Streaming June 28th: Episodes 403 – 406
Episode 403: Guns and Violence (12am, 7am, 2pm, 9pm CDT)
Episode 403 of the award-winning TV series The 90’s. This episode is called “Guns and Violence” and features the following segments:
02:02 “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms” by Eddie Becker. Steve Higgins, the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, opens up a vault that houses the most complete library of guns known to exist. Ed Owen, the chief of the Firearms Technology Branch, displays a variety of guns — from a homemade machine gun to an assassin’s brief case.
05:34 “Machine Gun Extravaganza” by Kathie Robertson. Gun enthusiasts at play with the following information superimposed on the screen: ” Excluding the military and the police, there are more than 200 million weapons in the U.S.” “Approximately 70 million are handguns… The number of youths killed with firearms nearly doubled between 1984 and 1989… The majority of U.S. guns are not registered or traceable… and Americans have more handguns than hair dryers.”
06:12 “Gun Man” by Garth Roger Bacon. Michael Schultz in Unity, NH, displays his extensive gun collection: “I use them to hunt, target practice. To me, they’re like toys… It’s a hobby.” When asked if there would be less killings if guns were outlawed he responds, “Hell no, it’d be so much easier, there’s always going to be people with guns. That’s a bunch of horse shit. If they took guns away from the people and the police, shit, you could kill anybody you want… What are they gonna do? Run down the road and mace you?… in the military, they tell you never to surrender your weapon.”
08:20 “Weekend War Games” by Patrick Creadon. In Millington, Illinois, weekend warriors engage in combat with paint guns. One participant takes a glob of paint in the face. “You’re splooged,” says Pat. “I’m dead,” says the soldier.
09:11 “Playing Guns” Jody Procter and Kit Sibert. In a forest in Eugene, Oregon, kids play with guns. When Lucas Mautino is asked if he likes to play with guns, he replies, Occasionally… I like to die.” Ian Cassidy Rondeau says, “I’m trying to get rid of my guns… I don’t like them that much. They use them to kill people.” Lucas pumps Ian full of imaginary bullets.
10:10 “L.A. Homeboys” by Nancy Cain. In Los Angeles: Ray Anthony Oropeza says, “my favorite [childhood game] was [pretending to kill] somebody, I remember that… Now it’s not a game anymore. It’s so real; it’s really deadly. It’s not even worth looking back and laughing anymore. It’s not a joke anymore.” Anthony L. Martin: “I don’t want to give up. I refuse to give up. Sometimes I sit around the house and think ‘I’m gonna die fighting’… It just breaks your heart.”
12:20 “Paxton Quigley: Armed and Dangerous” by Maxi Cohen and John Axelrad. In Long Beach, California, Paxton Quigley teaches women how to shoot guns and defend themselves. She says, “Women are becoming tired of being victims. They’re saying, ‘Enough is enough.’ They’re saying, ‘I never want this to happen’ or if it has happened, they’re saying, ‘It’s never going to happen again.'” When squeezing the trigger Paxton encourages her students “to make it sexy.” At the target range, one student looks at the result of her shooting, “This guy would have been dead many times. It was fun, too.”
15:41 “Spy Shop” by Skip Blumberg. A t the Quark Spy Shop in New York, Skip Blumberg videos himself being videotaped by a hidden camera in the store’s front window. Melinda Meals says that the store specializes in counter surveillance equipment. She displays a variety of discreet video and audio equipment. The clients range from people who want to check on their baby-sitter to businessmen who want to protect their ideas. One customer buys a “coyote stick” to fend off muggers. Norman Buitta, the president of the company, displays bulletproof clothes and contests that “nothing has changed all that much… The body armor has replaced the shield.” The recession has helped increase business.
22:19 “Scott and Nancy” by Robbie Leppzer and Sara Elinoff / Turning Tide Productions. Scott and Nancy Girard, married for 18 years, discuss the effects of domestic violence on their lives. Scott: “We’ve been trying to survive as the American family, which is basically a pipe dream at this point.” Scott talks about how his frustration built up and Nancy relays her feelings of how Scott made her feel she was always doing the wrong thing. Scott: “I exercised my attitudes to try to control her.” Nancy on reading a book on battered women: “I read a chapter on emotional abuse. Each thing in there happened to me… Females are taught, ‘Don’t rock the boat. Don’t upset the Man.'”
28:33 “Armed Women” by Nancy Cain. In a class on self defense, Sean Collinsworth demonstrates how easy an attacker can take away one’s gun. Kim Kralj relates a story on how she was attacked. Pirie Jones says, “We make the mistake of expecting the man to protect us. I needed to develop the independent side of me that says ‘I can take care of myself’.” Candace Brown says she keeps her gun in bed with her. Lynne Levin shows off her .357 Magnum. Pirie Jones says, “I had to make the commitment that if I had a gun I was going to use it… I’m the type of woman who will walk around a bug… I believe in life. But I also believe in my life.” Lynne Levin points her gun and says, “I’m prepared not to have myself killed or harmed.”
31:56 “Lt. Wayne Wiberg” by Joe Cummings, Scott Jacobs and Tom Weinberg. Lt. Wayne Wiberg of the Chicago Police holds a Tech 9 and says that this gun is “the Saturday Night Special of the ’90s… You’re not going to go deer hunting with this sucker. I’m sorry, if you do you’re going to be eating a lot of bullets.”
32:32 “Handgun Control” by Eddie Becker. David Weaver, a volunteer for Handgun Control, tells an answering machine about Referendum 006, which would make manufacturers of semiautomatic firearms liable for the harm they cause in Washington D.C. On the Tech 9, he says, “The maker of Tech 9 knows that his firearm is being used in crime… He continues to sell it without any regard to the consequences. Everybody but the maker of these guns pays a price.” The referendum passed.
34:45 “Ed Baker” by Appalshop / Andrew Garrison. In Whitesburg, Kentucky: Ed Baker has been making custom shotguns since 1968. He says, “Guns are not to kill. They’re to entertain. If they could fight wars with their fists, it’d be fine, or other sanctions – economic sanctions. No point in taking one man’s life.”
37:36 “Gun Toy” by Maxi Cohen. A toy soldier crawls on the pavement.
Episode 404: Country Living (1am, 8am, 3pm, 10pm CDT)
Episode 404 of the award-winning TV series The 90’s. This episode is called “Country Living” and features the following segments:
01:13 “Evan Thompson” by Jim Mulryan and Tabby Mulryan. Somewhere in Nevada, Evan Thompson comments on the stereotypes city dwellers have about country folk: “[They think of us as] redneck, gun wielding, madmen that want to shoot all city people probably. I think Hollywood portrays us as not having a whole lot of brains. . . I think they see us as not knowing a whole lot. Yet if they come in from out of the city and we watch them, we think, ‘Oh boy, no wonder you’re all killing each other. You’re all a bunch of wackos.’ We like people, but we don’t like neighbors. I think that’s like most country people. They like people but don’t want to live next door to them.”
