TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was a bundle of contradictions. A relentless man of action, he was also one of our most intellectual presidents. Roosevelt glorified combat, yet won a Nobel Peace Prize for ending the Russo-Japanese war. Born into one of New York's most patrician families, he despised the "malefactors of great wealth." Originally shown in two parts on PBS's American Experience series, this is an informative, entertaining measure of the man. The video captures what contemporaries called the "fun of him," yet "black care" was never very far away. Sickly and asthmatic in his youth, TR also suffered the early deaths of his beloved parents, his first wife and most cruelly, his youngest son, killed during WWI over the skies of Europe. Narrated by Jason Robards and employing commentary by David McCullough and other historians, this documentary is highly recommended for school, public, and college libraries. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)