Profiles in Courage (TV series)

Profiles in Courage
Tom Bosley as George W. Norris, 1965
Genre	Historical anthology
Based on	the book Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy (and Theodore C. Sorensen)
Directed by	Lamont Johnson Daniel Petrie José Quintero Michael Ritchie (film director) Alexander Singer
Theme music composer	Nelson Riddle
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producer	Robert Saudek
Producer	Gordon Oliver
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	44 mins.
Production company	Robert Saudek Associates
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	November 8, 1964 (1964-11-08) – May 9, 1965 (1965-05-09)

Profiles in Courage is an American historical anthology series 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 winning 1956 book, Profiles in Courage by U.S. President John F. Kennedy, who had been assassinated the previous November.

Overview

The series lasted for 26 episodes, each of which would feature a figure from American history 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. Music for the opening and closing theme was arranged by Nelson Riddle, based on the Irish ballad, The Boys of Wexford , home of Kennedy's ancestors.

Historical background

Episode #	Episode era and historical detail behind the individual profile in courage	Episode title (names in bold are subjects of chapters in Kennedy's book)	Year of birth	Year of death	Actor portrayal	Original airdate
1-1	1924 Democratic National Convention#Ku Klux Klan presence — Alabama Senator Oscar Underwood opposes the Ku Klux Klan	Oscar W. Underwood	1862	1929	Sidney Blackmer	November 8, 1964
1-2	1918 Brooklyn high school teacher Mary Stone McDowell#Her firing as a teacher for refusing to encourage her students' purchase of World War I Liberty bonds	Mary S. McDowell	1876	1955	Rosemary Harris	November 15, 1964
1-3	1850 Compromise — Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton#Later Senate career and tension	Thomas Hart Benton	1782	1858	Brian Keith	November 29, 1964
1-4	1894 University of Wisconsin professor Richard T. Ely#Education and career in defense of academic freedom	Richard T. Ely	1854	1943	Dan O'Herlihy	December 6, 1964
1-5	1861 Texas in the American Civil War#Governor Sam Houston refuses to sanction Texas' secession from the Union	Sam Houston	1793	1863	J. D. Cannon	December 13, 1964
1-6	1915 Leo Frank#Commutation of sentence by Georgia Governor John Slaton	John M. Slaton	1866	1955	Walter Matthau	December 20, 1964
1-7	1770 defense attorney and future President John Adams#Counsel for the British: Boston Massacre	John Adams	1735	1826	David McCallum	December 27, 1964
1-8	1946 Ohio Senator Robert A. Taft#Condemnation of Nuremberg Trials	Robert A. Taft	1889	1953	Lee Tracy	January 3, 1965
1-9	1637 Massachusetts Bay Colony Antinomian Controversy — Boston midwife and Puritan religious reformer Anne Hutchinson	Anne Hutchinson	1591	1643	Wendy Hiller	January 10, 1965
