American Experience - Building the Alaska Highway

Description

In May of 1942, across the rugged sub-Arctic wilderness of Alaska and Canada, thousands of American soldiers began one of the biggest and most difficult construction projects ever undertaken-building the Alaska Highway. This program tells how young soldiers battled mud, muskeg, and mosquitoes; endured ice, snow, and bitter cold; and cut pathways through primeval forests to push a 1,520-mile road across one of the world's harshest landscapes.

Customer Reviews:

Man faces adversity to get the job done!.......2005-06-17

In 1941, the government ordered the military to build a 1,500-mile highway from the lower 48 states deep into Alaska within one year. Viewers may want to look at this documentary alongside those on climbing Mount Everest. This may make many viewers, especially men, feel good because it shows (hu)man's ability to conquer the environment and transform it for his own purposes. This work shows white and black military men battling mosquitoes, Mother Nature, and monotony to get a job done. Unlike the creation of the Egyptian pyramids or the Panama Canal, there seemed to be only a few deaths of workers here.

Recent reports say that black enlistment in the military is down. Perhaps recruiters may want to show this video. Anywhere from one-quarter to one-half of the soldiers working on this highway were black. Still, segregation was the rule of the day and in the many photos one sees here, there is only one photo of a black soldier and a white soldier standing together as equals. Usually, either white commanders are "leading" black enlisted men or the two racial groups are completely separate. Just like the Tuskegee Airmen, these brothers survived the military despite horrible conditions and acute racism. I enjoyed finding out about this little known aspect of black history.

The interviewees are diverse. They include history makers and historians; whites and blacks; Americans and Canadians. Even though no military women are shown, women are interviewed in this documentary. The black interviewees mentioned their interactions with Native Alaskans, so this film has triracial, rather than biracial, coverage.

This film does leave certain topics out. The soldiers were drafted, but they are never asked whether working on a highway was preferable to the actual combat going on in France and the Philippines. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor gets attention, but the fact that the Americans hit Nagasaki with a nuclear bomb is not. The documentary stresses that no one knew what would be the best route for a highway into Alaska. However, they never bother to go into historical resentment about the acquisition of Alaska, what its naysayers called "Seward's Icebox," in the first place.

Along with the documentary on Hawaii's Massie Affair, this documentary also proves that the American Experience documentarians are just as interested in the other two states as they are in the lower 48/Mainland. I appreciate this diversity. But what I loved more is that this is the first public television documentary that I've seen with BRIEF MALE NUDITY!!!

Average customer rating:

A Good Melodrama With True Adventure As Backdrop.

Alaska Highway
Starring: Richard Arlen , Jean Parker , Ralph Sanford , William Henry , and Joe Sawyer
Director: Frank McDonald
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0006IUE84
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Customer Reviews:

A Good Melodrama With True Adventure As Backdrop........2005-08-25

The dauntingly difficult construction of the Alcan (Alaska Canada) Highway, extending northwest for nearly 1600 miles, following bulldozers from Dawson Creek, British Columbia up and over to Fairbanks. Alaska, an eight month long achievement during 1942 that utilized thousands of men before its completion, forms the background for this roisterous tale of romantic adventure. The road is well designed for the transport of troops, supplies and food to an Alaska that was soon to be attacked by Japanese forces, and the characters in the screenplay portray for the most part members of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the principal governmental agency responsible for extending the route by eight miles per day, despite extremely cold temperatures that would periodically plunge as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. "Pop" Ormsby (Harry Shannon), owner of a road building outfit, wins a contract to complete the Highway, and he and his employees enlist in the Engineer Corps, Pop as Major and commanding Officer of the unit, and his two sons Woody (Richard Arlen) and Steve (Bill Henry) as Technical Sergeants, although the latter two are rivals after the heart of Ann Coswell (Jean Parker), daughter of the civilian engineer into whose oversight the Highway project has been assigned. Evidence of Ann's preference for Woody, the elder Ormsby brother, is presently prima facie and a simmering conflict between the siblings leads to deeper problems for the entire crew, while a comedic element concerns team cook Frosty (Ralph Sanford) and his search for a mail order wife. The movie was a financial success for Paramount's Programmer Unit under the aegis of producers William Pine and William Thomas and is an excellent example of how the pair's organization created fixed formula films as ensemble pieces, the nifty dialogue here mainly from Lewis R. Foster, and there is crisp editing by William Ziegler who efficiently incorporates into the work documentary footage (including voiceover) of the actual Highway project. Ably directed by Frank McDonald, the briskly paced film benefits from a host of talented supporting players, among whom are Edward Earle, Joe Sawyer, Eddie Quillan, and Frank Richards, while always effective Parker wins acting honours for an assured performance as sought-after Ann in this satisfying work that offers action, romance, suspense, and even pathos.

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Blue Highway - Alaska's Inside Passage

Manufacturer: CustomFlix
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Alaska's Inside Passage

ASIN: B000EE628Q
Release Date: 2006-07-13

Product Description

"BLUE HIGHWAY" provides a unique opportunity to see the Inside Passage the way Alaskans do. Travel north from Washington State, past Vancouver Island and through the small channels of Alaska's Inside Passage. Discover a pleasant surprise. The vessels of Alaska's Marine Highway ferry system provide the best travel experience for this voyage, as they take you through passageways that the larger cruise ships are unable to navigate. You will also meet an interesting variety of Alaskans from all walks of life. This system is the lifeblood of many landlocked coastal communities. Visit breathtaking glaciers, a deserted gold mine, an active fish cannery, small native villages and the bustling capital city of Juneau. At low tide, find ancient stone carvings scattered on a secluded beach. Hear stories from fascinating people, including a gold miner, the captain of a fishing trawler, several artists, a new settler, a contestant for Wrangell's Fourth of July Queen, a backwoods bush pilot, student travelers, a marine and wildlife expert, and a Tlingit prince. "BLUE HIGHWAY" takes you on a new Alaskan adventure.

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Alaska Highway

Manufacturer: Diamond Farm Book Publishers
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video
ASIN: 1897127421

Product Description

The stars of this video are the owner-operators driving trucks under pressure for timber and oil. The Alaska Highway offers extreme conditions from blizzards at 50° celsius below to mud and soft going. Clear filming and informative commentary also give insights into the working and specialists machines of the worlds second largest forest.

Alaska: Traveling the Alaska Highway & Exploring Alaska's Marine Highway (Double Program DVD)

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Alaska: Traveling the Alaska Highway & Exploring Alaska's Marine Highway (Double Program DVD)

Manufacturer: Skyriver Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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