PBS documentary on Benjamin Franklin by Ken Burns on now, anybody watching?

PBS

[ValleyofHope]

Seems to be true to history so far-but given it's PBS, I am skeptical.

[Dr. Sivana]

I am a history buff, and his spin is consistently leftist.

I tried watching about 15 minutes of "baseball". The "experts" he featured were Mario Cuomo and Billy Crystal. Really?!

[pierrem15]

Franklin was an American Goethe, a literary genius, a fabulously successful capitalist, a statesman of the first rank, diplomat, inventor and world-class scientist.

And largely self-taught. A true polymath, and the most famous American in the last quarter of the 18th Century. Without his diplomatic work to get France to support the US, it's doubtful we would have won our independence.

[ValleyofHope]

Well as sure as the sun rises, it became all about slavery in the last 30-45 minutes.

I realize that slavery was an important issue during those times, and that it was a complicated story with southern states and northern states, but it was not the top concern of the founders of our country. They were resisting tyrrany.

NFS is setting in...

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“Danger UXB”

Me, too. Wasn’t that on “Masterpiece Theater”? That was a fantastic show. I loved watching those poor young men start off ebullient and gung-ho, then get ground down and down and down until they were full of despair and ennui and didn’t care any longer. The personality development was amazing.

Did you also watch “Piece of Cake”?

[keving]

I left at 10 minutes about slavery in this documentary. I’m waiting for sexism, national origin, and handicap to be added at a later date. Also I think all the STDs and whores that Benjamin had should’ve been played up for a better ratings

[nathanbedford]

I think for sheer intellectual candlepower among presidents one thinks of John Adams or his son John Quincy Adams. For statesmanship one thinks again of John Adams, George Washington, James Madison and Abraham Lincoln and, of course, Thomas Jefferson.

To approximate his equal in raw sexual lust for the opposite sex among presidents one thinks of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton.

For comparable diplomatic achievements among presidents combined with literary works, one thinks of Nobel peace prize winner Theodore Roosevelt, indeed, to find a Renaissance man of commensurate talents and accomplishments among American presidents, one again thinks of Theodore Roosevelt.

To identify an American presidents who so influenced the American colloquial idiom, one cites Abraham Lincoln.

To find so successful a capitalist among American presidents one is drawn to the accomplishments of Donald Trump.

[nathanbedford]

As a Renaissance man among presidents, Franklin deserves (pre)eminent status with Thomas Jefferson.

[dadfly]

let me know how far in the get until the call him a ‘deist.’

[Georgia Girl 2]

Hopefully not like his BS civil war documentary.

[MadMax, the Grinning Reaper]

He sucked on Vietnam. I wish I could write about the whole backstory about it.

Go to www.vvfh.org for details.

Vietnam Veterans for Factual History.

One of our members, the late, brave and very intelligent Rufus Phillips, was in it. He had forgotten more about Vietnam than most of the leftists interviewed in the film knew combined between them.

[minnesota_bound]

Ken Burns will work in how bad ol Ben was and that he hated black people.

[pookie18]

My wife & I saw this when it debuted several weeks ago & thought it was pretty good.

[Chickensoup]

I respected the guy even more after hearing that.

Why?

[Badboo]

I've read alot about Franklin including his autobiography. Overall the series was excellent in showing the breadth and intellect of America's most famous man. For those who don't know much about Franklin it is an eye-opener. Should be shown in schools.

Unfortunately it is too faced paced, necessary for television unfortunately. And the commentators were somewhat racially typecast.

But given today's cesspool of movie and media crap, this is an outstanding exception.

[renosemper]

Tks for the reference. Always disgusted by how the Left has beaten down our effort in Vietnam and those who served in that cause—but pleased with rebuttals to “productions” such as what Burns produced.

[know.your.why]

I respected the guy even more after hearing that. Why?

I dunno. Doesnt matter. Just the mental picture of a person like B.F. going for hookers esp at a time when prostitution was a legitimate profession...just seems fascinating to me.

[SunkenCiv]

• Try this instead: Benjamin Franklin - Full Episode [A&E Biography]

[waterhill]

I think you are thinking of 1776, the musical. Beer and whores. Apparently Ben was fond of both.

[oldvirginian]

Old Ben was quite the ladies man.
I remember reading about two, a mother and daughter, that Ben became involved with while he was in France trying to get help for our revolution. I can’t remember their names but I do remember they both kept up a lifelong association with him. Even after he returned from France for the last time the three were sending letters back and forth across the Atlantic.

[MarvinStinson]

Ken Burns: Student of History—or Left-Wing Gasbag?

Often accused of obsession with race, Burns has described himself as “a privileged white man,” and once said, “Like the amputated limb felt long after it has been cut off, I miss Trayvon Martin.”

“I’ve been dealing with the question of race in every subject,” Burns admitted in an interview, and told a National Endowment for the Humanities audience, “Race percolates close to the surface in nearly every project I’ve worked on.”

https://www.aim.org/special-report/ken-burns-student-of-history-or-left-wing-gasbag/