Fresh Air with Terry Gross, March 14, 1989: Interview with E.L. Doctorow; Commentary on Sam Phillips; Interview with Robert MacNeil; Review of Anthony Lake's book 'Somoza Falling.'

Since its national debut in 1987, Fresh Air with Terry Gross has been a highly acclaimed and much adored weekday magazine among public radio listeners. Each week, nearly 4.8 million people turn to Peabody Award-winning host Terry Gross for insightful conversations with the leading voices in contemporary arts and issues. The renowned program reaches a global audience, with over 620 public radio stations broadcasting Fresh Air, and 3 million podcast downloads each week. Fresh Air has broken the mold of 'talk show' by weaving together superior journalism and intimate storytelling from modern-day intellectuals, politicians and artists alike. Through probing questions and careful research, Gross's interviews are lauded for revealing a fresh perspective on cultural icons and trends. Her thorough conversations are often complemented by commentary from well-known contributors. Fresh Air is produced at WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and broadcast nationally by NPR.
INT.1: Writer E.L.DOCTOROW. His writing has been praised for bringing to life the traumatic events of American 20th Century history, like the Depression, World War II and Vietnam for the generations too young or too old to feel them. It was Doctorow's 1971 book, "The Book of Daniel," that established his reputation as a major American writer. The book was inspired by the Atom Spy Trials at the height of the McCarthy era. At the time, Doctorow was still working full-time as an editor, working with authors like James Baldwin and Norman Mailer. His latest novel, "Billy Bathgate," is the story of a 15-year-old boy's apprenticeship to the gangster Dutch Schultz. REV.1: Rock critic ED WARD looks back at the early career of SAN PHILLIPS, the founder of Sun Records who brought out the rockabilly sound. It was Phillips who recorded Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. But before that, he made his mark recording southern blues artists. INT.2: Television anchor and author ROBERT MacNEIL. He's seen nightly on the PBS news show The MacNEIL/Lehrer NewsHour. His latest book, "Wordstruck," is a memoir that explores the roots of MacNeil's facination with language. He also wrote the bestselling "The Story of English." REV.2: Book critic JOHN LEONARD reviews "Somoza Falling" by Anthony Lake, a study of America's role in the fall of Nicaraguan dictator Anastazio Somoza.