Backstairs at the White House

I, too, wish this was available on videotape! In 1979, I was teaching a Special Education class in rural Ohio when this series was aired. My students all arrived the following day of the first installment excited, asking many questions about what the first part had shown. They asked to "study history" just like the other regular classroom students. I borrowed eighth grade American History textbooks from one of the other regular classroom teachers, and we began an adventure that lasted for the remainder of the school year. My students rode the school bus carrying a regular textbook for the first time ever! Self-esteem soared, and we all had fun!

Veteran Television Music Composer Morton Stevens, ("Hawaii Five-O", "Police Woman") wrote an outstanding music score for this fine TV mini-series. It featured a beautiful main title theme that really set the tone for each episode. I join the other comments here in hoping that there will be a video release soon of this wonderful show.

This mini-series needs to be shown in all schools as well as homes during family viewing.

This was one of the BEST shows ever done and I can not wait until November when it gets released on DVD.

It would be nice to have commentaries by the actors who are still living included in the set.

After this series, there never has been another one that is even close to the class of Backstairs at the White House. This series was so fantastic on so many levels and yet, you never got bored ... on the contrary, you couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

Spanning fifty years and eight administrations, -Backstairs at the White House- is the story of the servants, mainly Americans of African descent, who work behind the scenes in the most famous household in the land. The story centers around two maids, mother Maggie and daughter Lillian, who literally spend their lives cleaning, polishing, and mending for the ever-changing employers. Their stories, intermingled with those of the other permanent staff as well as the first family, run the gamut from warmth, high comedy, to deep tragedy, with surprising moments of humanity glimpsed even through those who are most aloof. Like -Roots-, this miniseries is a glimpse at a long span of Americana rarely shown and mostly forgotten, rendered with intelligence, warmth, dignity, and a sense of character that are all too rare on television these days. If you can't see the miniseries, get Bagni/Dubov tie-in novel. It is well worth it.

This was a wonderful mini-series. I too, am puzzled as to why this was never released on video in one form or another. It was very popular when it was run on television. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend both of them, they are excellent. There are two out there, the one that Mrs. Parks wrote and one Gwen Bagini(?) and Mrs. Parks collaborated on that went along with the mini-series. The producers couldn't have picked a better cast to play the characters. They were all exemplary. The series was pretty accurate historically too, maybe that's why it was never released on video, it insulted someone some how. I too would like to add my voice to the growing number that want to see this mini-series released.