your support. Please make a membership gift to
PBS Wisconsin right now and keep great programs like
this one coming your way long into the future.
>> Hello, I'm Diane Agans with some wonderful thank
you gifts that we'd like to offer you when you call in
during this very brief break that we're having in
this incredible program, Remarkable Homes of
Wisconsin. First of all, if you call and become a
member at the $10 a month sustainer level, we would
love to thank you with this. I love PBS a little. It's a
tote is what it is, but I heart PBS tote bag. This is
100% cotton and a wonderful 22 inch straps. Real
favorite around here. Now if you want to pledge and
make a gift of $15, then we have a truly remarkable
book to go along with the truly remarkable homes that
we're watching here in Wisconsin. The book is
called Wisconsin Zone, and it features 20 residential
treasures from all over the state. These are homes that
were built between 1854 and 1939, beautifully
photographed, wonderfully explained. Wonderful volume
here. Now, if you can't decide which gift, we'd
love to send you both when you send us a gift of 20,
or when you make a gift, a sustainer gift $20 a month,
we'll send you both the tote and Wisconsin's own
book as our way of saying, boy, thanks for making this
all happen here at Wisconsin Public Television.
So go online or give us a call right now. Talk to a
real human at 1-800-236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling. I'm director of friends of
PBS Wisconsin. It is member support that makes programs
like this possible. So if you're enjoying this
program, if you've been enjoying PBS Wisconsin for
a long time and you're ready to say yes, I'm ready
to become a member, I'm ready to help support these
programs, bring them to myself, my family, my
community, people all across the state. Then
now's a great time to make that call. 1-800-236-3636
and help make programs like this possible. Becoming a
sustainer is a great way to do that for you. It's easy,
simple, automatic, secure, ongoing monthly payments.
Easy on your budget. For us, it's reliable. So we know
that your gift is coming in on a monthly basis. It will
continue and we can make plans for more programs
like this one. Remarkable homes, your remarkable.
Please give us a call and show your support. Become
our newest sustainer. You can go online. You can
visit that QR code that's on your screen. Or you can
give us a call right now at 1-800-236-3636.
>> You know, there's been a lot been said about funding
challenges in public media and in other parts of our
society as well. When you make a membership gift,
it's not about filling a gap. It's about building
the organization of the future. It's about helping
us create the programs that are accountable and
responsive and stimulating and inspiring to the
greater community. That's what we do, and the way we
do it is with your membership support. So
build the best future possible for you and your
family, and for PBS Wisconsin by calling
1-800-236-3636. Make your gift today. Make our
financial and programing future as bright as it can
be. Thank you. >> That's right. And when
you call in right now, we do have some thank you
gifts we'd love to offer you with a gift of $10 a
month. We'd love to send you this. I love PBS tote.
Wonderful little canvas tote here, 22 inch straps.
Really a lot of fun. Just a popular popular gift here
at the $10 a month level. Now at the 20 at the $15 a
month level. I just can't say enough about this
remarkable book. We're watching Remarkable Homes,
but this book, Wisconsin's Own, is a 320 page
hardcover book of some of 20 of Wisconsin's most
iconic homes. These are homes that were built
between 1854 and 1939. It's remarkable volume. Go ahead
and give us a call on that. Or if you can't decide
which, make a gift of $20, we'll send you both the
book and the tote. Go ahead and make that gift right
now. >> 1-800-236-3636 okay,
Wisconsin is a special place. There are so many
jewels in Wisconsin through this program. Tonight we're
visiting many of those jewels. You know, another
jewel is the Wisconsin Historical Society. What an
amazing institution that is. We are delighted that we
partnered with this with them on this program, and
we've partnered with them on so many programs. If you
think PBS Wisconsin is also special, please become that
new member. Please become that sustainer today. Use
the QR code that's on your screen. Visit us at
pbswisconsin.org. Give us a call at the phone number
that's on your screen, and we'll say thank you. All
the ways that Diane mentioned at those various
gift levels and at all of those gift levels, we also
say thank you to you with some useful things.
"Airwaves" magazine, our monthly program guide, and
Passport, a deep catalog of lots and lots of video
contact content. It starts with your call at
1-800-236-3636, and. >> PBS Wisconsin is built
on the support of so many families around the state,
nearly 80,000. That's a big number, but the most
important number is the number one. That's your
number. Because you make a gift to PBS Wisconsin. You
are creating our future. You are creating the next
program that we can produce to bring to you. Even
though there are many, many, many families and many
businesses supporting us, we don't take them for
granted, but we don't take for granted that we will
continue to get every gift we've ever gotten. We
continue to ask you to play your role and support PBS
Wisconsin so we can be the best public media we can be
in the future, just as we have been for generation
after generation. Just as member gifts, including
yours, have made us successful up to now and
going forward. Please make your gift today.
>> Your donation. That's right, your gift builds the
future and we just couldn't be more grateful. But let's
take a look back into the past, because our thank you
gifts also want to remind you of the importance of
our collective of humanity here together. Now, with a
gift of $10, I'll mention that I love PBS tote.
Really just a fun little tote that folks have just
loved over the years. I love PBS Wisconsin Little
Tote here for $10 a month at the $15 level. This
remarkable volume, it's called Wisconsin's Own
Incredible Photographs by Zane Williams, the 320 page
hardcover book is a gift that you can have when you
make that $15 a month gift to Wisconsin Public
Television, or if you wish. And if you're able to make
a $20 a month sustainer gift to PBS Wisconsin. And
we'll send you both the book as well as the tote.
Again, your gift really matters. It makes a big
difference. You're building something into the future.
We're taking the past into the future. We do it all
together. Make that call 1-800-236-3636.
>> So tonight we'll take you to Wingspread. We'll
take you to the island of Happy Days. We'll take you
so many places on PBS Wisconsin. We can take you
to places you'd like to go, places you might never get
to go weather. Whatever the reason, we can take you
there through our programs. And that's really, really
valuable. Some places are not accessible. Sometimes
it's just the best way you can get to this place. So
help make this possible. Help everyone go on this
journey. It starts with your call. Please make that
call now and show your support. Thank you so much.
