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Preview: Washington in the '60s
Share Your Memories
Were you at the Washington Coliseum for the Beatles concert in 1964? Did you hear Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963? Did you wear a mini-skirt? How about bell bottoms?! Share your memories of life in the DC area in the 1960s.
Washington in the '60s Slideshow
This dramatic time in area history is brought to life through the memories of notable Washingtonians such as Ben Bradlee, Marion Barry, Patrick Buchanan, Maury Povich and Chuck Brown. Iconic music, archival stills and footage coupled with fascinating insights from those who experienced and shaped the events of the time transport viewers back to a period when the Nation's Capital was transformed from a sleepy Southern town to the bustling world class metropolis we know today.
Washington Senators: Jim Lemon, Bob Allison, Harmon Killebrew, Roy Sievers. 1959 (Photo credit: Phil Wood)
African American protesters at Glen Echo Park (Photo credit: Hyman Bookbinder)
Aerial view of DC stadium construction (Photo credit: Courtesy of the Washingtoniana Division, DC Public Library)
Mobile Lounge in front of construction of tower at Dulles Airport (Photo credit: Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority)
John & Jacqueline Kennedy (Photo credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston)
President and Mrs. Kennedy at National Theatre, 25 September 1962 (Photo credit: Abbie Rowe, National Park Service, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.)
Rev. Walter Fauntroy (Photo credit: Rebecca Kingsley)
Civil rights protestors (Photo credit: Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress)
Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. at the Lincoln Memorial. The photograph shows two men in the foreground reading a newspaper with the headline: "They're Pouring In From All Over." (Photo credit: Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress)
Crowds on the Mall in Washington, D.C., during the March on Washington, August 28,1963 (Photo credit: Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress)
Local DJ Carroll James with the Beatles in Washington. (Photo credit: George McCloskey)
Capital Beltway opening, August 1964 (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
A car drives onto the exit to the Capital Beltway towards I-495 Bethesda (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Opening of Rally for DC Home Rule (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Marion Barry at Free DC rally - 8/26/66 (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Woodward and Lothrop department store (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Local DJ Petey Greene, Anti-Poverty Post - March 4, 1967 (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
A two-time Emmy Award-winner, Ralph (Petey) Greene overcame drug addiction and a prison sentence for armed robbery to become one of Washington, D.C.'s most prominent media personalities. LTR: Petey; David Foote; Ronald Smith; Robert Armstead; Ronald Sinclair; and David Wellington. March 19, 1967 (Photo credit: © Bettmann/CORBIS)
Rufus (Catfish) Mayfield (pointing) and other Youth Pride Inc. members. (Photo credit: Associated Press)
Julius Hobson at car with megaphones (Aug. 19, 1967). (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Mayor Walter E. Washington with President Lyndon B. Johnson, 9/6/1967 (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
Vietnam protestors (Photo credit: LBJ Library photo by Frank Wolfe)
Women exit the Arena Stage theater. (Photo credit: Arena Stage historical documents, Collection #C0017, Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University.)
1968 riots (Photo credit: Courtesy of the Washingtoniana Division, DC Public Library)
DC riots, 1968 (Photo credit: Star Collection, DC Public Library; © Washington Post)
James Earl Jones and Jane Alexander in "The Great White Hope" (Photo credit: Arena Stage Press Office)
WETA Extra: Joy Boys
WETA takes a look back to the 1960s when "Joy Boys" Ed Walker and Willard Scott ruled Washington's airwaves.
Featured Songs
The following songs are featured in the show Washington in the '60s.
- Hold On I'm Coming — Sam and Dave
- A Change is Gonna Come — Sam Cooke
- High Hopes — Frank Sinatra
- Camelot — Richard Harris (original 1982 cast)
- Duke's Place(C-Jam Blues) — Duke Ellignton and Ella Fitzgerald
- Let's Go (Pony) — The Routers
- Last Night — The Mar-Keyes
- Eternal Father Strong to Save — Navy Band
- You Can't Lose What You Never Had — Muddy Waters
- When Will I Get to be Called a Man — Big Billy Broonzy
- The In Crowd — Ramsey Lewis
- Ain't No Mountain High Enough — Roberta Flack
- Buses Are A'Comin, Freedom Song — Bernice Johnson Reagon
- Oh Freedom — Odetta
- I Want to Hold Your Hand — The Beatles
- Desafinado — Charlie Byrd
- Concerto #2 for Horn and Orchestra — Mozart
- The Sound of Silence — Simon and Garfunkel
- Little Boxes — Pete Seger
- Crosstown Traffic — Jimi Hendrix
- Money (That's What I Want) — Barrett Strong
- The Bourgeoise Blues — Taj Mahal
- Hail to the Redskins — Sammy Shreiber and the Redskins Pro Orchestra with the Redskins Singers
- Fortunate Son — Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Brown Eyed Girl — Van Morrison
- Purple Haze — Jimi Hendrix
- Respect — Aretha Franklin
- The End — The Doors
- Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud — James Brown
- I'll Take You There — The Staple Singers
- Go Down Moses — New Bethel
- Street Fighting Man — The Rolling Stones
- For What It's Worth — Buffalo Springfield
Featured People
Interviews with the following people are featured in the show Washington in the '60s.
Discussion Guide
The discussion guide contains questions designed to be used with the bonus clips below in both informal and formal educational settings.
Awards
Washington in the '60s was honored by the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS-NCCB) with two EMMY Awards:
Documentary – Historical: Simon Epstein, WETA Producer and Jacqueline Todt, WETA Executive Producer
Audio – Post Production: Antonio Pacheco, WETA Audio Engineer
