GARRISON KEILLOR:

THE MAN ON THE RADIO IN THE RED SHOES

PBS, 8pm et/pt

By Kevin Downey

There comes a point in each of our lives when the best tonic for the blues is Garrison Keillor’s radio show, “A Prairie Home Companion.” If not now, then someday. Probably soon.

“Prairie” is two hours of blissful escapism.

It’s an old-fashioned radio show that somehow balances two opposing forces. It pays homage to the radio shows that our grandparents listened to before the advent of television. At the same time, it remains decidedly current.

The show is an American institution, of course, and has been for more than three decades.

Keillor and a cast of voice actors sing and perform radio plays. They interact with guests, sometimes the audience, and they put a spotlight on performers from around the country who don’t often get to shine.

It’s a feel-good show that often veers into utter silliness. But with a knowing wink, that silliness is never silly or trivial. It’s fun. It’s funny. It’s a joy.

And there are tender moments, too.

When swirled together, each piece of “A Prairie Home Companion” comes together as a simple, pure reflection of Americans and American life.

The whole show is held together by Keillor. He plays a semi-fictional version of himself, a guy who grew up in a small town in Minnesota, the fictional Lake Wobegon.

His voice is soft, gentle. The show moves along at an easy pace, sort of like barely paddling a rowboat through a smooth lake.

That pace is followed in Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes on PBS’s American Masters tonight.

This is partly a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “Prairie,” not dissimilar to the late Robert Altman’s brilliant 2006 movie, “A Prairie Home Companion.”

But, more than that, this is a biography, a peek into the life of a man who performs to an audience of 4 million people each week, but who remains something of a mystery.

Like “Prairie,” The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes is a happy bit of blissful escapism.

Video Clips: pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/garrison-keillor/the-man-on-the-radio-in-the-red-shoes/1159/

Content: Appropriate for all ages