Conclusion

On March 19, 1960, the Pacific Edition of the Stars and Stripes proudly noted that

unlike “Crusade in Europe” or “Victory at Sea,” “The Big Picture” covers today’s newsworthy activities of the army at home and overseas with occasional flashbacks to World War II and Korea. Although the “Big Picture” has held a rather coveted position in the television medium, the army has tried to maintain high standards in production. This February marked the third straight year the series has won an award from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pa.¹

Just over decade later, with a hint of resignation, the Stars and Stripes announced the termination of the series: “The Army’s award winning ‘Big Picture,’ probably the oldest television production on the air, is finally coming to an end, the victim of changing times and changing tastes. . . . There are several reasons for cancelling the half-hour show. One is the fact that the army wanted for some time to come up with something that, it feels, is more relevant to the problems of the service today.”² The other reasons noted for termination included mounting production costs and a shrinking audience, although at the end, the series was carried by “426 commercial, educational and cable television stations,” and 51 stations on the AFRTS overseas network.³ This was a larger total than at any other time in the show’s two-decade history, but in the end that knowledge did not stay the hand of the decision-makers in the Pentagon. Still, in the window of time from earliest episodes in 1951 to the last in 1971, the APC successfully produced 823 Big Picture episodes, beginning with miles of recovered black-and-white combat footage and finishing with sophisticated state-of-the art television technology. Through it all, APC production teams crafted stories that defended the service, described its role in the Cold War, emphasized the ideals of an exceptional America, and shared a window into the army way of life. By unpacking this extensive collection of films, investigating scripts, and reviewing available videos, this study reveals the mix of complicated agendas, narratives, and energies that frame the simple intentions of the producers. These episodes generally elevated the service and celebrated its achievements by sharing newsworthy activities.

As the first tense decade of the Cold War unfolded, The Big Picture highlighted the army’s capabilities and its future potential, and through that established its continuing relevancy. The APC produced episodes that featured the army trumpeting its embrace of technological advances as well as its ability to operate in extreme climes. A litany of films spilled out of the APC studios in the early to mid-1950s that featured an army determined to gain distance over competing military branches in the Capitol Hill budget battles by riding the contrails of Nike guided missiles. The producers launched episodes featuring those missiles in rapid succession: “Guided Missiles” in 1953, “Army Ballistic Missile Agency” in 1956, “Missile Man” in 1957, and “Missile on Target” in 1958. Following those up was the film “Army Satellites,” which aired in 1958 when the army breached the thermosphere with its Explorer I satellite program. In parallel, the army was also exploring new regions on Earth as it went about conquering the hostile landscape of the Arctic Circle. The Big Picture episodes “Operation Blue Jay,” “Exercise Arctic Night,” “Operation Lead Dog,” and others were offerings to both Congress and a wider viewing audience about the army’s ability to operate where the other services were less able to venture. To ensure a solid connection with the American public, the APC producers even brought along the Boy Scouts to share in the adventure.⁴ In these episodes the army made its pitch for relevancy, and dollars, in the emerging Cold War strategic scheme. It was a matter of survival, and The Big Picture offered a convenient means to allow the army to step through the small screen into American living rooms and appeal directly to the public with video evidence. Although the army eventually lost authority over the nation’s missile program to the air force, it was nevertheless able to demonstrate its ongoing relevance in the age of the atom and the missile.

As an examination of the episodes has revealed, the Cold War cast a long shadow across the Big Picture catalog. The scripts of many APC episodes dealt with the East-West tensions and celebrated the army’s mission, and in that, they served as another advertisement for its relevancy. That is evident in more than half the Big Picture episodes, and it was the key to informing service members and the public about the army’s contributions. A cascade of titles that focused on the individual in uniform— “Soldier in Berlin,” “Soldier in Europe,” “Soldier in Panama,” “Soldier in France”—combined with others such as “United State Army Europe” and “The Border Watchers” to describe the army’s responsibility to enforce the nation’s strategic containment strategy to keep the communists at bay. This Cold War collection also told of key alliances with partners in “Decade of NATO,” “Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) Nations,” and other “Partners in Freedom.” In parallel, The Big Picture also provided video footage of American service members extending the hand of friendship and engaging with local nationals through “German Youth Activities,” “Operation Friendly Hand,” and “People to People,” winning hearts and minds in the contest with the East. The Big Picture both educated Americans and hawked the army’s important position manning the ramparts of freedom during the Cold War. In this, it was a success.

