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Jenya · 11-21-2003, 12:24 PM

Remembering Kennedy
Networks Reflect on 40th Anniversary of JFK's Assassination

November 21, 2003

ASSOCIATED PRESS

As the 40th anniversary approaches, dozens of specials, documentaries and retrospectives will air on U.S. and Canadian networks, each attempting to bring context and insight to one of the most iconic moments of the 20th century.

Now, four decades after the assassination, 80 per cent of Americans subscribe to some version of conspiracy; Lee Harvey Oswald, they believe, was not the lone gunman.

A new special, confidently titled The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy (ABC, 9 p.m. tonight), is an ambitious, peering gaze into what happened.

Or, maybe, what didn't happen.

The investigation, which took more than two years to complete, analyzed more than 500 photographs, 4 million documents, lab and autopsy reports, the famous Zapruder film, not to mention interviews with more than 70 experts and people connected to the event.

The centrepiece of the two-hour special is a computer-generated reconstruction of the Dealey Plaza assassination. Animator Dale Myers laboured over this for a decade using maps, blueprints and new imaging technologies that allow for multiple, three-dimensional angles of the shooting.

The findings mirror the Warren Commission — that is, Oswald acted alone. Over the last three decades, a half-dozen CBS specials have taken different routes to the same conclusion.

None of this, of course, will sway those who believe Oswald did not act alone and was merely a cog in larger, sinister wheel determined to run down a president.

The documentary Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (PBS, 8 p.m. tonight) is a comprehensive, three-hour biography of the man, examining him from the divergent perspectives of "lone gunman" and "scapegoat."

On Saturday, the 40th anniversary date, coverage will be heavy across all American networks, including CNN and MSNBC.

In Canada, History Television is airing "The Kennedy Weekend," a special block of programming that appropriately covers both fact and fiction, including PT 109; The Search For Kennedy's PT 109; Cuba: The Other Side of Armageddon; Nuclear Sharks: Cuban Missile Crisis; Jackie Kennedy: The Power of Style; Kennedy; and JFK, Oliver Stone's celluloid homage to the great conspiracy.

On that day in 1963, as the three U.S. networks switched to live coverage, television displayed a sort of immediacy that print, the dominant medium at the time, could never equal.

Television became a great unifier, a destination during crisis, a virtual meeting place in which images and messages reached millions of people simultaneously.

By midday, 90 per cent of all American homes with TV sets were watching the coverage.

Last night, PBS aired JFK: Breaking The News, a documentary about how journalists covered the story in those frantic moments. It also explored how television now connects viewers to flashbulb events, creating a shared experience.

Footage from the JFK assassination is so ingrained within popular culture that it has created a sort of false memory for those who weren't even alive in 1963.

The event has been deconstructed and put back together as a series of enduring snapshots: Walter Cronkite removing his glasses and choking back tears; the grainy image of the limousine seconds before and after the shooting; son John saluting his father during the funeral.

By contemporary standards, with our satellite links and 24-hour news cycles, television's attempt to corral the JFK story seems prehistoric. Cronkite has written that CBS cameras needed about 20 minutes to warm up, creating technical problems as the story broke.

And can you imagine a newsworthy event not being filmed today? Did you see the arsenal of reporters and cameras at yesterday's press conference announcing the arrest warrant for Michael Jackson? It's incredible to think that NBC was the only network to catch Jack Ruby shooting Oswald as a violent, live postscript to the JFK event.

The gunshots from that November day still echo across a medium that learned to run in the shadow of a story that won't go away.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Harvey Oswald, centre, 40 years after he shot
U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Did he act alone? A number of TV specials
tonight probe the issue. Oswald, of course,
was shot himself before his case went to trial.

EricIdlefan · 11-21-2003, 02:36 PM

I think that there was not just Oswald but a whole lot of other people who were in the conspiracy to assainate Kennedy and wanted LBJ in the White House and some other government agencies were plotting to assainate him and I bet that J. Edgar Hoover was one of them!!

mcgwirefan · 11-21-2003, 03:12 PM

I was in junior high when it happened. I'll never know why they told us he was still alive an hour after he was shot. Man! He died immediately!

