'Woody Allen: A Documentary' no miss event on PBS, Nov. 20, 21 (VIDEO)

By April MacIntyre Nov 20, 2011, 19:54 GMT

Produced by Brett Ratner and directed by Robert Weide, "Woody Allen: A Documentary" takes us to the magical time in Brooklyn when kids could play in the streets and it took 15 minutes by trolley to get to Coney Island.

Tune in tonight and Monday November 21 for an excellent documentary on American filmmaker Woody Allen, who was earning more money at age 17 than his parents as a teen ghostwriter for iconic TV personalities of the golden era of television.

Woody was married at the young age of 20 and was already well on his way to becoming a successful writer and director. Allen was hired by Sid Caesar for his wildly popular TV show, writing alongside Mel Brooks at age 21!

With a career spanning over four decades, with a new movie every year, Allen's work ethic continues to this day as "Midnight in Paris" was one of the best films of late.

Allen is opening up as he never has before in a sprawling "American Masters" documentary hitting PBS this weekend, and a trailer below gives you a sneak peek.

Produced by Brett Ratner and directed by Robert Weide, "Woody Allen: A Documentary" takes us to the magical time in Brooklyn when kids could play in the streets and it took 15 minutes by trolley to get to Coney Island.

Weide did a brilliant job covering a vast and impressive career of one of the best comedic minds America ever produced. He extracts gems such as the film Annie Hall’s anti-Semitic grandmother was based on star Diane Keaton’s real grandmother.  Allen's aversion to school was summed up beautifully in a schoolroom story where Allen, age 7, pens an essay of a girl having an hour-glass figure and wanting to play in the sand. This sent his WASP teachers over the edge.

Touching tales of devotion to his sister Letty (who also produces for him) and his humorous and unusual relationship with his mother are also wonderful to hear. 

Weide amasses great interviews: Ex wife Louise Lasser, Dick Cavett, Martin Scorsese, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Penelope Cruz, John Cusack, Larry David, Mariel Hemingway, Scarlett Johansson, Julie Kavner, Diane Keaton, Martin Landau, Sean Penn, Chris Rock, Mira Sorvino, Naomi Watts, Dianne Wiest, Owen Wilson; writing collaborators Marshall Brickman, Mickey Rose and Doug McGrath; cinematographers Gordon Willis and Vilmos Zsigmond; Allen’s sister Letty Aronson; longtime manager Jack Rollins; casting director Juliet Taylor and more.

"Woody Allen: A Documentary" airs November 20th from 9 to 11 pm, and November 21st from 9 to 10:30 pm.