''The Heartland Series'' is a series of

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

s about the culture of Appalachia, produced by

WBIR-TV WBIR-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with NBC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Bill Williams Avenue in Knoxville's Belle Morris section, and its transmitter is lo ...

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

, over the 25-year period 1984 through 2009. The series has been produced on a limited basis since 2010.

Production history

''The Heartland Series'' was conceived in 1984 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...

with a special series celebrating the people and land of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Actor Bill Landry was hired to host the series. He had previously been a teacher, had written and begun performing a one-man

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

based on the life of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

called "Einstein the Man," and had portrayed a fictional

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

boat captain named "Captain Nat" as part of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

(TVA) exhibit at the

1982 World's Fair The 1982 World's Fair, officially known as the Knoxville International Energy Exposition (KIEE) and simply as Energy Expo '82 and Expo '82, was an international exposition held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Focused on energy and ele ...

in Knoxville. Following the fair, he had continued to play the role of Captain Nat on a months-long

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

tour of the Tennessee, Cumberland, and

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

s that TVA conducted for its 50th anniversary. The TV series was initially scheduled to run for just three months.Leean Tupper
Goodbye: 'Heartland Series' melded the generations
, '' The Oak Ridger'', August 14, 2009 According to Landry, the original concept, formed by WBIR creative services director Steve Dean and station general manager Jim Hart, was "to take a

camera A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with a ...

and interview the last remnants of the old mountain people and go on location.” Each episode was three minutes and 40 seconds long, designed to air in five-minute time slots during and after daily news broadcasts. The series continued past the short run that was originally planned. Subject matter included

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ea ...

, wildlife, native plants, invasive species, and other aspects of the region's natural history, Native American lifeways and archeology, re-enactments and remembrances of historical events ranging from events in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

to coal mining disasters and the early years of TVA, and feature stories about regional culture.Terry Morrow
WBIR stops production of 'The Heartland Series'
Tele-Buddy's Tinseltown Tales, knoxnews.com, February 12, 2009 As a result of his work on the series, host Bill Landry told an interviewer that he had learned to “ tan hides, make jelly butter, saw logs, eat tree bark, carve

soapstone Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in the ...

, build a log cabin, cut timber, run a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

, make moonshine, shoe a horse, call a hoot owl, rut like a

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

and know when the buffalo runs.” Traditional music was a perennial topic, including performances by and interviews with traditional musicians active in East Tennessee, demonstrations by craftsmen who make musical instruments, and exploration of musical traditions such as old harp singing and Scottish and Irish influences on the region's music. Two topics that the series generally avoided were

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and controversial religious practices such as snake handling.Dick Smyser, Short takes and tall tales from Bill Landry's 'Heartland', '' The Oak Ridger'', November 10, 1998 In addition to the Smokies national park, on-scene production locations in East Tennessee included the

Museum of Appalachia The Museum of Appalachia, located in Norris, Tennessee, north of Knoxville, is a living history museum that interprets the pioneer and early 20th-century period of the Southern Appalachian region of the United States. Recently named an Affili ...

, where several episodes were taped, including the titles "1791," "Just Another Day," "The Music Tale," "The Toggins," "Frontier Music, Frontier Foods," and "Gift for Jacob," Rugby, Roan Mountain State Park, the Savage Gulf State Natural Area in Grundy County, and

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park The Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located at the border between Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, centered on the Cumberland Gap, a natural break in the Appalachian Mountains. The park lies ...

. Landry's skill as an

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

er has been remarked upon by many observers. His folksy, rambling style made him effective at putting people at ease and drawing out the interesting stories of the people that he encountered in the "hills, hollows, small towns and major cities" of Appalachia. In 1998, the series was expanded to include a 30-minute version airing each Saturday at 7:00 p.m., while it continued to run the original five-minute version during the morning news, after ''10 News at Noon'', and after ''10 News Nightbeat''.About Bill Landry
WBIR website, accessed October 6, 1009 In total, about 1,900 short episodes and 150 half-hour programs were produced in the show's 25-year history.Fred Brown
'Heartland Series' wrapping up after 25 years
'' Knoxville News Sentinel'', April 13, 2009 Bill Landry was host and narrator for the entire series. He also served as co-producer and wrote and directed many episodes. Steve Dean was executive producer for 20 years, and Doug Mills was cameraman for all but one of the episodes.'Heartland Series' creator to speak at J. Frank White Academy commencement
''Kingsport Times News'', May 13, 2007 The series has been successful with audiences, sometimes achieving audience ratings of 7.0 or higher. In addition to being broadcast on WBIR, the series appeared on WTVC in Chattanooga during the 1980s and was shown on the