03:30 “Turkey Neck Bend” by Robby Henson. A glimpse of life in a small town in Southern Kentucky. Ed Schmidt plays the Dobro. He says, “This is the way I want to live.” Robby: “What do you consider yourself?” Ivan Coe: “I’m a hillbilly.” Robby: “If I had you say that on my film some people would say I’m promoting negative Kentucky stereotypes.” Ivan: “Well, I guess you can’t. What is a hillbilly? I guess any description you’d give would very well fit me, wouldn’t it?” Robby: “Well, I guess, but I don’t see three cars on blocks.” Ivan: “Well you just didn’t look too close.” Lloyd Smith and Ivan play banjo and guitar. Lloyd says, “I really enjoy going down the road and throwing out a beer can or a Pepsi can… It helps the poor people.” Parishioners sing a hymn at the Church of Christ… Jason Dodson takes care of the cemetery… Kettle Kreek Jack says, “Peoples moving too fast… I like to take my time and figure things out. Yes sir, there’s something to that.”
09:30 “Diving Mules” by Skip Blumberg. At the Orange County Fair in Middletown, New York, controversy beaks out at a mule diving exhibit. An animal activist claims that the mules are trained with electric cattle prods. The woman who trains the mules says th at they only use mules that like the water. When asked if the activists love animals, the mule trainer says, “I don’t think they love animals. If they did, they’d move out of the city where they keep their little dogs and cats in their little condos and apartments and move out on a farm where they could enjoy them.” The protester says, “People can say they love their wives and beat them.” The mule trainer: “We love the animal activists. All they do is get us a lot of work.”
14:56 “Country Fiddle and Banjo Contest” by Andrew Jones. In Lowell, Massachusetts, a fiddler and a banjo picker belt out a Cajun tune.
15:51 “Roaring Springs, Texas” by Kathie Robertson. Joey Thacker, the mayor of Roaring Springs, comments on the economics of rural life forcing people to the city. Bennie Dillard, rancher: “I don’t think we’ve missed anything. If I have I don’ t know what it was.” S.N. Fletcher: “You bet you miss a lot. You’re not angry. You live longer.”
18:48 “The Valley” by John Schwartz. Ken Salazar, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, talks about growing up in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Despite moving to the city, he still calls the Valley his home.
20:21 “Happy Harvest” by Jim Likowski and Bonnie Thompson. In Riverside, Iowa: Marge and Jerry Sweeting talk about the rewards and downfalls involved in farming. Archival farm footage is interspersed throughout as Judy Garland sings “Happy Harvest.”
24:06 “Pyrenees Portrait” by Esti Galili Marpet and Bill Marpet. In Villeraze, France: An old man talks about his family’s roots in the area, “When the old people die, it’ll be all over… soon Villeraze will be just a place for tourists.” An 85-year-old woman points to the microphone and asks, “Are you taking my picture with that?”
27:14 “Coyoteland” by Jay April. In Los Angeles, California: A woman recounts the tale of a coyote stealing her dog form the backyard. Louis Dedeaux, L.A. wildlife specialist, says that once coyotes start eating domestic pets, it becomes a regular part of their diets. Louis on coyotes: “They’re really a good animal. We’re building and crowding them in.” Lyla Brooks, a California Defender of Wildlife, says, “People don’t know how to coexist with wildlife. It’s a people problem.” In the meantime, Louis checks his traps. Lyla: “As a rule I don’t like trappers, but you seem like a likable fellow… I’m surprised he picked up this profession. He should do something else.” Louis: “I can monitor it in this profession. It’s gonna happen anyway. I can make sure it’s done as humanely as possible.” Louis drives through a construction area and says, “This is why I’m trapping. They’re gonna build more homes, take up more space and bring in more domestic pets.” Louis catches a coyote in a trap, “It’s a necessary evil… What justifies it for me is the pets I save… I might have to take a life to save ten.” With the camera focused on the door of the animal regulation truck, Louis shoots the coyote. Louis lets go “our friend the gopher snake.” Jay: “You must like that part, letting something go?” Louis: “It’s the best part of all.”
35:56 “Sharkey’s Cowboys” by Jim Mulryan and Tabby Mulryan. In Gardnerville, Nevada: Sharkey Begovich praises the courage of the original cowboys: “A cowboy has to survive from the day he’s born to the day he dies… They’re a vanishing breed… Honor is a thing of the past.”
39:22 “Free from Babylon” by Gustavo Vasquez. Treehouse Joe grew up in Brooklyn, learned construction, fought in Vietnam, set up a construction business in California and found that he was making “lots of money” but was “very empty inside.” That’s when he “decided to do it another way and live in nature.” Near San Diego, he lives in a tree house. The notion of fostering a symbiotic relationship with the tree guided the design: “If I drive a nail into it’s skin, I’m not really giving it much consideration. The tree happy? It doesn’t even know I’m here.” He used the scraps from construction sites in the area to build his home: “Babylon doesn’t want things for free. Babylon wants money. So I come take the scrap wood that they call garbage and I build four castles, four temples with Babylon’s waste. There’s a place for all of this waste, but Babylon doesn’t know what to do with it. We have to start changing our ways. We cannot accept what Babylon gives us. They give us something and call it ‘right’… It doesn’t work that way. We have to start defining our powers… and redefining our ways.”
45:36 “Too Old to Die Young” by Magda Cregg. A music video on the destruction of the Redwood Forest. Features archival logging footage and scenes from Earth First! demonstrations. “Death rides a logging truck.”
48:50 “Doug Peacock” by Jimmy Sternfield. Noted environmentalist Doug Peacock (a.k.a. George Hayduke): “The overriding issue is not taxation. It’s simply the survival of the planet itself… We’re going to go down the tubes. Our grandchildren might not even have the chance of a life and maybe it’s not a life worth living. That is the reality… We’re not going to have too many elections where we have the chance to talk about other issues. If all the powerful countries on Earth took all the resources they put in military, nuclear war and transferred that into making the planet a better place to live, we’d have a chance… Maybe just 50-50. The odds are just that bleak and that’s what oughta be talked about.”
50:47 “Good Man in the Woods” by Michael Loukinen. In Upper Peninsula Michigan: A one-armed man recounts the story of when he lost his arm. Beca use of his handicap, he could not find work, so he decided he would never ask anyone for a job again. He decided to start his own business, a sawmill: “When you’re young, you’ve gotta blaze your own trail. Once you make up your mind you have to be so bullheaded you don’t give up.”
56:09 “Country Road” by John Antonelli, Will Parinello, and Doug Weihnacht. In Kyoto, Japan: Zen monk Soen Ozaki sings “Country Road.”
56:30 End Credits.
Episode 405: It’s A Mall, Mall World (2am, 9am, 4pm, 11pm CDT)
Episode 405 of the award-winning TV series The 90’s. This episode is called “It’s A Mall, Mall World” and features the following segments:
02:27 “Century Mall Time Lapse” by Dana Hill. Time lapse scenes from the Century Mall in Chicago accompanied by the Talking Heads’ “Slippery People.”
