World War One | |
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Original release | |
Network | CBS |
World War One is an American documentary television series that was shown on CBS during the 1964–1965 television season to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the war.
The series, which was produced by CBS News and featured 26 half-hour episodes, was narrated by Robert Ryan. The original music score was composed by Morton Gould, and performed by Alfredo Antonini conducting the CBS Symphony Orchestra.
World War One premiered on Tuesday nights at 8 pm Eastern Time. Mid-season it was moved to Sunday nights at 6:30 pm. Ratings competition from the second half-hour of ABC's Combat! and the second half-hour of NBC's Mr. Novak may have precipitated this time slot change.
Re-released in 1995, the series is available on video tape and DVD but no US video-on-demand services have it. The series is available on YouTube.
The series begins with a review of the rivalries and tensions between the major European powers from 1870 to 1914, which culminated with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in the city of Sarajevo by members of the Serbian Black Hand.
The series then followed the course of the war, showing how more countries both in and out of Europe, such as Japan, the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria, Romania and the United States, became involved in the war, as well as the war's various fighting fronts and campaigns.
Various episodes examined the German atrocities in Belgium, the war at sea, trench warfare, the Russian Revolution, the Italian Front, air warfare, America's entry into the war, the home fronts of the various participants, the music of that era, the war's final campaigns, and the war's legacy.
The series used archival footage from various national and private archives, some of which were at that point being seen by the public for the first time.
Rather than use sound effects to simulate combat noises, the series used original incidental music written by Morton Gould, performed by the CBS Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Alfredo Antonini.
Re-released in 1995, the series is available on video tape and DVD.
The series is not available for viewing on video on demand services like Hulu.