An American Moment
Short vignettes celebrating overlooked small-town American stories.
An American Moment was a syndicated television series that aired 90-second segments, typically slotted into local news broadcasts. The show highlighted overlooked stories and life in small-town America. It was created by Dr. Prentice Meador, James R. Kirk, and Neal Spelce, whose Austin-based production company handled the series. Spelce, a veteran local news anchor, based the concept on an earlier program called Breakthrough, which featured Meador, a Dallas minister and professor. The series first featured Charles Kuralt as host, who came out of retirement for the role, and later James Earl Jones. More than 70 U.S. stations carried the program.
Quick Facts
- Creator(s)
- Dr. Prentice Meador
- James R. Kirk
- Neal Spelce
- Host(s)
- Charles Kuralt (first), James Earl Jones (later)
- Episode length
- 90 seconds
- Production company location
- Austin, Texas
- Year production ended
- 1999
Facts from the source article.
Background
The series was created by Dr. Prentice Meador, James R. Kirk and Neal Spelce. It was based on an earlier similar program called Breakthrough that featured Prentice Meador, a Dallas minister and professor. Kuralt, the series's first host, came out of retirement to take on the series. Kuralt described the program's content as "New England stone walls, cowboy hats, the birth of a foal on a ranch, totem poles and barber poles."
Kuralt died in 1997. He was replaced by James Earl Jones, who continued as host of the program until production ended in 1999. Charles Kuralt's American Moments, a compilation of vignettes from the series, was published by Simon & Schuster in 1998. Kirkus Reviews described the book as "[j]ust as hokey and sentimental as Kuralt’s broadcasts."
The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin holds an archive of materials relating to the series.
More in 1990s American Documentary Television Series
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