1-10	1838 Missouri Militia Brigadier General Alexander William Doniphan#The 1838 Mormon War	Alexander William Doniphan	1808	1887	Peter Lawford	January 17, 1965
1-11	1893 Haymarket affair#Pardon and historical characterization — Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld	John Peter Altgeld	1847	1902	Burgess Meredith	January 24, 1965
1-12	1843 escaped slave Frederick Douglass#Abolitionist and preacher risks recapture into slavery	Frederick Douglass	1817	1895	Robert Hooks	January 31, 1965
1-13	1850 Compromise — Massachusetts Senator Daniel Webster#Taylor administration, 1849–1850	Daniel Webster	1782	1852	Martin Gabel	February 7, 1965
1-14	1916 President Woodrow Wilson Supreme Court candidates#Louis Brandeis nomination	Woodrow Wilson	1856	1924	Whit Bissell	February 14, 1965
1-15	1832 Canterbury Female Boarding School#Trials of Prudence Crandall, Connecticut schoolteacher and activist for education of black girls	Prudence Crandall	1803	1890	Janice Rule	February 21, 1965
1-16	1860 Tennessee Senator and future President Andrew Johnson#Secession crisis	Andrew Johnson	1808	1875	Walter Matthau	February 28, 1965
1-17	1869 President Ulysses S. Grant's Secretary of State Hamilton Fish#Cuban belligerency and insurrection 1869–1870	Hamilton Fish	1808	1893	Henry Jones	March 7, 1965
1-18	1920 Socialist Party of America#Expulsion of Socialists from the New York Assembly — Charles Evans Hughes#Presidential candidate	Charles Evans Hughes	1862	1948	Kent Smith	March 14, 1965
1-19	1868 Kansas Senator Edmund G. Ross#Andrew Johnson impeachment deciding vote	Edmund G. Ross	1826	1907	Bradford Dillman	March 21, 1965
1-20	1917 American entry into World War I#Declaration of war — Nebraska Senator George W. Norris#Senator leads filibuster against Armed Ships Bill	George W. Norris	1861	1944	Tom Bosley	March 28, 1965
1-21	1887 Grover Cleveland#Vetoes pension bills — Grand Army of the Republic#History	Grover Cleveland	1837	1908	Carroll O'Connor	April 4, 1965
1-22	1807 John Quincy Adams#U.S. Senator from Massachusetts — support for Embargo Act of 1807	John Quincy Adams	1767	1848	Douglas Campbell	April 11, 1965
1-23	1807 Burr conspiracy#Trial — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall#Burr conspiracy trial	John Marshall	1755	1835	Gary Merrill	April 18, 1965
1-24	1906 Denver judge and social reformer Ben B. Lindsey#Juvenile court advocacy	Benjamin Barr Lindsey	1869	1943	George Grizzard	April 25, 1965
1-25	1787 Founding Father from Virginia George Mason#Road to dissent and refusal to sign the Constitution until it contained a Bill of Rights	George Mason	1725	1792	Laurence Naismith	May 2, 1965
1-26	1847 Ohio Senator Thomas Corwin#Political career delivers a speech in opposition to the Mexican War	Thomas Corwin	1794	1865	George Rose	May 9, 1965

