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How an Actress Built Her Career

Oscar-winning actress Sally Field stars opposite Tom Hanks in the new movie Punchline. Field's character Lilah is an aspiring stand-up comic who still has a lot to learn. Field also produced the film. She talks about her early career in television, and the risks she took to pursue her dream of acting.

27:57
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Other segments from the episode on September 27, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, September 27, 1988: Interview with Sally Field; Commentary on the Mexican American rock bands Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs and The Question Marks; Interview with Eric…
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06:28

Mexican American Rock Bands Make Their Mark

Rock historian Ed Ward considers the influence of early Mexican American rock bands. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs were a goofy novelty act; the Question Marks incorporated the sounds of traditional Mexican music into their songs.

Commentary
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03:37

A Lawyer's Work Spills Onto the Page

Book critic John Leonard says that Andrew Vachss' new Burke detective novel Blue Belle, about the disturbing world of child porn and prostitution, is not for the faint of heart. He has this review.

Review

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27:37

Movie Actor Tom Hanks

Hanks made his name in Hollywood in films like Splash, The Money Pit, and Big. He stars opposite Sally Field in the new movie Punchline, in which he plays a standup comedian. To master the role, he developed and performed a routine, which he performed for months before shooting began.

Interview
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09:44

Danny Glover on Playing Nelson Mandela.

Actor Danny Glover. He stared with Mel Gibson in "Lethal Weapon," and appeared in "Places in the Heart" and "The Color Purple." He stared over the summer in the Broadway presentation of Athol Fugard's "Master Harold and the Boys." He can been seen on television this Sunday night in "Mandela," an HBO presentation.

Interview

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