Episode guide
Frontline: Season 1
25 episodes · premiered Jan 16, 1983
Jessica Savitch's first and only season as on-air host. She died in a car accident in October.
- Episode 1: An Unauthorized History of the NFL Jan 17, 1983 In its premiere broadcast, Frontline investigates the underbelly of the NFL--the secret connections between professional football and the world of sports gambling and organized crime.
- Episode 2: 88 Seconds in Greensboro Jan 24, 1983 On the morning of November 3,1979, five civil rights demonstrators were killed by a group of Klan and Nazi Party members in Greensboro, North Carolina. Correspondent James Reston…
- Episode 3: In the Shadow of the Capitol Jan 31, 1983 Frontline correspondent Charles Cobb journeys to a Washington, DC that tourists rarely see. The nation's capital, seventy-five percent black, faces widespread poverty, yet it is run by…
- Episode 4: A Chinese Affair Feb 7, 1983 For thirty-four years, those who fled to Taiwan in the wake of the Communist victory have had only their memories and fantasies of mainland China. Now they want to know much more, and a…
- Episode 5: God's Banker Feb 14, 1983 In 1982,a man was discovered hanging from a bridge over the Thames River in London. He was Roberto Calvi, head of Italy's largest bank and chief advisor to the Vatican's bank. Reporter…
- Episode 6: Pentagon, Inc. Feb 21, 1983 Frontline investigates the power of the Pentagon as a business and economic force in the domestic economy. Politicians find themselves chasing Pentagon dollars for the jobs those dollars…
- Episode 7: Gunfight USA Feb 28, 1983 Frontline looks beyond the cliches and stereotypes in the debate over gun control. Visiting prison inmates, victims of gun crime, and the sharpest minds on both sides, Frontline explores…
- Episode 8: Children of Pride Mar 7, 1983 Kojo Odo, a 42 year-old single black man, took in his first child a decade ago-a 7 year old boy with his arm missing. No one wanted the youngster. Each of Odo's 21 children came to him…
- Episode 9: A Journey to Russia Mar 21, 1983 Before Gorbachev and glasnost, three young Americans journey to the Soviet Union on a whirlwind two-week, six-city debating tour. They encounter young, articulate Russians whose world view…
- Episode 10: Daisy - Story of a Facelift Mar 28, 1983 Daisy is 55 and terrified of growing old. She feels she needs a facelift. From the moment of her decision, Frontline follows her through all the procedures, but the heart of the story is…
- Episode 11: Space - The Race for High Ground Apr 11, 1983 Before President Reagan introduced Star Wars, Frontline examined how in the previous 25 years the US and the Soviet Union had gone from designing satellites to designing weapons to blast…
- Episode 12: Abortion Clinic Apr 18, 1983 · 57m For the first time on American television, Frontline's cameras record the most intimate details and one of the most personal decisions a woman can make. By focusing not only on the clinic…
- Episode 13: Crisis in Zimbabwe Apr 25, 1983 Rhodesia, a symbol of white racism, has become Zimbabwe and white minority rule has given way to black majority rule. However, the end of the guerilla war may not mean an end to fighting…
- Episode 14: Air Crash May 2, 1983 Frontline investigates the frightening aftermath of one of the worst air disasters in U.S. history-the June 9, 1982 crash of Pan Am flight 759 at the New Orleans airport. The report…
- Episode 15: Looking for Mao May 9, 1983 Only seven years after Mao's death, it is clear that China is undergoing another revolution. This is a revolution of political and social relaxation. Frontline explores what has been…
- Episode 16: Israel: Between the River and the Sea May 16, 1983 For eight years, Rafik Halabi covered the West Bank and Gaza strip-the only Arab reporter working in the Hebrew section of Israeli Television. This is Rafik's story-a story in which his…
- Episode 17: In Our Water May 23, 1983 Frank Kaler's story begins simply enough when he requests a water test. Why? Because his children develop skin lesions after bathing in it. Frontline chronicles Kaler's six-year battle…
- Episode 18: Vietnam Memorial May 30, 1983 Frontline tells the story of five days in the fall of 1982 when more than 150,000 people gathered in Washington D.C. for the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial. Parents, friends, and…
- Episode 19: For the Good of All Jun 6, 1983 When a national recreation site between Cleveland and Akron was first mandated by Congress in 1974, everyone applauded the project. But Frontline found that park policies of condemning…
- Episode 20: The Russians are Here Jun 13, 1983
- Episode 21: Who Decides Disability? Jun 20, 1983 Frontline investigates the Reagan administration's effort to remove tens of thousands of people from the Social Security disability rolls. Disabled people face personal hardship and…
- Episode 22: Crossfire in El Salvador Jun 27, 1983 In 1983, El Salvador was a nation where murder and torture were an everyday occurrence, a place where loved ones disappear and truth remains elusive. Frontline interviews government…
- Episode 23: Sanctuary Jul 4, 1983 Frontline follows the journey of a Guatemalan family through the 'new underground railroad' and considers the plight of the people who seek refuge from governments allied to the United…
- Episode 24: Moneylenders Jul 11, 1983 Developing countries have borrowed hundreds of billions of dollars from Western banks. Some of the biggest borrowers, Brazil and Mexico,are struggling even to repay the interest…
- Episode 25: Klaus Barbie: the American Connection Jul 18, 1983 Klaus Barbie, a hated Nazi war criminal, was returned to France in 1983 to face justice. But some Frenchmen were worried that he would reveal embarrassing evidence about French…