JFK, Part 2, chapter 1
Kennedy is inaugurated President in 1961; "Ask not what your country can do for you..." JFK gives the first live televised press conference by a President.
JFK Sneak Peek
This new biopic on JFK provides a fresh look at an enigmatic man who has become one of the nation's most beloved and most mourned leaders. Premiering on American Experience PBS November 11 & 12 at 9/8c.
JFK's First Lady: Jackie and Culture
Politics unnerved Jackie Kennedy so she found respite in curating a new culture of elegance in the White House. She set out to honor writers and performers, creating what her dress designer dubbed a "Versailles in Washington."
JFK and Crisis: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Over the course of 13 days in October 1962, President Kennedy avoided war with the Soviet Union through a willingness to proceed with caution -- and a gamble that Premier Nikita Khrushchev was just as horrified at the prospect of nuclear obliteration as Kennedy was. The negotiation would come to be known as the Cuban Missile Crisis and would be one of Kennedy's most lasting legacies.
JFK on Policing the World: The Vietnam Question
Kennedy felt buildup of a military arsenal wasn't enough to show the United States would not cower to communism. So he decided to make a stand in a place few Americans at the time had ever heard of: Vietnam.
JFK and Military Service: The Rescue
On a starless night in August 1943, a Japanese destroyer split Kennedy's PT-109 boat in half. The crew had been left for dead, but the future president felt it was his duty to get his men to safety -- and he was going to spare no effort to do so.
JFK Extended Preview
This biography provides a fresh look at an enigmatic man who has become one of the nation's most beloved and most mourned leaders. Scheduled for broadcast on the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the film re-evaluates JFK's strengths and weaknesses and provides new insights into his private life. Premieres November 11 & 12, 2013 at 9/8c. Check your local listings.
JFK, Part 1, Chapter 1
By the time he came of age, John Fitzgerald Kennedy inhabited a world of special exemption: the family estate in suburban New York, the summer compound in Hyannis Port, the winter retreat in Palm Beach. The story of his family's heroic multi-generational rise from the want of Irish famine might well have been a misty old folktale. The past was not the point in the Kennedy household.
JFK Series Preview
Before that moment, beyond the glamour, behind the charm lies the true story of JFK. Now, see his life as never before in a stunning new portrait from American Experience. Premiering on PBS November 11 & 12 at 9/8c.
JFK Preview
Take a fresh look at an enigmatic man who remains one of the nation’s most beloved and mourned leaders.
JFK and Abusing Power: Private Life
Kennedy's personal aides knew about his extramarital activities, as did much of the press.
JFK on Policing the World: The Soviet Menace
As soon as he took office, Kennedy became increasingly worried about turning the Cold War into a hot one, resulting in nuclear catastrophe. Nikita Khrushchev continued to aid in the spread of communism around the world and Kennedy wanted to show the American public he would not be bullied by the Soviet premier.
JFK's First Lady: Jackie and the White House
Raising more than a million dollars for the project, Jackie Kennedy set out to restore the White House and make it a center of art and culture. She debuted her project in a television special called "A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy." When the show producer showed John Kennedy clips of the film, he looked on in adoration.
JFK on the Enemy: The Red Threat
Kennedy believed his first diplomatic meeting with Nikita Khrushchev would be a lesson in compromise. But when it was clear the Soviet premier was unwilling to negotiate over Berlin and more than willing to talk casually about nuclear weapons, Kennedy told him "it's going to be a very cold winter." Kennedy left uneasy.
JFK and Age: The Young Congressman
With little interest in his day-to-day duties as a congressman, 29-year-old Kennedy had some growing up to do before he was ready for the most powerful position in the world.
War of the Worlds Preview
A broadcast that struck fear into an already anxious nation, Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio broadcast was the most famous alien invasion that never happened.
Radios by the Millions
During the height of the Great Depression, radios were being purchased by the millions. By 1938, nearly 80% of American homes had a radio. People were willing to forego many modern technological conveniences, but the radio remained a lifeline for the American public.
A Grave Announcement
Shortly after 8 p.m. on the Halloween Eve, 1938, the voice of a panicked radio announcer broke in with a news bulletin reporting strange explosions taking place on the planet Mars, followed minutes later by a report that Martians had landed in the tiny town of Grovers Mill, New Jersey. "War of the Worlds" premieres October 29, 2013 at 9pm ET on PBS.
The Mic Went Dead
The War of the Worlds has become the one most legendary radio broadcasts in history. Twenty-three year old Orson Welles directed the famous radio drama on October 30, 1938, the night before Halloween referred to as "Mischief Night." Throughout the program, which would come to be known as "The Panic Broadcast," ten actors and a 27 piece orchestra eagerly awaited his direction.
War of the Worlds: Outtakes
To bring freshness to the story behind Orson Welles' famous broadcast, producers used letters written by listeners right after hearing War of the Worlds. Actors delivered monologues of parts of these letters as if they were archival interviews - you can see it in the film. Here, actors have some fun at the end of the day describing what it's like to play a character from the 1930s.
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