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	1	"OSCAR W. UNDERWOOD"	Lamont Johnson	David Karp	November 8, 1964 (1964-11-08)
Opening narration: "...contender for the presidency. Another contender — Senator Oscar W. Underwood of Alabama — was so convinced the Klan was contrary to all principles of democracy that he wanted the Convention to denounce the Klan in no uncertain terms. His political courage would be tested during that fateful summer of nineteen-twenty-four." Starring Sidney Blackmer as Oscar W. Underwood and Victor Jory as Charles Carlin "WALDORF–ASTORIA HOTEL 1924" "BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA October, 1924" Closing narration: "Oscar Wilder Underwood, United States Senator from Alabama, paid a high price for his act of courage — he not only lost the Democratic presidential nomination... but he also lost his renomination for the Senate. He forfeited his political career in fighting the bigotry of the Ku Klux Klan." W. J. Bryan. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Tol Avery            Forney Johnston. .Lamont Johnson           Klan Leader. . . . . . . . . . .Paul Genge           Joe Larsen. . . . . . . . .Walter Mathews Georgia Delegate. .Garry Walberg           Younger Delegate . Berkeley Harris           Gov. Brandon. .Woodrow Parfrey            Owen. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Len Weyland           Ed Moore. .Arthur Peterson Jr. Lady Supporter. . .Betty Harford           Chairman. . . . . .Frederick Downs           Colby. . . . . . . . . . .Jason Wingreen            Homer Cummings. .Charles Irving           Pattangall. . . . . . . . .Robert Cinder           McAdoo Man. . . . . .Griffith James Reporter. . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Ball          Reporter. . . . . . .William Lanteau           Reporter. . . . . . . .Frank Killmond          Reporter. . . . . . . . . . .Ollie O'Toole           Servant. . . . . . . . . . .Chester Jones          and Henry Beckman as Graham MacNamee
2	2	"Mary S. McDowell"	Jose Quintero	Peter S. Feibleman	November 15, 1964 (1964-11-15)
Starring Rosemary Harris
3	3	"Thomas Hart Benton"	Lamont Johnson	A. J. Russell	November 29, 1964 (1964-11-29)
Starring Brian Keith
4	4	"Richard T. Ely"	Michael O'Herlihy	Walter Bernstein	December 6, 1964 (1964-12-06)
starring Dan O'Herlihy
5	5	"Sam Houston"	Sherman Marks	A. J. Russell	December 13, 1964 (1964-12-13)
starring J. D. Cannon
6	6	"Governor John M. Slaton"	Robert Gist	Don Mankiewicz	December 20, 1964 (1964-12-20)
Starring Walter Matthau
7	7	"JOHN ADAMS"	Robert Stevens	Walter Bernstein	December 27, 1964 (1964-12-27)
Opening narration: "The British sentry was startled by the alarm of a fire that did not exist. Whoever had instigated this prank, confusion it caused was a prolog to other events that same night... events later to be known as the Boston Massacre." Starring David McCallum "In the early months of seventeen-seventy, British soldiers were stationed in Boston for the first time. Their purpose — to enforce the English revenue laws in the colony. The colonials considered military occupation one of many grievances. Some colonials banded together in rebellious groups, such as the Sons of Liberty. The colonials were further angered by this sign, posted on the night of March fifth, which purported to announce the Redcoats' determination to repulse any opposition. Sometimes this opposition took the form of children's pranks and sometimes it was the harassment of individuals." "A disorderly mob was growing in the streets next. Trouble was brewing. John Adams, then a young successful lawyer and a militant foe of the English crown, was to be faced with decisions that could have ended his political career." "JOHN ADAMS HOME March 6, 1770" "SUPERIOR COURT, BOSTON November 27, 1770" "SUPERIOR COURT, BOSTON December 4, 1770" Closing narration: "John Adams risked his whole career in defending the soldiers. In spite of his unpopular stand, he was elected to the General Court. He became one of the great public figures of America — one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence. He became the second President of the United States." Also starring Andrew Prine as Josiah Quincy Co-starring Torin Thatcher as Jonathan Sewall            Gene Lyons as Sam Adams Phyllis Love as Abigail Adams            Russell Collins as Dr. Joseph Warren Master Appleton.......Scott Lane           Montgomery..........John McLiam           Samuel Quincy..........Paul Comi            Governor Hutchinson...Ben Wright            Killroy...............Jeff Cooper           Bridgham............Whit Bissell           James Forrest..Hedley Mattingly           Langford.........Brendan Dillon          Clerk of Court..Barry Macollum           Dr. Jeffries...........Tom Palmer Jared..............Les Brown, Jr.          Crosswell..........Julian Burton          Mr. Davis, Jr......Barton Heyman           Hinkling.........Russell Horton          Hemmingway....Robert Sorrells           Thayer...............Joe Di Reda          Strong.............James Wixted          Samuel Gray......Jason Wingreen           Foreman...........Ashley Cowan Uncredited: Percy Helton as Mr. Wilson, witness testifying at trial