[MUSIC]
♪ On an island
in the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien,
sits a Wisconsin gem. It's called Villa Louis.
Open to the public, it's now a museum run by the Wisconsin
Historical Society. >> Villa Louis is one of
the premier historic house museums in the country.
Nearly 90 percent of the collection is original to
the family and to the household here in Prairie du Chien.
>> That means much of what's inside this house is well over
one hundred years old. And the story of the family
who built Villa Louis is as dramatic
as the setting itself. ♪
>> Hercules Dousman came to
Prairie du Chien in 1826 to work for
the American Fur Company. But the fur trade was
just a few years away from a total collapse.
>> Hercules is one of the lucky ones.
He's able to take money he made off of the fur trade
and reinvested, mainly in land speculation.
>> Land investments made Hercules Dousman one of
Wisconsin's wealthiest men. He built a grand home whose
entrance led up from the Mississippi River.
Built on high ground, Hercules named it
the Brick House on the Mound. >> He lives in the home here
with his wife Jane until he dies in September of 1868.
At the time of his death, it leaves his widow Jane and
the one son that they had who's always referred to
as Louis. And Louis then decides
that this first home that he's living in with his mother
isn't modern enough. ♪
>> Hercules' son, Louis Dousman, was just 20 years old.
But he was wealthy, ambitious, and wanted a new home
fitting of his station. So he sought out the most
prestigious architect money could buy.
>> Edward Townsend Mix was the most prominent architect
in the state of Wisconsin. He was the status architect.
And people were hiring him because they knew that they'd
get something worthy of their place in the world.
>> Less than 30 years after its construction,
the spectacular Brick House on the Mound
was torn down. Louis built his new home
on the same spot. But it was mostly his mother,
Jane, who resided there. Louis' ambitions led him away
from the state. By the time he returned to
his Prairie du Chien mansion, he had a beautiful wife, Nina,
and five children. And Louis and Nina Dousman
were about to launch an extraordinary plan.
Villa Louis is a prime example of an elegant Victorian home.
In the latter half of the 19th century,
interiors for wealthy families like the Dousmans
were marked by highly ornamental wall and floor coverings,
objects and art on prominent display,
But you had to be careful where you stepped.
the 1880s, nHarper's Bazaarmagazine
acknowledged that the latest taste could be...
"...a little overcrowded, scarcely giving rest enough
to the eye or mind..." t went on add, "It is
crowded only with beauty." >> When you tour the home day,
yosee the betifu blues and re and golds.
d fugho thus aheex
MrMr Dol Villa Louis is filled with
colorful ornamentation everywhere you look.
Today, it's preserved to its Victorian grandeur in the 1880s.
And the catalyst for the striking style of this home
came from an unlikely source. [horse whinnies]
♪ In 1883, Louis undertook
a bold and exciting new venture, a stock farm for breeding
and racing trotting horses. Knowing she'd be entertaining
an influx of eager horse investors,
Mrs. Dousman felt it was time for an upgrade.
>> She wants to add her own sense of style and flair
to this house and they start this remodeling process
in this real British Arts and Crafts style.
>> Arts and crafts was about embracing the values of
hand crafted goods while understanding that
machines produced goods. So rather than to make it
look machine-like, they tried to make it look
craftsman-like. And that's the aesthetic
that the Dousmans are borrowing when they redesign their house.
>> But Louis Dousman did not get much time to enjoy
his home's transformation. Just a couple of years later,
he became ill. >> They're not sure what's
wrong with him. He's complaining of these pains.
He dies from appendicitis. Louis's only 37 years old,
and that left his wife, Nina, a widow at 33 with five young
children. >> In the Victorian age,
Mrs. Dousman's options were limited.
It was considered improper for a woman to speak about
the racing and breeding of animals,
so she had to sell off the stock and close out Louis' farm.
And she was expected to mourn her husband's death
for two and a half years. >> There was tremendous pressure
on women in Victorian America. Those expectations were
socially in place. They were also codified in
the extensive advice literature about what women
were supposed to do. And these were enumerated.
There were roles that were listed one by one
in those books about expectations.
>> After an unsuccessful second marriage,
Mrs. Dousman refocused her attention on her children.
>> Her oldest daughter is 19, her second oldest daughter
is 18. It's now time to find
prospective husbands. She's doing it
as a single woman. And in society
she's a wealthy woman. She's considered
a beautiful woman. And that's a challenge to others
when it comes to entertaining. Who wants this wealthy,
single woman sitting next to your husband
at a dinner party? >> Nina now called the estate
Villa Louis in tribute to her late husband.
And by the summer of 1894, her children were enjoying
a vibrant social life of parties held at the home.
But these happy times would not last long.
>> Mrs. Dousman's middle child, Nina Sturgis Dousman, was
getting ready for a house party. She was curling her hair,
as girls do, and the curling iron was like
ours of today, but had to be heated up over a heat source.
>> Kerosene lamps were a common fixture in homes
in the late 1880s. But they had one major flaw,
when conditions were just right, the whole lamp could explode.
♪ An explosion did occur.
And by the time her mother extinguished the blaze
with a quilt, 14 year-old Nina Dousman
was horribly burned. >> She was cared for
for six weeks at the house and infection set in.
They weren't quite sure how to treat burns like this back then.
She dies on September 14th, 1894.
The family closes up the house and they go up to St. Paul
for the winter. And that's something that
Mrs. Dousman continues to do every year,
not celebrating Christmas here in Prairie du Chien.
>> But the Dousman family continued to return to
Villa Louis every summer. Mrs. Dousman loved entertaining,
and the home was a perfect setting for parties.
Its striking glass veranda provided an excellent spot
for indoor fun. >> It's an extended space
where they can sit and enjoy themselves in the evening hours,
but be protected from the Mississippi mosquitoes.
They played card games. At one point,
there's a pump organ out there. >> The veranda was an ideal
focal point for house parties. And the Dousman women were
having as much fun as their male counterparts.
>> They just weren't having teas and sitting straight
in the parlor. They were golfing,
they were playing archery, they were shooting guns.
>> Summer parties at Villa Louis were not
one-day affairs. Many friends were staying
at the home and nearby hotels for weeks at a time,
possibly at the peril of their waistlines.
