American Films of the 70s: Conflicting Visions

Appendix 1: Time Line, 1968–1983: American History, American Film

Appendix 1 Time Line, 1968–1983 american history, american film This listing of important moments in the social and political history of the United States, 1968–1983, is intended to briefly sketch a context for the film history of the period. The time line should be of particular use to students and others who did not experience the era as adults. Bear in mind, however , that it may take years for a film to progress from first draft script to finished print. Therefore, apparently significant connections between historical event and filmic representation may be more serendipitous than planned. The time line was assembled from about fifteen sources, including history texts, reference books, internet sources, and an amazingly thorough volume entitled Chronicle of the 20th Century (Mount Kisco, NY: Chronicle Publications , 1987). Thanks to David Harley, Martin H. McKibbin, and George Vázquez for their assistance. As part of the time line, release dates are given for all of the movies discussed at length in this book. Other movies, no matter what their merits, are not listed. 1968 Tet Offensive by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops. North Korea captures the U.S. intelligence ship Pueblo, holds eightythree crew members as spies. President Johnson wins the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Eugene McCarthy, running on an antiwar platform, wins 40 percent of the vote. Kerner Commission condemns racism in the United States and calls for aid to black communities. President Johnson announces that he will not run for reelection. Five hundred sixty-seven South Vietnamese peasants are killed by U.S. Army platoon in the village of My Lai. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated. Rioting by African Americans follows in several American cities. United States breaks the seventy-six-day siege of Khe Sanh. Columbia University students occupy five buildings to protest the university ’s expansion into the Morningside Heights neighborhood and its links to the Institute for Defense Analysis. National Airlines DC-8 is hijacked to Cuba. Gay men riot after police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Robert Kennedy assassinated. First direct commercial airline flights begin between New York City and Moscow. Antiwar protests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago result in violent confrontations between police and demonstrators. Much of the violence is televised live. Motion Picture Production Code replaced by Ratings System. Richard Nixon elected President. Pueblo Crew released after eleven months in North Korea. Inflation (Consumer Price Index) is 4.2 percent. Unemployment (annual average of monthly figures) is 3.6 percent. 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon. Paris peace talks begin, aimed at a peaceful resolution of the Vietnam War. Mary Jo Kopechne drowns on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. Senator Edward Kennedy pleads guilty to leaving the scene of the accident. 188 american films of the 70s American soldiers dead in Vietnam now number 33,641. This number is higher than that of American deaths during the entire Korean War. Actress Sharon Tate and four others are brutally killed in Los Angeles. Earl Warren retires as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Warren Burger replaces him. Murder charges brought against Col. Robert Rheault, Special Forces commander in Vietnam, and seven of his men, for the killing of a Vietnamese said to be a double agent. Charges are later withdrawn. President Nixon makes his ‘‘Silent Majority’’ speech. On Veterans Day, demonstrations support U.S. policy in Vietnam. Broad coalition of antiwar protesters demonstrates across the country in the Vietnam Moratorium. Boeing 747 put into service. Charles Manson and four members of his commune are indicted in the murders of Sharon Tate and others. Oh Calcutta opens in New York. Supreme Court orders immediate desegregation of thirty-three school districts in Mississippi. Troops now serving in Vietnam number 540,000. President Nixon announces plan to withdraw about 110,000. Rock concert at Woodstock. Inflation is 5.5 percent. Unemployment is 3.5 percent. Release of Alice’s Restaurant, Easy Rider. 1970 President Nixon sends several thousand American troops into Cambodia. Millions of Americans march in celebration of the first Earth Day. Student demonstrators protesting the Vietnam War are shot and killed at Kent State and Jackson State. Students at many campuses in the United States go on strike to protest the killings at Kent State and Jackson State and the invasion of Cambodia. Construction workers in lower Manhattan demonstrate in favor of the Vietnam War...