8	8	"ROBERT A. TAFT"	Jose Quintero	William Hanley	January 3, 1965 (1965-01-03)
Opening narration: "Not all men were joyful, however... not all were capable of celebration.... nor had remaining to them the capacity for joy. Those who survived the charnel pit that was Nazi Germany, survived a new kind of war — a war of enslavement, murder, extermination, genocide... and the victims of that war fell on this battlefield — death from controlled gas warfare... in numbers beyond the ability of the mind to grasp. But who can truly imagine six million dead? The brain becomes useless and it remains to the heart and the soul to contend with such a truth. And what of the men responsible for the Holocaust? Were they men, like you and me? Perhaps... Not supermen... ordinary men... ordinary, but in whose hands there had been power... that it required little more than a single year to compile and catalog and broadcast to the world from this courtroom in Nuremberg, Germany, the full terrible truth of the system that these men had dreamed of... in a nightmare dream to be the Thousand-Year Reich and that was ended in twelve. The fire of madness that burned in these men's souls and consumed them and they stood now on the edge of judgment. While in America in that September of nineteen-forty-six, the people were preparing for a far different kind of judgment — in the first peacetime elections in eight years. There was a man then in Washington who was directly involved in the one judgment that would hopefully result in the political dominance of his party in the United States Congress... and who felt a responsibility for the nature of the other judgment that would in all likelihood result in the deaths of the men in the Nuremberg dock. Shy, reticent, solitary man, with few intimate friends, but with many followers. A man who had reached a place of power in the United States Senate... the acknowledged leader of his party. In the few years since his arrival in Washington in nineteen-thirty-nine as senator from his native state of Ohio... called Mister Republican... the son of the twenty-seventh President of the United States and with the dream that was almost a conviction... that he himself would one day have the honor of holding that office. But he was soon to risk the loss of his place of eminence in American domestic politics. And, he was to risk, too, the condemnation of the American people. Both, because he was a man who refused to make any slightest compromise with what he believed to be the truth." "WASHINGTON May 1946" Starring Lee Tracy as Senator Robert A. Taft Closing narration: "The storm raised by Senator Taft's speech eventually died down. It did not, after all the uproar, appear to affect the Republican sweep in nineteen-forty-six nor was it, at least openly, an issue in Taft's drive for the presidential nomination in nineteen-forty-eight. Taft's action was characteristic of the man who was labeled a reactionary and who was proud to be a conservative and who showed unhesitating courage in standing against the flow of public opinion for a cause that he believed to be right." Also starring David Opatoshu as Max Goldman Co-Starring Lou Frizzell as Howard Jensen           George Furth as Stanley           Sue Randall as Joan Owens Featuring Martha Taft ...... Louise Lorimer           Tom Smith ........... Steve Ihnat           Senator Wilks ...... Eugene Roche           Editor ........... Jason Wingreen           Reporter ......... Tommy Farrell           Reporter .............. Lee Millar          Reporter .......... Robert Casper          Reporter ......... Frank Behrens and Loring Smith as Roger Marsden
9	9	"Anne Hutchinson"	Cyril Ritchard	Jonathan Miller	January 10, 1965 (1965-01-10)
Starring Wendy Hiller
10	10	"General Alexander William Doniphan"	Unknown	Don Mankiewicz	January 17, 1965 (1965-01-17)
Starring Peter Lawford
11	11	"John Peter Altgeld"	Daniel Petrie	Philip S. Goodman	January 24, 1965 (1965-01-24)
Starring Burgess Meredith
12	12	"FREDERICK DOUGLASS"	Sherman Marks	Don M. Mankiewicz	January 31, 1965 (1965-01-31)
