The Kennedy family, the great American political dynasty, is examined in considerable detail in this PBS documentary. Hosted by historian David McCullough, the production features a host of experts on the Kennedy clan, including author Doris Kearns Goodwin, the late Speaker of the House Thomas P. "Tip" O"Neill, and historian Theodore Sorenson, as well as a number of family friends and colleagues who served in political campaigns. The story begins with patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy, who suffered discrimination at Harvard and spent the rest of his life getting even with those who had slighted him. After making a fortune on Wall Street and in Hollywood in the boom of the 1920s, Kennedy became active in Roosevelt"s New Deal, eventually becoming the U.S. ambassador to Britain. The father"s political miscalculations ended his public role, but the seeds were sown for the political careers of his sons. This documentary beautifully tells the story of the rise of the Kennedy family, and the intelligent and balanced interviews and the use of rare film ensure an especially informative and entertaining presentation. This video, first of a two-tape set, progresses to the middle of John F. Kennedy"s term as president, an office he attained with the considerable help of his father and other family members. "--Robert¬?J. McNamara"