American Experience (TV Show 1988- ) - Season 3

Season 3Episode 160 min

Lindbergh

At 25, Charles A. Lindbergh arrived in Paris, the first man to fly across the Atlantic -- handsome, talented, and brave -- a hero. But the struggle to wear the mantle of legend would be a consuming one. Crowds pursued him, reporters invaded his private life. His marriage, travels with his wife and the kidnapping and murder of their first child were all fodder for the front page.

Oct 1, 1990

Season 3Episode 260 min

Nixon: The Quest

The enigmatic nature of the Nixon presidency combined comparatively progressive legislative initiatives with a flagrant abuse of presidential power and the public trust. Even today, decades after his death, Richard Nixon inspires divided passions in America. Nixon was a self-made man who rose from modest Quaker beginnings in California to the most powerful office in the world. His story is filled with unlikely successes — a staunch anti-communist, he improved U.S.-Soviet relations and surprised the world by opening up relations with Communist China. Some credit him with ending the war in Vietnam. But Nixon's career was ultimately undone by his own actions. He abused the power of the office, resigned in humiliation, and tainted the presidency in the process. Admired and reviled, loved and hated, the man and his life continue to fascinate us.

Oct 15, 1990

Season 3Episode 360 min

Nixon: Triumph

The enigmatic nature of the Nixon presidency combined comparatively progressive legislative initiatives with a flagrant abuse of presidential power and the public trust. Even today, decades after his death, Richard Nixon inspires divided passions in America. Nixon was a self-made man who rose from modest Quaker beginnings in California to the most powerful office in the world. His story is filled with unlikely successes — a staunch anti-communist, he improved U.S.-Soviet relations and surprised the world by opening up relations with Communist China. Some credit him with ending the war in Vietnam. But Nixon's career was ultimately undone by his own actions. He abused the power of the office, resigned in humiliation, and tainted the presidency in the process. Admired and reviled, loved and hated, the man and his life continue to fascinate us.

Oct 15, 1990

Season 3Episode 460 min

Nixon: The Fall

The enigmatic nature of the Nixon presidency combined comparatively progressive legislative initiatives with a flagrant abuse of presidential power and the public trust. Even today, decades after his death, Richard Nixon inspires divided passions in America. Nixon was a self-made man who rose from modest Quaker beginnings in California to the most powerful office in the world. His story is filled with unlikely successes — a staunch anti-communist, he improved U.S.-Soviet relations and surprised the world by opening up relations with Communist China. Some credit him with ending the war in Vietnam. But Nixon's career was ultimately undone by his own actions. He abused the power of the office, resigned in humiliation, and tainted the presidency in the process. Admired and reviled, loved and hated, the man and his life continue to fascinate us.

Oct 15, 1990

Season 3Episode 560 min

God Bless America and Poland, Too

Frank Popiolek was 14 when he came to America in 1911, one of 2 million Polish immigrants who made the journey. He settled in Chicago and became a barber, instilling in his family a love of the "old world" traditions and pride in their Polish heritage. A nostalgic and humorous look at how old world Chicago lives side by side with the new.

Oct 22, 1990

Season 3Episode 660 min

Insanity on Trial

On July 2, 1881, Charles Julius Guiteau shot and fatally wounded President James A. Garfield in the lobby of the Baltimore & Potomac train station in Washington, D.C. As sensational as the assassination itself was, Guiteau's trial lasted over three months and became a very public battle over the meaning of insanity. Was it hereditary? Did it show on a man's face?

Oct 29, 1990

Season 3Episode 760 min

The Satellite Sky

Few events shocked America more than the news in 1957 that Russia had launched the first satellite. It was an assault on our national pride, even a threat to national security. Using news reels, commercials, television shows, government films, and science fiction movies, the film presents a uniquely impressionistic history of the early years of the Space Race.

Nov 5, 1990

Season 3Episode 860 min

The Crash of 1929

In 1929, while the stock market was rising, there were few critics. It was a "New Era" when everyone could get rich. But it was a small group of bankers, brokers and speculators who by manipulating the stock market grew fabulously wealthy. The film captures the unbounded optimism of the age and the shocking consequences when reality finally hit on October 29th.

Nov 19, 1990

Season 3Episode 960 min

The Iron Road

A tale of high adventure, enormous human effort and engineering brilliance. On May 2, 1869, when the last railroad spike was driven, bells in the churches of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Omaha and St. Louis rang in celebration. Six years in the making, the transcontinental railroad captured the imagination of the nation, symbolizing unification of the country after five years of Civil War.

Nov 26, 1990

Season 3Episode 1060 min

French Dance Tonight

When French settlers, exiled from Nova Scotia, migrated to Louisiana in the 1750s, they mixed with African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and others to create one of America's richest, most varied cultures. The film captures many of Cajun and Zydeco music's most important innovators and performers as they talk about the emergence of two musical traditions.

Dec 10, 1990