Ken Burns (Extended)

The Late Show Pod Show with Stephen Colbert

CBS

News, Comedy, Comedy Interviews, News Commentary, Tv & Film

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns shares lesser-known stories from the Revolutionary War era and argues that some lessons from George Washington's time still resonate today in this podcast exclusive extended interview. "The American Revolution" premieres this Sunday on PBS. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the Late Show Potshow with Stephen Colbert.
0:09.0	My next guest has been making documentaries for nearly 50 years. His latest, The American Revolution, premieres this Sunday on PBS.
0:16.6	Please welcome back to The Late Show, Ken Burns.
0:23.3	Good to see again.
0:24.6	Good to be with you.
0:25.5	Really enjoying the American Revolution.
0:28.3	Evan and I watched, we got to episode three last night,
0:31.2	and I had to stop just to rehydrate
0:32.7	because I didn't know that you could make me
0:35.3	openly weep over George Washington addressing his troops.
0:39.4	You're a wizard.
0:41.0	Okay, also, there's so many amazing performances in this because, again, you don't have the photography.
0:45.7	No film, no newsreel.
0:47.4	No newsreel.
0:48.3	But you have these incredible actors who lent their voices to many of your films over the years, but this is extraordinary.
1:12.7	Tom Hanks, Merrill Streep, Ethan and Maya Hawke, Claire Dames, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul G. Umari, and Edward Norton, just to name a few. And I am... I'm asking... I'm asking for a friend who's going to need a job. How... How does one land a gig with Ken Burns? I could do that.
1:19.2	My dearest Martha. I can do it. Well, what we've usually done is waited for people when they weren't working. So, you know, if you know somebody that's going to be out of work, just let me know.
1:24.9	Sure. We'll have a try out. I'll write it
1:27.5	on his bathroom mirror and soap.
1:30.3	Okay, as I said, the latest film is the American
1:32.7	Revolution. How long have you been work on this, the American Revolution?
1:34.7	It is now nine years and 11 months.
	...

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