NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY RIC BURNS LICENSES HELEN LEVITT’S CLASSIC IN THE STREET FOR AMERICAN MASTERS SERIES ON PBS

NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM is an eight-part, 17½ hour, American documentary film on the history of New York City. It was directed by Ric Burns and originally aired in the U.S. on PBS. The film was a production of Steeplechase Films in association with WGBH Boston, Thirteen/WNET, and The New-York Historical Society.

GME provided Ric Burns and Steeplechase Films a sequence from Helen Levitt’s short, NYC street photography classic, IN THE STREET (1948) for inclusion in the 8 episode PBS release NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM. Levitt’s film appeared in episode 7, "The City and the World (1945–2000)" which originally aired on October 1, 2001.

IN THE STREET was photographed by James Agee, Helen Levitt and Janice Loeb, and edited by Helen Levitt.

Opening of "Episode 7: The City and the World" PBS series directed by Ric Burns. Episode 7 produced by Steve Rivo and Ric Burns. Levitt’s film stood as a stand-in for Jane Jacobs’ idea of the importance of maintaining the fabric of neighborhoods, whereas "master builder" Robert Moses wanted to tear them down and build block housing.