American Lifestyle

I recall seeing this program frequently during its single season (around 1972-1973). Because it was syndicated, it was sometimes hard to find on the dial, but it was always worthwhile -- E.G. Marshall visited some of the great historic homes in the United States, including Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill on Oyster Bay, New York; Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Connecticut; and John Ringling's "Ca d'Zan" (literally, "House of John") in Sarasota, Florida. The 30-minute programs profiled both the houses themselves as well as their famous occupants; Marshall would take the viewers on a tour of the building and pause every so often to comment on some object or possession or specific room in the house and use it as a springboard to discuss something about the famous owner's life. How sad that this fine documentary series has never been released to video, either VHS or DVD.