ITA It was not just Oswald, and may not have been him at all. I've always thought that LBJ ordered it. He was not at all shocked or even sad when it happened, at least did not appear to be. The CIA had a part for sure, and HOover hated the Kennedys.

cablejockey · 11-21-2003, 04:03 PM

I've been watching some of these shows. They all seem to be stressing that there was no conspiracy. I still wonder. Just watching these programmes you can see where some things dont fit or make sense, and some

Jenya · 11-21-2003, 04:17 PM

This whole conspiracy theory thing has been confusing to me.

Pitooey · 11-21-2003, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mcgwirefan
I was in junior high when it happened. I'll never know why they told us he was still alive an hour after he was shot. Man! He died immediately!

ITA It was not just Oswald, and may not have been him at all. I've always thought that LBJ ordered it. He was not at all shocked or even sad when it happened, at least did not appear to be. The CIA had a part for sure, and HOover hated the Kennedys.

I too was around when he was assasinated Mcfwirefan! I've always felt the same way (about Johnson). He was just too mellow for me when Kennedy died.

Brad Russ · 11-21-2003, 05:10 PM

I had absolutely no intention of watching any of these specials, but after reading your post, I think I might check some of it out. It sounds more interesting then the usual Kennedy type biographies. I just hope they don't show the footage of him getting shot. I'm sure they will, but honestly, who wants to see that again? I certainly don't. As far as the whole conspiracy theory issue goes, I guess I'm in the minority, because I have absolutely no idea. Maybe I will after tonight though.

Titania · 11-21-2003, 06:26 PM

I don't buy the "magic bullet" theory at all
And I agree that I've always wondered how much LBJ had to do with it, especially considering he was the one who moved the parade route that day.

EricIdlefan · 11-22-2003, 09:55 AM

The sad thing about this tragedy is that the whole agencies and people involved with Kennedy is that they know they have gotten away with murder.

Jenya · 11-22-2003, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mdntrider7
I just hope they don't show the footage of him getting shot. I'm sure they will, but honestly, who wants to see that again? I certainly don't.

It bothers me to see that Zapruder film, but that must be extremely painful for the Kennedy Family to watch that footage and know it is seen world wide every year on this date.

EricIdlefan · 11-23-2003, 04:10 PM

Every date like this has to be very, very, painful for the Kennedys to bear each and every year:

November 22, 2003 - JFK assainated
July 4, 1968 - RFK assainated
July 17, 1999 - JFK Jr, wife Carolyn, and sister die in plane crash
December 31, 1997 - Michael Kennedy dies sking on the slopes and crashes into the tree head-on
One of RFK's kids dies of heroin addiction!! Forgot the date and year though!!

webuster · 11-23-2003, 05:22 PM

In the UK, every Sunday part of the tv miniseries 'Kennedy'- starring Martin Sheen is shown, I've watched what's been shown so far.
Also- today a 3 hour documentary on the presidency was on, then I watched 'the men who killed Kennedy' and some other show- both are filled with lots of conspiracy rumours- including an interview with a woman who says Jack Ruby and Lee Oswald met a week before the assassination.

AKA · 11-23-2003, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EricIdlefan
July 4, 1968 - RFK assainated

Actually, it was June 6, 1968.

TJL · 11-23-2003, 08:17 PM

Last night I finally caught that new JFK special on the History Channel. It was very well done. Catch it when it's repeated.

Penny Lane · 11-23-2003, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AKA
Actually, it was June 6, 1968.

The day Of my high school graduation! I remember it well!

