Week of August 28: Television and the Kennedys

The rise of the Kennedys as America's foremost political family coincided with the rise of television as an important tool in elections. While Harry Truman was the first president to appear on television nationwide and Dwight Eisenhower was the first to have televised press conferences, John F. Kennedy was the first president to use television effectively, starting with his debates with Vice President Richard Nixon during the 1960 election.

Senator Edward Kennedy, who died this week at age 77, also used television effectively, making countless appearances on news programs during his political career. His most effective moments were memorable speeches, including his eulogy to slain brother Robert Kennedy in 1968, his 1980 speech at the Democratic National Convention and his dramatic speech for Barack Obama at last summer's Democratic National Convention.

No political figures, including Abraham Lincoln, whose bicentennial is being celebrated this year, have gotten more television time than the Kennedys. Programs have ranged from the highest quality to tabloid trash. This blog will pay attention to high-quality network broadcasts through the years. Here are a few that are available on DVD or other media:

*Thank You Mr. President: Produced in 1992 and shown through the years on PBS stations, this documentary, hosted by E.G. Marshall, featured highlights from many of President John F. Kennedy's press conferences during his presidential years. Look out for Sarah McClendon, who queried many presidents through Bill Clinton. Amazon.com has the documentary on VHS; it has not yet been released on DVD. Not to be confused with a recent documentary of the same name about reporter Helen Thomas.

*JFK, RFK, Ted Kennedy speeches: Check Amazon.com for assorted DVDs featuring some of the speeches. Sadly, full telecasts of President Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural speech, Robert Kennedy's speech during the 1964 Democratic National Convention and Ted Kennedy's convention speeches are difficult to find.
The Web site American Rhetoric (www.americanrhetoric.com) does have full text, audio and sometimes video of those and other Kennedy speeches.

*Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Tour - Hulu.com has the full broadcast of this 1962 tour of the White House, which the First Lady conducted with Charles Collingwood of CBS (a tour famously lampooned in the comedy album "The First Family," released the same year).

*The American Experience: The Kennedys - This multi-part documentary, part of PBS' "The American Experience" series, is the gold standard when it comes to chronicling the Kennedys. Produced in 1992, it takes a close look at the family, from patriarch Joseph Kennedy to the fates of his four sons. Here's hoping that PBS will update the documentary's look at The Last Brother - Ted Kennedy; the story ends with his 1980 convention speech. The series is available on DVD.

*The Missiles of October - By far the best dramatization of anything concerning the Kennedys for television. This 1974 ABC film about the Cuban Missile Crisis starred William Devane as President Kennedy and Martin Sheen as Attorney General Robert Kennedy. While somewhat overdramatic and not as good as the theatrical film "Thirteen Days," it does cover both U.S. and Soviet circles during the crisis.

Sheen, incidentally, would play JFK in an NBC miniseries, "Kennedy," in 1983 - a warmup for his successful turn as fictional President Jed Bartlett in that network's "The West Wing."

Both "The Missiles of October" and "Kennedy" are available on DVD.

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Rabbit Ears will return after Labor Day.