PBS/Ken Burns mini-series "Prohibition"

3905 Views 31 Replies 18 Participants Last post by bareyb, Feb 15, 2012

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · Oct 9, 2011

Who watched this? It really aired this past week. Three part documentary series about Prohibition.

I made it through part one "A Nation of Drunkards" last night. I was trying my best to keep up with my forefather while watching. A couple of observations from that part. One, America really was pretty damn drunk. I thought people really liked to drink NOW. Secondly, the temperance movement sure had a lot of odd bed fellows. Thirdly, they really emphasized the role of women in the movement.

I started to watch part two "A Nation of Scofflaws", but didn't get very far. I over did it a little during part one.

But it was cool how they gave the backstory on the origin of the word "Scofflaw". It confirmed the story in my cocktail book that gives the recipe for the cocktail of the same name.

1 - 20 of 32 Posts

madscientist

· #2 · Oct 9, 2011

Watched part 1 tonight. There were a lot of term origins given: teetotalers, bootleggers, etc. It was interesting how world events combined to give the dry movement openings, and how they fully exploited them.

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 9, 2011

madscientist said:
Watched part 1 tonight. There were a lot of term origins given: teetotalers, bootleggers, etc. It was interesting how world events combined to give the dry movement openings, and how they fully exploited them.

Ah... yes.. Using anti immigrant and anti Germany sentiment to help move things along.

cheesesteak

· #4 · Oct 9, 2011

I had never heard of the Anti-Saloon League. I'd heard of Carrie Nation and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union but never the Anti-Saloon League and they were the main organization lobbying for Prohibition.

I fell asleep during episode two. I'll watch the rest of the series later.

dianebrat

· #5 · Oct 9, 2011

jsmeeker said:
Ah... yes.. Using anti immigrant and anti Germany sentiment to help move things along.

That was one of the things I'd always known in the back of my head thanks to my heritage, but it put it in to a better perspective.

I'll get through the series, but as a documentary on tv I don't expect to keep me at the edge of my seat for 6 hours, I seem to prefer them in 1 hour chunks. It's rare to have one keep me rapt for every moment however A Film Unfinished did just that.

classicsat

· #6 · Oct 9, 2011

I watched it, wholly.

A couple things I never knew was that America had saloons essenitally owned by the beer companies, and the passing and repeal of the 18th amendment did away with that. Those familiar with the UK, may know that it is not unusual to have brewery owned pubs there (at least in the towns/cities which can support several pubs), even to this day.

I also learned thar medicinal/religious/industrial alcohol was permitted, but loosely controlled, so a lot of that made its way for casual drinking due to subterfuge of the system, and the grape concentrate and malt extract kits.

Barmat

· #7 · Oct 9, 2011

I caught on pretty early in the program how we as a nation have failed to learn from the past with our current anti drug laws. All we have done is create misery upon countless millions of people by making drugs illegal. If we legalized drugs and switched our efforts and money to treatment we would be better off. I think anti drug crusaders should be ashamed of themselves. Morality can not be legislated.

steve614

· #8 · Oct 9, 2011

Barmat said:
I caught on pretty early in the program how we as a nation have failed to learn from the past with our current anti drug laws. All we have done is create misery upon countless millions of people by making drugs illegal. If we legalized drugs and switched our efforts and money to treatment we would be better off. I think anti drug crusaders should be ashamed of themselves. Morality can not be legislated.

I was thinking the same thing.
60 years from now, Ken Burns Jr. will make a documentory about our current situation, and be able to make direct comparisons between the alcohol prohibition and our "war on drugs".

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 9, 2011

steve614 said:
I was thinking the same thing.
60 years from now, Ken Burns Jr. will make a documentory about our current situation, and be able to make direct comparisons between the alcohol prohibition and our "war on drugs".

It's similar, but different. There isn't any constitutional amendment that actually makes the drugs illegal. Also, I don't think America was ever as high as they were drunk.

Oh, and remember one thing they mentioned in part 3. It was easier to get booze when prohibition was in effect than it is now that it has been repealed.

SNJpage1

· #10 · Oct 10, 2011

This program has been interesting but two hours a show is a bit long for one sitting. It is interesting to see how things back then can be applied to things today. Abortion is legal and the Christians want to ban it. Just like they wanted to do with booze back then. Same goes for medical marijuana, it's legal in Ca and a few other states but the Fed's are raiding the places saying it's against Federal laws.

tiassa

· #11 · Oct 10, 2011

And so many other movements that seem to think "If only we had a law that would <make whatever social issue we want to enforce> illegal then everything would be better".