>> Mrs. Dousman loved to dine. She loved to dine elegantly.
And you get a sense of that when you see the dining room table.
>> One particular guest gave compelling testament
to the bountiful food at Villa Louis.
>> Frederick Bigalow, his name shows up
in the guest book quite often. And one passage that he writes
talks about how he gained "seven pounds, three quarters net"
during one week's house party. >> Mrs. Dousman's plan for her
daughters was right on course. With no expense spared,
these summer-long parties were attracting plenty
of eligible bachelors. There was only one problem,
Nina Dousman was running out of cash.
>> The wealth is lagging. And with the depression in 1893
we start to see the coffers are being depleted a little bit.
And so she's working on finding these matches so that her family
can continue to keep the same status that they've been used to
all of their lives. >> Mrs. Dousman's parties
paid off. For example, one guest,
Frederick Bigalow, the suitor who wrote that
he gained seven pounds and three quarter net,
married the second daughter, Virginia.
A magnificent and dramatic era for the Dousmans
came to a close. >> By 1913, the children are
married, the house is in need of some repairs,
and it's not really fashionable any longer
to have such a grand estate. >> Mrs. Dousman, her son Louis
and his family, moved out of Villa Louis
for good in 1913. They leased the home to a boys
school, but voided the contract after four years.
The boys were simply too rough on the house.
A solution for the property was finally reached when
the Dousman family turned it over to the city of
Prairie du Chien in 1935. Fifteen years later,
the Wisconsin Historical Society took ownership
and made Villa Louis its first historic site.
Today, the home is open to the public.
It's been painstakingly restored to its splendor in the 1880s.
Villa Louis magnificently captures the grandeur of
the Victorian era, and the drama of the Dousmans.
♪ An hour's drive
north of Eau Claire is a small island
on Red Cedar Lake. It's called Stout Island.
There, nestled among the trees, is a unique summer lodge.
>> What our guests talk about most is that this
is the first time in their life they relaxed.
They're not checking their phone to see who e-mailed them
or who texted them. They leave it in the room.
They don't think about it. They think about
who they're with. >> Stout's Island Lodge
was originally a private vacation home
that Frank Stout built for his family.
He called it the Island of Happy Days.
And it was certainly that, even though at one point Stout
had to burn it to the ground. ♪
Frank Stout was a financier and banker in Chicago,
but his wealth was rooted in Wisconsin forests.
His father helped make Knapp, Stout and Company
one of the world's largest lumber providers.
>> Northern Wisconsin was covered with virgin timber,
and the king of all that timber was white pine.
It was like gold to these early lumbermen.
These trees were huge, five, six feet in diameter.
And that's where the fortune really was.
>> Frank Stout inherited a portion of his father's
vast wealth in 1900. That included this island
on Red Cedar Lake. And Stout decided it would be
perfect for his vacation home. The Island of Happy Days
was completed in 1903. Frank Stout and his family
traveled there from Chicago every summer.
He had a special track built off the main railroad line
to get family, guests and supplies to Red Cedar Lake.
Then from water's edge, everything had to arrive
by boat. [engine starts]
>> Today, the shuttle ride is just a leisurely
ten minutes to Stout Island. And the charms of the lodge
are on display as soon as the boat approaches the dock.
>> The boathouse is one of the areas that gets
the most attention. It's the first moment of,
ahh, kind of magic. Because there's not a lot of
these kind of boathouses left. >> Up the stairs
from the boathouse, the sprawling lodge beckons
as it did a century ago. That is, after it was completely
rebuilt. ♪
Frank Stout modeled the Island of Happy Days,
which refers to the home as well as the island itself,
on the famous Adirondack great camps in upstate New York.
These compounds were summer getaway homes
for the wealthy. And Stout wanted his home
to be especially rustic. >> Frank Stout, when he
built this, insisted that the bark be left on the wood.
Within a few years, his house became infested with bugs.
And he was forced to burn his house down.
He wanted to rebuild on the same homestead, but also he needed to
get rid of the bugs. So, he spent
1.5 million dollars, at that time, to do this.
>> That means Stout used the equivalent of approximately
36 million in today's dollars to rebuild
The Island of Happy Days. It was enough to buy
the best of the best. And that's exactly
what Frank Stout did. When Stout rebuilt the lodge,
he brought in wood and stone from around the country
and around the world. In the great room,
he kept this fireplace, fashioned of stone quarried
at nearby Mount Hardscrabble. >> This is a time of artsman,
and craftsmanship. Frank Stout brought
in pink granite from the Blue Hills locally.
He brought in these amazing beams from Germany
that are in the dining room. >> It's very, very
finely crafted. So even though it looks rustic,
it's the finest craftsmanship that money could buy.
All of the hardware is hand-wrought.
They built the bookcases right into the log building itself.
They carved elaborate surrounds around the bookcases.
The dining room has bow-tie ties so the hardwood floor never
got cracks from the wood swelling and shrinking.
>> All of these materials and fine workmanship
create spaces that are inviting, warm and cozy.
But it's outside where the Stouts seemed to have
their biggest adventures. ♪
Frank Stout and his wife, Clara, had five children.
The family and their guests spent a lot of time
at their getaway home. And they left behind plenty
of evidence that their time on the Island of Happy Days
was incredibly fun. >> We see these great pictures
of them swimming on these huge slides
that go down into the water, and water skiing
on these planks of wood. And in the winter,
sledding down and skiing across the snow.
I don't think they had dull moments here.
>> The Adirondack style emulates the rustic look
of a pioneer's log cabin on a grand scale.
The style developed at a time when Americans were feeling
wistful about pioneer days, and far safer
among the elements. >> When you were a pioneer,
and you move out to the wilderness,
the wilderness was your enemy because the wilderness
could kill you. You could starve,
you could freeze to death. After the industrial revolution,
technology helps us to be more comfortable
in the natural world. The architecture comes
to express that difference in attitude,
where we no longer fear the natural world,
we wish we lived in the natural world.
>> But were the Stouts "living in the natural world"
at the Island of Happy Days? >> This was not roughing it,
by any stretch. They would come with huge
caravans with their china and their silver and their servants.