03:15 “Mall History” by Bob Hercules. Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota was where it all began. They opened their doors in October of 1956 and business is still going strong. Archival footage accompanies this look back at the beginnings of the post-war generation’s quest for convenience.
04:02 Archival Footage of a family preparing for a barbeque. “These are your neighbors taking time for leisure, time for modern living.” Part of the fun entails bringing the television outside: “The television set is in tune with the times…It’s portable.” Footage provided by White Production Archives.
05:27 “William Kowinski” by Tony Buba. Author of “The Malling of America”: “There was a need for a psychological bomb shelter, places where people felt safe… cut off from the worries of the outside world.”
05:50 “Orientation Tape #1” by Dan Walworth & Mark Daniels. Over scenes from a mall, a woman’s voice says: “Luxuriate in the abundant riches of an available world. We know what you want and we want you to want it.”
06:30 “Jody Procter Goes to the Mall” by Jody Procter & Kit Sibert. Jody Procter goes to the Valley Center in Eugene, Oregon; “One of the things I’ve always been interested about in malls is the whole concept of air. Not only is the air not exchanged, but there’s some chemicals in the clothing that give of some strange noxious gas. It all combines as a sedative to put your economic anxieties at rest. I felt like I w as gonna come in here and hate this place. You gotta say, this is what people want. All the poverty, all the homelessness, all the things you don’t want to see. You don’t want to see beggars with big sores on their legs… There’s no panhandling going on in here. Actually I hate malls. I really do hate them. To be a member of this club, to really feel like you’re a part, you gotta have one of these.” (Jody flashes a Visa card).
10:28 “Joel Garreau” by Eddie Becker. Garreau, a writer for the Washington Post: “That’s why we invented them: to have people spend two or three or four hours in a pleasant environment exchanging money for goods.”
10:45 “Mall Rats/This Week in Joe’s Basement” by Joe Winston and Bob Hercules. Young teens comment on their rituals at the mall. Mall employees, ex-mall rats, impersonate their former rodent-like selves. William Kowinski sings “Mall Rats” over video of its subject. At Lincoln Mall in Matteson, Illinois and Northbrook Court in Northbrook, Illinois girls say they’re looking for guys, guys say they are looking for girls.
13:26 “Mall Walkers” by Bob Hercules. Senior citizens walk laps around the Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota to exercise and socialize.
16:10 “Psychic Fair” by Skip Blumberg. Skip Blumberg visits a mall in New Rochelle, New York. “I’m not afraid of the escalator,” he says. Cynthia Zweibel, a tarot card reader, stumbles as she predicts the future of malls, “I think malls will go through tremendous change…” Skip: “Are these particularly bad cards to read? Do you want to try again?” Frank St. James, psychic and medium: “I see them (malls) going through a lot of problems. It’s like a hit movie. A new one comes out. Everybody goes there and the other one dies. We’re going to have a mall crisis around ’94.” Palm reader Catherine Zizzi looks into “The 90’s” future: “There’s a real need for people to come in contact with their inner-selves and this is the way to do it.”
20:30 “Muzak” by Nancy Cain. At the Fashion Island in Newport Beach, California: Pete Thalman, chief engineer of Muzak, reveals the hidden acoustic rock speakers throughout the mall: “All they know is they start feeling a warm atmosphere.” Deena L. Thompson, general manager of Muzak: “We want people to feel better about themselves, feel better about what they’re doing, lower their stress level. We want to lower their fatigue level to make them want to go into a store and, yes, it increases profits.” Pete Thalman introduces the master control system and claims that he listens to Muzak in his spare time. Deena Thompson denies any use of subliminal messages: “That’s illegal.”
24:19 More from “William Kowinski.” “The mall is very tightly controlled. Some things that would be able to be expressed in a public place would not be permitted in a mall.”
24:48 “Judith Martin” by Bob Hercules. Judith Martin of the Urban Development Department at the University of Minnesota: “It is not a public space. You don’t have the right to stand inside a mall and mouth off a bout any political issue you might be interested in. It’s not like a public city street.”
25:23 “Bob Peck” by Eddie Becker. Bob Peck, Washington, D.C. ACLU: “If we want to influence people. If we want to be true citizens of democracy…We have to be able to reach the people. If we don’t have our 1st Amendment rights to meet the people, the 1st Amendment becomes a shell, not what it was intended to be.”
25:43 “Act-Up Goes Shopping” by Judith Binder. Kathleen Chapman explains what Act-Up will be handing out at the mall: safe sex guidelines, a pamphlet on why women are vulnerable to AIDS and condoms. Mauri Tasne on how she got involved in AIDS activism: “I’ve had a lot of friends die. I got educated real quick. By getting educated, I got angry.” At the Sherman Oaks Galleria in The Valley, Mauri and other activists hand out information. One girls says to her, ” Wouldn’t you agree that abstinence is better?” She responds, “Read it so you have all the information. If you’re going to abstain, you won’t need the condom.” A mall spokesman tells them to leave. On their way out they continue to pass out info. She offers condoms to a man and his son. The man: “No, not hardly.” The son: “Thank you, maybe next time.” Mauri mocks the boy: ” I don’t want my Dad to see me take the condom, but I want one.” The y move the operation to the Fashion Square, where they are quickly spotted by Jack, the security guard, “I have people passing out things without permission,” he says to his walkie-talkie. Mauri and her friend leave as the Muzak plays “Little Drummer Boy.”
30:05 More from “Bob Peck.” “I suspect sometime in the future the Supreme Court will have to reconsider if 1st Amendment rights apply in a mall.”
30:28 “Orientation Tape #2” by Dan Walworth & Mark Daniels. Over scenes from a mall: “Everything has been leading to this moment. It has all been done for you. Yet without your heartfelt participation this remarkable edifice could not last for a day, not for a minute.”
31:34 “Carmarillo Mall Protest” by John Axelrad & Maxi Cohen. In Carmarillo, California: Alan Camp, the attorney for Sammis Co. proposes an outlet mall to the Carmarillo City Council, “I do not believe there’s a sounder mix for an urban use on this particular piece of property that’s going to suit your city’s best long term interests.” Many of the small town’s residents disagree. Bill Kobrin: “We’re here to kick ass… There’s no way we’re going to allow our way of life to be partially or negatively impacted by a factory outlet mall.” Lin Anderson: “We’ve always had agriculture. The people who move here, move here for reasons and it’s not asphalt and concrete.” Cyndi Schutt: “We have the type atmosphere where everybody knows everybody. We don’t want to lose that.” Alan Camp notifies the city council that the Sammis Co. is withdrawing their proposal. Lin: “I’m flabbergasted… I thought we were still in for a long battle. They know what they’re up against.”