"NEW BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS 1838" Opening narration: "This is Frederick Douglass, age twenty-one, newly arrived from Baltimore. Certain things are second nature, even in a strange town — such as stepping down to let a white man pass... perhaps such deference is unnecessary, but Douglass is unsure of Northern ways." "This man, Frederick Douglass, on his way home with a bundle of wood, will soon bring distinction to a name not his own. He would find himself with greater opportunities than he had ever imagined, but first he would have to face great risks, public and personal, as well as the greatest risk — doing damage to the cause he serves. Starring Robert Hooks as Frederick Douglass "NEW BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS 1841" Closing narration: "Frederick Douglass had to flee to England to escape recapture as a fugitive slave. There, he made speeches for his cause and, eventually, friends in England bought Douglass from his master, Captain Auld of Baltimore. As a freed man, he returned to the United States and served his country in many ways. He recruited Negro soldiers for the Union Army. He was an advisor to President Lincoln and, in eighteen-eighty-nine, he was appointed the United States minister to Haiti." Also Starring Claudia McNeil as Mrs. Haines           Harry Townes as Will Coffin Alfred Ryder as William Lloyd Garrison            Hari Rhodes as Nathan Johnson And Also starring Frederick O'Neal as Mr. Haines           Richard Rust as Wendell Phillips Co-Starring James Edwards as Ruggles            Mittie Lawrence as Anna Douglass Featuring Mrs. Everett ......... Lillian Bronson           Mrs. Johnson .............. Isabelle Cooley          Dock Boss .......... Ray Teal           Willie ......... Joel Fluellen            Billings .............. Jack Doner           Storekeeper .......... Arthur Peterson
13	13	"DANIEL WEBSTER"	Robert Gist	A. J. Russell	February 7, 1965 (1965-02-07)
"LONG ISLAND 1849" Opening narration: "The contemporary called Daniel Webster a living lie — because no man on Earth could be so great as he looked. Certainly, his striking appearance was half the secret of his power — he convinced all who looked upon his face that he was one born to rule men. There can be no mistaking he was a great man — he looked like one, he talked like one and he insisted he was one. Ever since his first speech in Congress, attacking the War of 1812, Webster riveted the House of Representatives as no freshman had ever held it before. He was the outstanding orator of all time — whether at a picnic, as an advocate before the Supreme Court or... in the Senate. Webster first was elected to the Senate in eighteen-twenty-seven. He soon became a strong voice against the institution of slavery, characterizing it as... one of the greatest evils, both moral and political. He presented petitions for the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia, he served as Secretary of State and returned to his seat in the Senate to face the crisis of impending Civil War. When the moment came to test his greatness, Daniel Webster had to risk everything that he held dear." "WASHINGTON, D.C. 1850" Starring Martin Gabel Closing narration: "Daniel Webster suffered many abuses for his stand for the Union and his own political ambitions were thwarted. But, the fact that Secession did not occur until ten years later, is due in great part to him. He helped the country understand and accept Henry Clay's Compromise." Also starring Martine Bartlett as Caroline Webster           Sandy Kenyon as Fletcher Webster Co-starring Robert F. Simon as Henry Clay            Malcolm Atterbury as Timothy Felson           Carl Benton Reid as John C. Calhoun Slave Dealer .... Woodrow Parfrey            Emerson .......... Booth Colman            Senator Seward .... Morris Ankrum            Garrison ............. G. B. Atwater Klinger ............. John Holland            John Greenleaf Whittier .. Ken Drake            Rev. Theodore Parker ... David Bond           Senator Walker ....... Tyler McVey            Millard Fillmore .......... Jim Boles           Slave ............ Robert Murphy
14	14	"WOODROW WILSON (episode title does not appear on-screen)"	Alexander Singer	David Karp	February 14, 1965 (1965-02-14)
"January 4, 1916" Opening narration: "During nineteen-fifteen, Europe was at war. German U-boats were sinking British passenger ships. The Lusitania was sunk with two thousand people aboard, including one hundred and twenty four American citizens. The United States was neutral and enjoying a prosperous peacetime. In December of nineteen-fifteen, President Woodrow Wilson married Edith Galt. On his return to the White House, he not only had to face the problems of the foreign crisis, but he was to create a domestic crisis that was to last for months." "Woodrow Wilson — former economist, former president of Princeton University and, for the preceding three years, President of the United States — must fill a vacancy in the Supreme Court. His choice would indeed produce a shockwave throughout the nation." "The White House kitchen" Starring Whit Bissell as Woodrow Wilson " THE DETROIT FREE PRESS on the appointment of Louis Brandeis January 29, 1916..." "..THE BOSTON TRANSCRIPT.." "..HARVARD UNIVERSITY President A. Lawrence Lowell.." "BOSTON, May 1916" "On May twentieth, nineteen sixteen, President Wilson was aboard a train for Charlotte, North Carolina. On the same train was Wilson's friend Josephus Daniels, assigned to talk to Lee Overman, a crucial member of the Senate committee voting on the Brandeis appointment." "Shortly after Wilson's return from Charlotte, the second crucial member of the Senate committee, Senator James O'Gorman paid a surprise call to the White House office." "One man held the deciding vote in the Senate committee — Senator Shields of Tennessee." "May 24, 1916" "On June first, the Senate voted on the committee's recommendation to confirm the nomination by a vote of forty-seven to twenty-two. Closing narration: "On Monday, June fifth, nineteen-sixteen, Louis Dembitz Brandeis appeared for the first time on the bench of the United States Supreme Court as an associate justice. The record of his service in that court is public and distinguished, bearing on every hope that his friends expressed throughout the long fight to confirm his appointment. The hero of Justice Brandeis' elevation to that bench was the twenty-eighth President of the United States Woodrow Wilson who had risked his career, his administration and his re-election — first to summon forward a great jurist and then to support him when every force — friendly and hostile — was bent on making Wilson retreat. Woodrow Wilson's refusal to retreat was an act for which every American — every person who loves justice — may be proud." Also Starring John McMartin as Tumulty William Daniels as Attorney General Gregory Special Guest Appearance Paul Stewart as Louis D. Brandeis Co-Starring Philip Ober as George Anderson            John Hoyt as Senator Henry Cabot Lodge           Oliver McGowan as Senator Overman Featuring Irish Cook ....... Keith McConnell          French Cook ..... Maurice Marsac           Swedish Cook ...... Robert Easton           Mrs. Jaffray ............. Reta Shaw           Waiter .............. Nick Stewart Sen. Hoke Smith ... Donald Foster            Senator Shields ......... Ken Drake            Josephus Daniels ...... Duke Farley           Governor Stuart ... Robert Carson            Senator Culberson ....... John Rust          Reporter ........... William Phipps           Stock Exchange Executive . Vic Perrin           Clerk of Court ....... Don Dillaway And Peter Whitney as Senator O'Gorman
15	15	"Prudence Crandall"	Andrew Singer	Andy Lewis	February 21, 1965 (1965-02-21)
Starring Janice Rule
16	16	"Andrew Johnson"	Alexander Singer	Philip S. Goodman	February 28, 1965 (1965-02-28)
Starring Walter Matthau
17	17	"Hamilton Fish"	Unknown	Unknown	March 7, 1965 (1965-03-07)
Starring Henry Jones
18	18	"Charles Evans Hughes"	Unknown	David Karp	March 14, 1965 (1965-03-14)
Starring Kent Smith
19	19	"Edmund G. Ross"	Gerald Mayer	Andy Lewis	March 21, 1965 (1965-03-21)
Starring Bradford Dillman
20	20	"George W. Norris"	Unknown	Don Mankiewicz	March 28, 1965 (1965-03-28)
Starring Tom Bosley
21	21	"Grover Cleveland"	Lamont Johnson	Philip S. Goodman	April 4, 1965 (1965-04-04)
Starring Carroll O'Connor
22	22	"John Quincy Adams"	Michael Ritchie	Andy Lewis	April 11, 1965 (1965-04-11)
Starring Douglas Campbell
23	23	"John Marshall"	Unknown	David Karp	April 18, 1965 (1965-04-18)
Starring Gary Merrill
24	24	"Judge Benjamin Barr Lindsey"	Robert Gist	Don Mankiewicz	April 25, 1965 (1965-04-25)
Starring George Grizzard
25	25	"George Mason"	Joseph Anthony	A. J. Russell	May 2, 1965 (1965-05-02)
Starring Laurence Naismith
26	26	"Thomas Corwin"	Michael Ritchie	Don Mankiewicz	May 9, 1965 (1965-05-09)
Starring George Rose

Awards

The series won two awards; a Peabody Award for Robert Saudek and a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television.^{[ citation needed ]}

External links

• Profiles in Courage at IMDb
• Profiles in Courage at CTVA with episode list

Episodes of Profiles in Courage on the Internet Archive

• 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