>> The irony about the Adirondack style
is these are people of great wealth and great privilege,
and they don't want to rough it. They wanted to have the idea
that they were getting away to the natural world,
but they wanted all the amenities that they had
back in the city. >> The Stout family spent many
winter holidays and summers in the home,
until 1927, when Frank Stout was nearing
the end of his life. And there was only one place
he wanted to be for that. Frank Stout developed
heart trouble and was determined to return to his north woods
retreat for his final days. But he died en route,
in nearby Rice Lake, only a few miles
from what he called "the dearest place on earth."
After Stout's death, the family visited
the Island of Happy Days less and less,
until selling it in 1948. The home went through
various owners and was abandoned for many years.
It was eventually purchased in 1990 by its current owners,
who renamed it Stout's Island Lodge.
It's one of America's few remaining
original Adirondack great camps. >> Almost none of them
are open to the public. They are still kept as family
compounds, for the most part. >> Today, the lodge is
open to the public. And it retains all of the charm
it must have had when it was known as
the Island of Happy Days. >> The vistas are gorgeous.
You look internally at the buildings and they're
miraculous in their architecture and their attention to detail.
Everywhere was well thought out. I have found nowhere that
speaks to my soul and my heart as much as this place does.Remarkable Homes of
Wisconsin. Remarkable show brought to you by. Well,
people just like you. Hi, I'm Malcolm Brett. We're in
the studios of PBS Wisconsin, asking you to
support the shows that are so meaningful to you on PBS
Wisconsin. This is a great time for you to make a gift
to PBS Wisconsin because this is a challenge. Break
the first 20, the first $2,000 that is pledged by
new members will be matched dollar to dollar, thanks to
a gift froro Susan Robinson and Steve Nussbaum of
Madison. They made a gift to create a fund to match
your your gift during this break. So the first 20
callers new members will be matched dollar for dollar
till we hit $2,000. Please make a call. Make that
challenge work. Double the impact of your gift by
calling us right now at 1-800-236-3636.
>> Thank you for leveraging thatddititnal gift of
support. Hello, I'm Diane Agans here. Voluner here
at PBS Wisconsin. Jt wanto le younow we
have some wonderful ws to thk you when you step
forward rht now and accept that member
challenge. If you make a gift of $10 a month, we
will send you thehe love S tote bag. This is a
ndndl canvas tote. Ne garge strnd
's oayfin be 15reeumatavow
pa hardcover bound edition highlighting 20 of
the residential treasures that we have here around
the state. And the stories behind those treasures is a
really a wonderful complement to the
incredible show that we're watching right now. Now, if
you choose to go ahead and make a gift of $20 a month,
we will send you both the book as well as the tote
bag. It's our way of saying thank you for stepping
forward during this member challenge. Give us a call
at 1-800-236-3636. >> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling.
I'm the director of friends of PBS Wisconsin. It is a
challenge break, and that means it's the best time to
become our newest sustainer. Becoming a sustainer is
great for us because we can count on your support month
after month. And it's great for you because you're in
control. You can choose the amount. You can choose one
of the gifts that gift levels that Diane just told
you about. Choose a way for us to say thank you to you.
You can choose whether that gift of sustaining comes
from your checking account, or from your bank account,
or from your credit card, and you can continue it. So
choose the amount that's right for you. Know that
you're doing your part to bring programs like this.
Know that as a new sustainer, your gift is
going to go twice as far because this is a challenge
break. Thanks to the generous support of those
donors, your gift is going to go twice as far and know
that your membership is always current, so you're
doing your part to continue these programs and you
don't need to wonder, is my membership expired? Is it
time to renew? Maybe it's time to increase your
sustaining gift. It's a great time to do that as
well. Use the QR code on your screen. Visit us at
pbswisconsin.org or give us a call right now at
1-800-236-3636. >> And when you do make
that call during this break, your gift will be matched
dollar for dollar because it's a challenge break. I'm
joined right now by Holly De Ruyter. Welcome, Holly.
Hi. Good to be here. Holly is the producer of an
exciting new program coming to PBS Wisconsin in just
about a year. Hometown stories. Madison. Holly,
you've worked on a number of these hometown stories
from around the state. Now coming to Madison, how do
you approach making a program like this?
>> You know, these programs, when we start working on,
I'm going to go into communities. It is really
overwhelming, really getting to know all the
history and the people and events that shaped a
community into what it is today. But we really rely
on the communities and the people to come out and help
us understand their story and what's important to
them in their community, and what they feel best
represents who they are as a community.
>> And they bring materials for to use in the programs
very often. Right? >> That's correct. We have
story sharing sessions where people can bring
stories and ideas for the program. And then we also
have archive collecting events where people bring
family photos. Or maybe they're a big collector of
items and they have great items, you know, artifacts
and postcards that they share with us. And that
really helps us find materials to put in the
program. >> So two hours seems like
a long time, but with a rich history like Madison,
there's a lot of stuff that's just not going to
make it to the screen. How do you decide what to keep
and what to cut? >> That's a great question.
It's really when we look at the story as a whole, we
really want to see what stories really speak and
help tell Madison's whole story. Of all the variety
of different communities we have here in this great
city of ours, and we rely a lot on feedback we get from
historians and community members.
>> Great. We'll be back with Holly in just a couple
of minutes. But first, back over to Diane with a little
bit more. >> Yes. You know what? When
you become a member of public television at the
sustainer level or above, you have access to
something that is very unique. It's like sort of
like a library under your fingertips, but it's
something that we call PBS Passport. So take a second
look at what this is, become a member and become
sustainer and it's all yours. You got it.
>> You're watching PBS Wisconsin because you love
what you find here. From dramas and documentaries to
travel and journalism. What could be better? How about
even more shows you love when you want to watch them?
Wherever you stream TV, look for PBS. You'll find
us anywhere. You select your streaming services,
and we have free on demand shows for you to enjoy
anytime. [MUSIC]
Plus, when you support PBS Wisconsin, your member
benefits can open up even more to explore with PBS
Passport. It includes more than 1200 titles with new
favorites from PBS and beyond, even dramas from
around the world. >> You ain't seen nothing
yet. >> Your investment makes
PBS Wisconsin possible for you, your family, and your
community, so join with a gift at any of the levels
we're suggesting, and then join an even more
adventures with PBS Passport.
