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The Celebration of A Century

JFK THE LOST INAUGURAL GALA - Historical Documentary

Airs: Wednesday March 14th at 6pm 

In celebration of John F. Kennedy’s 100th birthday on May 29, 2017, JFK: The Lost Inaugural Gala opens a window into the glamour and excitement that descended on the nation’s capital for his 1961 inauguration, with a never-before-seen musical event: the Pre-Inaugural Gala produced by and starring Frank Sinatra. It was a star-studded musical celebration videotaped for national broadcast with performances by Sinatra, Ethel Merman, Harry Belafonte, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Gene Kelly and more. But a colossal blizzard knocked out power in DC, and those show-stopping performances remained in the vaults — until now. 

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John F. Kennedy Inaugural Ball, January 1961
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John F. Kennedy Inaugural Ball, January 1961
Frank Sinatra escorting Jackie Kennedy to her box at the National Guard Armory, Jan 1961
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Frank Sinatra escorting Jackie Kennedy to her box at the National Guard Armory, Jan 1961
Nat King Cole - JFK's Lost Inaugural Gala, Jan 1961
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Nat King Cole - JFK's Lost Inaugural Gala, Jan 1961

Copyright 2018 WLRN 91.3 FM

Mia Laurenzo is a 30-year veteran of public television in Miami. She began her career learning every aspect of video production. Currently she is a writer, producer, on-air host and promotions coordinator for TV, radio and the web. Her experiences include producing for a series, special events and historical documentaries. As a native Floridian, she is a perfect fit for South Florida's Storyteller Station, WLRN. She has produced award winning, nationally distributed documentaries like Journey to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade where one year she followed a high school band and a clown as they prepared for the big day and the next year, she had the privilege of being a clown herself. Previously, she produced Weird Florida: On the Road Again, a sequel to the highly successful show Weird Florida: Roads Less Traveled, where the cast and crew travel over 1,500 miles searching the Sunshine State’s weirdest and wackiest places. On a more serious note and what she considers to be her most important work, she produced Out of Darkness, Into Light, a documentary on child sexual abuse,which delved into the lives of three adult survivors, a show in which she was awarded her first of two Emmys.