FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: PROFILES IN COURAGE (1964-1965)

PROFILES IN COURAGE (1964-1965) – This television series took its name from the late President John F. Kennedy’s non-fiction book of that title. Some of the episodes dramatized specific sections of JFK’s book while others depicted what the producers felt were similar instances of political figures facing tough choices.

Those choices were between following their conscience or following what was best for their political career at the time.    

John F. Kennedy’s book – like many (probably all) such works by sitting politicians – was supposedly ghost-written and dealt purely with senators, the office Kennedy held when putting the book together.

The television version of Profiles in Courage ran for 26 episodes, each of which filled a 1-hour time slot with commercials. 

NOTEWORTHY EPISODES:

OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD (Nov 8th, 1964) – Senator Underwood was a top contender for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1924. However, he obeyed his conscience by speaking out against the Ku Klux Klan, one of the Democrat Party’s most powerful forces.

His courageous stand cost him the presidential nomination and then his senate seat. Sidney Blackmer played Oscar Underwood and Victor Jory played Charles Carlin. 

MARY S. MCDOWELL (Nov 15th, 1964) – Mary McDowell was a New York teacher during World War One. She refused to support the war effort via War Bonds rallies or sign a loyalty oath due to her religious principles as a Quaker.

McDowell lost her job and was publicly vilified, with the New York Times going so far as to write that her case “proved that Quakers and other pacifists ought not to be allowed to teach children”. Rosemary Harris starred as Mary McDowell and Albert Salmi played Mr. Schneider. 

THOMAS HART BENTON (Nov 29th, 1964) – This episode was the first one to be based on one of the eight figures chronicled in John F. Kennedy’s book. Democrat Senator Benton defied the Party by opposing the spread of slavery to California.

In opposing the Democrats’ beloved “peculiar institution” of slavery he ultimately lost his Senate seat and many friends and colleagues. Fellow Democrat Senator Henry S. Foote once tried to shoot Benton to death on the Senate floor and had to be wrestled down by the other senators in attendance. Brian Keith portrayed Senator Benton and Carl Benton Reid played John C. Calhoun.

JOHN M. SLATON (Dec 20th, 1964) – Walter Matthau starred as Governor John M. Slaton of Georgia. Slaton was troubled by some instances of the death penalty and in 1915 he commuted the death sentence of Leo Frank to life in prison instead.

The unpopularity of that action brought on the end of Slaton’s political career (as he had foreseen). With state execution off the table for the white Leo Frank, the Democrats subjected him to their usual fallback measure – they lynched him. Michael Constantine and Betsy Jones-Morland costarred.  

JOHN ADAMS (Dec 27th, 1964) – This episode presented a case very early in Adams’ life, when he was a practicing attorney. Though John was passionate about America obtaining independence from Great Britain he felt that the British soldiers arrested in the Boston Massacre were being railroaded by public anger. 

With the obstinacy which would mark his entire career, Adams risked his livelihood and entire social standing by stepping forward to defend the accused soldiers, who seemed unlikely to get a fair trial otherwise. John succeeded, with the worst punishment given to any of the Redcoats being a branding on the thumb. Adams endured the scorn and hostility of the people and regained his popularity in the long run. Starred David McCallum and Andrew Prine.

ANNE HUTCHINSON (Jan 10th, 1965) – In 1630s Massachusetts Bay Colony, Anne Hutchinson outspokenly criticizes church leadership in what became known as the Antinomian Controversy. This brought on her public disgrace and two trials, one of which exiled her from Massachusetts and the other dismissing her from her congregation.

Hutchinson and like-minded Christians went on to form the settlement of Portsmouth, RI. Wendy Hiller played Anne and Donald Harron played Cotton.

ALEXANDER WILLIAM DONIPHAN (Jan 17th, 1965) – This episode was set during the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri, covered previously by Balladeer’s Blog HERE. General Doniphan – who would go on to fame as the commander of Doniphan’s Thousand during the Mexican War (1846-1848) – was torn between his military duty and his sympathy for certain Mormons given the clearly intolerant treatment they were subjected to. 

NOTE: It was during this First Mormon War that Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs made his infamous Mormon Extermination Order. Ultimately, when ordered to kill one of his prisoners, Joseph Smith, the head of the Mormon Church, Doniphan refused.  Peter Lawford starred as Doniphan.

JOHN PETER ALTGELD (Jan 24th, 1965) – Burgess Meredith starred as Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld, who followed his conscience and withstood a storm of outrage from pardoning anarchists found guilty in the Haymarket Riot.

Altgeld was convinced that they had not received a fair trial and were railroaded by public sentiment. The one and only John Cassavetes was among the guest cast as Parsons. 

FREDERICK DOUGLASS (Jan 31st, 1965) – Former slave Frederick Douglass risks recapture and a return to slavery by choosing to make public appearances speaking out against that heinous institution. This episode also deals with the man’s role in the later Santo Domingo Commission and appointment as United States Minister to Haiti.

Robert Hooks, future star of Trouble Man starred, along with Claudia McNeil, Harry Townes and Alfred Ryder.

WOODROW WILSON (Feb 14th, 1965) – Whit Bissell starred as Democrat President Woodrow Wilson. This episode dealt with Wilson risking his own reelection by appointing the brilliant legal firebrand Louis D. Brandeis to the Supreme Court.

Big Business opposed Brandeis over previous court decisions and many other forces opposed Brandeis because he was Jewish. Paul Stewart portrayed Brandeis, with William Daniels himself among the supporting cast. 

HAMILTON FISH (Mar 7th, 1965) – Hamilton Fish, Secretary of State under President Ulysses S. Grant, jeopardizes his political future and his standing with President Grant by adamantly arguing that America should not intervene militarily in Cuba’s then-ongoing revolution against Spain.

Ed Asner was the surprising choice to portray Grant, while Henry Jones starred as Secretary of State Fish and Peter Mark Richman played Rawlins.

GEORGE MASON (May 2nd, 1965) – At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, George Mason refuses to support the proposed U.S. Constitution because it lacks a Bill of Rights. There is intense pressure on Mason to “go along to get along” on the issue.

George successfully fights for the addition of America’s Bill of Rights after persuading enough colleagues that without it a simple majority of the people could at some future date strip away major, basic freedoms that empower citizens against a potentially abusive government. Laurence Naismith starred as Mason, Arthur Franz played James Madison and John Colicos played Patrick Henry.

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