>> Holly, I imagine when you're doing a history of a
community, there are always surprises. There are always
things that maybe tickle you. And I know as a
producer you need to love everything. But are there
any, any stories or any items that really stood out
to you about the history of Madison?
>> You know, with Madison, a history that really stood
out to me. It kind of surprised me because I grew
up in northeast Wisconsin. We didn't have ice boating
up there. And here in Madison, it's really the
center in the whole world. It's a really big known
center for ice boating. So it's been really
interesting to hear about that history. And it's not
just a recent history. It goes back over 100 years
and just learn about how that has played a part
throughout Madison's history and continues to do
so to this day. >> And I imagine a lot of
people just don't know that about Madison's history.
Yep. Well, we'll be looking forward to the show. We'll
be looking forward to talking with you again in
just a couple of minutes. Now we're going to go back
to Diane. >> A lot of stories here in
Wisconsin, right? A lot of stories that we're enjoying
in Remarkable Homes, the show that we're taking a
quick break from to have a quick member challenge here.
Again, your support. Become a new member of public
television. Your gift will be matched by some very
generous donors that have pledged their support.
Again, we do have these great thank you gifts when
you call and pledge to become a sustainer at the
$10 a month level, we'll send you the I love PBS
tote bag. Big wonderful canvas tote bag. Become a
member at the $15 a month level, and we will send you
the Wisconsin's own book. And this is a wonderful
hardbound book of 20 of the most unique, I was going to
say residential treasures, but I think the people that
were building them were just as fascinating. All of
that is just wonderfully presented in the book. But
become a member at the $20 level. We will send you
both the book as well as the as the I love PBS bag
again, is our way of saying thank you for making this
happen. Here in in Wisconsin, you're an
important part of the station. Give us a call
1-800-236-3636. >> Which one are you?
>> A number of years ago, we made an emphasis. We put
a priority on telling stories of Wisconsin by
people from Wisconsin and stories for Wisconsin. And
you are a vital part of that. Together we can keep
PBS Wisconsin strong. Together we can do it
together. We can keep bringing you content like
this, and we can make future investments in more
stories like this. So this program, Remarkable Homes,
is a few years old. Just just a little while ago, we
made the documentary about Bucky, our beloved mascot
here in Wisconsin. And we have a few projects coming
up, like you're hearing about Hometown Stories,
Madison, a new installment in that story series,
Wisconsin Hometown Stories. We're going all across the
state stitching together a history of the state of
Wisconsin, one community at a time. Another program
we're working on is Scenic Treasures, a new
installment of Scenic Treasures focusing on
waters, rivers, and coastlines. You are a vital
component in making all of that happen. It starts
during this challenge break because your gift can go
twice as far. Please make the call. Show your support.
Say this kind of programing matters. The call
1-800-236-3636. >> Holly PBS Wisconsin has
been doing these hometown stories for more than a
decade, maybe decade, decade and a half. There's
got to be some impact on those communities where
you've been and told their stories.
>> For sure. This is Madison will be my fourth
Wisconsin Hometown Stories episode, and it's just
great to see the community hear stories about people
discovering their communities, coming to
visit, visiting their historical sites, and
wanting to learn more about the community. Just because
you learn a little bit, but you're hungry for more
after the show, so it's great to hear that people
start to get engaged and visit these communities.
>> And just like PBS Wisconsin, these programs
live on and on and on, and they do it because of your
financial support. It's really important,
especially during this challenge break, that you
make a call. Sometimes PBS Wisconsin dips into the
donations of individuals, but you also do a lot of
fundraising around the state, get grants and
foundation support for the programs.
>> For sure. And Wisconsin Hometown Stories is one of
those where we do go into communities and they show
up and support us with some of the funding that we need
for the program. But then the show is also receives
funding from the general PBS Wisconsin money pool,
too. >> Okay. Well, you can
build that pool of programing. You can support
great programs like Remarkable Homes of
Wisconsin. You can support the upcoming Hometown
Stories. Madison. The important thing is that you
go to your phone or go to your console and make your
gift. This is a challenge break. The value of your
gift will be doubled because of the money set
aside as a challenge. Grant. Make your gift. Make the
impact of your gift. Go twice as far. Build the
programing budget of the future and maybe the next
hometown stories after Madison. Through your
financial support, we appreciate every gift that
you make. Now is the time to go to your phone. Make
that call. Call us at 1-800-236-3636. You'll be
glad you did. >> I love what Holly said
about watching public television makes you hungry
for more. That is so true. I mean, you're learning
something. You're finding out something that in your
curiosity is just so piqued and you just keep exploring
further. Lots of ways you can do that, of course,
certainly through our PBS Passport when you become a
sustainer member. PBS Passport is like a museum
or a library, kind of all at once here. But before I
go on to if you're hungry for more, we have some
thank you gifts that are going to help you enjoy
what we've been watching here. Remarkable Homes of
Wisconsin, an incredible show. We're going back to
just a quick minute again with a gift of $10 a month,
we will send you the I Love Wisconsin or I love PBS
tote bag, but at the $15 a month level, we will send
you Wisconsin Zone Book. Now, this is a more in
depth look at some of the remarkable homes around
Wisconsin. Give us a call for that. At the $20 a
month, we will send you both the book as well as
the tote bag to. Again, your support has never been
more important. You're building the future
Wisconsin. Thank you. Thank you for doing that. Thanks
for taking the time to do that. Go online at
pbswisconsin.org and do it. Or talk to one of our great
volunteers. Give us a call 1-800-236-3636 and enjoy
more remarkable homes of Wisconsin that you made
possible. Thank you. ♪
>> Brooks Stevens was a 28 year-old
industrial designer when he built his home in 1939.
Its stark, modern look was completely at odds
with the more traditional houses in Stevens' upscale
suburban neighborhood. >> He's making a statement.
It's almost like Brooks Stevens personified.
He was daring people of means who had already lived in
the neighborhood to rethink what it was to be living
in a modern age. >> Brooks Stevens approached
designing his home the same way he did
designing products. It was always about the future.
