My calluses are from trimming sails. The Kennedys II, JFK to Joe Kennedy, 2011
I can’t do this. You want me to be Joe and I’m not. Well then save your money, for Christ sake. End it right now. I can’t win. I’ve been listening to this since I was four. ibid. JFK to Joe Kennedy
I want to go to Harvard. Teach history. Chase girls. ibid. JFK to aide
Am I the only one who understands politics round here? ibid. Joe Kennedy
Joe Kennedy raised his sons to take what they want, discard what they want, without a flicker of concern for anyone else. ibid. Mrs Bouvier to Jackie
Thank you, Bobby, for making my dream come true. ibid. Joe Kennedy
Just stay discreet. Wives don’t expect fidelity but they don’t want infidelity thrown in their faces. ibid. Joe Kennedy to Jack
Sometime you make me think I’ve failed as a father. ibid. Kennedy senior to Bobby
Jackie: You really think everyone can be bought?
Joe Kennedy: I haven’t met the exception.
Jackie: Well you have now. ibid.
I know you can be happy with him. And I’ll see to it that you are. ibid. Joe Kennedy to Jackie
I’ve had my private humiliations. But I won’t have them in front of the American people. ibid. Jackie to Jack
I believe they elected me president, not you. ibid. John to Joe Kennedy
Well I want it for him ... Bobby’s as smart as any of them, and he will jump under a train for you. The Kennedys III, father to son
I just question whether or not this will work. ibid. JFK to General
This is a new era. There is a New World Order, Mr Director. ibid. JFK
Their need for sexual conquest borders on addiction. ibid. Hoover to sidekick
All those men – they’re never coming home because of me. ibid. JFK to Jackie
You see the entire country as my confessional. ibid. JFK to Bobby
I believe in the inevitable defeat of communism throughout the word. ibid. JFK press conference
The men that we’ve married have great gifts and great flaws but they are the men that we’ve chosen. ibid. Rosie to Jackie
Phenobarbitone not helping, sir? The Kennedys IV, doctor to JFK
Methadone, Prednisone, Hydrocortisone, Gabapentin to relax the muscles, Metha-Testosterone ... ibid.
If that bastard comes after me or any of my people we got a problem. You tell him that. ibid. Sam Giancana
We are presiding over the moral decline of this nation. ibid. General to Bobby
Dad, we need to hear the truth from you. ibid. Bobby with Jackie to Joe
A tremendous ego. Get over it. I did ... He’s working for me. The Kennedys V, JFK to Bobby of Lyndon Johnson
They wouldn’t be where they are now if it wasn’t for you. ibid. Rosie to Joe
You are not a student or an employee of this university. You are a trespasser. ibid. Governor Wallace to black man
I know my daughter. She’ll get better. ibid. Joe, with Rosie, to nun
Send in the National Guard. ibid. JFK to Bobby
I’m a good girl. I’m a very good girl. ibid. Rosie junior to mother
My only regret is the wrong people died. ibid. Governor Wallace to JFK
It’s called a lobotomy. To calm her down a bit. ibid. Joe to Rosie
What have you done? ibid. Rosie to Joe
I don’t care if it’s horse piss; it works. The Kennedys VI, JFK to Jackie
I thought we had an agreement. ibid. Jackie to JFK
I’m not a kid any more, but I keep acting like one. ibid. JFK to Bobby
Both peace and freedom: God willing that goal will be achieved. ibid. JFK televised address
You’re daddy just saved the world. ibid. Jackie to daughter
Leave me some shred of dignity after what has been the unhappiest period of my life. The Kennedys VII, Lyndon Johnson to JFK
Nobody wonders what Lyndon & I wear. ibid. JFK in Dallas
Digging into Marilyn’s estate they found evidence linking her to John. ibid. Bobby to wife
Are you sure you’re Jack’s brother? ibid. Marilyn to Bobby
I live in the real world, Jack, where wives get upset when you visit Marilyn Monroe. ibid. Bobby to JFK
It’s over, Marilyn. You need to forget about Jack. ibid. Bobby
I’ll do everything I can to be the man you deserve. ibid. Bobby to wife
Nothing is too much for Joseph Patrick Kennedy. ibid. Rose to Ann, with Joe
Could you get me the correct wording? ibid. Lyndon to Bobby
Hovering over this sombre day the question still lingers: why was President Kennedy killed? Did Lee Harvey Oswald act alone? Or was he part of a larger conspiracy? The Kennedys VIII, TV news
Do they expect us to believe that he just walked in there and shot him like that? ibid. Bobby to wife
They killed my brother because of me. ibid.
You served our country with nobility and grace. ibid. LBJ to Jackie
Whatever needs to be done, Jackie, I will take care of you. ibid. Bobby
She [Jackie] needs family right now. She needs me now. ibid. Bobby to wife
1964 Hyannis Port: It’s now obvious that this is going to be a huge election victory for President Johnson over Senator Goldwater. Perhaps the largest landslide in American history. ibid. TV news
He [Bobby] rode in my coat-tails ... Bastard only used the Senate to come gunning for me in ’68. ibid. LBJ to aide
March 1968: I am announcing today my candidacy for the president of the United States. ibid. Bobby
My decision reflects no personal animosity or disrespect towards President Johnson. ibid.
I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. ibid. LBJ
This is the last election a Kennedy is going to lose. ibid. Bobby to aides
Jackie, you deserve to be happy. ibid. Bobby
I love you, Bobby. ibid. Jackie
The Kennedys: yes, they are all here. Including of course the lone gunman lurking in episode seven to fulfil his fateful role. Jonathan Freedland, The Kennedys: A Culture Show Special BBC 2011
But the mini-series has sparked a bitter war of words between its creators and those who regard it as an attack on the legacy of the Kennedy family. ibid.
But the road to Dealey Plaza has not been a smooth one. Even before the mini-series has been cast it was engulfed in controversy. ibid.
In January of this year the History channel in America announced it would not be airing the series. It has been shown on the History channel in the UK, and now on the BBC. ibid.
‘I think Joe is an extraordinarily powerful and unpleasant man.’ ibid. Professor Tony Badger, historian
25 May 1961: President Kennedy announced the ‘race to the moon’. ibid.
14 February 1962: Jackie Kennedy invites CBS television into the White House. ibid.
20 October 1962: Presidential broadcast on the Cuban Missile Crisis. ibid.
21 November 1963: President Kennedy in Houston, Texas. ibid.
‘He [JFK] is a Cold War president.’ ibid. Professor Tony Badger
‘He was certain he was going to be elected in ‘’64.’ ibid. Professor Tony Badger
‘What you’re left with of course is the sense of unfinished business and unfulfilled promise.’ ibid. John Sergeant
In August 1969 Teddy Kennedy and some friends headed off to the tiny island of Chappaquiddick, not far from Boston. They planned to spend a long weekend partying. It would be a typical Kennedy bash. Six married men and six single women. Conspiracies: The Kennedys