American Experience Season 12 Episode 11

George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire (1)

A haunting two-part profile of George Wallace, who, says narrator Randy Quaid, "divided a nation and launched a conservative movement that transformed the country." Part 1 covers Wallace's career up to the death of his first wife, Lurleen, in 1968, just as he was embarking on his second Presidential bid. But it begins by concentrating on what Quaid calls "the devil's bargain" he made to gain the Alabama governorship. Interviewed: lawyer J.L. Chestnut and Wallace biographer Dan Carter, as well as journalists, Wallace aides and two of his children.