Brooks Stevens enrolled at Cornell University in 1929
to pursue a degree in architecture.
But when he found he was more interested in
drawing cars than buildings, he quit school.
Stevens returned to his hometown of Milwaukee during
the worst economic downturn in American history.
>> In the 1930s, Americans are looking to the future,
because in the present, you're living in the Depression.
And it's a terrible time. They're looking at what
life will be when we get out of the Depression.
And they see that life influenced by the modern
inventions of science. ♪
>> The science of aerodynamics led to the age's
futuristic-looking ships, airplanes and trains.
And to get Americans buying again, manufacturers appliedk of aerodynamic design,
or streamlining, to products. This was where Brooks Stevens
found his niche when he started his industrial design business
at the age of 24. By 1939, Stevens was
a rising star in the industrial design world.
And he wanted a new home that would express his
visionary take on the future. >> Here's a designer, that
in his everyday role for us, he's deciding,
what should an iron be? What should the inside
of a train car be? How does that give us a sense of
where we're going as a progressive nation?
What's the future look like? He has a chance to do that
in his own home. >> The home that Brooks Stevens
designed for himself and his family
is not like its neighbors, traditional houses that look
to the past for inspiration. The Stevens house is a bold
statement about the future. ♪
Stevens built his house in the village of Fox Point,
a fashionable Milwaukee suburb. He collaborated with
architect, Fitzhugh Scott. The house they devised
was very modern. Historians have since dubbed
the style, Streamline Moderne. And when it was built,
some neighbors derisively called Stevens' new home
the only Greyhound bus station in Fox Point.
>> Streamline Moderne was adopted for train stations,
bus stations, and it's because it came from
trains and buses that were being designed.
So they were looking for continuity, a look about
the future, and movement, speed, travel.
So when you apply that to a house, it's almost contrary
to t values of a typical house as we think of it.
We want it to be rooted. >> The house comes out of
the way that Brooks Stevens sees the goods
that he's designing. Brooks Stevens took his house
and then wrapped it in a shroud to make it slick and clean
and simple and modern-looking. >> Brooks Stevens
and his wife Alice were still newlyweds
when they built their home. Its exterior expressed
his career and ambitions. But the interior
was a different story. ♪
>> Brooks Stevens was someone who made his career in
embracing the future. That doesn't mean his wife
necessarily played from that aybo.
>> Alice didn't exactly buy into her husband's
design sensibility. >> She felt that she wanted
something more traditional. So she got her traditional
terior, and he got his modern exterior.
>> They must have been at loggerheads.
I mean, I would love to have been a fly on the wall
and hear those conversations. >> The interior of
Brooks Stevens' home wasn't entirely unrelated
to its moderst wrapping. For example,
throughout the home, Stevens used aluminum.
>> In the '30s, it's the new material.
It's finally comdown in price. So they're starting to use it
for architectural details. BrBr Svens is all overt.
So from the entry door to the balustrade of the staircase,
ose tailin t house reinforcrcthe e
And tnly wiow scbed as a showman.
His house, the home for his growing family, was also
a kind of stage set for a modern man of business.
♪ When hosting clients,
Stevens saw his home as the perfect backdrop to sell
his vision of the future. >> Well, he's selling
his personality, he's selling his business,
his design acumen. But he's also selling
a lifestyle. Brooks Stevens was designing
modernity in the context of an English country house.
It is all of the beauty of the garden
and the house on the hill, but it's modern.
You don't have to reject society to be modern.
That progressive thinking and innovative thinking can exist
within a corporate context. And that's the sales pitch.
>> Stevens became a nationally prominent industrial designer.
Some of his best-known work included the Miller Beer logo,
the Jeep Wagoneer and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile.
When Stevens was asked to identify a favorite
among his thousands of designs, he replied, "None.
Because every one would have to be restudied
for the tastes of tomorrow." He was always thinking
about the future. Brooks and Alice Stevens
lived in their home for more than 40 years,
raising their four children. Brooks Stevens died
at the age of 83. ♪
The current owners of the home bought it from
the Stevens family in 1985. They have renovated the house
to suit family living today. And yet it remains a wonderful
landmark of the 1930s. >> The house is probably better
than it's ever been, because the new owners really
understand both the time period as well as what Brooks Stevens
was trying to achieve in t 1930s.
So there's no longer any conflict between
the interiors wanting to be French Provincial
and designer with Streamline Moderne
on the exterior. Now the building envelope,
the spaces of the rooms, the furniture within the rooms,
and the objects on those pieces of furniture
are all within the context of the 1930s,
and it's spectacular. >> The Brooks Stevens house
reminds us of an America positive about its future,
and a designer who brought that future to life.
♪ This home,
nestled in the prairies of southeast Wisconsin,
was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's favorites.
He designed it for Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr.,
who was known as "Hib." >> Hib Johnson would enjoy
saying that when they started the project he was in charge,
and when they ended the project Frank Lloyd Wright
was in charge. And that relationship, I think,
is very indicative of how this project was designed.
>> It was a collaboration of two iconic Wisconsin men.
One, a daring captain of industry
with a great love for flight. The other,
a 69-year-old architect embarking on
a phase of his career that would secure his status
as a legend. The result,
Wingspread. In the 1920s and early 30s,
Frank Lloyd Wright's commissions were sparse.
His distinguished architectural career had stalled.
Yet his most heralded design work
still lay ahead. >> Frank Lloyd Wright viewed
the 1930s as a set of opportunities,
where the crash of the stock market
was a kind of a wake-up call to America.
That we needed to think about our culture differently,
we needed to think about architecture differently.
>> In 1936 Wright was contacted by Hib Johnson, president
of the Johnson Wax Company. Johnson expanded the company
through the Depression years with bold decisions
and clever marketing. He often flew his own airplane
to create publicity sensations around the country.
Hib Johnson commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright
to design a new headquarters for his company.
The outcome was the Johnson Wax Administration Building.
It helped shine the spotlight on Wright once again,
and it delighted his patron. >> Johnson told Wright
that if he could only sleep at that administrative building,
he would be quite happy. And Wright said,
"Well, how about we design a house for you?"
