Michael Bacon Movies

This is the first part of a three-video, six-hour program that originally aired February 19-21, 2001, as part of the acclaimed PBS series The American Experience. The program focuses on the marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, and is one of the first documentaries to do so. This documentary postulates that Mary was indeed a key to Lincoln's success. The first part deals with Abraham's and Mary's early years and with their vastly different backgrounds. Lincoln was born to poverty and had less than a year of formal schooling, while Mary Todd grew up in luxury and got more schooling than most girls in that time. Narrated by David McCullough, the program also features interviews with scholars and readings by actors David Morse and Holly Hunter. Highlights include period photographs. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

This is the final part of a three-video, six-hour program that originally aired February 19-21, 2001, as a presentation of the acclaimed PBS series The American Experience. The program focuses on the marriage of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, and is one of the first documentaries to do so. In the third part, a series of tragedies overwhelms Mary. Lincoln's urgent need to manage the war hurts the marriage, leaving Mary feeling isolated, especially in light of the death of their son Willie. Often accused of being a Confederate sympathizer, Mary ultimately loses three brothers in battle against the Union. After the president is assassinated, she's devastated. Six years later, after her son Tad dies young of tuberculosis, she loses her sanity and spends the last 17 years of her life institutionalized. Narrated by David McCullough, the program also features interviews with scholars and readings by actors David Morse and Holly Hunter. Highlights include period photographs. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide

An outgrowth of historian Donald L. Miller's massive City of the Century, this three-part, 270-minute series traces the history of Chicago from a settlement of only 300 or so transients in 1830, to the heavily populated site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. After synopsizing Chicago's roots as a stopping-off point for explorers Marquette and Joliet in the 17th century, the series focuses on that era of the city's past that has been meticulously chronicled in print and on camera: the Great Fire of 1871, the Haymarket Riot of 1886, the ascension of the meatpacking "barons" to Gold-Coast aristocracy, the dominance of such high-profile figures as Cyrus McCormick, George Pullman, and Marshall Field (described in the narration as "buccaneers"), and the seeds of the social-consciousness movement sown by Jane Addams and her Hull-House. It is shown how the "landed gentry" of Chicago not only scorned the incoming Irish, Polish, and African-American immigrants, but also did everything in their power to expunge these minorities from the social mainstream (for example, the myth that "Mrs. O'Leary's cow" sparked the Chicago Fire is debunked as anti-Irish propaganda); it is also shown how those minorities ultimately battled their way to predominance in Chicago's political machine. Narrated by actor David Ogden Stiers, Chicago: City of the Century was produced for the PBS anthology American Experience in association with Chicago's Historical Society and the city's powerful public-TV outlet WTTW. The series originally aired on January 13, 14, and 15, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"Mudhole to Metropolis" is part one of American Experience: Chicago - City of the Century, based on the book by Don Miller. David Ogden Stiers narrates. The story begins in 1673, when French explorers took a canoe up the Illinois River and found a smelly marshland that the Indians called Chicagoua. The French chose not to settle there and the area was used as a fur trading post until the 1800s. When the Erie Canal was finished, the marsh was a good way to link the Mississippi to the Great Lakes. By 1833, the Potawatomi tribe was forced out and white men from New England bought up the land. Then the Irish immigrants who had dug the Erie Canal arrived looking for work. The city's first mayor, William Butler Ogden, helped make Chicago the world's largest railroad hub, lumber market, and grain port. The city experienced an economic boom until the great Chicago Fire of 1871. Over three miles of the city was destroyed. This program was originally broadcast on PBS in January of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Originally produced as part of the "American Experience" documentary series, this in depth- look at the life and career of the 41st President of the United States draws on new scholarship and recently-conducted interviews with those closest to George H.W. Bush to highlight how an increasingly sluggish economy combined with a broken oath not to raise taxes ultimately prevented him from being elected to a second term in the Oval Office. While a decisive military victory in the Persian Gulf did well to boost Bush's popularity for a short while, the president's subsequent slip in popularity found him looked upon as something of an irrelevant relic of the Cold War era. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

General Douglas MacArthur is considered to be one of the most influential and important military personalities in America's history. American Experience: MacArthur provides a comprehensive biography of the controversial man's life and dramatic role in American military history. The program begins with a glimpse of MacArthur's childhood and education at the U.S. Military Academy, where he graduated with top honors. His graduation and training led to his crucial role in numerous victories during both World War I and World War II. Includes discussion about his involvement in the occupation of postwar Japan and his eventual firing by President Truman for his much publicized criticism of military officials. American Experience presents MacArthur's story with archived news footage and interviews with various historians.


