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In the summer of 1968 television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, Gore Vidal was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult—their explosive exchanges devolving into vitriolic name-calling. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted. Ratings for ABC News skyrocketed. And a new era in public discourse was born.
Original Release
05/08/2015
US Release
07/31/2015
Links
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Gore Vidal | Self - Debater / Self |
| William F. Buckley | Self - Debater |
| Todd Gitlin | Self - Media Studies, Columbia University |
| Brooke Gladstone | Self - Host, NPR's On the Media |
| Richard Wald | Self - Former President, NBC News |
| William Sheehan | Self - Former President, ABC News |
| Frank Rich | Self - Writer, New York Magazine |
| Sam Tanenhaus | Self - Biographer, William F. Buckley Jr. |
| Patricia Buckley | Self - Buckley's Wife |
| Lee Edwards | Self - Historian, The Heritage Foundation |
Directors
Writers
Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon, Tom Graves
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| Gore Vidal | Self - Debater / Self |
| William F. Buckley | Self - Debater |
| Todd Gitlin | Self - Media Studies, Columbia University |
| Brooke Gladstone | Self - Host, NPR's On the Media |
| Richard Wald | Self - Former President, NBC News |
| William Sheehan | Self - Former President, ABC News |
| Frank Rich | Self - Writer, New York Magazine |
| Sam Tanenhaus | Self - Biographer, William F. Buckley Jr. |
| Patricia Buckley | Self - Buckley's Wife |
| Lee Edwards | Self - Historian, The Heritage Foundation |
| Reid Buckley | Self - Buckley's Brother |
| Linda Bridges | Self - Buckley's Personal Assistant |
| Fred Kaplan | Self - Author, Gore Vidal: A Biography |
| Matt Tyrnauer | Self - Vidal's Editor & Friend |
| Sam Donaldson | Self - Correspondent, ABC News |
| Howard K. Smith | Self - Anchor, ABC News |
| George Merlis | Self - ABC Publicist |
| Christopher Hitchens | Self - Political Essayist / Self |
| Dick Cavett | Self - Talk Show Host / Self |
| Norman Mailer | Self - Author |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Julie Goldman | Executive Producer |
| Clif Phillips | Executive Producer |
| Robert Gordon | Producer |
| Morgan Neville | Producer |
| Caryn Capotosto | Producer |
| Tom Graves | Producer |
| Eileen Meyer | Producer |
Editors