35:52 “Woodfield Mall” by Bob Hercules. At the Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois: senior citizens arrive via bus from Evansville, Indiana (6 hours away) to shop… “I don’t sit at home and look at TV. I want to go out someplace… Go shopping, go see a show.”
36:40 “Russian Kitchen Talk” by Heather MacDonald. A look at the food lines of Leningrad: “Yesterday in the line for sausage a woman was beaten up and she was okay, but in the line for macaroni a woman was beaten up and taken to the hospital for a cracked skull and something else.” “This line teaches you to hate everyone that’s ahead of you.” A young woman says that some people are offended by Westerners videotaping the lines, “[They say] ‘ You should take their camera and break it over their heads’… I don’t have that kind of pride for the country… It’s not shameful for me. These lines don’t define the face of the nation.” A man says, “It’s hard for you to understand because you are from America… ‘What a nice day for business’… The Soviet Union is not America.”
39:35 “Inside” by Van McElwee. A twisting, turning ride through a cavernous mall with the sound of a low industrial roar.
40:03 “Mall Phobia I” by Bernie Kaminski. Nellie Tomic says, “I avoided going to malls by myself for the last 12 years.” With the aid of her therapist, Florette Kahn, she ventures into the Garden State Plaza. Florette Kahn comments on the difficulty agoraphobics have with going up escalators.
41:55 “Mall Phobia II” by Maxi Cohen. Lou, an agoraphobic, says, “It’s not a rational behavior. That’s what makes it difficult for non-agoraphobics to deal with. They look at you like you are not dealing with the full deck.”
42:34 “Mall Phobia III” by Bernie Kaminski. Nellie Tomic and Mary Cortazzo engage in breathing exercises to keep their anxiety levels down. Nellie: “Shopping’s not a big thing for a lot of people, but if it’s something you can’t do, you don’t take it for granted.”
44:06 More from “Inside.” Reprise of the twisting, turning mall innards.
44:17 More from “Joel Garreau:” ” An American will never walk more than 600 feet voluntarily without getting into an automobile. You’ll never be able to see how far it is from one end of the mall to the other. They’re going to extraordinary effort to break your line of site. They know if you knew how far it was, you’d leave the mall, get into your car and drive to the other end of the mall, then come back in.”
45:09 More from Judith Martin. “Malls are comforting because we know what to expect. If you want some place to go to that you will walk into and say, ‘Oh this is okay.’ I think they do t hat for all people.”
45:30 More from William Kowinski. “It was kind of like this spaceship. It was there because of technology made it possible. The mall is Main Street in a spaceship.”
46:18 “Mall of America” by Bob Hercules. A look at the Mall of America in suburban Minneapolis. Scheduled to open in August of 1992, this mall will be the largest in the world. Following an industrial promo, James Goggan, the architect, talks about his creation. Maureen Hooley from mall P.R. hypes design models of Underwear World and other mall attractions. Judith Martin comments, “It’s a real toss-up if the kind of projections made for the Mall of America will hold up.”
49:36 More from William Kowinski. Kowinski says that malls are feeling the excesses of the ’80s.
49:57 “Dr. Louis Masotti” by Jim Mulryan. Dr. Louis Masotti of Northwestern University comments on the number of department stores that are filing for bankruptcy.
50:40 More from Joel Garreau. Comments on the “single purpose” nature of malls.
50:56 More from Judith Martin. “How much of this do we need in one area? Do we need to keep replicating this as the city expands further and further out?”
51:13 More from Dr. Louis Masotti. “We’re probably over-malled and under-stored in an economy in which there are fewer people with a disposable income. So we’re going to see some radical changes.”
52:57 More from “Jody Procter Goes to the Mall.” Jody Procter at the Valley Center in Eugene: “Do you remember where we came in? This all looks the same to me. Do you know where the Emporium is? The air here is full of subliminal messages in sub-audible tones… The words are ‘buy,’ ‘do not shoplift’ – elephants talk in that same language… [walks out of the mall] Back to the real world… All subliminals, the air, the combination acts as a mood altering tranquilizer. It’s sort of an effort to come out here. I’m outta here.”
56:37 “Edmonton Mall” Industrial promo for the West Edmonton Mall in Canada Complete with a water park. Under credits.
Episode 406: The American Way (3am, 10am, 5pm CDT)
Episode 406 of the award-winning TV series The 90’s. This episode is called “The American Way” and features the following segments:
02:23 “90’s Video Poll” by Nancy Cain. In Yorba Linda, California at the birthplace of Richard Nixon, a tourist responds to the question “Who would you trust to be President?” Answer: “I would support whoever supports family values. That is really the bottom line.”
03:12 “Patrick McDougall” by Patrick Creadon. In Chicago: “I don’t know too many politicians I would trust. I might consider voting for someone new to the scene.”
03:40 “Julie Harding” by Jay April. In Los Angeles: “My name is Julie Harding. I’m a legal secretary and I’m also a bridge tournament referee. I think Frank Zappa should be President because he can carry a tune and he eats his broccoli.”
03:56 “Political Posture” by Bill Tunnicliffe. Spoof of a political ad styled like a Calvin Klein commercial.
06:00 “James ‘Bo’ Gritz” by Jim Mulryan. James “Bo” Gritz, the most decorated Green Beret of the Vietnam War and the role model for “Rambo,” discuss his Presidential aspirations with a radio interviewer: “People say, ‘Well, Bo, what chance do you think you have against the establishment?’ My return is, ‘What choice have you ever had?’ I honestly believe that America, like Rip Van Winkle, is waking up now. It’s been about 40 years. People are scratching their backsides, rubbing their eyes. They’re asking, ‘What’s been going on while I’ve been asleep?’ Politics is about two layers lower than whale manure and if you want to get dirty, just get in the political hog pen. I believe D.C. is the one more hill that we’ve got to take and prefer to call it Washington, the District of Criminals. It’s time the government learned who they are working for. We, the people are back.”
08:46 “Red, White and Blues” by Howard Heitner. Different peoples comments on America and the flag are juxtaposed over various images of Old Glory: “The Pledge of Allegiance and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence represent something that’s very beautiful and very fair and principles of a democracy, but I don’t think that is the reality of how we live or what we live under. The reality is money and the quest for power… Greedy Americans… Americans are lying bastard cut-throats… I don’t think the U.S. government has really done the right thing to other people… An aggressive nation meddling in affairs they really shouldn’t be involved with…They’re always very proud to suppress, they’re always very proud to beat… They wave the flag and everybody’s supposed to jump up and down… A lot of people died to uphold the ideas the flag represents. To me it is disrespectful to see the flag burned…”
12:53 “Echo Man” by Nancy Cain. At Venice Beach: Echo Man belts out his unique rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” and then asks for tips. “This isn’t Disneyland,” he declares.
13:32 “Timothy Keating” by Jay April. In Los Angeles: “Jimmy Carter should be President. He’s a proven winner. He’s the only President I voted for who got in and he’s had the most graceful retirement of any President living.”
