Tonight at 9 PM is the premiere of a new JFK documentary on PBS. Here’s the description:
Forever enshrined in myth by an assassin’s bullet, Kennedy’s presidency long defied objective appraisal. Recent assessments have revealed an administration long on promise and vigor, and somewhat lacking in tangible accomplishment. His proposals for a tax cut and civil rights legislation, however, promised significant gains in the months before his assassination. While maturation, as evidenced in the handling of the Cuban missile crisis, was apparent, the potential legacy of the New Frontier will forever be left to speculation.
We encourage you to watch and discuss here.
50 years !
I once time I believed in conspirancy,but now,after many books i think that the murderer was only that damned nutty of Lee Oswald.
22 November 1963 Oswald had a lucky day,Kennedy not.
And that is all.
But there is one thing that disturbs me; if that lunatic had not killed the President,how would have changed the history?
We would have the Vietnam war (with his fruits,rampant counterculture ,violence,huge economic costs)?
The second half of 60s would be more similiar to early 60s?
Anyway,RIP JFK.
By a very strange coincidence and odd circumstances, 5 years ago, before the Harvard-Yale game, I proposed to my wife in JFK Park (near Harvard Square) on the 45th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. I had no idea it was the day of the assassination.
Ted Kennedy was at the game (diagnosed w/ brain tumor). We got married on 9/12 the next year, which turned out to be JFK and Jackie’s anniversary.
Wicked Weird.
Walter Cronkite was wearing a button down shirt (probably with a suit) when he announced that Kennedy was dead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBMs8JlYcgQ
Went to bed early with a cold and missed it.
@Roy R. Platt –
Google ‘Walter Kronkite’ and go to images. Feel free to count up how many pics you find of him in an OCBD vs. a non-OCBD under a suit.
The time horizon is also notable….as we move out of a brief window in the 1960s, it’s hard to find a single example of him wearing a button down collar under a suit/blazer…..
22 November 1963,Kennedy shirt was a bespoke of Pierre Cardin: “..then slipped on the white shirt with narrow gray stripes that he had ordered from Pierre Cardin in Paris after admiring it on French Ambassador Alphand”.
The suit was a two buttons pick and pick (sharskin) blue-gray.
The coat was darted and with a moderate padding in shoulders.
The tie was navy with small patterns light blue.
The lapels of the coat were unusually narrow for usual JFK style,but in 1963 the President had wear some suits in a style more uo to date (with some three buttons too).
The suits probably was a bespoke from Chipp (but JFK had also buy suits from others tailors: The Italian Litrico,and someone in London).
Trousers were with pleats and cuffs, dark blue (or charcoal) socks and black shoes).
http://jfkfacts.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/JFK-at-Dallas-Airport.jpg
I have not seen this yet, but I was quite impressed with Killing Kennedy’s television adaptation. Rob Lowe made an excellent JFK.
There were many parallels to The Kennedys, the 2011 mini-series, but I expect that is because both were taken from the more dramatic historical sources they found.
I look forward to watching this documentary from PBS.
Watching it now on pbs.org… http://video.pbs.org/video/2365114972/
Buzz off, I work from home.
I was 13 yrs. old. The announcement came over the school public address system while we were in Latin class. Go forward four and a half years. King was killed in April and Bobby Kennedy in June. I heard the news about Bobby on the clock radio next to my bed that woke me up for school. Not to get too melodramatic, but something, hard to say what, was definitely over for me. I would have vomited if there was anything in my stomach.
Whoever did the above artwork saw fit to put JFK in a pair of Warby Parker sunglasses. Yuck.
Watched Part 1 on PBS.org last night. Having recently read the new, and excellent, bio of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. I was more familiar with JFK’s illnesses. Quite remarkable he lived as long as he did. Unlikely he would have reached an advanced age had he not been killed.
So many of his contemporaries are gone now that there is almost no one left who had first hand experiences with him–of all those kids there is just 1 sister left. As with Caroline, I imagine Jean gets a bit lonely for her family from time to time.
Christian,thanks for the heads up for this show. An excellent account of President Kennedy’s life. John, Joseph, and Robert Kennedy served in the military during WWII and all three died in service to their country. Nothing further can be asked of a man. For this they deserve our respect and honor.