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

(under the title ''Appalachian Stories'') for six years.John Shearer
Former Chattanoogan Landry Had 25-Year Run With Popular Appalachian Features
The Chattanoogan, August 2, 2009

End of production

In February 2009, WBIR announced plans to suspend production of the series in September 2009 after taking it "through to some sort of conclusion." WBIR general manager Jeff Lee cited economics as the reason for ending production, noting "it is a luxury for three people to produce 3-1/2 minutes of TV a week." He said that the station would continue to show the hundreds of episodes already produced "for as long as the viewers like them." More than 3,000 people signed an online

petition A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offi ...

asking for the series to be continued, but WBIR followed through with its plan to end it. The last episode was taped at the

in Norris on August 8, 2009 before an audience estimated at 10,000 people, one of the largest crowds in the museum's history.Terry Morrow
10,000 fans turn out for last 'Heartland Series' taping
, Knoxnews.com, August 12, 2009 People seeking Landry's

autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

waited in line for an hour. The final show featured several

Appalachian traditional music Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles (particularly Scotland), ...

ians who had appeared previously in the series, including

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

Danny Gammon, Bobby Fulcher, Tony Thomas and Jimmy McCarroll.Fred Brown
'Heartland Series' says goodbye; Many turn out to celebrate longtime WBIR series
Knoxville News Sentinel, August 9, 2009 The last episode was scheduled for broadcast as an hour-long special on September 19, 2009, but to avoid conflict with a

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

football game the broadcast was postponed and rescheduled to be shown in a prime time slot at 8:00 p.m. on October 17, 2009.Terry Morrow
'Heartland Series' finale to go primetime
KnoxNews.com, October 6, 2009

Revival

Public response to the cancellation of the series caused management to reconsider its demise. In 2010 producer Steve Dean was contracted to produce four more episodes, each an hour long. These shows were well received and led to new hour-long installments, to be produced quarterly, through 2011.

Recognition and influence

During its 25-year history, ''The Heartland Series'' received four Emmy Awards, six

Iris Award The NATPE Iris Awards are an honor for local television programming excellence presented annually in the United States by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE). The awards were introduced in 1968 and were initially tit ...

s from the

National Association of Television Program Executives The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) is a professional association of television and emerging media executives. The organization was established in 1963. NATPE implements its mission by providing members with educati ...

, one silver medal and two bronze medals from the New York International Film and Television Festival, and a Theodore Roosevelt Award for Best Outdoor Documentary. On the day that the last episode was taped, former U.S. Senator Howard Baker, who had appeared in one episode, called the series "the last iteration of our history and culture of a generation." Mark Brown,

Carson Newman College Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname * Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States * Carson, California, a city * Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city ...

's director of news and media relations, described the series as "the nation's longest-running sociological video repository" and said "it did for Southern Appalachia what Studs Terkel did for

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."Sam Venable
Whichever way the wind blows
'' Knoxville News Sentinel'', September 18, 2009 Thousands of hours of never-broadcast

videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...

s made during the show's 25-year history are being archived in the historical collection of the McClung Museum in Knoxville. Episodes from the series have been incorporated into Appalachian studies curricula, and ''The Heartland Series'' videos depicting Appalachian

crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

and craftspeople are displayed in the "Appalachian Heritage" exhibit of the

Children's Museum of Oak Ridge The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge (abbreviated as CMOR) is a non-profit children's museum in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States, that provides museum exhibits and educational programs. History The museum was first conceived as a Girl Scout ...

United States embassies The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...

around the world keep tapes of ''The Heartland Series'' broadcasts as an information resource on life in Appalachia.

Theme music

The theme music for ''The Heartland Series'' is an arrangement of the ancient Gaelic ballad "He Mandu," which is played on the hammered dulcimer by folklorist Guy Carawan.The Hammer Dulcimer
Heartland episode description, WBIR-TV website. Retrieved: 7 October 2009.

References

External links

WBIR-TV Heartland Videos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heartland Series 1984 American television series debuts 1980s American documentary television series 1990s American documentary television series 2000s American documentary television series 2010s American documentary television series 2020s American documentary television series Mass media in Knoxville, Tennessee Oral history