Woody Guthrie
Arena · Season 1 · Episode 320
he legend of Woody Guthrie - the rambling guitar player who discovered America from the roof of a freight train - was an inspiration to two decades of Americans, from the Weavers to Bob Dylan, from Jack Kerouac to Bruce Springsteen. If anyone seemed to fulfil the prophecy of a 'Shakespeare in overalls' it was this diminutive 'Okie', driven west by the great duststorms of the 30s to become, like John Steinbeck , the spokesman for the exploited migrant workers of California. Guthrie's most celebrated anthem, This Land Is Your Land, still stands as a poignant retort to God Bless America. Arena has compared that legend with Woody's own far from romantic life; it has talked to the hobos who still ride the freights and his friends and family, including Pete Seeger, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Alan Lomax and, of course, Arlo Guthrie.
Episode Details
Air date, runtime, timezone, and episode position.
Season
1
Episode
320
Air Date
08/Jan/1988
Air Time
—
Runtime
—
Overview
Episode summary.
he legend of Woody Guthrie - the rambling guitar player who discovered America from the roof of a freight train - was an inspiration to two decades of Americans, from the Weavers to Bob Dylan, from Jack Kerouac to Bruce Springsteen. If anyone seemed to fulfil the prophecy of a 'Shakespeare in overalls' it was this diminutive 'Okie', driven west by the great duststorms of the 30s to become, like John Steinbeck , the spokesman for the exploited migrant workers of California. Guthrie's most celebrated anthem, This Land Is Your Land, still stands as a poignant retort to God Bless America. Arena has compared that legend with Woody's own far from romantic life; it has talked to the hobos who still ride the freights and his friends and family, including Pete Seeger, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Alan Lomax and, of course, Arlo Guthrie.
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