Reshaping L.A. | KCET

Reshaping L.A.
Season 1, Episode 3
It is often said that Los Angeles has buried much of its history. It has suppressed inconvenient reports, recast the plight of Mission Indians as a Spanish Romance, written entire cultures and communities out of its official historical narratives. But some of lost L.A. literally lies buried beneath our feet, hidden long ago when the city, finding the shape and character of its land wanting, opted to mold it to its needs. In this episode, "Lost LA" examines how the modern metropolis has reshaped its own topography. The program explores downtown L.A.'s lost hills and tunnels, as well as the vanished canals of Venice Beach.

Full Episodes
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Lost L.A.
Lost L.A.
S4 E1: Griffith Park - The Untold History
Season 4, Episode 1
Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. Its founder, Griffith J. Griffith, donated the land to the city as a public recreation ground for all the people — an ideal that has been challenged over the years.
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Lost L.A.
Lost L.A.
S4 E2: Three Views of Manzanar - Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange and Toyo Miyatake
Season 4, Episode 2
During World War II, three renowned photographers captured scenes from the Japanese incarceration: outsiders Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams and incarceree Tōyō Miyatake who boldly smuggled in a camera lens to document life from within the camp.
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Lost L.A.
Lost L.A.
S4 E3: Bootlegger Tunnels - A Journey Through LA’s Prohibition Lore
Season 4, Episode 3
Prohibition may have outlawed liquor, but that didn’t mean the booze stopped flowing. Explore the myths of subterranean Los Angeles, crawl through prohibition-era tunnels, and visit some of the city’s oldest speakeasies.
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Lost L.A.
Lost L.A.
S4 E4: Paul Revere Williams - An African-American Architect in Jet-Age L.A.
Season 4, Episode 4
Although best known for designing the homes of celebrities like Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra, the pioneering African-American architect Paul Revere Williams also contributed to some of the city’ s most recognizable civic structures.
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Lost L.A.
Lost L.A.
S4 E5: Discovering the Universe - Exploring the Cosmos Atop Mount Wilson
Season 4, Episode 5
As recently as a century ago, scientists doubted whether the universe extended beyond our own Milky Way — until astronomer Edwin Hubble, working with the world’s most powerful telescope discovered just how vast the universe is.
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Upcoming Airdates
Three Views of Manzanar: Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange and Toyo Miyatake
Season 4, Episode 2
Despite the trauma of their incarceration during World War II, Japanese Americans built new lives while detained at concentration camps like Manzanar. They played baseball, planted gardens and made the honor roll. Three renowned photographers captured these scenes: outsiders Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams and incarceree Tōyō Miyatake who boldly smuggled in a camera lens to document life from within the camp. All three trained their lenses on small yet profound moments of dignity and domesticity, documenting resilience in the face of civil injustice.
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2019-12-05T12:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-07T06:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-28T11:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
Discovering the Universe: Exploring the Cosmos Atop Mount Wilson
Season 4, Episode 5
As recently as a century ago, scientists doubted whether the universe extended beyond our own Milky Way — until astronomer Edwin Hubble, working with the world’s most powerful telescope in the mountains high above Los Angeles, discovered just how vast the universe truly is. Visit the underground vault of the Carnegie Observatories, where paradigm-shifting discoveries are annotated by hand on glass photographic slides; and the historic Mount Wilson observatory. Learn more at Carnegie Observatories.
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2019-12-07T11:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-25T21:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-26T12:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-28T06:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
Bootlegger Tunnels: A Journey Through LA’s Prohibition Lore
Season 4, Episode 3
There is always lore ingrained in a city’s history, particularly one like Los Angeles. It is no secret that throughout the Prohibition Era individuals living in the city continued to enjoy their vices as much, if not more, than they ever had before. But it is how they subverted the law that still remains unclear. In this episode, we explore the myths of subterranean Los Angeles, crawl through claimed prohibition-era bootlegger tunnels and visit some of the city’s oldest speakeasies along the way.
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2019-12-10T12:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-10T16:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-11T21:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-12T12:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-14T06:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2020-01-04T11:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
Shindana Toy Company: Changing the American Doll Industry
Season 4, Episode 6
The Watts riots (also known as the Watts Rebellion or Uprising) left South Los Angeles in social and economic distress. In its wake, Operation Bootstrap, a non-profit community-based organization was formed, with hopes of facilitating change through community empowerment. This episode explores the lasting impact of one Operation Bootstrap initiative, the Shindana Toy Company, which left a lasting mark on the American doll industry by manufacturing ethnically correct black dolls.
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2019-12-14T11:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-31T12:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-31T16:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2020-01-01T03:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2020-01-01T21:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2020-01-02T12:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2020-01-04T06:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
Paul Revere Williams: An African-American Architect in Jet-Age L.A.
Season 4, Episode 4
Although best known for designing the homes of celebrities like Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra, the pioneering African-American architect Paul Revere Williams also contributed to some of the city’s most recognizable civic structures — all while confronting racial barriers.
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2019-12-17T12:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-17T16:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-18T03:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-18T21:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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2019-12-19T12:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
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2019-12-21T06:30:00-08:00KCETLINK
Griffith Park: The Untold History
Season 4, Episode 1
At more than 4,500 acres, Griffith Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. Its founder, the controversial and complicated Griffith J. Griffith, donated the land to the city as a public recreation ground for all the people — an ideal that has been challenged over the years. In this episode, Sarah Wilson, director of Education at the Autry Museum of the American West, explains the upcoming “Investigating Griffith Park,” exhibition and the effort to create an archive of all things Griffith Park.
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2019-12-21T11:30:00-08:00KCET-HD
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