Another public relations victory for the army appeared in its role in disaster relief and its partnership with the American Red Cross. A number of episodes lauded the service’s commitment to response with rapid, comprehensive aid whenever catastrophe struck. Big Picture episodes such as “Operation Noah” spoke of flood relief, and “The Army’s Other Role” addressed the army’s participation in a litany of relief operations that spanned several decades. Just as impressive was the army’s work to position itself as a good neighbor through Army Reserve units that helped with local community projects and participated in youth programs such as Scouting and team sports. The visual evidence provided in the episodes “Your Military Neighbor” and “Citizen Soldier—Community Leader” included soldiers building a Little League baseball field and joining in Boy Scout events. Again, this exposure through the television series contributed to the service’s credibility as a reliable community partner. In these films The Big Picture again served as a positive image maker for the army.

During its production years the APC developed a large number of Big Picture episodes to tell the story of the army way of life in a simplistic, informational format. Shows about military history, which included biographies, spoke of heritage and legacy. The public generally accepted these for their educational, yet sometimes banal, content. Also present in this group were those episodes that shed light on educational and leadership programs, entertainment, and physical fitness and training, as well as the military’s civilian component. The significance of these video records of military life appeared not in the scripted content alone, but also in the realization of change that was taking place in the contemporary army. These reflected American society at its best, and occasionally at its most disappointing. Episodes such as “The OCS Story” and “West Point—Education for Leadership” provided insights into those programs but over time began to include footage of racially mixed classes of soldiers and leaders. This reflected changes not only within the military but also within the fabric of society. By the time the series began airing episodes on Vietnam, video footage showed a well-integrated army performing its mission and conducting combat operations. The same was true for “Nurses in the Army” and “An Army Moves,” which provided information about programs involving women, but also addressed the growth of inclusion as the contributions, and sacrifices, made by women were increasingly recognized. This also included their greater participation in the leadership structure of the army, which the video record offered in such episodes as “The Feminine Touch,” which aired in 1970—although its title was a bit denigrating in suggesting a difference in gendered influence in the military. Overall, however, The Big Picture did shed a positive light on the service’s efforts to keep pace with societal change. Still, consideration of those same episodes also reveals unfortunate shortcomings.

Just as inclusion and diversity increased in the army to reflect greater democratization of the military, it was still incomplete, and The Big Picture recorded the shortfall. For example, episodes such as “The History of the Cavalry” discussed Native Americans narrowly, only in terms of being “the enemy in the West.” Any positive references were absent from the catalog of films.⁵ Just as obvious were shallow references to other marginalized groups. Hispanics and Asians rarely appeared in footage unless it was coincidental. A glaring absence among the Big Picture episodes was any reference to the most decorated army unit in the history of American warfare, the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Perhaps the fact that Nisei, second generation Japanese Americans, composed more than 90 percent of its ranks was a consideration. Although Hollywood did produce a feature-length film on the unit’s World War II exploits, it did not exist among Big Picture episodes. As far as the army had come, this registered as a shortcoming. As disappointing as these gaps were, they did not resonate with the same negative energy as the controversies that emerged to grip the television series.

The Big Picture found itself twice entangled in controversy during its two-decade existence. The first reflected the army’s close association with the NRA. The episode “To Keep and Bear Arms” was an exceptionalist celebration of Americans’ rights under the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights to possess firearms. The film’s script saluted that individual liberty as intrinsic to the American way of life, long connected to the existence of the United States through its historical past. But embedded in the episode was a promotional clip from the NRA that touted a link between gun ownership and personal rights. As part of that narrative, the NRA sponsors encouraged viewers to pressure their congressional representatives to act against any legislation that might, in any way, limit the exercise of that right. However, with the shooting deaths of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy in 1968, the question of gun control emerged as an active issue on Capitol Hill. As a result, “To Keep and Bear Arms” was a casualty of the heavy fire the NRA began receiving from many progressive legislators. By association, The Big Picture found itself under scrutiny, this time for its support of a nonprofit but politicized organization. In this the series was caught in a controversy that worked to undermine its credibility, as it was perceived as failing to grasp the new American cultural and social zeitgeist, resulting from its myopic adherence to selling a dated exceptionalist consensus.

