American Experience S18E10 · The Boy in the Bubble

Overview

The absorbing story of David Vetter (1971-84), who had severe combined immunodeficiency and lived inside a sterile plastic chamber for 12 years. Included: comments from his mother, Carol Ann Vetter Demaret; and from doctors, who discuss their feelings about the use of the plastic chamber. Also: examinations of the boy's birth and his death, which occurred following a bone-marrow transplant from his sister.

Torrents

Subtitles

Episodes

1. 1 1. Two Days in October2005-10-17 · 55m"Two Days in October" recalls two 1967 events -- a Vietcong ambush and a violent antiwar demonstration at the University of Wisconsin -- that together marked a turning point in Ame
2. 2 2. Race to the Moon2005-10-31 · 55m"Race to the Moon" chronicles Apollo 8, the first voyage to the moon. "It was an event beyond all other events," says Walter Cronkite of the December 1968 mission, which laid the g
3. 3 3. Las Vegas: An Unconventional History (1): Sin City2005-11-14 · 55mThe story of the gambling mecca is told via news clips and reminiscences. Part 1 of 2
4. 4 4. Las Vegas: An Unconventional History (2): American Mecca2005-11-15 · 55mNews clips and reminiscences tell the story of the gambling mecca, from a dusty railroad town to a leading tourist attraction. Part 2 of 2
5. 5 5. John and Abigail Adams2006-01-23 · 55mAn engrossing portrait of the second U.S. president and first lady, costars Simon Russell Beale and Linda Emond. Included: the friendship (and enmity) between John Adams and Thomas
6. 6 6. The Nuremberg Trials2006-01-30 · 55mA gripping study of the groundbreaking prosecution, which began Nov. 20, 1945, as Nazi Germany's leaders were held accountable for war crimes, infamously blamed on "following order
7. 7 7. Jesse James2006-02-06 · 55mA striking profile of the outlaw (1847-82) is told through reenactments, comments from historians and archival photographs. The hour traces James' life from age 16 to his death at
8. 8 8. Hijacked2006-02-25 · 55mA look at the coordinated hijacking of four jetliners in 1970 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which blew up the evacuated planes in Jordan. Included: the mili
9. 9 9. Eugene O'Neill2006-03-21 · 55mAn absorbing profile of the esteemed playwright (1888-1953). Included: excerpts from his plays are performed by Al Pacino, Zoe Caldwell, Christopher Plummer, Vanessa Redgrave, Liam
10. 10 10. The Boy in the Bubble2006-04-10 · 55mThe absorbing story of David Vetter (1971-84), who had severe combined immunodeficiency and lived inside a sterile plastic chamber for 12 years. Included: comments from his mother,
11. 11 11. The Alaska Pipeline2006-04-24 · 55mThe history of the Alaska Pipeline, which was built in the 1970s to transport oil across 800 miles of pristine wilderness, from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. Included: the 1968 discovery
12. 12 12. Annie Oakley2006-05-08 · 55mAn on-target profile of the sharpshooter (1860-1926) who was “the first American woman ever to become a superstar.” Included: Oakley, at 15, winning a shooting match with future hu
13. 13 13. The Man Behind Hitler2006-05-22 · 55mA profile of Joseph Goebbels (1897-45), who helped launch Hitler's rise to power. Kenneth Branagh provides voice-over readings of Goebbels' personal diaries. Included: footage from