As Mr Bisbee, mt history teacher said "Those who do not learn history are destined to repeat it".

frombhto323

· #12 · Oct 11, 2011

Barmat said:
I caught on pretty early in the program how we as a nation have failed to learn from the past with our current anti drug laws. All we have done is create misery upon countless millions of people by making drugs illegal. If we legalized drugs and switched our efforts and money to treatment we would be better off. I think anti drug crusaders should be ashamed of themselves. Morality can not be legislated.

Bill Moyers produced a program a few years back that aired on PBS about the War on Drugs. He interviewed a couple of Nixon administration officials who had helped establish the WoD. They said that they had analyzed the situation thoroughly and came to the conclusion that reducing demand through treatment would be more effective than trying to reduce supply through law enforcement. They also concluded, however, that they would not be able to sell that to the American public, having won the WH in part because of a tough law-and-order stance, so here we are.

DeDondeEs

· #13 · Oct 11, 2011

I got through Part 1. I can only watch so much narration while panning over black and white still photographs, interspersed with quotes read by that guy who does the "old timer" voice in all of Ken Burns' films. I wish they could just filter it down to 2 hr documentary, instead of a week-long miniseries event. Yup, I am of the MTV generation....

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · #14 · Oct 11, 2011

DeDondeEs said:
I got through Part 1. I can only watch so much narration while panning over black and white still photographs, interspersed with quotes read by that guy who does the "old timer" voice in all of Ken Burns' films. I wish they could just filter it down to 2 hr documentary, instead of a week-long miniseries event. Yup, I am of the MTV generation....

it was just three episodes. And a lot of the character VOs were done by well known actors.

dianebrat

· #15 · Oct 12, 2011

DeDondeEs said:
I got through Part 1. I can only watch so much narration while panning over black and white still photographs, interspersed with quotes read by that guy who does the "old timer" voice in all of Ken Burns' films. I wish they could just filter it down to 2 hr documentary, instead of a week-long miniseries event. Yup, I am of the MTV generation....

different strokes and all, I thought the images were spectacular and engaging, from the amazingly crisp B&W stills to the grainier but still great moving clips, it was so great to see in the 3rd episode where you could actually see them speaking in their own voice. There were a few moving clips that they did overuse, the one in I *think* Times Square with Hydrox ice cream sign for example was used way too often.

I'm also always enthralled with the choices they use for their voiceovers, occasionally it takes me until the 2nd or 3rd listen to recognize them, but then the light bulb goes off.

mattack

· #16 · Oct 12, 2011

Tivoed it, but may just rent it from netflix instead, since there look like a bunch of extras that would be interesting to see..

SNJpage1

· #17 · Oct 12, 2011

I am on part three now had to stop half way thru it to take a break. I agree it could have been a lot shorter. But as I posted earlier its amazing how they proved that banning something just doesnt work and how the so called christians tried to force their way into our laws. It was crazy how they made up things about Smith when he was running for the presidency because he was a catholic. Even one of the historians they interviewed made a comparision to what is taking place today in politics to what went on back then.

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · #18 · Oct 12, 2011

SNJpage1 said:
I am on part three now had to stop half way thru it to take a break. I agree it could have been a lot shorter. But as I posted earlier its amazing how they proved that banning something just doesnt work and how the so called christians tried to force their way into our laws. It was crazy how they made up things about Smith when he was running for the presidency because he was a catholic. Even one of the historians they interviewed made a comparision to what is taking place today in politics to what went on back then.

I watched it over three or four days.

I knew I plowing through it in one shot was futile, especially conisdering I had to keep up with the theme.

jsmeeker

Discussion Starter · #19 · Oct 12, 2011

SNJpage1 said:
I am on part three now had to stop half way thru it to take a break. I agree it could have been a lot shorter. But as I posted earlier its amazing how they proved that banning something just doesnt work and how the so called christians tried to force their way into our laws. It was crazy how they made up things about Smith when he was running for the presidency because he was a catholic. Even one of the historians they interviewed made a comparision to what is taking place today in politics to what went on back then.

The "wets vs drys" is very, very much like current day politics. And I'm not talking about religion.

It was the "country vs. city" battle.

frombhto323

· #20 · Oct 12, 2011

jsmeeker said:
The "wets vs drys" is very, very much like current day politics. And I'm not talking about religion.

It was the "country vs. city" battle.

This is the argument we've been having since the very beginning (North/urban vs. South/rural; Industrial city vs. Agricultural country; Metro areas vs. rural counties, etc.).

1 - 20 of 32 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.