The Smithsonian Free Film Series at the Putnam

The Putnam Museum and Science Center is proud to be a member of the Smithsonian Affiliations network. As part of our commitment to sharing world-class educational programming with our local community, we are hosting 10 free film screenings this year direct from the Smithsonian’s library. Join us for the privilege to view these films for free at the dates/times below!

She The People: Votes For Women

Witness the decades-long struggle for the vote by heroic women who fought to claim their rights as citizens.

Today, it seems incredible that just a century ago, American women had no voice in democracy. Just as remarkable is that it took over 70 years of campaigns, marches, hunger strikes, and arrests to pass the constitutional amendment guaranteeing them the right to vote. Witness the decades-long fight for suffrage by heroic women who fought to claim their rights as citizens, told through rarely seen footage, expert opinions, and dozens of historic objects from the Smithsonian Institution. The legacy of their quest continues to shape our democracy. (TV PG-V / 60 min)

Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 PM; Wednesday, November 4th at 1:00 PM

The Green Book: Guide to Freedom

See how The Negro Motorist Greek Book helped African Americans navigate the roads of a segregated nation.

In the 1930s, a black postal carrier from Harlem named Victor Green published a book that was part travel guide and part survival guide. It was called The Negro Motorist Green Book, and it helped African Americans navigate safe passage across America well into the 1960s. Explore some of the segregated nation’s safe havens and notorious “sundown towns” and witness stories of struggle and indignity as well as opportunity and triumph. (TV PG-V / 51 min)

Sunday, November 1st at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, November 4th at 2:00 PM

A Star Spangled-Story: Battle for America

“The Star Spangled Banner” was written when America faced total military defeat. Discover this and other anthem secrets.

“The Star Spangled Banner” is known by all, treasured for its powerful melody and stirring lyrics. And yet, only about 40% of U.S. citizens know all the words. And even fewer know their meaning. Join us as we travel back to 1814, when Washington D.C. was under British attack during the “Second War of Independence,” and the very bricks and mortar of American democracy were reduced to smoking rubble. We examine the battle that inspired witness Francis Scott Key to immortalize its final moments, then reveal how his poem transformed into an anthem. (TV-PG / 51 min)

Sunday, November 8th at 1:00PM; Wednesday, November 11th at 1:00 PM

America in Color: (S3 E1) Coming to America

A look at the immigrant experience in America during the early 1900s, told through colorized home movies and archival footage.

For many immigrants, their first sight of the U.S. is the Statue of Liberty. The iconic structure promises sanctuary, hope, and a fresh start, but they soon learn that America’s arms are not always open. Colorized rare home movies and archival footage reveal the amazing stories of ordinary people who share the same dream. From Caribbean immigrants who settled in Harlem to Italian “radicals” shipped back home to celebrities such as Albert Einstein, see how America changed as immigrants brought new cultures from the margins to the mainstreams. (TV PG-V / 48 min)

Sunday, November 8th at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, November 11th at 2:00 PM

America in Color: (S2 E2) Titans of Industry

Presented in color, a look back on the lives, businesses, and friendships of three of America’s titans of industry: Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison.

America is still a rural nation in 1910. Most homes don’t have electricity, and less than one percent of the population owns a car. But that changes with the rise of Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, and Thomas Edison, who help foster the economic and technological booms of the early 20th century. Through colorized archival footage and personal home movies, explore the business relationships that transformed America and glimpse into powerful friendships that lasted a lifetime. (TV PG-V / 48 min)

Sunday, November 15th at 1:00 PM; Wednesday, November 18th at 1:00 PM

America in Color: (S3 E4) Made in the USA

A look at the journey of the American worker through the first half of the 20th century.

At the turn of the 20th century, 29 million Americans are working and 40% of them are farmers. Over the decades, factories expand like never before, two world wars speed up technological change, and by the 1950s, American workers have the highest wages and consumer power of any country in the world. This is the story of the men and women who built the American Dream, presented entirely in color through digitally remastered archival footage and home movies. (TV PG-V / 48 min)

Sunday, November 15th at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, November 18th at 2:00PM

America in Color: (S3 E6) Small Town Life

A look at the charms and challenges of small town life in America during the first half of the 20th century, presented entirely in color.

At the turn of the 20th century, two-thirds of Americans live in small towns, but by the 1960s, only a third remain. Some are lured to cities by the promise of opportunity and money, while others move there to escape racism and intolerance. Through it all, the myth of these quaint, harmonious communities continues to burn powerfully in the minds of many. This is the story of small town America, from soap box derbies and Will Rogers’ charm to postwar poverty and the Great Migration, presented in color. (TV PG-V / 48 min)

Sunday, November 22nd at 1:00 PM; Wednesday, November 25th at 1:00 PM

Epic Yellowstone: Down the River Wild

Explore the Yellowstone River and the many creatures that call it home. Hosted by Bill Pullman.

Yellowstone River is the longest undammed river in the contiguous 48 states, flowing with a wildness that is both violent and vital to the creatures that are drawn to its banks. From Yellowstone Lake, North America’s largest high-elevation body of water, to the Missouri River, follow its nearly 700-mile journey over falls and through canyons into America’s heartland. See how Yellowstone’s bison, otters, coyotes, and thrill-seekers adapt to– and thrive in– these wild, untamed waters. (TV-PG / 52 min)

Sunday, November 22nd at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, November 25th at 2:00 PM

America’s Secret Space Heroes: Space Shuttle

See how NASA engineers met the challenge to build a spacecraft that can launch like a rocket and land like an airplane.

For years, the idea of a reusable spacecraft was the dream of early space pioneers, and in 1981, after almost a decade of engineering toil, the Space Shuttle Columbia finally lifted into orbit, ushering in a new era of space flight. Today, the shuttle’s work is complete, but its engineering legacy will outlast those who built it. Relive its incredible 30-year history, from its groundbreaking achievements to its heartbreaking failures, as told by the people who designed, build, and flew this magnificent flying machine. (TV-PG / 44 min)

Sunday, November 29th at 1:00 PM; Wednesday, December 2nd at 1:00 PM

The Day We Walked on the Moon

Revisit the first lunar landing in gripping real-time as we highlight its most perilous and triumphant moments.

On July 16, 1969, hundreds of thousands of spectators and an army of reporters gathered at Cape Kennedy to witness one of the great spectacles of the century: the launch of Apollo 11. Over the next few days, the world watched on with wonder and rapture as humankind prepared for its “one giant leap” onto the moon– and into history. Witness this incredible day, presented through stunning, remastered footage and interviews that take you behind-the-scenes and inside the spacecraft, Mission Control, and the homes of the astronaut’s families. (TV-PG / 44 min)

Sunday, November 29th at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, December 2nd at 2:00 PM