In an era before 24-hour news cycles, hours and days of continuous news coverage was rare. And the assassination of a beloved hero, rarer still. The events of November 22, 1963, both horrified and captivated the U.S. and the world, and stands as a moment that defined a generation. For nearly 45 years, hundreds of hours of news footage and radio reports languished in Dallas and Fort Worth – first kept under wraps by the local news stations who owned them, then in the vault of a museum dedicated to preserving the history of the day American President John F. Kennedy was cut down. Through the lens of the news reports of the day, THE LOST JFK TAPES: THE ASSASSINATION lets the unvarnished images of those four momentous days unfold in real time. In a special encore broadcast, Discovery Channel presents THE LOST JFK TAPES: THE ASSASSINATION on Thursday, April 7 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT.
This footage was shot by three local television stations, and by Dallas residents who witnessed the motorcade firsthand. Though some of their images appeared in national broadcasts, much of what these crews filmed was never seen outside of the Dallas TV and radio markets. Now, that footage has been digitally captured, saved from outmoded videotape and electronically fine-tuned.
Footage highlights from THE LOST JFK TAPES: THE ASSASSINATION include:
• Kennedy’s final speech, made the morning of Nov. 22 in Fort Worth at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast.
• Local coverage of Kennedy’s arrival at Dallas Love Field.
• Aftermath of the assassination at Dealey Plaza.
• The chaos at Parkland hospital.
• The arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald.
• The infamous Midnight Press Conference – where Jack Ruby, Oswald’s eventual killer – can be seen hovering in the back of the room.
• The shooting of Oswald by Ruby in the basement of police headquarters.
• Oswald’s arrival and death at Parkland Hospital.
