Ken Burns's Prohibition -- coming to PBS | Sneak Peek | PBS

[RPshakes]

wuts the name of the first song they play when the video just starts??

[Dancing88Mike]

boy that must have been an exciting age. Just before the Great Depression

[Jammmer20]

If possible I would like to know the title of the song at the beginning of this video.

[haibane13]

This documentry looks dumb from the get go , Ken Burns may be a good filmaker but he's a crumy historian . The story of prohibition is simple , Americans beleived and tried to elevate soceity to a greater status but not only did not acheive that but realised that Americans aren't such a great people after all .

[vivaguatemala4123456]

This is basically the same crap that is happening today. We never learn from history....

[rumbler227]

I thought it was Ken Burns' best documentary since his Civil War. And it has so many parallels for today and lessons about government incursion in the personal lives of Americans. I don't think we've really learned anything from prohibition. It's sad really.

[fromthesidelines]

From January 16, 1920, through December 5, 1933- all hell broke loose. Tell people they can't have something....and they'll WANT it. This was the result of the great "dry experiment"...

[bijanbwb]

"Why is all the rum gone!"

[boringlyawesum]

I hadn't watched pbs since 2009 when the digital switch happened, I bought a digital TV antenna and it worked fine but the only channel it never picked up was PBS. I got used to not watching PBS so I never really looked into getting a stronger antenna, well it broke on me recently and sunday I got a new one. I ran the channel scan and their it was PBS. Later that evening I put it on and watched the whole series.............man what have I been missing?

[rgrbuck3]

No one has the right to tell someone what they can use in their own body!!

[Piettski]

This will air October 2, 3, 4 at 8 p.m. pacific time.

[zeldafreak701]

ITT: Butthurt marijuana smokers.

[mofomango]

@zeldafreak701 i don't ever smoke marijuana but you can't deny that there is a parallel between the prohibition on alcohol and marijuana. if you replace this word alcohol in this piece of propaganda with marijuana it becomes so laughable how applicable it is.

[zeldafreak701]

@mofomango

I'm not disagreeing with you in the slightest. I agree that there is a parallel between prohibition and the war on drugs, and that they're both ridiculous. But this is about Prohibition, not the war on drugs. I can't look up one documentary without someone saying 'it's just like pot', and 'marijuana will take the same path'.

[Pherawax]

@solarEXtract

Agreed

[dierjran]

Ken Burns does it again!!!!!!!

[LegendaryStory]

What is the music playing during this?

[OconByrd519]

CAN NOT WAIT!!! Ken Burns is a genius filmaker!!

[HipHopRevolutionary]

End the prohibition of all drugs.. Who has the right to say what substance an adult puts into his or her body? I don't even use drugs and this is self-evident to me.

[jamianm]

@HipHopRevolutionary I accidentally gave you a thumbs down. I didn't mean to; sorry.

[Pandaonfire5]

Does anybody know what songs play at 0:25 and 2:08? 20's Jazz fan here!!

[jamianm]

@Pandaonfire5 I believe the songs in the film are all original pieces created by David Cieri, Jay Frederick, Jordan Scannella. The web site for the film lists them as the band behind the music.

[yurilisakimura]

When and what channel will this be airing?

[PBS]

@yurilisakimura PBS beginning Oct. 2

[yurilisakimura]

@PBS Thank you!

[deemoe7301]

I love KB films. I'm really looking forward this docu. answering some questions I had.

[The420Dwarf]

when you watch this look at marijuana its the same thing!! Its was a bad idea then its a bad idea now!

[chrisfriez]

END MARIJUANA PROHIBITION!!!! It has had worse results than alcohol prohibition, and the worst part is that marijuana really can help people!

[SolarEXtract]

Every time they say "alcohol" I just replace it with "marijuana" in my mind and it's the same damn thing.

Prohibition didn't work then and it still doesn't work now.

[dalizam]

Thanks, Ken Burns, for taking the safe route and telling the story of a failed ten year policy instead of focusing on how current prohibition of marijuana is a 75 year failed effort at prohibition.

[ThePurplesBook]

Prohibition had a huge effect on Detroit, where a Jewish gang of rumrunners essentially took over the river, importing booze from Canada and giving Al Capone a real run for his money. I recently wrote a novel about this era and the gang, called The Purples.

[RReederHunt]

This looks interesting! I remember how impressed I was the first time I saw his Civil War film.

[Peter43John]

"On Lake Michigan, it's called bootleging-On Lake Shore Drive, it's called hospitality": Al Capone

[warnolt]

Can someone please tell me what the first song is playing in the background.

[sasodei1995]

@warnolt i know your feeling. its driving me NUTS trying to find it!!!

[mcav12]

@warnolt

St. James Imfirmary, I'm not sure as to who the artist is, but Louis Armstrong does a very good rendition of it, you can find it on youtube

[warnolt]

Can someone please tell me what the first song is playing in the background.

[195511SM]

I'm really hoping they touch on the whole marijuana thing. I believe it was one of the big beer barons ( maybe Adolph Coors?) who really pushed to have weed outlawed....simply because the alcohol industry didn't want the competition down the road.

[chrisfriez]

@195511SM DuPont was also involved because the nylon company didn't want any competition from hemp - which had an article published about it in the February 1938 issue of Popular Mechanics Magazine, called "New Billion-Dollar Crop."

[danswinton]

1:52 - "You cannot legislate morality". Really? Why is it that our culture has degraded thought to the level of cheap slogans. I thought that all laws are moral judgments about what people should and shouldn't do. If you pass a law outlawing murder or theft aren't you legislating morality? You shouldn't steal? You shouldn't kill? How are these not moral statements? The very statement "You cannot legislate morality" is in itself a moral judgment.

[l0tics]

@danswinton

None of those laws are based on morality. They're based on two things: not harming another person, and not doing anything to their property. Saying someone shouldn't drink alcohol when it harms no one and is on private property is unenforceable.

[quietpopcorn]

I can't wait to watch this show about marijuana.

What's that?

Oh, sorry, alcohol.

[XjjdX]

I can't wait to see this!

[swankrecords]

the birth of the modern drug cartels.

[onlythefacts999]

Sweet. cant wait

[horacewayne]

WOW...exactly what our silly, sleepy, should be proud nation needs right now........Ken

burns is the sh.......

[mmmodafoca]

oh man.. Prohibition, I've heard mix stories or anecdotal evidence on why it was a good and bad idea. As a Mexican American i cannot deny that if it wasn't for prohibition in the US, the mexican Drug Cartels would probably not be as big as they are today :(.

[noeljatcoxnet]

Looks Great!