"The American Experience" Richard Nixon: Part II (1990)

Directors:

Elizabeth Deane
David Espar
(more)

Writers:

David Espar (story)
Geoffrey C. Ward (telescript)
(more)

TV Series:

"The American Experience" (1987)

Original Air Date:

15 October 1990 (Season 3, Episode 3)

Genre:

Documentary | History

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

U.S. President | Character Name In Title | USA | Anthology | Public Media

Cast

Will Lyman

...

Narrator (voice)

Directed by
Elizabeth Deane
David Espar
Marilyn Mellowes

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Elizabeth Dean		story
David Espar		story
Marilyn Mellowes		story
Geoffrey C. Ward		telescript

Produced by
Karen Cariani	....	associate producer
Elizabeth Deane	....	executive producer
Elizabeth Deane	....	producer
Margaret Drain	....	executive producer
David Espar	....	consulting producer
David Espar	....	producer
Larry LeCain	....	field producer
Daniel McCabe	....	co-producer
Bob M. McCausland	....	field producer
Marilyn Mellowes	....	producer
Susan Mottau	....	coordinating producer
Chas Norton	....	field producer
Mark Samels	....	senior producer
Laura Stuchinsky	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Todd Boekelheide

Cinematography by
Ed Joyce

Film Editing by
David Espar
Sarah Holt
Daniel McCabe
Joseph Tovares

Production Design by
Chris Pullman		(series designer)

Production Management
Karen Cariani	....	post-production supervisor
Christine Larson	....	unit manager
Pilar Maisterra	....	unit manager

Sound Department
Richard Bock	....	sound mixer
Jan Cyr	....	sound
John Jenkins	....	sound
Steve Longstreth	....	sound
Flora Moon	....	sound
Tiegh Thompson	....	sound
Pat Torres	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Dasal Banks	....	camera operator
John Hazard	....	camera operator
Allen Moore	....	camera operator
Rick Robertson	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Maureen Barden	....	post-production coordinator
Jeff Cronenberg	....	editor: video tape
Jim Deering	....	editor: video tape
Mary E. Fenton	....	editor: video tape
Dan Lesiw	....	editor: video tape
Joseph Tovares	....	on-line editor

Music Department
Michael Bacon	....	musical score adaptation
Charles Kuskin	....	music theme

Other crew
Stephen Ambrose	....	advisor
Michael Azevedo	....	interactive media
Johanna Baker	....	publicist
Alan Brinkley	....	advisor
Ken Burns	....	senior creative consultant
Joy Conley	....	film researcher
Judy Crichton	....	executive consultant
Danielle Dell'Olio	....	interactive media
Nancy Farrell	....	project administrator
Raine Gifford	....	production assistant
John Grybowski	....	film researcher
Joan Hoff-Wilson	....	advisor
Laurie Kahn-Leavitt	....	additional researcher
Stanley I. Kutler	....	advisor
Marilyn Mellowes	....	project development
Daphne B. Noyes	....	publicist
Herbert S. Parmet	....	advisor
Deborah Richardson	....	film researcher
Helen R. Russell	....	project administrator
Vincent J. Straggas	....	promotion producer
Sue Williams	....	film researcher
Karen Wyatt	....	film researcher

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rocky Collins		multiple episodes
Henry Hampton		creator

Produced by
Rocky Collins	....	producer (multiple episodes)

Sound Department
Doug Madick	....	foley artist (multiple episodes)

They left out the horns and the pointy tail

This documentary of Nixon is fascinating. It's almost like watching a car crash--you can't turn away. I am no Nixon apologist. As they say, LBJ created Big Government but Nixon funded it.

However informative this was, there was of course some left-wing bias. I compared it to the very fair bio I read on RMN by Jonathan Aitken. Aitken states that Nixon was always a shy man and that's why he didn't like politicking. This documentary labeled him as "self-conscious". They seemed to downplay the role of the Communist spy Alger Hiss as the number 2 guy in the state department.

I think everything is relative, and Nixon role in Watergate should be taken accordingly. The Vietnam war was raging and there were campus demonstrations with student protesters egged on by hardcore leftists, shouting "Ho, Ho, Ho Chi Minh!!" The country was changing before our eyes. You compare that to Bill Clinton's abuse of power--the nation was not at war (even though terrorists were attacking us and old Bill didn't care to retaliate), the economy was doing well and Bill was abusing his status as POTUS even worse than Nixon ever had previously. I think one reason was Washington didn't take Clinton down--unlike with Nixon--was that he was seen as a charmer and a good old boy. Another reason for Nixon's takedown was payback for exposing Alger Hiss 25 years earlier.

Nixon's speech to his White House Staff the day he resigned was extremely moving, as this shy, vindictive man was close to tears. We can all learn from RMN's speech, including the following: "Others may hate you. But those who hate you don't win unless you hate them back. And then you destroy yourself".