Produced by Clint Eastwood, directed by Bruce Ricker and narrated by Anthony Hopkins, "Music" traces Bennett's many influences and evaluates his place in the 20th-century musical pantheon. Author Gay Talese and director Martin Scorsese describe his Italian-American musical heritage. Scorsese also discusses his use of Bennett's "Rags to Riches" to set a tone for his mob masterpiece "Goodfellas.
" Harry Belafonte recalls Bennett as a natural ally to the civil-rights movement and a friend to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At a rally marked by folk ballads and gospel songs, Bennett turned the up-tempo Broadway tune "Just in Time" into a call for social justice.
The film uses a wealth of vintage television clips to compare Bennett performances from decade to decade. And there are scenes from "Saturday Night Live" and more contemporary shows to demonstrate how Bennett, helped by his business manager and son, Danny, reintroduced himself to a whole new generation of fans. The film is filled with performance footage of Bennett's contemporaries and influences, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Jimmy Durante.
If the film at times seems to lose singular focus on Bennett, Eastwood has no problem with that. "We wanted to tell Tony Bennett's story as a way to remind people of this great musical era." Other highlights Couples take one last crack at love in the new series "Decision House" (8 p.
m., WNYA Ch. 15).
The new 13-episode series "Most Daring" (8 p.m., Court) recalls real-life rescues.
Vern Yip hosts "Deserving Design" (9 p.m., HGTV).
Tennis brat John McEnroe (as himself) falls under suspicion on "CSI: NY" (10 p.m., WRGB Ch.
6). Tommy and his father relax on "Rescue Me" (10 p.m.
, FX). Airplane food on "Top Chef" (10 p.m.
, Bravo). "Inside the NFL" (10 p.m.
, HBO) enters its 31st season. Jean Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg star in the influential 1959 French drama "Breathless" (10 p.m.
, Sundance).
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