And Wingspread was the result of that conversation,
as the story goes. >> Wingspread was completed
in 1939 in Wind Point, just north of Racine.
The house was named for its four wings,
as would be seen by Hib Johnson when he flew home
from business trips. The 14,000 square foot home
was the largest residential project of Wright's career.
And it would exemplify his philosophy
of organic architecture. Wingspread is not
an imposing mansion. It sits low and horizontal
on the landscape. Even entering the home
feels inviting and cozy. >> You come in
through a very low entrance. There's almost nothing
grand about it until you come into this main space,
which almost shocks you. ♪
>> This central core encompasses several rooms
in one space, an idea Wright refined
throughout his career. The Johnson family could use
the different areas as they needed.
>> What Wright does is create an enormous space,
but he very carefully segregates that space into places that can
be enjoyed, a small sitting area for example.
That central space, by being divided into a number
of different subsectors, provides that sense of intimacy
that you would otherwise never have.
>> Moving to the outdoors at Wingspread often happens
through large French doors, under generous overhangs,
and out onto paved terraces. Organic architecture includes
the notion that a home should be in harmony with its environment.
>> The idea in the 20th century was how do you incorporate
the natural world with the design of your house?
How do you break down that barrier between
the inside and the outside? So you break down
that distinction by having spaces that are kind of
transitional spaces between the inside and outside.
You have a patio that opens out into the natural space.
And you situate your house in a way that makes it part of
the natural environment. ♪
>> Hib Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright would become
friends through the project. But Johnson's role was perhaps
larger than the famously autocratic architect
was used to. The genesis of Wingspread was
unusual for a Wright project. It was the client, Hib Johnson,
who came to Wright with a sketch of a house with four wings,
a zoned plan that Wright expanded and refined.
As Wright later wrote, "I respect hunches of others,
that is, should they correspond with mine."
♪ One thing Wright and Johnson
shared was ambition. They believed in
the American dream and that it could be achieved.
Wright built this idea into the heart of Wingspread.
>> The fireplace core represents this aspirational quality
of the house. The fireplace is the thrust
upward to the heavens, and what that does,
is it provides that additional sense of movement.
You're not just moving around in a circle, but you're also
imagining yourself going up. Wright made that movement
literal in this stair that goes all the way up
to the crow's nest, from which you can see
the entire lay of the estate. >> It has been said that
Johnson's two children came up with the idea
of the crow's nest. Sam and Karin could get
a bird's eye view of their dad as he flew back home.
By 1938, building Wingspread was costing more than expected
and the work was slow. That year, Johnson's enthusiasm
in completing the home waned due to a personal tragedy.
While Wingspread was under construction,
Hib Johnson's wife died, and he lost interest
in finishing the house. With Wright's encouragement,
he did complete the work, and in 1939,
moved in with his two children and later remarried.
This was Johnson's home for 20 years.
♪ In 1961, the Johnson family
formally dedicated Wingspread to The Johnson Foundation.
It is used by organizations around the world to meet and
discuss solutions for environmental and community
issues. >> It's as if Wright
thought that was going to happen one day.
And to be able to talk to other leaders in the field
in a place like Wingspread is, in a way, the perfect expression
of the architecture of this building.
>> By the time Wingspread was completed,
Wright was in his 70's. The work for Hib Johnson helped
Wright build fresh momentum. The next two decades would be
the most productive in Wright's long career.
>> Wright's true brilliance as an architect
is that he was able to take what was popular stylistically
at any point in time and filter it through his ideas
of organic architecture, and in the end come up with
something that is very much about him as an architect
and the way that he saw the world.
And I think Wingspread is one of the remarkable buildings
that you get to see that in. >> Wright felt that we could
build an American architecture here in the prairies of
the Midwest. And I think Wingspread
is really a poem to the land that it resides in.
♪ ♪
>> These remarkable Wisconsin houses are not simply artifacts.
Today they are beloved private houses,
captivating museums and dynamic meeting places.
Each of them is as vital as ever.
And yet, they are unique in the way they tell us
about our past. >> These buildings,
they survive in the present in a way that writings can't
and of course people don't. So they really do give us
visible, tangible reminders of our heritage.
>> We can't save every building everywhere.
But I think we have to save the best.
And these are markers. They're historical cultural
markers of our progress in design and taste,
but also in cultural development.
>> We all have aspirations today.
There are things that we yearn for and that we want.
And these are the houses that tell us about the dreams
of people who came before us. ♪ Well, we learned a little
bit more about beautiful homes here in Wisconsin and
the people who made them happen. The people who
lived there and some of the stories behind the homes.
This is the rich tapestry, the fabric of Wisconsin
that PBS Wisconsin brings you each and every day. We
do so many local programs, more than almost any other
public broadcaster around the country. And you know
how we're able to do it through the financial
support of people like you. Your gifts to PBS Wisconsin
helps us build the budget that allows us to go out
and shoot and edit and put the team together to do the
research and do the sound recording and make a
program of such quality and such interest that we come
back to this one again and again and again. This show
is ten years old and it's still brings audiences and
it's still intrigues us, and it still inspires us
about all the wonderful things that it means to
live here in Wisconsin. You can do a wonderful thing
while living here in Wisconsin. You can support
PBS Wisconsin by calling 1-800-236-3636 and making
your gift. >> Yeah. Hello, I'm Diane
Agans and yeah, show your love for for PBS Wisconsin
by making a gift right now. And I just have to say, I
love this little I love PBS tote bag. Now, this is a
thank you gift that we would love to send you when
you make a sustainer gift of $10 a month. But I heart
PBS for sure. Don't we all? Now, with a gift of $15 a
month, we'll send you a book that's so beautifully
complements the wonderful show that we just watched.
The book's title is Wisconsin's Own. It is the
20 Remarkable Homes here in Wisconsin, and the
backstories behind them, beautifully photographed by
Jane Williams and wonderfully researched. Now,
again, that's a gift of $15. If you wish, make a gift of
$20. Thank you very much. If you're able to do that,
we'll send you both the book as well as the tote
bag. Just sort of our way of saying thanks for
keeping it going here. Give us a call at 1-800-236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling. I'm director of friends of
PBS Wisconsin. Member support is now more
important than ever. Your support is more important
than ever. Public media has been facing some funding
challenges, and we are rising to that challenge.