The storm clouds of controversy gathered a second time for The Big Picture from the airing of an extensive series of episodes on Vietnam. As early as 1962, with the airing of the first episode, “Hidden War in Vietnam,” the tone was set. The entire production—title, script, video scenes, and action sequences—told the viewer that this was going to be a special war, different from previous conflicts in World War II or Korea. From the opening scene, with Gen. Paul D. Harkins leaning in toward the camera to confide that this was “a war which is hidden and stealthy as it is relentless and exhausting,” to its final frames, the script spoke of a shadowy conflict.⁶ The early Vietnam Big Picture episodes invited the viewer in as a confidante in this new military venture. By way of shaping public opinion and cultivating support for a military presence in that region of the globe, they revealed the “U.S. Army Advisor in Vietnam” in 1962, strove to answer the question “Why Vietnam?” in 1965, and described it as “The Unique War” in 1966. Episodes that followed until 1971, the final year of the series, continued to sell the war even as public and political support collapsed. The slavish devotion to the cause, as evidenced by the catalog of seventeen Vietnam-related titles generated between 1968 and 1971, ultimately undermined the credibility of the television series. The Big Picture eventually fell out of step with public thinking and societal acceptance as it continued to peddle the war and a long-jaded exceptionalist ideology. In that context, as military and conservative elites continued to use the series as a platform for affecting national policy decision-making, it soon became a lightning rod that drew bolts of criticism from Capitol Hill lawmakers. Progressives such as Senator J. William Fulbright saw this as evidence that the army was stepping beyond its prescribed responsibilities and duties, and as the Congressional Record noted, The Big Picture was culpable. As this study revealed earlier, this led to censure and contributed to the demise of the series.

Certain other observations emerged from this study of The Big Picture and its catalog of films. The first is the close association the APC and the army shared with Hollywood. It was a symbiotic relationship that began in the decades before World War II, endured through those turbulent years, and continued into the age of television. The military benefited from the positive public exposure on the big screen, and Hollywood studios from the availability of military equipment and facilities for film production. The studios were also able to prove their patriotism and dedication to national defense. None of this changed with the advent of the Cold War. Unpacking that relationship during this study revealed a great reliance by the APC on the talents and skill set of actors and stagehands who contributed to the production of the Big Picture series. Some actors and directors got their start in the army’s Astoria studios, others enhanced their careers, but in the end it was the television show that benefited from the infusion of professionalism and star power.

Another observation that emerged from the study of Big Picture episodes is the manner in which Christian evangelism informed and shaped military thinking. Episodes with titles such as “The Army Chaplains,” “Religious Emphasis Day in Philadelphia,” “The Chaplain and the Commander,” “The Army Chaplain—Yesterday and Today,” and “Of Soldiers and Altars” emphasized the centrality of Christianity and religion in the formation of the tenets of Americanism within the army. The Big Picture captured this, and in this collection of episodes, together with others such as “Challenge of Ideas,” stressed their importance as an inherent strength, and necessary condition, of the American way of life.

One lingering question about the Big Picture series concerns its too sudden termination. Although evidence indicates that the army was bowing to external pressures from groups such as Senator Fulbright’s congressional coterie, why the APC ultimately ended the show is unclear. It was an award-winning production, it continued to attract a wide viewing audience, and it was still able to communicate a variety of messages through the medium of television. Studios were still in place, as were teams of writers, directors, and cameramen. Costs had mounted, and budget constraints had an impact on production, but limiting the number of episodes and their extravagance might have been an easy solution.⁷ In the end, the army shows that followed never carried the same impact nor possessed the same longevity. The American public, and historical memory, have long forgotten most of these. With the disappearance of The Big Picture the army surrendered a key piece of media terrain that might have served it well into the future as it continued to defend its relevancy and maintain its connectivity with the American public.

During its two-decade run, The Big Picture established itself as a window into the life of the army, selling the service and an exceptional American way of life, telling stories of its history and accomplishments, and adding a human face to those who stood in the rank and file. It never escaped criticism, but served as a useful, enduring public relations tool. As Kenneth D. Alford recalls fondly, he did watch The Big Picture at least twice a week growing up. It provided him with a sense of the military, and he enjoyed the history and patriotic tone of the episodes. By itself the show never inspired him to join the army, but he later enlisted for several years during the height of the Cold War.⁸ Although an official count is impossible to estimate, one source postulates that millions of Americans watched the show at some time during its production run.⁹ Still, in the end, the screen faded to black on the final episode, absent any invitation to “be with us again next week.”¹⁰ All that was said about the facility that once produced the longest lasting television series was that “it’s closed now and empty of people. . . . Its complex of buildings that house motion picture sound stages: film, tape, and sound equipment—dead storage and entertainment history—are enclosed by wire and guarded by military policemen.”¹¹ This was almost a too quiet a fade to black for a series born in the flash and bang of war.