History
A Walk Through the 20th Century
Marshall, Texas. Marshall, Texas
The Arming of the Earth
The Reel World of News
WWII: The Propaganda Battle
The Imagemakers
The 30 Second President
A Walk Through the 20th Century
with BIll Moyers
Awards:
Emmy Award - Primetime
Emmy Award - News and Documentary
Bill Moyers takes a look at noteworthy moments in the history of the 20th century.
PBS
Five Hours
1983
“An admirable and sophisticated series.”
– The New York Times
“I’d be surprised if there were a more interesting documentary on public television this season, or one filled with more vivid and compelling human history.”
– American Heritage
Episodes:
Marshall, Texas, Marshall, Texas
Bill Moyers visits his hometown. Long-time residents describe the town as being "a Tom Sawyer sort of place" on one hand and a town formerly divided by racial segregation on the other.
"I'd be surprised if there were a more interesting documentary on public television this season, or one filled with more vivid and compelling human history.
- American Heritage
The Arming of the Earth
Journalist Bill Moyers considers how the machine gun, the submarine, and the airplane have revolutionized the conduct of war. Focuses on the way in which advances in the technology of war have vastly increased the civilian toll in wartime.
"The finest anti-war program we have ever seen."
- Daily News
The Reel World of News
A look at how newsreels grew into a unique 20th-century institution that informed and entertained whole generations.
WWII: The Propaganda Battle
Two motion picture experts -- Frank Capra and Fritz Hippler -- on the war they waged through film.
The Imagemakers
The growth of mass communication provided a new understanding of ways to manipulate images and influence popular opinion. Bill Moyers examines the public-relations campaign designed by Ivy Lee in 1914 to improve the image of John D. Rockefeller. He also talks with Edward Bernays — the man who helped immortalize Thomas Edison and actually coined the term public relations.
The 30 Second President
No single force has changed American politics more than television — especially the television commercial. Bill Moyers examines the phenomenon of the “30-second president” and the role of advertising in 20th-century American politics.