The Polish Americans

The Polish Americans
WQED, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday

Canonsburg's Bobby Vinton appears in The Polish Americans, along with actress Stefanie Powers; former U.S. National Security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski; Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Maryland; author Suzanne Strempek Shea; and others.

This program is filled with human-interest stories, some lengthy, of how Polish-Americans maintained their heritage in a brave new country.

Archival footage focuses on the immigrants and how they built churches and communities that resembled European villages within American cities like San Antonio, Cleveland, Baltimore and New York. The program briefly sifts through Poland's political problems, then concentrates on the development of Polish pride in its food, music, dance and, surprisingly, as members of Notre Dame's "Fighting Irish" football teams.

Just be prepared to go on humming Vinton's part-Polish "Melody of Love" for the next few days.