11-21-2003, 12:24 PM	#1
Jenya Supervisor Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: Canmore, Alberta Posts: 3,359	Remembering Kennedy!! Remembering Kennedy Networks Reflect on 40th Anniversary of JFK's Assassination November 21, 2003 ASSOCIATED PRESS As the 40th anniversary approaches, dozens of specials, documentaries and retrospectives will air on U.S. and Canadian networks, each attempting to bring context and insight to one of the most iconic moments of the 20th century. Now, four decades after the assassination, 80 per cent of Americans subscribe to some version of conspiracy; Lee Harvey Oswald, they believe, was not the lone gunman. A new special, confidently titled The Kennedy Assassination: Beyond Conspiracy (ABC, 9 p.m. tonight), is an ambitious, peering gaze into what happened. Or, maybe, what didn't happen. The investigation, which took more than two years to complete, analyzed more than 500 photographs, 4 million documents, lab and autopsy reports, the famous Zapruder film, not to mention interviews with more than 70 experts and people connected to the event. The centrepiece of the two-hour special is a computer-generated reconstruction of the Dealey Plaza assassination. Animator Dale Myers laboured over this for a decade using maps, blueprints and new imaging technologies that allow for multiple, three-dimensional angles of the shooting. The findings mirror the Warren Commission — that is, Oswald acted alone. Over the last three decades, a half-dozen CBS specials have taken different routes to the same conclusion. None of this, of course, will sway those who believe Oswald did not act alone and was merely a cog in larger, sinister wheel determined to run down a president. The documentary Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald? (PBS, 8 p.m. tonight) is a comprehensive, three-hour biography of the man, examining him from the divergent perspectives of "lone gunman" and "scapegoat." On Saturday, the 40th anniversary date, coverage will be heavy across all American networks, including CNN and MSNBC. In Canada, History Television is airing "The Kennedy Weekend," a special block of programming that appropriately covers both fact and fiction, including PT 109; The Search For Kennedy's PT 109; Cuba: The Other Side of Armageddon; Nuclear Sharks: Cuban Missile Crisis; Jackie Kennedy: The Power of Style; Kennedy; and JFK, Oliver Stone's celluloid homage to the great conspiracy. On that day in 1963, as the three U.S. networks switched to live coverage, television displayed a sort of immediacy that print, the dominant medium at the time, could never equal. Television became a great unifier, a destination during crisis, a virtual meeting place in which images and messages reached millions of people simultaneously. By midday, 90 per cent of all American homes with TV sets were watching the coverage. Last night, PBS aired JFK: Breaking The News, a documentary about how journalists covered the story in those frantic moments. It also explored how television now connects viewers to flashbulb events, creating a shared experience. Footage from the JFK assassination is so ingrained within popular culture that it has created a sort of false memory for those who weren't even alive in 1963. The event has been deconstructed and put back together as a series of enduring snapshots: Walter Cronkite removing his glasses and choking back tears; the grainy image of the limousine seconds before and after the shooting; son John saluting his father during the funeral. By contemporary standards, with our satellite links and 24-hour news cycles, television's attempt to corral the JFK story seems prehistoric. Cronkite has written that CBS cameras needed about 20 minutes to warm up, creating technical problems as the story broke. And can you imagine a newsworthy event not being filmed today? Did you see the arsenal of reporters and cameras at yesterday's press conference announcing the arrest warrant for Michael Jackson? It's incredible to think that NBC was the only network to catch Jack Ruby shooting Oswald as a violent, live postscript to the JFK event. The gunshots from that November day still echo across a medium that learned to run in the shadow of a story that won't go away. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO Harvey Oswald, centre, 40 years after he shot U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Did he act alone? A number of TV specials tonight probe the issue. Oswald, of course, was shot himself before his case went to trial.

11-21-2003, 02:36 PM	#2
EricIdlefan USA 250th! Forum Addict Join Date: Oct 12, 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 68,236	I think that there was not just Oswald but a whole lot of other people who were in the conspiracy to assainate Kennedy and wanted LBJ in the White House and some other government agencies were plotting to assainate him and I bet that J. Edgar Hoover was one of them!!
	__________________ JUSA 250th Anniversary!