14:05 “John Nolan” by Jay April. In Los Angeles: “I don’t see anyone with integrity on the horizon… How about C. Everett Koop. He’s a doctor, the country’s sick and at least the man has some integrity, which the rest of that bunch don’t.”
14:39 “Robert Clark” by Patrick Creadon. In Chicago: “One that strikes me as trustworthy is Ralph Nader. He has a sense that business leaders are not to be trusted and a healthy skepticism of the powers of government.”
15:20 “Ralph Nader” by Bill Stamets. Ralph Nader is shown from a behind scenes view while being interviewed at WMUR, a New Hampshire TV station. He is running as a write in candidate in the New Hampshire primary. “There’s too much power and money in too few hands in this country. We’ve got to develop new reforms that will give voters, consumers and taxpayers more power to shape the future of this country. The problems about the candidate running around in New Hampshire now is that they can’t deliver because the forces are all stacked against them.” After the interview he complains about only being given two minutes to lay out his ideas, “You have to talk in very quick soundbytes and it was pretty contrary to the kind of reflection on the important issues facing this country and the world that communication systems should permit. The public airways are not really accessible to the public. That’s why we need an audience network. We can’t let television be trivialized and marginalized. We have to open up television to an intelligent community of citizens who will learn how to communicate to one another through this electronic medium through other than quick eight second bites, if you’re lucky.”
17:51 “How They Saw The New World” by Larry Kless. An experimental, artistically rendered anchor man comments on the powers of television, “Once upon a time television was supposed to operate in the public interest. But lo and behold, it has captured the public and made it a product, which it sells to advertisers. In the process TV has become the nation’s primary information machine.”
18:22 “Ike For President.” An animated campaign commercial for Dwight Eisenhower.
19:16 “Pay No Attention To Those Men Behind the Curtain” by Todd R. Smith. A fictional meeting of members of the White Men’s Club: “Do you understand why all these groups are trying to stir things up?… Look we’re in the club, the White Men’s Club… Stupid name… Let’s face it, we don’t pay much attention to this club… Our rules aren’t even written down. We just obey them… We don’t whine about equality, because this is democracy… Anyone can succeed. We just hire the best candidate for the position… The fact that more white men possess the qualities we look for is nothing to make excuses about… But we don’t like to talk in terms of race or color, sexual preference or religion. After all, we’re just people.”
21:23 “Wally Nelson” by Robbie Leppzer. While gardening in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Wally Nelson comments, “I will not vote. I consider it a waste of my time.” When asked if there is democracy in America he responds, “I’ve lived in America all my life and I’ve never seen democracy, so I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
23:58 Ronald Reagan clip. Reagan from 1980: “There are those who question the way we choose a president, saying the process places difficult and exhausting burdens on those seeking office. I have not found it so.”
24:17 “Bill Clinton” by Bill Stamets. At a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas, says, “Running for president is a very humbling experience. And some days it’s hard to convince yourself that anyone deserves to be President.” Clinton is directed by photographers to walk toward them in a parking lot. “Then we want you to do it on rollerblades,” one of them says. Clinton to a crowd on the campaign trail: “I do believe since you are the first primary in the nation, you have a heavy responsibility to make all the politicians who come to this state in both parties go beyond rhetoric and thirty second ads and tell you what they would do if they were elected president. ” Clinton plays billiards and goes bowling. At the bowling lane, he thinks he has just knocked all the pins down, “How can that happen? I hit it right down the middle. Didn’t you think I was going to get that one?”
26:28 “Uncle Sam Falls” by Bill Stamets. A humorous clip where a mannequin dressed as Uncle Sam topples over and people scramble to right him.
27:03 “Sex and Politics” by John Axelrad. Dr. Susan Block, a disk jockey who hosts a sex radio talk show and presidential candidate, explains that she is a candidate who will be open about her sex life. She further explains that being sexually conservative does not mean being a competent president.
29:40 “Hot Water” by Jim Mulryan. John Boehn talks while sitting in a Victorville, California hot spring: “If you watch as people deny themselves sex experiences their faces tighten up. They’re angry all the time because they’ve seen the sex stimulation and it’s beauty, but the y never have any access to it. Look at priests. Their upper lips go, unless they’re priests who have found a good buddy. If they continue it, their lower lip goes also. Look at the lips of some of the people determining our laws. Look at Kennedy. He’s living. Those people have a serious disadvantage in the political arena. . . We destroy a man, he can be politically brilliant, he can be a wonderful man, he can have marvelous ideas; but if he went to bed with the wrong person, well forget it, he’s out. To make ‘sex’ a dirty word so that people can’t experience it, except under the terms defined by law. I think it’s an abomination. It’s cruel and disgusting.”
30:38 “Positive Motion” by Andy Abrahams Wilson. People with AIDS use a cooperative dance class as a kind of therapy. Over scenes from a dance: “The virus keeps us apart and shows me my strength, joins me with you.” Participants in the group give personal statements: “I don’t know what to do with all of this. As hard as I want to stuff it all away, it keeps knocking in, it keeps pounding away and I don’t know what to do about it some days.” Another one comments: “I’ve been walking around and all the people who are in my head, around me, are dead. So many of the people I have a good time with aren’t here. It’s just hard for me this week. I’m glad I’m here because I’ve got friends here.” The group dances.
35:45 “Eileen Myles” by Skip Blumberg. Another alternative candidate for president. Myles says she will talk about topics that the other candidates won’t address.
37:47 “Joe Begley” by Appalshop. In Blakey, Kentucky: “I don’t see any leadership and I see greed and suspicion and selfishness and when it’s like that nobody can survive. The people in Washington know nothing about reality.”
39:16 “Panama Girl” by Che Che Martinez. In Panama, a little girl sings a song, “It’s said they came in three ships to discover what we knew was our land. Now they’re calling it the encounter of two worlds. There was imposition, destruction and the sacrifice of our people. They are saying they brought civilization, what about the syphilis and colonialism they left us?”
41:08 “A Matter of Conscience” by Robbie Leppzer. In Colerain, Massachusetts, Betsy Corner comments on the arrest of her husband for his refusal to pay taxes and the seizing of their home by the Federal Government: “We refused to pay our Federal taxes because one half of those taxes go to past, present and future war making. We don’t want to pay for killing. We don’t want to pay for nuclear weapons, genocidal weapons, nor intervention in countries where we don’t belong.” In the Hampshire County Jail in North Hampton, Massachusetts, Randy Kehler is incarcerated: “I’ve been to Nicaragua twice in the last five years and I’ve seen the results of our military policies there. The killing still continues in El Salvador>, financed and supported by our country. Then there was Panama and before that Grenada and last year the horror of the Persian Gulf slaughter and I don’t think that’s going to be the end. It’s going to keep going, keep going, keep going.” Betsy says they fill out their tax forms and figure out what they owe and give 50% to charities that help victims of war and 50% to local groups “who have lost out because our priorities are skewed priorities.” Randy: “Killing is wrong… Nobody can tell me that it’s right. If that’s not right, to refuse to be a part of it must be right.”
