This month, HISTORY Channel and National Geographic are commemorating the 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's assassination with two compelling docuseries. The films offer a comprehensive and emotionally-charged look at one of the most pivotal moments in American history, providing viewers with a unique opportunity to revisit the events of November 22, 1963, and reflect on the enduring legacy of JFK.
HISTORY Channel's 'Kennedy'
The HISTORY Channel's eight-part docuseries and three-night event, "Kennedy," from director and composer Ashton Gleckman, examines John F. Kennedy's life, leadership, and legacy through archival materials, audio recordings and narration by Emmy Award-winner Peter Coyote.
- The series includes interviews with well-versed figures in JFK's history, such as Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Conan O'Brien, Bruce Greenwood, and Eileen McNamara.
- Coverage spans JFK's early years, political career, and his thousand-day presidency, delving into his achievements and challenges, including World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race, and the Civil Rights Movement.
- Additionally, the docuseries explores JFK's relationships with influential figures like Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ted Sorensen, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Kennedy" also continues the HISTORY Channel's presidential miniseries projects, following this year's "FDR" and last year's "Theodore Roosevelt" and "Abraham Lincoln." "Kennedy" premieres on the HISTORY Channel on November 18.
National Geographic's 'JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA'
The Emmy Award-winning franchise "ONE DAY IN AMERICA" returns with its second installment, "JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA," a three-episode series. The project partnered with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, a unique collaboration that granted the series the unique privilege of colorizing the museum's news footage archives for the first time.
- The newly colorized visuals together with key testimony from some of the last surviving witnesses result in an immersive, minute-by-minute examination of that fateful day.
- The docuseries also features unseen footage of Lee Harvey Oswald in police custody and when he was shot while being transferred to the county jail, emotional testimonies from individuals who witnessed these historic events, like Peggy Simpson, the only female Associated Press reporter in Texas in 1963, and Rusty Robbins, a Dallas police officer who knew Jack Ruby.
- To provide valuable insights into the chaos and confusion surrounding the tragedy, National Geographic interviewed various individuals connected to the assassination, including Clint Hill, a Secret Service agent assigned to Jackie Kennedy, and Paul Landis, a Secret Service agent who was on his first presidential motorcade that day.
- Throughout the three episodes, viewers will also hear police radio recordings from the ground on November 22, 1963, as law enforcement searched for the shooter. Live news broadcasts are interspersed, echoing the fear, confusion, and sadness that quickly engulfed the nation following the deaths of President Kennedy and Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit.
"JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA" premieres on National Geographic this Sunday, November 5.
Both of these docuseries, "JFK: ONE DAY IN AMERICA" and "Kennedy," provide viewers with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in one of the most significant moments in American history and reflect on the enduring legacy of the 35th president of the United States.