The Kennedy Assassination: 24 Hours After

November 22, 1963, was a pivotal day in American history, as John F. Kennedy's assassination marked the violent end of youthful idealism and the beginning of political rifts and cultural clashes that still echo today. For Lyndon Johnson, JFK's death was a deep personal tragedy but also a rescue from the purgatory of the vice presidency. Unlike most documentaries on the topic, this History Channel entry rarely mentions assassin Lee Harvey Oswald; instead, The Kennedy Assassination offers a minute-by-minute, hour-by-hour look at the events immediately following Kennedy's death, effectively portraying the initial moments of horror, confusion, and disorientation, compounded by the bad blood between Johnson and Robert Kennedy (as well as Kennedy loyalists). The film describes the race to get out of Dallas, the hasty swearing-in of Johnson aboard Air Force One, and fumbled protocol when the plane arrived in Washington, D.C. Although LBJ personally liked and respected the President and Mrs. Kennedy, past grudges, slights, and political calculations were never far from his mind. Robert Kennedy viewed Johnson as a crude wheeler-dealer and usurper, and LBJ feared that Kennedy might try to prevent him from taking office. While there's no question that the distrust between the two men continued until RFK's murder in 1968, it seems an exaggeration to claim here that the animosity led to LBJ's eventual political downfall. Producer, writer, and director Anthony Giacchino assembles historical footage and testimony from eyewitnesses, journalists, secret service officers, and others to provide a vivid record of one of the most precarious moments in American history. Recommended. [Note: JFK: 3 Shots That Changed America is also newly available.] Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)