45:09 “Joan Jett Blakk” by Bill Stamets. Queer Nation presidential candidate Joan Jett Blakk: “The Republicans and Democrats: I think they’re all the same myself. That’s why we have the Queer Nation Party. It’s different, it’s just different. [Republicans and Democrats] pretty much think the same way, but they tell you they think differently. I’ll be the only president that answers the phone myself.”
46:09 “Jody Sibert” by Nancy Cain. In Santa Monica, California: “Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis… No laughing… I meant it… I haven’t even seen the movie, but that’s how much I trust them.”
46:36 “Congressman Jose Serrano” by Eddie Becker. “I’d like to see someone like Jesse Jackson run for one specific reason. If someone like him does not run who will put on the table the issues of the poor?… If this country can liberate Kuwait, why can’t it liberate the poor of the South Bronx?”
47:27 “John Eric Priestly” by Jim Mulryan. On the curb in Los Angeles: “It’ s not economically feasible to liberate black people. White people can say whatever they want, but they do not want to be under the supervision of nobody black. Period.”
48:33 “Tom Laughlin” by Garth Roger Bacon. Presidential candidate Tom Laughlin (a.k.a. Billy Jack) comments on Americans’ lack of interest and the lack of choices they have in the political process. According to a poll his staff conducted on the streets of New Hampshire, more than 87% of the people “detest” all of the candidates. He proposes that it will take someone from outside of the political system to make a change.
50:24 “Tony Fitzpatrick” by Patrick Creadon. The artist at work: “I think you would have to look at the kind of guy who would want to be president. Doesn’t that scare you? By the time they get up the food chain, they’ve hocked every bit of their soul, every principal. Those guys have whored out every bit of their humanity just to get in a position to be elected. So, it’s a matter of which scumbag do you want? Why don’t they tell us who’s really running this country? AT&T, IBM, Dow…”
52:06 “The Motorcade Sped On” by Mass Media. Archival footage of JFK slickly edited and set to a beat.
54:46 “Blase Bonpane” by Nancy Cain. Dr. Blase Bonpane, peace activist: “We don’t have a relationship between church and state, but we have a relationship between media and state.”
56:18 Excerpt from “Nixon Resignation.” From the White House pool feed. Moments before Nixon resigns in 1974: “My friend Ollie always wants to take a lot of pictures. I’m afraid he’ll catch me picking my nose. You wouldn’t print that, would you Ollie?”
56:42 End Credits.
THE 90’s Election Special: The Primary (4am, 11am, 6pm CDT)
The first of three election specials from the award winning series, The 90’s. This episode focuses on “THE PRIMARY” and features moments from the Illinois presidential and senatorial primaries, featuring Bill Clinton, Jerry Brown, Paul Tsongas, and Carol Moseley Braun. The producers tend to stay away from the regular news type footage and find the human interactions and the moments when the politicians are off their guard.
00:14 Cold opening with David Wilhelm. “Our plan from here is to go on, win Illinois and Michigan, go on and win the nomination and win the White House… Actually those are our goals. I would tell you the plan, but I would have to kill you.”
00:32 The 90’s opening
01:24 The Shot. Super Tuesday: March 10, 1992: Clinton advanceman Tom Hart orchestrates the preparation for the evening’s victory party, paying special attention to “The Shot.” His job is to arrange the photographers so that none of the members of the media appear in the official television coverage.
05:23 Paul Tsongas at Harper High School. Tsongas talks casually with Skip Blumberg as he signs autographs. Skip: “Everybody says you’re a real guy, is it true?”
Tsongas: “No, I’m just fake, all plastic… People said I’m not telegenic but it turned out to be an advantage.”
Skip: “Is there a part of the process that pushes you to be phony and plastic?”
Tsongas: “People can do it that way. Certainly there’s a precedent for that.” Tsongas signs his pamphlet “A Call for Economic Arms,” can’t find a taker, then gives it to Skip.
06:52 Jerry Brown Media Tour. Jerry Brown conducts a satellite TV media tour. The woman working the phone switchboard is baffled by her task. She is asked what her qualifications are. She responds, “I’m a Jerry Brown supporter.” Brown is quick to respond to a question about the possible contradiction between his desire to “throw out” all the crooked politicians and his background from a political family. “That’s how I know how rotten it is.”
08:33 The Senate Race. Voiceover: “Beyond the presidential primary, the most visible contest in Illinois was the attempt to unseat Democratic Senator Alan Dixon by Carol Moseley Braun and Al Hofeld.” Braun describes her underdog status: “It’s $280,000 a week to do TV. They’ve been on since Christmas. I just have to run an old-fashioned, she’s-the-best-candidate campaign. It seems to be working.” To a crowd, she says, “The feeling is there that we can do better than we’re doing…There’s something wrong with our system when people are excluded from the largest legislative body in the country.” Terry Peterson, a 17th Ward organizer, puts up fliers and talks: “Chicago sets the trend for the rest of the U.S. If you look at the election of Mayor Washington, you’ll see an increase in voter registration as well as participation all over the United States. We’ll all be motivated to get out there this time.” David Wilhelm tells us, “The worst time of a campaign is when the phone doesn’t ring. We’re busy right now, that’s good. I’d rather manage growth than decline.”
13:15 The Beasley School. Bill Clinton visits the predominantly African-American school on the South Side of Chicago. Opens with children singing “Everybody wants to know/about Beasley School.” David Wilhelm offers his spin on Clinton’s visit to Beasley in contrast to Tsongas’ visit to Harper High, “[Clinton ] talks about parental involvement, making the most out of opportunity and personal responsibility and he really connected with the kids and with the parents. Paul Tsongas goes to a similar high school and talks about capital gains, tax cuts and the need to provide business incentives, and people looked at him like…” Hugh Hill, WLS-TV Political Editor, says of Tsongas’ visit to Harper High, “This guy’s got to be a loser. I mean, Jesus, he comes here to Illinois where he absolutely needs to win. He makes one stop and he’s gone.” Jerry Brown goes on WVON radio, but his appearance is interrupted by news that congressional candidate Mel Reynolds has been shot.
20:06 St. Patrick’s Day. We see the parade and talk to the marchers, including the Queer Nation’s candidate for president, Joan Jett Blakk, Hillary Clinton’s brother Tony Rodham, and Niki Tsongas. Mayor Richard M. Daley says, “The Democratic Party today is a party made up of people who do not identify with the elephants or donkeys of America. People are much more independent… The Roosevelt era is over in this country, so they identify with an individual.” Poet Barbara Barg says, “Primaries are like primers for the election. It’s like a Miss America pageant. There’s the swimsuit competition, the talent competition, you have to answer one or two supposedly substantive questions. You have to keep your smile right… It’s essentially a Mr. America contest… It has nothing to do with real issues.”
