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The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a 2009 television documentary miniseries by director/producer Ken Burns and producer/writer Dayton Duncan which features the United States National Park system and traces the system's history. The series won two 2010 Emmy Awards; one for outstanding non-fiction series and one for outstanding writing in Episode 2 "The Last Refuge". A companion book (ISBN 978-0307268969) was released alongside.
Original Release
09/27/2009 on PBS
US Release
09/27/2009
Links
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Peter Coyote | Self - Narrator / Narrator |
| William Cronon | Self - Historian |
| Dayton Duncan | Self - Writer |
| Shelton Johnson | Self - Park Ranger |
| Alfred Runte | Self - Historian |
| Paul Schullery | Self - Writer |
| Carl Pope | Self - Sierra Club |
| Terry Tempest Williams | Self - Writer |
| Murphy Guyer | Reader |
| Philip Bosco | Reader |
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Scripture of Nature: 1851-1890 | Sunday, 27 September 2009 |
| 2 | The Last Refuge: 1890-1915 | Monday, 28 September 2009 |
| 3 | The Empire of Grandeur: 1915-1919 | Tuesday, 29 September 2009 |
| 4 | Going Home: 1920-1933 | Wednesday, 30 September 2009 |
| 5 | Great Nature: 1933-1945 | Thursday, 01 October 2009 |
| 6 | The Morning of Creation: 1946-1980 | Friday, 02 October 2009 |
Directors
Writers
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Peter Coyote | Self - Narrator / Narrator |
| William Cronon | Self - Historian |
| Dayton Duncan | Self - Writer |
| Shelton Johnson | Self - Park Ranger |
| Alfred Runte | Self - Historian |
| Paul Schullery | Self - Writer |
| Carl Pope | Self - Sierra Club |
| Terry Tempest Williams | Self - Writer |
| Murphy Guyer | Reader |
| Philip Bosco | Reader |
| Kevin Conway | Reader |
| Tom Hanks | Reader |
| Kim Heacox | Self - Writer |
| Adam Arkin | Reader |
| Lee Stetson | Self - Muir Historian / Reader |
| Amy Madigan | Reader |
| Lee Whittlesey | Self - Historian |
| Nevada Barr | Self - Former Ranger |
| Juanita Greene | Self - Journalist |
| Gerard Baker | Self - Park Superintendent |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Ken Burns | Executive Producer |
| Julie Dunfey | Producer |
| Pam Tubridy Baucom | Producer |
| Craig Mellish | Producer |
| Aileen Silverstone | Producer |
| Susanna Steisel | Producer |
| David McMahon | Producer |
| Karen Kenton | Producer |
| Dayton Duncan | Producer |
| Jeanne Sison | Producer |
Editors
Trailers
The National Parks: America's Best Idea
Clips
The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Clip 3)
The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Clip 1)
The National Parks: America's Best Idea (Clip 2)
| Year | Type | Category | Won |
|---|
| 2010 | Emmy | Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming | Nominated |
| 2010 | Emmy | Outstanding Nonfiction Series | Won |
| 2010 | Emmy | Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera) | Nominated |
| 2010 | Emmy | Outstanding Sound Mixing for Nonfiction Programming | Nominated |
| 2010 | Emmy | Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming | Won |
