The 1960s was a decade filled with change, drama, exploration, violence and passion. The Making of the President: The 1960s is a remarkable box set containing the films that were founded on the best-selling books by historical author Theodore H. White. The decade began with the election in 1960, and then slid through the election of 1964 only to close out the 1960s with a bang in 1968.
The Presidential Campaign of 1960
Beginning in 1960, these documentaries look at the rise of John F. Kennedy and his original primary battle with Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. This was the first presidential election that reached the majority of the American public through the wonder of television. It might best be known for the historic Kennedy/Nixon televised debates.
Nixon led his party as the front runner, due to his status as Vice President. When things got tough he called on President Eisenhower to help give his campaign a boost, but it was not enough to overcome the Kennedy machine. Although the race was close, the well-run campaign by John Kennedy triumphed.
A bonus feature on this disc is the tribute documentary shown to the Democratic National Convention in 1964 titled A Thousand Days: A Tribute to John F. Kennedy. This emotional film shows not only JFK’s presidential experiences in his short term, but also his role as father. It is an emotionally charged homage to the fallen president and ends with the theme song from Camelot, linking the Kennedy Administration with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, a metaphor that was originally spawned by Jacqueline Kennedy after the assassination of her husband.
The Presidential Campaign of 1964
The democratic candidate in 1964 was never up for debate. Lyndon Johnson, who had ascended to the role of president from vice president after the assassination of John Kennedy, was always considered to be the one and only democratic candidate. The only question was his choice for vice president, which went to Hubert Humphrey.
The republican side of this election was up for grabs. Conservative Barry Goldwater was pitted against the more liberal Rockefeller. The direction of the party was at stake in 1964 and it would be again in 1968.
The bonus feature on this disc is a close-up look at President Lyndon Johnson, The March of Time: Seven Days in the Life of the President.
The Presidential Campaign of 1968
This documentary refers to 1968 as the “year of passion and fury.” It was filled with chaos as well as hope. The hope was dashed over and over again, yet the chaos reigned throughout the year. Theodore H. White would refer to this time as the “demented spring,” the time when passions and chaos erupted.
Beginning with the candidacy of Senator Eugene McCarthy who challenged his party’s sitting president, the subject of the Viet Nam war was what drove much of the year’s politics. Robert Kennedy joined in the race as the second anti-war candidate, and President Lyndon Johnson dropped out of the election, leaving Vice President Hubert Humphrey to carry his mantle.
On the Republican side the question of Americanism was front and center, with Richard Nixon holding most of the cards this time around. He was challenged by Rockefeller and Ronald Reagan, but their challenges were not enough to deny him the nomination.
The Democratic Party was split and the country was torn apart as the riots in the cities as well as the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy ripped through the fabric of the nation. The Democratic National Convention in Chicago was in essence hijacked by the confrontation between police and demonstrators, but ultimately it was Hubert Humphrey who left Chicago with the nomination. It would be a neck and neck race between Humphrey and Nixon, until George Wallace entered the campaign and took votes away from both of them. If Wallace could take enough Electoral Collage votes from the Republican and Democratic candidates, the election would be decided by the Congress. In the end, it was Nixon who came out with enough cotes and became President of the United States.
Theodore H. White
Theodore H. White was the first author/historian to closely look at the presidential campaigns. His books were insightful and filled with history that even students today refer to in order to gain knowledge and understanding about the campaigns. He won a Pulitzer Prize for The Making of the President, 1960, a book which remained on the bestseller list for over 40 weeks. The film based on that book won four Emmys.
White was the one journalist Jacqueline Kennedy called to her home after the assassination in Dallas. She spoke frankly to him and it was there when the association between JFK and Camelot was born.
These three DVDs are fascinating to watch. They not only look at the men who sought the highest office in the land, but also the state of the country during the decade. This box set is a window into the politics and time of the 1960s. Besides the two additional documentaries, the bonus features include biographies on the men who did not win and a booklet containing White’s essay on the documentaries as well as a biography of Theodore White and information on campaigns.
The box set is available through the website.
- The Making of the President: The 1960s
- Number of discs: 3
- Studio: Athena
- Running time: 237 minutes
