iHeartRadio’s New Original Podcast “Ben Steele, American” with Host Alec Baldwin Tells the Harrowing and Inspiring Story of a Prisoner of War Turned Brilliant Artist
Based on the book "Tears in the Darkness,” the podcast recounts Ben Steele’s incredible story of survival.
Listen to the trailer HERE.
WHAT: Just months after World War II broke out, Ben Steele found himself in the Philippines, a long way from his home state in Montana, and in the most perilous circumstances. iHeartRadio’s new original limited series documentary podcast “Ben Steele, American,” hosted by Alec Baldwin, tells Steele’s harrowing story as he became a prisoner of war within the first five months of WWII and forced to take part in the brutal and deadly Bataan Death March, in which prisoners were cruelly treated while forced to march for over 60 miles. Ben came close to dying and was given last rites three times while imprisoned at a camp, yet he miraculously survived. To keep his sanity, Ben began using charcoal from the fire at the prison hospital to draw, and a lifelong love of the arts was born.
After the war, Ben studied with famous artists and eventually made his way back home to Montana, where he taught art at a college in Billings where he had a particular empathy for, and influence on, students who had suffered traumas in their own lives.
“Ben Steele, American” is a documentary limited series podcast telling the remarkable story of Ben Steele: the best of human beings in the worst of times.
WHO: Narrated by actor Alec Baldwin, “Ben Steele, American” features interviews with Ben Steele acquired over a span of 30 years before his death in 2016 at age 98. The podcast also has first-person interviews with over thirty former prisoners of war, including numerous Bataan Death March survivors, and notable history scholars from around the world.
The podcast is narrated by Baldwin, who also produced the show alongside Jan Thompson and Zach McNees. The podcast, written by Thompson and mixed by McNees, was inspired by the book “Tears In The Darkness” by Elizabeth and Michael Norman.
Baldwin has appeared in numerous productions on stage, in films and on television since his debut in 1980. He’s won three Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes and seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role on NBC’s 30 Rock. He’s also received nominations at the Tony Awards in 2001 for A Streetcar Named Desire and at the Academy Awards in 2004 for The Cooler.
WHEN: The first two episodes of “Ben Steele, American” premieres tomorrow, Thursday, June 30, with new episodes released weekly on Thursdays. Listen to the trailer HERE.
WHERE: Listen to “Ben Steele, American” on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
EMBED CODE: <iframe allow="autoplay" width="100%" height="200" src="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-ben-steele-american-98570427/episod…" frameborder="0"></iframe>
