This episode is about the California gold rush--a time beginning around 1848 when tons of folks from all over the world converged on the San Francisco/Sacramento area in search of easy wealth in the gold country. The only problem is that most who got rich did so at the very beginning--long before most of the prospectors arrived. The film is chock full of stories of various individuals--most of which went bust during this crazy time.
As you would expect, this is a very good episode of PBS's "The American Experience"--and it's well worth seeing. I have only one reservation--it's a bit overlong. I think the topic could have been covered as well in an hour or and hour and a half. Now I am not complaining--it's just that the material seemed stretched a bit thin and the pacing isn't quite as good as you might expect. Still, it's well done.
As you would expect, this is a very good episode of PBS's "The American Experience"--and it's well worth seeing. I have only one reservation--it's a bit overlong. I think the topic could have been covered as well in an hour or and hour and a half. Now I am not complaining--it's just that the material seemed stretched a bit thin and the pacing isn't quite as good as you might expect. Still, it's well done.
