JFK: The Dallas Tapes

Two generations have been born since the weekend in November, 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was killed and his alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was also gunned down. JFK: The Dallas Tapes presents four Dallas TV newsmen, who covered those events, in a panel interview that chronologically interweaves their film clips--from the landing of Air Force One to the funeral for Oswald--while also including a bit of historical perspective on 1960's radical right-wing groups in Dallas (though, readers should note, it is mercifully, MERCIFULLY, free of conspiracy theories). Shown in digitally remastered video and audio, the clarity and sharpness of the images are spooky--not the customary grainy and faded images--and includes footage most of us haven't seen before (such as the white elite of Dallas calmly milling around the exhibits at the Trademark Hotel despite the rumors of a shooting, while the African-American service employees of the hotel are visibly upset). The tape will be of interest not just to history buffs and Dallas residents, but also to media-watchers, since the role of the media then and now is compared; in fact, teachers wanting to lead a discussion of media ethics will have a field day with the material presented here. The tape concludes with an overview of what visitors to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza can expect to see. Winner of the 1999 Heartland Regional Emmy Award for Best Historic Documentary, this is highly recommended for public, school and academic libraries. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)