Frontline - Season 5 / Year 1987

Frontline - Season 5 / Year 1987

Season 5 / Year 1987

Network
DatesJan 27, 1987 - Dec 16, 1987
Previous SeasonNext Season

Episodes

The Real Stuff
Year 1987Episode 160 min

The Real Stuff

One year after the Challenger disaster, Frontline examined the all-too-human side of the space program as seen through the eyes of the astronauts and engineers responsible for making it work. Correspondent James Reston tells the inside story of a program plagued by problems and politics.
Jan 27, 1987
The Earthquake is Coming
Year 1987Episode 260 min

The Earthquake is Coming

Frontline examines the startling implications of what will happen when the big earthquake hits California, detailing the awesome effects as systems rupture and the entire nation's economy, industries, and national security are jeopardized.
Feb 3, 1987
Stopping Drugs (1)
Year 1987Episode 360 min

Stopping Drugs (1)

A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
Feb 10, 1987
Stopping Drugs (2)
Year 1987Episode 460 min

Stopping Drugs (2)

A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.
Feb 17, 1987
The Nazi Connection
Year 1987Episode 560 min

The Nazi Connection

German scientists were responsible for putting the first American on the moon. Now, 15 years later, government investigators are asking whether some of them were also responsible for Nazi war crimes. Frontline examines their war records and the role of American officials who decided to bring them to the United States.
Feb 24, 1987
Desperately Seeking Baby
Year 1987Episode 660 min

Desperately Seeking Baby

Two million American couples desperately want babies and can’t have them. They are turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors. Sometimes they get a new baby and a happy home; sometimes their hearts are broken. Frontline looks at a system filled with ambiguity and heartbreak.
Mar 3, 1987
Street Cop
Year 1987Episode 760 min

Street Cop

Frontline takes a gritty look at street cops. In Boston’s busiest, most violent police district, they confront the never-ending calls for help and the never-ending chase after drugs.
Mar 31, 1987
The Secret File
Year 1987Episode 860 min

The Secret File

How could an ordinary citizen be considered a national security risk? Penn Kimball, a university professor, former New York Times editor, Rhodes scholar, and Eagle Scout, was stunned to discover that for 30 years, government files existed declaring him as a disloyal American. As he tries to clear his name, Frontline examines the government decision to gather information on American citizens.
Apr 14, 1987
War on Nicaragua
Year 1987Episode 960 min

War on Nicaragua

As the Iran-contra scandal was still unfolding, Frontline correspondent William Greider revealed how the US began supporting the contras in Nicaragua and why our involvement there continues. The program is a meticulous reconstruction of US policy toward Nicaragua, and an investigation into how US foreign policy is made.
Apr 21, 1987
The Bombing of West Philly
Year 1987Episode 1060 min

The Bombing of West Philly

‘I could hear the bullets all around me, hitting all around the house. I was forced back by gunfire,’ says Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE, a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa’s house. The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control, leaving 250 homeless. Frontline correspondent Leon Dash examines why the bombing really happened.
May 5, 1987
In Search of the Marcos Millions
Year 1987Episode 1160 min

In Search of the Marcos Millions

The day Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines in 1986, they left with $8.9 million in jewelry, cash, and bonds. But the Philippine government claims they took much more, plundering the wealth of the nation, stashing it in fake companies and secret bank accounts. Frontline tracked hundreds of millions of dollars of the Marcos money and asked whether the Philippine government will ever get it back.
May 26, 1987
Israel: The Price of Victory
Year 1987Episode 1260 min

Israel: The Price of Victory

The Six Day War was a decisive victory for Israel. But many Israelis feel that something has gone wrong. On the war’s twentieth anniversary, Frontline finds a nation struggling with its image and its role as a democracy and reveals what has happened to the dream.
Jun 2, 1987
Death of a Porn Queen
Year 1987Episode 1360 min

Death of a Porn Queen

She was from Minnesota. Young, pretty, and fresh. She went to Hollywood in search of a dream and found herself in X-rated movies, on drugs, and estranged from her family and friends. Correspondent Al Austin retraces her story, discovering why after two years as a porn queen, she took her own life.
Jun 9, 1987
Keeping the Faith
Year 1987Episode 1460 min

Keeping the Faith

The black church was once the soul of its community. It was a rallying point and a force for change. Now, as the black middle class grows and the church evolves, correspondent Roger Wilkins asks whom does it serve and to what end?
Jun 16, 1987
The Politics of Greed
Year 1987Episode 1560 min

The Politics of Greed

As corruption scandals rock New York City, the careers of dozens of high officials are being destroyed. Frontline takes an inside look at the seamy side of urban politics and asks whether this is any way to run a government.
Jun 23, 1987
Apartheid: 1652-1948 (1)
Year 1987Episode 1660 min

Apartheid: 1652-1948 (1)

Dec 14, 1987
Apartheid: 1948-1963 (2)
Year 1987Episode 1760 min

Apartheid: 1948-1963 (2)

Dec 14, 1987
Apartheid: 1963-1977 (3)
Year 1987Episode 1860 min

Apartheid: 1963-1977 (3)

Dec 15, 1987
Apartheid: 1978-1986 (4)
Year 1987Episode 1960 min

Apartheid: 1978-1986 (4)

Dec 15, 1987
Apartheid: 1987 (5)
Year 1987Episode 2060 min

Apartheid: 1987 (5)

Dec 16, 1987

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