23:59 Carol Moseley Braun at Operation PUSH rally. A woman tells Braun to elevate her feet at night. Braun replies, “I’ve been doing that ever since you [first] told me that.” At the rally, Braun says, “We’re in striking distance of the incumbent. We can do this. We can actually do this.” Hofeld Media Adviser, David Axelrod, offers his spin on the Senate race. “Dixon and Hofeld are beating the hell out of each other. They’re both losing votes. The third candidate, who has no resources and really hasn’t been running much of a campaign, is benefiting from it; not because she’s above the fray, but because she’s below the fray.” Gloria Steinem presents a $1000 check to Braun: “We have enemies in the Senate. We have a few people who are not enemies, but we don’t have anybody who’s our friend. We don’t have anybody who understands. That’s who Carol is.” Bill and Hillary Clinton make an appearance at the Apostolic Church of God. At the Church of God in Christ, Tsongas has an awkward moment when he is prevented from putting money in the collection plate by the minister.
27:49 The Money Man. Fundraising at the Clinton headquarters. David Wilhelm: “We had an extraordinary week. The message all week was ‘We understand Chicago and we understand the problems that average Chicago folk face.'” Meanwhile, Rahm Emanuel, National Finance Co-Chair, works the phones for cash. Amy Zisook, the other co-chair, says, “Most people who we raise money from don’t want anything… They just want some excitement and they want to feel important.”
29:44 Roger Clinton’s band. In Hollywood, on the set of “Designing Women,” Roger Clinton, Bill’s brother, backed by his band “Politix,” sings the Traffic classic “Feelin’ Alright.” Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, the show’s co-executive producer, comments on her close relationship with Bill and Hillary and her fundraising tactics. When someone gives less than $1,000, “I always say, ‘You can save yourself a lot of agony and pain, if you just finish writing the check now.'”
32:44 Clinton headquarters. Rahm Emanuel works the phone and comments on the importance of giving Clinton as much time as possible to get votes as opposed to raising money. Tsongas rally. Tsongas says, “We’re not the machine. We’re the message.” He says the campaign has raised $1,000,000 in the last 12 days, more than all of 1991.
35:09 The Debate. David Wilhelm defines the other candidates’ strategies: “There’s a lot of desperation on their part… In an attempt to win a state today, you may lose so much of your character that you can’t bounce back.” He maintains the secrecy of the infamous “Plan.” “It’s like Nixon’s plan to get us out of Vietnam. You have to be elected first, then I’ll tell you six months later.” At a TV debate, Jerry Brown accuses Clinton of funneling state business to his wife’s law firm, which causes a heated exchange. At the press conference after the debate, Tsongas says, “I found it very distasteful. Those two got in a dispute you all are going to use on the news and I’m out of the picture… I was gonna run in between them”… Wilhelm offers his spin to the press, “When people are behind in the polls they’ll do crazy things.”
38:17 President Bush arrives. A press member comments on how the Secret Service keeps the President out of question-answer scenarios. Bush is introduced at the Polish National Alliance, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m most privileged to introduce our number one freedom farter—fighter—and the most popular American in Poland…” Chicago Tribune White House Correspondent Ellen Warren sports her one-eyed telescope, “Sometimes we’re kept so far away that the only way we can see him as more than a pinhead is with this device.” Press members show off their ladders of choice. Michael Maruzzi of the Coalition to End Homelessness says, “President Bush is having a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser and we have 100,000 homeless people in this state.”
42:57 Election Day. At a CTA L stop, 17th Ward organizer (Alderman Alan Streeter’s Chief of Staff) Terry Peterson encourages people to vote. Bill Banks, 36th Ward Committeeman, talks positively about the work done by David Wilhelm for Mayor Daley during his election bid. David Wilhelm offers his opinion on the day’s result, “For the first time in a long time, maybe since Bobby Kennedy, we have a real coalition of white ethnics, downstate rural voters and black voters. It’s been unifying rather than divisive… It was The Plan. See, The Plan worked.” Warren Mitofsky, Voter Research and Survey Exit Poll Director, talks about the historical significance of exit polls. “We don’t know if Abraham Lincoln got elected because voters were opposed to slavery. We have no idea. Today we know that Ronald Reagan got elected not by a conservative mandate, but by a rejection of Jimmy Carter.”
46:33 The Results Are In. At the Braun suite, excitement brews with the news that “the race is too close to call.” Advanceman Tom Hart talks to photographers, “I just don’t want to screw up The Shot.” Wilhelm heralds Clinton’s ability to “pull disparate factions of the Democratic coalition together.” With 40% of the precincts in, the Senate race is a virtual tie, prompting Braun to say, “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?” Dixon gives his concession speech: “I had a wonderful public life. I enjoyed every golden, beautiful minute of it… It was a great privilege and honor to be yours – for decades.” Clinton casually talks to reporters. “Tsongas is in Connecticut. Brown is in Wisconsin. It’s back to divide and conquer.” Braun supporters dance to “We are Family.” Braun says, “When they said, ‘You don’t have the money,’ we said , ‘In a democracy, it’s how many votes you got.’ When they said a woman couldn’t serve in the U.S. Senate, we said, ‘Wrongo.'” We also see Clinton’s victory party at the Palmer House Hilton and an intimate, behind-the-scenes portrait of him performing for news broadcasts around the country.
56:18 End credits with shots of Clinton posing for a camera.
THE 90’s Election Special: The Convention (5am, 12pm, 7pm CDT)
The second of three election specials from the award winning series, The 90’s. This episode is called “THE CONVENTION” and features moments from the Democratic National Convention in New York and the Republican National Convention in Houston in 1992. The producers tend to stay away from the regular news type footage and find the human interactions and the moments when the politicians are off their guard.
01:18 Opening.
02:33 “Stoney Burke at GOP Convention” by Bob Hercules. Comedian/activist Burke confronts various Republicans before and during the their convention. He asks straightforward questions about homelessness, and other social issues.
09:07 “Alvin Toffler” by Jim Mulryan and Tabatha Mulryan. Toffler, author of “Future Shock,” talks about alienation in the American and Global political systems. He says that we only have the appearance of democracy.
10:56 “Inside the Clinton Command Post” by Scott Jacobs. Clinton Command Trailer with John Hart, Chief Delegate Tracker. Numerous Clinton campaign workers monitor each major TV news network from Clinton’s Command Trailer. Jerry Brown supporters demand that he be given a chance to speak at the convention. John Hart, Clinton’s Chief Delegate Tracker, orders delegates from other states to drown out the shouting of Brown supporters. Clinton campaign worker strategize about how to suppress Brown supporters. John Hart: “Governor [Jerry] Brown will have two opportunities to speak on Wednesday night…what [Brown supporters] are engaging in is a debate over dates and times…Our official response…is anyone who is not ready to endorse [Clinton] is not ready for primetime.”
