20th Century with Mike Wallace - 3-DVD 'Politics and Presidents' Set Announced

As seen on A&E and the History Channel: relive the tumult and triumph of modern American history! Wars, assassinations, impeachments, and political scandal rocked America in the 20th century and still reverberate today. Join legendary newsman Mike Wallace as he examines the people, events, and issues that shaped our nation. Mining the rich archives of CBS News, this series shows history as it happened, reported by Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Roger Mudd, and other giants of broadcast journalism. Interviews with Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Beschloss, Hugh Sidey, Richard Reeves, and a host of other experts-as well as with some of the principal players in these political dramas-provide a fresh, revealing perspective on the recent past.

The 10 episodes in this set examine Washington politics and presidential leadership from McCarthyism through the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Relive - and rethink - more than five fascinating decades. Best known as a correspondent for the groundbreaking CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes, journalist Mike Wallace has won over 20 Emmys, three Peabodys, and many other awards in his distinguished career spanning more than five decades.

Acorn Media's Athena label presents 20th Century with Mike Wallace - Politics and Presidents on DVD. Available on October 19th, this 3-disc set will cost $49.99 SRP in the USA, and CA$64.99 SRP in Canada. You'll get the following 10 documentary episodes (plus extras), presented in full screen video with English mono sound and English subtitles:

• Episode 1: Epidemic of Fear - In the early 1950s, the United States felt besieged by Communism at home and abroad. The fear took a particularly virulent form in the Hollywood blacklist and the rise of McCarthyism.
• Episode 2: JFK: A New Look - Cut down by an assassin's bullet in 1963, John F. Kennedy's presidency took on a mythic glow immediately afterward. Subsequent revelations, however, have shown the personal and political recklessness behind his carefully constructed persona.
• Episode 3: Assassination and Chaos: The Death of RFK and the '68 Democratic Convention - Coming in quick succession, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy left the nation reeling. The sense of chaos reached its climax that August at the Democratic convention in Chicago.
• Episode 4: Presidents in Crisis: Johnson Quits and Nixon Resigns - In 1968, growing opposition to the Vietnam War led President Lyndon Johnson to abandon his candidacy. Six years later, Richard Nixon's presidency came undone by crimes and cover-ups involving the Watergate break-in.
• Episode 5: Diplomacy and Conspiracy: President Nixon's Trip to China and the Watergate Burglary - In 1972, President Richard Nixon did what none of his predecessors had dared to do: visit China, a Communist nation virtually closed to the West for nearly 25 years. But just two years later, his status as a statesman was damaged irreparably when scandal forced him from office.
• Episode 6: Ronald Reagan and the Rise of the Right - Combining personal charm, political savvy, and unwavering principles, Ronald Reagan left the White House as the most popular departing leader since polling began. As president, he led a sea change in American politics that outlasted his term in office.
• Episode 7: The Impeachment of Clinton - Rumors of extramarital affairs dogged Bill Clinton throughout his candidacy and followed him into the White House. They finally caught up to him after a liaison with intern Monica Lewinsky, which led to his impeachment and trial.
• Episode 8: First Ladies - From Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the 20th century saw the role of the first lady evolve from hostess and helpmate to influential adviser and policy advocate.
• Episode 9: Upstairs at the White House - Just how much privacy should we give presidents? History shows that the press kept some secrets that the American people probably deserved to know, but the question of "character" came to make almost everything fair game.
• Episode 10: Washington Scandals: Sex, Money, Power - Throughout the '50s and '60s, the press confined its reporting to financial improprieties and influence peddling. But in the '70s, a bizarre incident involving a powerful congressman and a stripper flung open the door to politicians' sex lives, and an FBI sting revealed the extent of corruption in Congress.
• BONUS FEATURES:
  • 16-page viewer's guide with questions to consider, Broadcasting's Big Moments, and more.
  • After Their Exits: updates on the fates of figures from 20th-century history.