The news that PBS is presenting a documentary about highways will probably be met with all the enthusiasm of a group of schoolchildren forced to sit through 90 minutes on the history of, well, highways.
But there's one big difference. "Divided Highways: The Interstates and the Transformation of American Life" (8 p.m., Ch. 7) is bright, entertaining, informative and even funny.This 90-minute film from Washington, D.C., PBS station WETA and filmmakers Lawrence R. Hott and Tom Lewis is, for the most part, both a surprise and a delight. It takes its subject seriously, but not too seriously.
And it puts some perspective on something that most of us don't think about too often - at least not before the current rebuild of I-15 got under way. (There's even a couple of glimpses of rural I-15 in the documentary.)
"The interstate highway system? It's the biggest public works project of all time," says historian Stephen Ambrose. "It is the biggest achievement (in building) in the history of man. There's nothing to compare it with. It is way bigger than the pyramids. It is way bigger than anything. And it has linked this country as nothing else has. Even more than the train and the plane, it has pulled the American people together."
And "Divided Highway" does a great job of not only recalling the history of how the interstate highway system came into being - with facts and historical footage - but of relating it to the changes and growth in America.
There are various experts and historians offering their opinions. But, unlike some documentaries, it doesn't bog down there. The interviews include chats with city planners, engineers who designed parts of the system, economists, architects, politicians and people affected by its building.
And there are light moments with Tom and Ray Magliozzi (the hosts of National Public Radio's "Car Talk"), chef Julia Child, John Kay of Steppenwolf (who sings "Born to be Wild") and columnists like Dave Barry and Molly Ivins.
Barry talks about his father's tendency to do a lot of driving - but not a lot of stopping - on the interstate. "We saw a lot of the country," he says. "We didn't actually touch any of it or get out, but we did see a lot of the country thanks to the interstate highway system."
And he comments on the peculiarities of driving in the Miami area.
"The Miami interstate is distinct from all other interstates in that it is populated by Miami drivers," Barry says. "Everyone here is driving according to the law of his individual country of origin. Or, in some cases, planet of origin."
Ivins comments on just how Texas drivers got to be so friendly and tosses in her feelings about the since-repealed federally mandated speed limit.
"Being a Texan, I was very annoyed when they instituted the 55-miles-an-hour speed limit because, clearly, God intended people to drive at least 70 miles an hour in this state," she says. "I mean, you can see for 300 miles in every direction, why would you want to slow down?"
All of this is accompanied by some truly fabulous cinematography of various interstates. And the talking heads of the experts and pundits are superimposed over some of those great visuals - another nice touch.
This is not a one-sided Ode to the Highways, however. It follows the story through the problems caused by the interstates and the protests that began in the '70s against the construction of the super highways.
The greatest flaw in "Divided Highways" is that it's a bit too long - maybe 15 or 20 minutes - and loses some of its light touch in the last third of the documentary. But it remains a real surprise - and an extremely pleasant way to spend 90 minutes in front of the TV.
ALSO CHANGING AMERICA: This is PBS's night for documentaries about social change in the United States. Preceding "Divided Highways" is yet another good documentary - "The G.I. Bill: The Law that Changed America" (7 p.m., Ch. 7).
While not as entertaining as "Highways," "The G.I. Bill" is a fascinating look at a single act that did indeed make this into a far different nation. And it's another phenomenon we don't often give a lot of thought to.
But, as pointed out in the documentary, the bill - which guaranteed education, housing and business loans to 15 million veterans - helped create the largest middle class in the world. The veterans who took advantage of the program, instead of heading for blue-collar manufacturing jobs, moved up and moved the American economy and standard of living to a higher level.
The hour outlines what happened and how, interviewing beneficiaries of the bill ranging from entertainer Harry Belafonte to columnist Art Buchwald to former presidential candidate Bob Dole.
Another worthy, watchable effort.
GETTING THE AX: The first of the major networks to cancel a new show is first-place NBC, which is throwing in the towel on two of its new Wednesday-night sitcoms.
"The Tony Danza Show" has been yanked off the schedule for the foreseeable future, although the show will remain in production and will return at a future date to be announced.
(Why, we're not quite sure - the show is just awful.)
"Built to Last," on the other hand, had no such luck. The show has been relegated to TV oblivion - permanently.
(About the only way you'll ever see another episode of "Built" is if the show's lead actor, Royale Watkins, becomes a big star some day and some cable channel creates a "Built to Last" mini-marathon. But don't hold your breath.)
NBC isn't exactly sure what it's going to do on Wednesdays between 7 and 8 p.m. The current plan is to fill the hour with various specials through the end of the year and to put some sort of regular series in there in January.
Stay tuned . . .