18:43 “Political Buttons” by Eddie Becker. Button collectors at the convention show off and trade some of their buttons.
19:49 “Houston T-shirts” by Robert Zeibell, Tomas Krejci, and Bart Weiss. A man at the republican convention sells t-shirts with slogans attacking the “liberal media.”
20:17 “We Bought the T-shirt” by Merrill Aldighieri and Joe Tripician. A musical spoof that pokes fun at activist merchandising.
22:40 “Coal Miner” by Eddie Becker. J. R. Hamlin, a coal-miner and single parent, talks to Becker at the Democratic Convention. He says he is supporting the democrats so that his daughter can have a future and to ensure health care for all the working people in America. He also says we need a new president.
23:16 “In the Shadow of the Convention” by Art Jones and Mark Ledzian. Two African-American NYC fireman talk about racism.
23:44 “Homeless in Aurora” by Steve Martini and James McCarthy. A homeless man says all he want is a job.
23:59 “Woman President” Various people discuss the need for a female President.
24:50 “W.A.C. Wheat Pasting” by Jules Backus. Members of the Women’s Action Coalition engage in an illegal poster campaign to raise awareness for their causes. A man harasses them for breaking the law and threatens to call the police.
27:29 “Topless Demonstration” by Skip Blumberg. The cameras are turned on some of the action that is happening outside of the Democratic convention hall in NYC; including topless dancers advertising a strip club (and women’s rights advocates that oppose the objectification of women), and various demonstrators. A CNN cameraman is interviewed about objectivity in reporting.
30:36 “What Happened to Larry Agran?” by John Axelrod and Brian Logan. Larry Agran, a democratic candidate for president, complains that he received no media attention during the election, even though he was on the ballot in forty states. He says he was discriminated against by the press – including being cropped out of news photos of presidential candidates.
34:13 “National Anthem” by Skip Blumberg. Aretha Franklin sings the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Democratic convention.
34:46 “American Samoan Delegation” by Skip Blumberg. Daniel Langkilde, an American Samoan Delegate travels 13,000 miles to the Democratic Convention in New York City. As someone definitely outside the Beltway, Daniel talks about issues facing Samoans and their system of government. “[We have] a chief system… unlike the Convention, the final decision is made by the chief. When things don’t work the democratic way, you laugh, because it would have worked the Samoan way.”
39:24 “W.A.C. in Houston” by Robert Zeibell, Tomas Krejci, and Bart Weiss. The WAC drum core demonstrates outside of the Republican Convention in Houston. They demand that women’s issues be addressed by the Republicans.
40:56 “[G.H.W.] Bush Statue” by Robert Zeibell, Tomas Krejci, and Bart Weiss. Bush supporters comment on a bronze statue of the 41st president and talk about how they feel about the man himself.
42:02 “Ian Shoales” by Starr Sutherland and Jules Backus. Shoales, a writer/humorist satirically speaks about “family values.”
43:06 More from “Stoney Burke…” Burke interviews people at the Republican convention about the implied meaning of “family values” – “what is that a code for?” He goes on to interview Sonny Bono, Bruce Willis, and other celebrities in attendance.
50:09 More from “Inside the Clinton Command Post.” We watch from inside the trailer as Bill Clinton wins the democratic nomination.
54:21 “Don Novello” by Eddie Becker. Actor/comedian Don Novello, who is also a delegate for Jerry Brown, says that although Clinton is young, he might as well be a part of the old guard: “[Clinton’s nomination is like] the torch being passed to a new generation – underneath the table. The torch is being slipped to another generation … There’s nothing new here.”
54:48 More from “Stoney Burke …” Burke stands at the podium and declares himself a candidate for president.
56:14 End Credits.
THE 90’s Election Special: It’s Debate-able (6am, 1pm, 8pm CDT)
“It’s Debate-able” features an inside look at the 1992 presidential debate in St. Louis and the various media tactics the candidates used to their advantage. Segments include video from candidates’ debate prep, spin rooms, satellite tours, and commercials.
00:00 Opening, The 90s 1992 Campaign Special.
01:35 Bush Headquarters. Several Bush supporters and campaign workers are interviewed in and around Bush headquarters in Washington D.C. David Carney: “Fifty percent of the people in the country are yet not committed to a candidate…that gives us a good chance…”
04:38 Debate Prep. Clinton in debate preparation in Kansas City, MO. We watch as Clinton advisers set up a stage for a mock debate, discuss various debate strategies, and follow the press to a Clinton photo-op.
13:43 Flashback – New Hampshire. Flashback to February of 1992. We follow the press as they follow Clinton in New Hampshire. The Clintons meet a little girl named Destiny, Hillary on the bus, Clinton bag.
15:50 Bush Arrives. St. Louis, MO. President G.H.W. Bush arrives in St. Louis for the first of three Presidential debates. His supporters wait anxiously for him at the Airport.
18:52 Setting the Stage. We watch as various news outlets make their last minute preparations for the debate. Several reporters also comment on the spin-doctors for each campaign. We see some of the doctors at work.
24:50 The First Debate. A series of sound bites from the first debate on October 11, 1992 at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
27:11 The Spin Room. A post-debate view of the spin-doctors representing each candidate. Each candidates’ various representatives claim that their candidate won the debate.
30:45 David Halberstam. Author David Halberstam likens the U.S. deficit that was created during the Reagan/Bush administrations to a Russian missile headed toward the U.S.: “It’s in the air, it’s getting larger, getting faster…if you think of [the deficit] like that you’re scared, and with damn good reason.”
31:51 Satellite Tours. We watch as Clinton spin-doctors conduct one interview after another via satellite. Each repeats key phrases (“Clinton met all of his strategic goals for the debate”) in every interview. We also follow CBS News producer Susan Zirinski has she pushes her team to get the debate coverage on the air. NBC News reporter Jim Miklaszewski defends the increasingly common practice of distilling a candidate’s message into 7-second sound bites.
38:26 Vote Commercials. Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh, and Sidney Poitier appear in a vintage commercial that urges people to vote.
39:30 Why People Don’t Vote. A segment examining the reasons people don’t vote. Voter apathy experts, and non-voters are interviewed. An expert claims the most common reason given by non-voters for not voting is because they are not registered.
44:48 The War Room. A visit to Clinton Campaign headquarters in Little Rock, AR., known as “The War Room.” The young age of the campaign workers and the embrace of technology is focused on.
48:30 Flashback – Getting In. This segment features video correspondent Eddie Becker on the phone with Bush/Quayle campaign coordinator. Becker is attempting to gain access to Bush/Quayle HQ, but the campaign is resisting. Eventually they inform Becker that cameras will be allowed to take pictures, but no audio is to be recorded.
50:16 My Home Town. Video correspondent, Andrew Jones takes on a tour of Richmond, VA, his home town. He brings us to the housing project where he lived as a child, and to the wealthiest white community where he gives a message to the candidates.
54:38 Credits roll as Joe Cummings reads some viewer response letters.