11-21-2003, 03:12 PM	#3
mcgwirefan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 03, 2003 Posts: 458	I do remember it I was in junior high when it happened. I'll never know why they told us he was still alive an hour after he was shot. Man! He died immediately! ITA It was not just Oswald, and may not have been him at all. I've always thought that LBJ ordered it. He was not at all shocked or even sad when it happened, at least did not appear to be. The CIA had a part for sure, and HOover hated the Kennedys.
	__________________ Rockin' with Rick (aka Rick Nelson fan!)

11-21-2003, 05:10 PM	#7
Brad Russ Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Feb 17, 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 10,085	I had absolutely no intention of watching any of these specials, but after reading your post, I think I might check some of it out. It sounds more interesting then the usual Kennedy type biographies. I just hope they don't show the footage of him getting shot. I'm sure they will, but honestly, who wants to see that again? I certainly don't. As far as the whole conspiracy theory issue goes, I guess I'm in the minority, because I have absolutely no idea. Maybe I will after tonight though.
	__________________ St. John 15:13 - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." Currently my favorite song.

11-21-2003, 06:26 PM	#8
Titania a part of that Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 04, 2000 Posts: 3,694	I don't buy the "magic bullet" theory at all And I agree that I've always wondered how much LBJ had to do with it, especially considering he was the one who moved the parade route that day.
	__________________ I don't mean to put on any pressure, but I know what a thing is right. and I spend every day reconfiguring my senses. I'll give you stars and the moon and a soul to guide you and a promise I'll never go I'll give you hope to bring out all the life inside you and the strength that will help you grow. myspace

11-21-2003, 04:03 PM	#4
cablejockey Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: ontario canada Posts: 478	I've been watching some of these shows. They all seem to be stressing that there was no conspiracy. I still wonder. Just watching these programmes you can see where some things dont fit or make sense, and some

11-21-2003, 04:17 PM	#5
Jenya Supervisor Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: Canmore, Alberta Posts: 3,359	This whole conspiracy theory thing has been confusing to me.

11-22-2003, 09:55 AM	#9
EricIdlefan USA 250th! Forum Addict Join Date: Oct 12, 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 68,236	The sad thing about this tragedy is that the whole agencies and people involved with Kennedy is that they know they have gotten away with murder.

11-23-2003, 04:10 PM	#11
EricIdlefan USA 250th! Forum Addict Join Date: Oct 12, 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 68,236	Every date like this has to be very, very, painful for the Kennedys to bear each and every year: November 22, 2003 - JFK assainated July 4, 1968 - RFK assainated July 17, 1999 - JFK Jr, wife Carolyn, and sister die in plane crash December 31, 1997 - Michael Kennedy dies sking on the slopes and crashes into the tree head-on One of RFK's kids dies of heroin addiction!! Forgot the date and year though!!

11-23-2003, 05:22 PM	#12
webuster Member Senior Member Join Date: Aug 26, 2002 Posts: 2,150	In the UK, every Sunday part of the tv miniseries 'Kennedy'- starring Martin Sheen is shown, I've watched what's been shown so far. Also- today a 3 hour documentary on the presidency was on, then I watched 'the men who killed Kennedy' and some other show- both are filled with lots of conspiracy rumours- including an interview with a woman who says Jack Ruby and Lee Oswald met a week before the assassination.

11-23-2003, 08:17 PM	#14
TJL Suburbanite Extrordinaire Forum Star Join Date: Dec 29, 2001 Location: New Jersey - the cradle of civilization Posts: 16,588	Last night I finally caught that new JFK special on the History Channel. It was very well done. Catch it when it's repeated.
	__________________ "I think I'll stroll up to the front to see how the shooting's going..." - Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce Read my blogs! http://centralparkamisguide.com/ http://dvdcriticscorner.com Visit me on Facebook!http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=641138880 Hey, I do the tweet thing too! http://twitter.com/TomLevier My shop of handmade items! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColdGarageCreations