Promotional efforts are in full swing for
two documentary series coming next month on the life and death of President Kennedy, with more likely on the way.
The hook is the 60th anniversary of JFK’s assassination in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
For historians and millions who
lived through it, the date lives in infamy, on par with 9/11 in its shock value and significance.
To apply the old cliché, the murder of John F.
Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, altered the course of human events and came to be considered by many as a turning
point in American life and culture.
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First up is National Geographic’s three-part documentary “JFK: One Day in America,” premiering all on
one night -- Sunday, November 5, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Following an overview of the state of the nation and the Kennedy administration four months
before the president’s death, “JFK: One Day in America” focuses narrowly on the events of November 22 and the days that followed.
They were days of mourning and drama. A manhunt culminated in the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald, who was
subsequently shot to death on live TV while in police custody.
And then, the sad, somber state funeral was broadcast globally and riveted the
world.
Interview subjects in the documentary include Clint Hill and Paul Landis, retired Secret Service agents who were assigned to protect the president and
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy (pictured above on that fateful day) on their trip to Dallas.
Also interviewed is Buell Frazier, one-time co-worker of
Oswald’s at the Texas School Book Depository.
The two young men had a friendly relationship, and
Frazier had driven his friend to work that day.
Later in November, a new documentary miniseries on History Channel will tell a broader story encompassing
JFK’s life, political career, presidency and his murder.
The eight-part documentary, titled simply “Kennedy,” will play out over three
consecutive nights: The first three hours on Saturday, November 18, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern; the second three on Sunday, November 19, also starting at 8 Eastern; and the final two on Monday,
November 20, 8-10 p.m. Eastern.
The sprawling documentary’s 70-plus interview subjects include Conan O’Brien, long-time member of the JFK Library
Foundation’s board of directors, according to History Channel; and actor Bruce Greenwood, now starring in “The Fall of the House of Usher” on Netflix who played JFK 23 years ago in
the Cuban missile crisis movie “Thirteen Days.”
Based on long experience, the TV Blog expects that these two documentary miniseries are only the tip of
the iceberg. Look for much more to come as TV gears up for this memorable anniversary.