Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip
Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip
| 06 October 2003 (USA)
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In the spring of 1903, on a whim and a fifty-dollar bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car hoping to become the first person to cross the United States in the new-fangled "horseless carriage." Most people doubted that the automobile had much of a future. Jackson's trip would prove them wrong.

Reviews
Ameriatch

One of the best films i have seen

Freaktana

A Major Disappointment

AutCuddly

Great movie! If you want to be entertained and have a few good laughs, see this movie. The music is also very good,

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Livestonth

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

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OlYankee

Wonderful job, Ken Burns! As one who was eight when Horatio Nelson Jackson passed away, all I can do is thank him for his pioneering trip.Even back in 1967, when I cruised across the US in my Mustang, a journey spanning North America was a challenge, sixty four years after HNJ did it with Crocker and Bud and mud holes that passed as roads. Now that I see what conditions were like just after the turn of the century (nineteenth to twentieth), I have an increased appreciation for those who gave it a try.A wonderful film that really gives one the sense of being there.All my love to his darling Swipes!

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greg.imdb@LybTex.com

What a great movie. If you enjoy road trips, wilderness adventures, or just tinkering around the garage to see what you can fix, you will find similarities with Horatio Nelson Jackson. He drove cross-country on a $50 bet when most people thought it was impossible. He had to find his way through the American wilderness, fix the auto when it broke, find gasoline where there were no stations, and keep his spirits up when things were going bad. Jackson grasped the opportunity to become part of history at the perfect time. Cars we becoming more reliable, Indians were no longer a threat, and America was populated enough that he didn't go too long without seeing other people. And in just a few short years roads and cars would be commonplace, which would make the feat less exciting and adventurous.Ken Burns does a fantastic job of documenting this journey of a lifetime. He has a way to make the viewer feel like they are sitting right along side with Jackson, his mechanic, and the dog.

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Tom-207

There's something that's just so amiable and adventurous about this documentary about a doctor from the state of Vermont who wanted to be the first to drive an automobile from the West to the East Coast. He's an amateur who buys his own vehicle and personally funds most of his other expenses as well. He's challenged by a team sponsored by an auto maker.Somehow, Ken Burns finds just the right mix of archival and location footage to make it all a grand and very real adventure, an accomplishment given the limited resources with which he had to work.And then there's Bud, the dog who accompanied them, and for whom they fitted his own pair of driving goggles.

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tgraffli

This movie clearly illustrates the inspiring determination that made our country great. I felt every bump in the road with Hanks narration and, having traveled a similar route in our modern age, felt the frustration of not being able to find a gas station or garage when one was needed. (Of course, my travels made Jackson's determination even more amazing.)I think that this documentary should be viewed in all the school across the country as we seem to be short on determination and commitment in our society. This brings a subtle message to our youth.Being an animal lover, I was also impressed with Jackson's commitment to Bud.

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