We're going to meet that challenge and we're going
to continue into the future. And that's because of your
support. If you join us as a member, if you join us as
a sustainer today, join over 80,000 families in
Wisconsin in supporting public media, in bringing
great programs like this. Malcolm gave you a sense of
what we pour into these kinds of programs, but it
goes far beyond programs like this. It's all of the
national schedule. It's the children's programing, it's
educational and engagement work that happens off
broadcast. It's all made possible because of your
support, your sustaining support. Become a new
member, become a new sustainer, an ongoing
monthly contributor today, use the QR code. Visit us
online at pbswisconsin.org. Or better still, call us
right now at 1-800-236-3636. >> Well, with your help,
PBS Wisconsin sets the bar on authentic, engaging
storyteller storytelling. And back with us. Holly,
the writer producer of the soon well, 1012 months soon
hometown stories. Madison. Now you're the producer,
but you don't do all the work yourself.
>> No, no, there's another producer on the program.
And then we also have a lead videographer and
editor who's the same person, and we've been
working really tightly as a team to come together to
craft the look of the program, to scout locations
and find really engaging places to invite all these
amazing people that we found to talk about Madison
history. So not only do we have amazing interview
subjects, but we have amazing backgrounds that
really speak to the subjects and the history
that they're sharing about. >> People know how engaging
our shows are by watching them, but they don't really
know so much about the authenticity, the high
standards that we bring. How do you bring that
authenticity, and how do you live up to those
standards that people come to expect?
>> Yeah, for sure. It is a really high bar that we've
met for ourselves or set for ourselves, but we
really enjoy getting to work with a lot of experts
locally that help us meet those high standards, that
help us understand this history, so we can make
sure that we're telling a story that's true and
authentic to the community, and will entertain people,
too. That's a big thing, too. We don't want people
just to hear facts. We want people to be entertained
and engaged. So it's a lot of hard work and a lot of
collaboration with our team of people.
>> I love the way you put that authentic and engaging
and of course, inspiring and entertaining, and it's
all because of your membership gifts to PBS
Wisconsin. So if you've made your gift, thank you.
You're building our future. If you haven't made your
gift, there's still time to do it. And with some of the
ways we say thank you, let's go back over to Diane.
>> That's right. Or if it's been a while since you've
made a gift, come on back again. We have some thank
you gifts that we'd like to offer you. When you do come
back again, a gift of $10 a month, we will send you the
I love PBS tote bag and this is just way too much
fun. 22 inch straps and handles here, but this is
100% cotton duck material, so very heavy canvas.
Anyway, make a gift of $15 a month and we'll send you
the remarkable book from the remarkable homes that
we've just watched here. But this is a book called
Wisconsin's Own. It's a 320 page hardcover volume of 20
of the most remarkable homes in Wisconsin, and the
stories behind them make a gift of $10 a month, and
we'll send you both the book as well as the tote
bag. Again, thanks for making a part of being a
part of what really makes it happen here at Public
Television. Give us a call 1-800-236-3636.
>> And remember, there's another benefit to all the
levels that Diane just told you about. We'd love to say
thank you to you at any one of those levels with a gift
from this program. But Passport Deep Vault as a
member benefit of additional video
local content to Walter Presents, so you could
discover your new favorite international mystery by
becoming a member now, by becoming a sustainer now
and getting access to PBS Passport this deep vault of
additional content you can dig into and enjoy. So not
only can you control when you're watching something,
but you can find more and more and more things to
discover on PBS, which is the best place to keep
discovering things anyway? We'd also like to say thank
you with "Airwaves", our monthly program guide. Also,
lots of things to discover in here, our monthly
schedule, and previews of events and other shows
coming up. It starts with your gift, which you can
make by calling 1-800-236-3636.
>> As you probably know, PBS Wisconsin and all
public media have been working through some
financial challenges over the last year. And the
great news is the public, our supporters, our viewers,
our audiences have stepped up and really made a
difference. And things are looking really good and we
thank you for that. If you've been part of it and
from year to year each year your gift helps build the
budget for the next year. I hope you'll also think
about something else. And that's our Heritage Society.
When you and your family are considering your estate
planning, think about a legacy gift to PBS
Wisconsin. My wife, Penny, and I have made our legacy
gift, and I can't tell you how satisfying it is to
know that when our state plans pay out, PBS
Wisconsin will be supported now and into the future,
and you can do the same. So we encourage you to think
about the Heritage Society. Find out more about it by
going online at pbswisconsin.org. But right
now, make your gift to PBS Wisconsin by calling the
number on your screen. Diane.
>> Love to hear from you before we turn out the
lights for the night, if you would still time to go
ahead, you can go online to pbswisconsin.org and
receive some of the same gifts. Or you can talk to
one of our wonderful volunteers that are here in
the studio by giving us a call and asking about these
thank you gifts again at the $10 a month level, we'd
love to send you the I love PBS Wisconsin Canvas bag at
the $15 a month level, we have the hardcover book
Wisconsin's Own, which highlights 20 of the most
remarkable residences in Wisconsin. And then, with a
gift of $20, we will send you both the book as well
as the PBS tote bag. The important thing is to go
ahead and give us a call here right now at
1-800-236-3636. >> It is the best time to
call. Please do give us a call. I want to tell you a
little bit about public broadcasting here in
Wisconsin. Wisconsin's always been a leader in
public broadcasting. We invented public
broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio and then TV,
which became PBS Wisconsin, have been leaders in
educational programing from the very beginning. Our
roots are founded in service and innovation and
serving in particular, the people of Wisconsin. That's
you. And one of our strengths in doing that is,
in fact, you. We're all doing this together. Let's
keep public broadcasting in Wisconsin strong together.
We do this for you. We do this about you. We
celebrate this wonderful state that we're in, and we
want this to continue for generations to come. Please
be a part of that. Give at the levels we talked about,
give at whatever level is right for you. If you can
give a little bit more, please do so. Make a call
one (800) 236-3636. Thank you very much.