~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide

This lengthy (4 1/2 hours) TV documentary on Ronald Reagan, part of The American Experience series, intercuts film clips, network feeds, home movies, and interviews to survey the life, career, philosophy, and policies of the 40th President of the United States. Interview subjects include Mikhail Gorbachev, Margaret Thatcher, Ed Meese, Donald Regan, Nancy Reagan, Maureen Reagan, Ron Reagan, Patti Davis, Dr. Helen Caldicott, George Will, and Reagan's official biographer Edmund Morris. Narrated by David Ogden Stiers and filmed by WGBH Boston for PBS, the documentary premiered as a two-parter on 23-24 February 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The American Experience presents Surviving the Dust Bowl, a one-hour account of the farmers of the Southern Plains who endured extraordinary conditions during the 1930s. This video traces the families as they traveled to the Plains in search of the good life. Finding rich topsoil, they felt they had hit gold and began plowing the land to sow their seeds of success. But unpredictable weather patterns and abusive farming techniques took them by surprise. Following a short-lived spell of bountiful crops, drought replaced the rains. Viewers learn about the unrelenting heat that turned the soil into dust because of overplowing. Then high winds whipped the dust into blinding storms so thick that people were coughing up dirt. Viewers experience the disillusionment that sent some packing for California, while others died of disease. But the majority of survivors stayed, their drive still thriving. Surviving the Dust Bowl explains the practical and drastic measures that kept these livelihoods and spirits afloat. ~ Brooke Hodess, All Movie Guide

This PBS documentary chronicles the highly political and oftentimes tragic dynasty of the Kennedy family, and the profound impact it has made on America throughout the years. Hosted by historian David McCullough, the documentary features several Kennedy experts, including fellow historian Theodore Sorenson, author Doris Kearns Goodwin, the late Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, and a bevy of family friends and colleagues who have served the Kennedy clan in their many political endeavors. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

The Richest Man In the World is a thoughtful portrait of one of history's most complicated men. Andrew Carnegie was a study in contrasts, a walking contradiction. He was a great philanthropist who endowed nearly 3,000 libraries, but he was also a ruthless businessman who dealt savagely with employee and competitor alike. This video deals with all facets of his puzzling personality in probing and careful fashion, relying both on original sources and testimony from historians and Carnegie's leading biographers. The major events of Carnegie's life are given close attention, from the Homestead Strike to his eventual sell-out to J.P. Morgan. A man such as Carnegie is inseparable from his age, and this volume of the American Experience puts the events of Carnegie's life in proper context. Its sober delivery and balanced tone make it appropriate for the college classroom though its length may preclude its use in this context. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide

The life and legacy of atomic bomb creator J. Robert Oppenheimer serves as the subject of this installment of PBS's American Experience. His name forever bound to the Manhattan Project, America's most famous top-secret initiative, Oppenheimer presided over the assembly of the atomic bomb that helped end World War II. The legacy of the charismatic scientist would soon be tainted, however, by accusations of treason. Why did the country who once hailed Oppenheimer as a national hero suddenly turn their backs on him? Academy Award-nominated actor David Strathairn stars as Oppenheimer in a documentary profile of the man who would ultimately emerge as one of the 20th Century's most important, yet controversial figures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, Harry Truman became the 33rd president of the United States. This video captures the exciting details surrounding Truman's later race for re-election against Dewey, along with many other important historical moments. Viewers are reminded that Truman was a combat artillery captain during WWI and a highly respected U.S. senator before becoming vice president. As many recall, it was Truman who made the fateful decision to drop the first atomic bomb on Japan in 1945. Three years later, he chose to recognize the new state of Israel. Truman was also behind such important programs as the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the North Atlantic Treaty, which was designed to stop the Soviets from expanding further into Europe.
~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide