Our American Heritage
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Our American Heritage is a series of TV specials broadcast on NBC from 1959 to 1961.[1]
Mildred Freed Alberg produced the program with the cooperation of American Heritage magazine.[1] Lowell Thomas was the narrator.[2] Directors included James Lee,[3] Jack Smight[4] and Alex Segal[2] Writers included Morton Wishengrad,[5] Tad Mosel,[6] David Shaw,[3] and Mann Rubin.[7]
A total of thirteen episodes were aired on the National Broadcasting Company from October 18, 1959 to May 13, 1961. Actors who were featured included Raymond Massey, Dean Jagger, Walter Matthau, Roddy McDowall, Christopher Plummer, Susan Strasberg, Melvyn Douglas, Robert Redford, and Teresa Wright.
On January 27, 1960, the Thomas Alva Edison Foundations recognized Our American Heritage as "the television program best portraying America".[8] The program was sponsored by The Equitable Life Assurance Society.[9]
Episodes of the program included those shown in the table below:
| Date | Title | Subject | Star(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 18, 1959 | "Divided We Stand" | Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, George Washington | Ralph Bellamy, Arthur Kennedy, Howard St. John[5] |
| November 22, 1959 | "The Practical Dreamer" | Eli Whitney | Burgess Meredith[10] |
| January 24, 1960 | "Destiny, West" | John C. Frémont | Jeffrey Hunter[11] |
| February 21, 1960 | "Shadow of a Soldier" | Ulysses S. Grant | James Whitmore[12] |
| April 10, 1960 | ––– | Andrew Carnegie | David Wayne, Judith Anderson[13] |
| October 21, 1960 | "Not Without Honor" | Alexander Hamilton | Arthur Kennedy, Ralph Bellamy[14] |
| December 2, 1960 | "Born a Giant" | Andrew Jackson | Bill Travers, Barbara Rush[7] |
| January 13, 1961 | "The Invincible Teddy" | Theodore Roosevelt | George Peppard[4] |
| March 11, 1961 | "The Secret Rebel" | John Honeyman | Hugh O'Brian[2] |
| May 13, 1961 | "Woodrow Wilson and the Unknown Soldier" | Woodrow Wilson | Judson Laire, Don Ameche[3] |