The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!The saga of Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first man to cross the United States by automobile--in 1903!
- Awards
- 1 win
Keith David
- Narrator
- (voice)
Adam Arkin
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Tom Bodett
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Philip Bosco
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Kevin Conway
- Other Voices
- (voice)
John Cullum
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Murphy Guyer
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Amy Madigan
- Other Voices
- (voice)
George Plimpton
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Eli Wallach
- Other Voices
- (voice)
Roger Allison
- Self
- (scenes deleted)
Horatio Nelson Jackson
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- Crazy creditsAt the end, a photo of Dr. Jackson's dog is seen, and the sound of a dog barking can be heard.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ken Burns: America's Storyteller (2017)
- SoundtracksHe'd Have to Get Under - Get Out and Get Under (to Fix Up His Automobile)
(uncredited)
Music by Maurice Abrahams (1913)
Lyrics by Grant Clarke and Edgar Leslie
Performed by Bobby Horton
Featured review
Thanks to shows like this, we can learn more than dates, battles and names of dead guys....
I recently retired from teaching history and still love watching historical shows. However, some time back, I noticed that watching shows about wars, dead presidents and the like weren't as satisfying as they used to be for me. And, as a result, I started changing the way I taught my students. So, instead of focusing on this, I began to expose kids more and more to social history--the history of the people. This meant learning about how people lived and what it was like for people of all classes--their hobbies, diets, sports,...whatever contributed to life and which were only rarely discussed in any detail in history books. As a result, I noticed I was having a lot more fun and so were the students. Now I am NOT saying the other stuff isn't important--but all of this goes towards learning history.
In light of this, I love odd little documentaries like "Horatio's Drive". It tells an obscure story about a weird man who, on a lark, made a bet he could drive from San Francisco to New York. While this sounds like no big deal, this was 1903--and cars were notoriously prone to breakdown. And, to make things worse, few roads existed and those that did were mostly dirt. And, getting supplies was a nightmare. So much we take for granted today simply didn't exist and you generally don't think of the infrastructure needed for modern life. Well, Horatio and his driving partner certainly learned about this...the hard way.
This is a single-episode documentary from Ken Burns. Like most of his films, it uses a lot of photos and used various camera techniques (such as zooming and and out) and music to make the photos come to life. And, it uses nice narration (from Keith David of all people) and various actors impersonating the people from the story. Some of the actors contributing their voices were Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, George Plympton and Eli Wallace. And, like all of his films I have seen, it's a top-notch production and a nice case of storytelling. However, I would have to say that the film did have one shortcoming. After a while, the film seemed too long--just like Horatio's drive. Because of this, the film loses a bit of its dramatic punch--though it does appear to strive hard for accuracy--which is admirable.
My favorite part of the show? Bud and his goggles! See the film and you'll know what I mean!
In light of this, I love odd little documentaries like "Horatio's Drive". It tells an obscure story about a weird man who, on a lark, made a bet he could drive from San Francisco to New York. While this sounds like no big deal, this was 1903--and cars were notoriously prone to breakdown. And, to make things worse, few roads existed and those that did were mostly dirt. And, getting supplies was a nightmare. So much we take for granted today simply didn't exist and you generally don't think of the infrastructure needed for modern life. Well, Horatio and his driving partner certainly learned about this...the hard way.
This is a single-episode documentary from Ken Burns. Like most of his films, it uses a lot of photos and used various camera techniques (such as zooming and and out) and music to make the photos come to life. And, it uses nice narration (from Keith David of all people) and various actors impersonating the people from the story. Some of the actors contributing their voices were Tom Hanks, Adam Arkin, George Plympton and Eli Wallace. And, like all of his films I have seen, it's a top-notch production and a nice case of storytelling. However, I would have to say that the film did have one shortcoming. After a while, the film seemed too long--just like Horatio's drive. Because of this, the film loses a bit of its dramatic punch--though it does appear to strive hard for accuracy--which is admirable.
My favorite part of the show? Bud and his goggles! See the film and you'll know what I mean!
helpful•40
- planktonrules
- Sep 14, 2011
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Pionierfahrt 1903: Mit 20 PS durch die USA
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content