The American West: Steinbeck Country

Some television programs set the difficult goal of educating those who merely seek to be entertained. Most of these attempts fail. KGO-TV’s production of The American West: Steinbeck Country is an unqualified success on both counts. Skillful camera work, creative graphics and forceful acting and narration (particularly by Rip Torn) successfully interweave the scenic splendor of the Pacific Northwest with the poetic themes that permeated its people and its times. The result is a particularly ambitious undertaking for a local station which educates, entertains, and celebrates the people of KGO-TV and its service area. For all this, a Peabody Award for The American West: Steinbeck Country.