“American Experience” (8 p.m., PBS, check local listings) presents “Stonewall Uprising,” a documentary history of summer nights in 1969 when a group of fed up gay men revolted against a system that consigned them to a shadow existence.

Gathered in a popular Greenwich Village New York watering hole called the Stonewall, a crowd of gay customers were confronted with a police raid and, for the first time, simply fought back. The Stonewall was run by the Mafia, an organization well suited to serve a population consigned to illegal status by the prevailing legal and social norms. Until that time, it was common for police in New York and virtually every other city to arrest homosexuals for the simple act of assembling. Once arrested, gays were subject to dismissal from their jobs, public disgrace and blackmail. The practice of police entrapment and payoffs was prevalent. Much like prohibition, which had ended a half a century earlier, the official, if arbitrary, oppression of homosexuals provided ample opportunities for police corruption.

Like many installments of “American Experience,” “Stonewall” includes period photographs and interviews with participants. But since period footage is so rare, much of the film involves dramatic re-enactments, shot in black-and-white to evoke a moment of ferment and liberation.

The resistance would last for days and nights and accomplish what some have considered the “Rosa Parks moment” of the gay civil rights movement.

It’s significant to note that this “American Experience” airs in April and not June, when some public stations air gay-themed programming. It’s a way of stating that the Stonewall rebellion is about more than gay pride, it has become a central facet of American history.

• Mikey has a gala art opening and Junior consults with his lawyer as “American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior” (8 p.m., Discovery) opens a new season of bike building and legal bickering.

Tonight’s other highlights

• A nautical antique proves to be poisonous on “House” (7 p.m., Fox).

• Illness rocks the White House on “The Event” (8 p.m., NBC).

• A bomber may have radical ties on “The Chicago Code” (8 p.m., Fox).

• McGarrett’s sister is taken hostage on “Hawaii Five-O” (9 p.m., CBS).

• A corpse is discovered in a car with no driver on “Law & Order: Los Angeles” (9 p.m., NBC).

• A disguise involves kissing on “Castle” (9 p.m., ABC).

Cult choice

Memorials for Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor have recalled her great films. Tonight viewers get a chance to watch “The Blue Bird” (7 p.m., Fox Movie Channel), a true film oddity. A unique American-Soviet co-production directed (most agree badly) by George Cukor, it stars Taylor as the fairy tale Blue Bird of Happiness. Jane Fonda and Ava Gardner also star.