Customer Reviews

The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After

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The transfer of power -- some still call it a coup d'état - when JFK was murdered and the 40 minutes before LBJ took office and then the following turbulent 24 hours, still fascinates with its many reverberating questions and expressions of mutual distrust. The true story of the violent transition has only been partially told. Now, with never-before-seen transcripts only recently made public, startling new information about the death of the president including new details about when JFK actually died and the truth behind Vice President Johnson's famous oath of office photo on Air Force One can be shown. Who was really in charge? This is a great documentary -- dramatic, compelling, almost Shakespearean in its unfolding.

Besides all the lies Emory Roberts' report says, and all the lies that have been so firmly entrenched in our minds,
You gain great insight to the assassination, what johnson, had to gain, and how
our country was stolen from us, by the rich and powerful war mongers.
There are both truth and lies, but a lot of pictures we never had seen, and other information we have never heard are in this disc.

This is a documentary about the hours after JFK was shot and the actions LBJ took to assume the presidency. No matter what he did, he would have been critized by someone. In the end he probably did the right thing given the tumultuous times. No one was sure whether the Soviets were behind the assassination and if this was the beginning of WWIII. The US needed a strong man to take control and let the world know we would not sink to the level of a despotic nation whose government couldn't survive such a catastrophe. Jackie was criticized later in life for marrying a foreigner, but her demeanor during this time was amazing. Poor Ladybird was caught in the middle-wanting to comfort the widow but needing to stand by her husband as he assumed his new position. Conspiracy theorists may not enjoy this so much but it does capture the bitterness of RFJ and the JFK camp.

Interesting on the surface. But as one gets toward the conclusion you find it's real point of view is to bolster Lyndon Johnson's standing in the minds of the American public. His manipulation of events on Air Force One is acknowledged, thankfully, but his back at Washington movements is given a damned if you do-damned if you don't slant. What is not acknowledged is that Johnson was on the brink of being arrested and having his whole political career flushed down the toilet right before the assassination took place or that he was going to be thrown off the ticket in the upcoming election. To those who think that Johnson was in on the "shenanigans", the section of Johnson at Parkland being kept in the dark as to what was going on will seem ludicrous. For a program that deals with the 24 hr period after the assassination, minute by minute and hour by hour, the controversial autopsy is barely mentioned. I did find one of the on camera interviewees smiling and beaming as he talked about Kennedy's death jarring until the final moments when I realized that this was practically a tribute to Lyndon Johnson, who I paraphrase) "did the best he could under trying circumstances". They promote his approval rating while the country was grieving together at an astounding 79% etc etc but basically lay blame on Johnson's standing in history in that he wasn't Kennedy. No other explanation is explored. The History Channel in the last few years seem to be on a Johnson kick. They pulled the last THREE episodes of THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY at the behest of the Johnson family. Maybe this program was their atonement for daring to air that final episode of THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY. Who knows...?

This is an excellent historical review of what happened in the hours following the Kennedy Assassination. This would have a very grounding effect on anyone who was too young, or not yet born, in the early 1960's. This documentary presents the facts of what occurred and the play out of those events on a personal level for both the Kennedy and Johnson families before the blurring effects of Camelot took root. It also shows what can happen when a personal tragedy collides with the running of Government and the confusion that occurs as a result.

This documentary is excellently produced and priced. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know what happened during the 24 hours after the Kennedy Assassination and how the personalities of those involved played out.

As the title suggests, this DVD covers the first 24 hours after JFK was assassinated. The events are shown in chronological order; first in minutes, then hour sections. The historians/authors constantly put their own spin on the presentation of facts for dramatic purposes, which detracts from the program. It is therefore not presented, overall, in an objective fashion. They try and go inside Robert Kennedy's and Lyndon Johnson's heads and surmise what they were thinking at different points in time.

It opens at thirty minutes before the assassination. It shows the famous "Zapruder film" footage and the race to Parkland Hospital and events therein. The narration is inter-cut with voiceover's by Secret Service men and Lady Bird Johnson. The program shows the large amount of confusion and shock that was occurring, thereafter. The one who comes shining through all of the events is First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy. She leaned over and covered her husband's body after arrival at the hospital. The only time she left his side was when JFK was in the OR. Johnson is finally told at 1:10 PM was has happened to JFK. The fact the Secret Service men and JFK advisors had to basically "steal" JFK's casket in order to leave the hospital is like a "dark comedy", which sadly was true. After that the anger, tension and bad blood between Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy is shown. It is this section and that relationship that contains the most drama, speculation and conjecture by the historians of the show. They state everything as fact, but it is more POV pushing.

In the end, the best part of the program was the information gleaned from the notes by respected historian, William Manchester from 1964-1965 generated originally for his tome, "The Death of a President: November 1963". A book that hopefully will be re-printed over the next few years as the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination draws near.

The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After was broadcast on the History Channel in October 2009 as I recall. This program details what really took place during the 24 hours immediately after the shooting in Dallas. The program focuses mainly on the difficult position Vice President Lyndon Johnson was in and the difficult decisions he made during those 24 hours and beyond. Focus is put on the events inside Parkland Hospital, the actual time of Kennedy's death, the well-being of Jackie, as well as the time before, during, and after Lyndon Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One. The bitterness and tension between Lyndon Johnson and Robert Kennedy is also explored. The Kennedy inner circle had criticized Johnson's behavior during this time, but the guest historians on this show stick up for Johnson and defend the decisions he made. Check out how Johnson was "snubbed" by the Kennedys after arriving in Washington that evening. Fascinating stuff. Voice recordings of Lady Bird Johnson add an additional dose of drama to the material presented.

This is a very good documentary to watch if you want to know a lot of what happened that day that you never knew before.

I saw this program on TV and liked the way and amount of material that they covered;they had things in this program that I had not seen before and I have watched alot of JFK material so was happy to see it out on DVD; so that I could add it to my collection of history.

As a Kennedy buff and collecter of most things Kennedy I have to say that this DVD is teriffic. Condition better than expected. Shipping time was minimal. I highly recommend this seller to others.