In the comment section of another piece, frequent poster and poor, deluded Met fan “wjk” expresses astonishment that anyone could express admiration for Mao and Lincoln at the same time. Not I, however—leaving aside for the moment the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, how could anyone with any respect for Cold War kitsch forget this:
Wjk’s comment having put me in a nostalgic mood, I checked out YouTube to see if there were any videos from the impossible-to-find 1987 miniseries “Amerika,” and as luck would have it, there were two, including the trailer. So, without further ado, I share with you:
“Everyone will go to school, everyone will have a job, everyone will be equal. No one will exploit or be exploited, and all those who oppose this wonderful vision will be crushed.” Brilliant!
Brings a tear to your eye, no?
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Robert, you are a fan of Amerika? (dont forget the reversed K!). I haven’t met anyone that has even heard of it, much less seen it, except for myself, that is. That was a GREAT mini-series. Impossible to buy or download, though.
This article about the Great Emancipator and Habeas Corpus Suspender demands to be included: The American Lenin by L. Neil Smith.
Whenever I get depressed about the 43rd president, I console myself by remembering he isn’t as bad as was the 16th.
Here’s more myth debunking: King Lincoln Archive.
“The American Lenin”. Sure. And then let’s bring on the John Birchers, the Holocaust deniers, the 9/11 conspiracy freaks, moon-landing doubters and the Don Quixote windmill tilters.
I didn’t watch the miniseries, but I remember the kerfuffle about it, because it was broadcast after Gorbachev had started talking to Reagan and introduced glaznost and perestroika. Anyhow, I’m game for any 80s nostalgia. Bring it!
And wow, who woulda thunk when Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987 and asked “Mr. Gorbachev” to “tear down this wall,” that the Berlin Wall would actually come down 2 years later and the Soviet Union itself would cease to exist 2 years after that!?
this is priceless. Thank you.
I remember watching that mini-series. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Thanks for reminding me of a part of Canadian history that I had forgotten about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M....._Battalion
Wow, I always thought I halucinated that show, that and Max Headroom.
Judging by the trailer, Reagan-era propaganda has yet to be outdone by the current administration.
eh, that would never happen in real life. most communists view lincoln as someone who imposed north’s capitalism onto the aristocratic south.
BTW, does anyone have any idea on where to get this IMPOSSIBLE to buy miniseries? Seriously, this miniseries has been dropped down the memory hole.
Someone is selling it on Amazon for $400 USD.
Shakuhachi,
Your gravatar looks like a young Tojo Hideki sans glasses. Who is it?
Hirohito.
Didn’t peg you for a monarchist, Shakuhachi. Wouldn’t QE II be more appropriate for you?
If that really is Hirohito, he must have had his ears pinned back for the photo.
Sonagi, I will email you the identity. I rather want to see if anyone will work out who it is. It is a significant historical figure.
Ito Hirobumi
No its not him.
Shakuhachi I know who this person is.
your grandfather.
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Amerika - when the Soviets invaded……
In 1987, ABC aired a 14 hour miniseries dramatising a Soviet occupation of America called - of course - Amerika. Here’s the trailer.
Another clip from the series is available from, of all places, the Marmot’s Hole.
……