''Profiles in Courage'' is an American

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...

that was telecast weekly on NBC from November 8, 1964, to May 9, 1965 (Sundays, 6:30-7:30pm, Eastern). The series was based on the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

winning 1956 book, '' Profiles in Courage'' by

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

, who had been

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

the previous November.

Overview

The series lasted for 26 episodes, each of which would feature a figure from

American history The history of the lands that became the United States began with the arrival of the first people in the Americas around 15,000 BC. Numerous indigenous cultures formed, and many saw transformations in the 16th century away from more densely ...

who took an unpopular stand during a critical moment in the nation's history. Seven of the eight senators from Kennedy's book were profiled, with the exception being Mississippi's

Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II (September 17, 1825January 23, 1893) was an American politician, diplomat, and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Mississippi in both houses of Congress, served as the United States Secr ...

. Music for the opening and closing theme was arranged by

Nelson Riddle Nelson Smock Riddle Jr. (June 1, 1921 – October 6, 1985) was an American arranger, composer, bandleader and orchestrator whose career stretched from the late 1940s to the mid-1980s. He worked with many world-famous vocalists at Capitol Records ...

, based on the Irish ballad, ''

The Boys of Wexford "The Boys of Wexford" (also known as ''The Flight of the Earls'') is an Irish ballad commemorating the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and, more specifically, the Wexford Rebellion. The aim of rebellion was to remove English control from Irish affairs and ...

'', home of Kennedy's ancestors.

Historical background

Episodes

Awards

The series won two awards; a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for Robert Saudek and a

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television.IMDB Awards for "Profiles in Courage" page
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External links

*

Episodes of ''Profiles in Courage'' on the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Episode 6, ''John Slaton''

Episode 11, ''John Peter Altgeld''

Episode 13, ''Daniel Webster''

Episode 21, ''Grover Cleveland''

Episode 22, ''John Quincy Adams''

Episode 24, ''Ben B. Lindsay"

Episode 25, ''George Mason''

References

{{Authority control 1964 American television series debuts 1965 American television series endings 1960s American anthology television series Black-and-white American television shows English-language television shows Historical television series NBC original programming Peabody Award-winning television programs Television shows based on non-fiction books Cultural depictions of John Adams Cultural depictions of John Quincy Adams Cultural depictions of presidents of the United States Cultural depictions of Woodrow Wilson Cultural depictions of Grover Cleveland Cultural depictions of Frederick Douglass Cultural depictions of Andrew Johnson