Winner 1987

LBJ: The Early Years

Louis Rudolph Films, NBC-TV

A few years ago, the Peabody Board offered advice to program producers about some of the perils of docudrama. The ability of this dramatic form to invent character traits, to restage events, and thereby to rewrite history was cited as being particularly, dangerous. The Board called on the artistic community to exercise great care in the production of docudramas. LBJ: The Early Years serves as a model for fulfilling the obligations of the docu-dramatist. Under the careful guidance of Executive Producer Louis Rudolph, Producers John Brice and Sandra Saxon Brice, and the directional excellence of Peter Werner, LBJ: The Early Years is marked by historical accuracy and personal insight. More than one member of the Peabody Board knew Mr. Johnson and was impressed with the precision of the characterizations by Randy Quaid and Patti LuPone (as Lady Byrd) and the veracity of the events portrayed in the three-hour program. For historical drama of clarity and importance, a Peabody to Louis Rudolph Films and NBC-TV, produced by Brice Productions in association with Fries Entertainment for LBJ: The Early Years.