A riverboat captain who moonlights as a Grammy-winning fiddler? Only in America, baby.
Steamboatin' stories from those who lived them, river history, authentic footage and stills, along with music and narration by John Hartford.
Acting
Hartford's wry, whispered narration—storyteller as river ghost.
Cinematography
Sun-bleached archival footage that smells like coal smoke.
Score
Live deck sessions where the boat IS the metronome.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Hartford actually held a pilot's license for the Mississippi—he wasn't playing dress-up, he captained the real General Jackson for years.
Made for public television in 1991, this is essentially a time capsule of the last generation who worked the river before casino boats took over.
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