Ken Burns traces the life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910). He "used the way we talk and turned it into literature," says Hal Holbrook, who has portrayed Twain in one-man shows. Burns supplements comments by Holbrook and 12 other interviewees with Twain readings (by Kevin Conway) in a four-hour portrait. Part 1 covers Clemens' early life on the Mississippi and concludes with the publication of "Huckleberry Finn." It "put a face on black folks," says Dick Gregory. Narrator: Keith David.