Billy the Kid Ballad
Writer Mark Lee Gardner performs a ballad about Billy the Kid during his interview for the film.
Train Ride through the Wild West
From the "Billy the Kid" production team, a time-lapse video from the point of view of a train streaming across the Western landscape.
Wild West Preview
In January 2012, American Experience presents the Wild West Collection: Billy the Kid, Custer's Last Stand, Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, Annie Oakley, and Jesse James.
This Season on American Experience
Our 2012 season is announced with a special video from Executive Producer Mark Samels. We hope you enjoy our upcoming season, which kicks off with our "Wild West Collection" on your local PBS station January 10 at 9/8C.
Nixon and Abusing Power: The "Saturday Night Massacre"
October 20, 1973: Nixon fired Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox in what becomes known as "The Saturday Night Massacre." The attorney general resigns and Congress files 21 resolutions calling for Nixon's impeachment.
Carter's First Lady: Rosalynn
Rosalynn Carter was a major figure in her husband's campaigns and policy meetings. "She wanted to be more than a fashion plate and somebody who gave teas," says historian E. Stanly Godbold.
HW Bush on Policing the World: Opposing Iraqi Aggression
On the White House lawn on August 5, 1990, H.W. Bush took a stand against Iraqi aggression against Kuwait. "He led with his gut, with his instincts," says biographer Timothy Naftali.
FDR on the Enemy: Fear Itself
President Roosevelt's inaugural address filled the American people with confidence in their new leader. "They hear coming through their loudspeakers this voice so filled with courage, with self confidence, with a sense of leadership," says historian William Leuchtenburg.
LBJ's First Lady: Lady Bird
Johnson had proposed to Claudia Alta Taylor the day they met. Lady Bird became the "perfect political wife" for LBJ.
FDR and Abusing Power: Reshaping the Supreme Court
President Roosevelt's attempt to reshape the Supreme Court landed short and drew criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. "It was a recognition on his part that he had lost some measure of power," says David Ginsburg, member of FDR's administration.
Carter on Lying: Campaigning on Honesty
Jimmy Carter campaigned on a platform on honesty at a time when the nation sorely needed it. "The country had been through a horrible time, and Jimmy Carter represented honesty and decency," said journalist John Farrell.
FDR on Lying: Creating a Reason to Go to War
President Roosevelt did not tell Congress or the American people the truth behind the Greer incident that led to US involvement in World War II. "I am perfectly willing to mislead and tell untruths if it will help win the war," FDR told a friend.
Truman, FDR and Age: A Careful Choice for Vice President
The focus was on the Vice Presidency during the 1944 Democratic National Convention. "It was in the minds of many delegates that whoever was nominated for Vice President could very well become President within the next four years," said Senator Harry Byrd.
Nixon and Age: The Kennedy Style
The Nixon-Kennedy debates would forever change the way Americans chose their Presidents.
Carter on the Economy: Energy Crisis
Carter asked the American people to cut down their energy usage during a fireside chat on February 2, 1977. "All of us must learn to waste less energy," Carter said.
Reagan on the Enemy: The Soviet Threat
The delegations of Communist leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Reagan met in Geneva in 1985. "The President, from the very start, started to speak in a kind of lecturing tone, as though I was a suspect, or maybe a student," says Gorbachev.
HW Bush and Military Service: Combat Pilot
George H.W. Bush was changed forever by his time as a combat pilot in World War II. "He had been taught not to show his emotions," says biographer Timothy Naftali, "so the public saw a slightly awkward man, who didn't seem quite ready to share his true self with them."
Carter and Ending War: the Camp David Accords
President Carter's attempt at resolving the dispute between Israel and Egypt almost ended in failure. Egyptian President Sadat threatened to leave the talks at Camp David, but Carter used a personal approach to keep the talks going between Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Begin. The Camp David Accords would become Carter's greatest foreign policy achievement.
Truman on Ending a War: Atomic Bombs
When the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Truman understood the repercussions. "This places a terrible responsibility upon myself and upon the War Department," he said.
Supported by
