Bill Harley joins Walter and Arthur Davidson to risk their fortunes and livelihoods launching the now-iconic motorcycle company. Each has his own challenges to overcome, but they are united ... Read allBill Harley joins Walter and Arthur Davidson to risk their fortunes and livelihoods launching the now-iconic motorcycle company. Each has his own challenges to overcome, but they are united by their dreams and ambitions.Bill Harley joins Walter and Arthur Davidson to risk their fortunes and livelihoods launching the now-iconic motorcycle company. Each has his own challenges to overcome, but they are united by their dreams and ambitions.
- Awards
- 3 nominations total
Browse episodes
Featured reviews
Watched this as my dad used to own a Harley-Davidson Sportster, and partly as I got into period dramas no thanks to my American Girl collection, but I digress. Aramayo, Huisman and company did deliver something decent to the table, but my biggest beef was that while racing was a part of the company from the get-go, it seems to be given too much of an emphasis, and yet Big Bill Davidson was, in TV Tropes parlance, demoted to an extra even though he is a key founder in his own right.
I do understand that the racing subplots, and the Davidson brothers' alcohol-fueled fists of fury were weaved in for dramatic effect, but maybe the producers could've balanced it even more. Also, the original 1936 OHV wasn't referred to by the founders as the Knucklehead early on; it wasn't until the 60s where bikers referred to the engines by the shape of the valve covers, and the founders wouldn't certainly be up to presenting a Knucklehead prototype in front of outlaw racers.
I do understand that the racing subplots, and the Davidson brothers' alcohol-fueled fists of fury were weaved in for dramatic effect, but maybe the producers could've balanced it even more. Also, the original 1936 OHV wasn't referred to by the founders as the Knucklehead early on; it wasn't until the 60s where bikers referred to the engines by the shape of the valve covers, and the founders wouldn't certainly be up to presenting a Knucklehead prototype in front of outlaw racers.
This series was not meant to be a documentary, so historically inaccurate segments are expected. What it turned out to be is a fast moving (3 decades in three episodes) dramatization of the spirit of entrepreneur-ism, which accurately depicts many failures. I used this show as an example to my kids about how entrepreneurs and business people often fail, but those that succeed are the ones who continued to push in spite of the failures. These guys never gave up on the idea itself and never gave in to the setbacks and outright disasters along the way; the war, the great depression, personal illness, patent issues, failed designs, failed races, competition, money issues, etc. (many of which did happen). That is the true heart of entrepreneurship - even if some of the situations never occurred or were exaggerated. The spirit was there and you felt it throughout the entire series. Kudos...
As current owner of two Harley's and also two Indians, I really enjoyed this mini-series. The only complaint that I have is how Indian builder, George Hendee, was portrayed as kind of a pompous jerk. The truth is that Art Davidson and Hendee were not enemies but were close friends who visited each other at their homes and bonded over common interests in motorcycles and other things. Also, before each sales season, representatives of both companies would meet for a big meal and discuss each companies new models and discuss what they should charge for each new model. (Would be illegal "price fixing" today!) In addition, when Indian got in financial trouble before DuPont bought the company, Harley founders even had discussions on how to help Indian financially. And when Indian finally died, there was mourning in Milwaukee. All the Indian vs Harley "war" was mainly at the dealer level. And of course on the race track! Again, I really enjoyed this series!
Bill Harley, Arthur and Walter Davidson were real people who were responsible for the evolution of not only the Harley Davidson mototcycle but also were the genesis of many of the designs and motors of other motorcycle manufacturers who flourished over the past century. Both Mrs. Shullivan and I enjoyed this semi-autobiography of the Harely Davidson motorcycle manufacturers. Of course the producers took liberty with the time, dates, and sequence of some of the actual events but please remember the motorcycle, especially the Harley Davidson motorcycle(s) is a story of over half a century of engineering, evolution, business savvy, loyalty and true friendships. Try putting all that realistically into a few hours of screen time and at the same time make it as entertaining as this mini-series is.
This biography is both entertaining as well as information based even if the writers/director took liberties with actual events. Mrs. Shullivan and I quite enjoyed it. I give the mini-series a 7 out of 10 rating.
This biography is both entertaining as well as information based even if the writers/director took liberties with actual events. Mrs. Shullivan and I quite enjoyed it. I give the mini-series a 7 out of 10 rating.
As with all show business productions, the goal is to entertain and that is all I was looking for...to be entertained. To that end, I was! Others can pretend to be connoisseurs of entertainment production and pontificate as to the relative merits of plot, character development, etc., but I find that to be a ridiculous presumption of insight and unbridled arrogance. Just let this mini-series flow across the screen and simply enjoy it without trying to overthink it and you might find that it is very entertaining as a whole...I did, and when I heard that oh-so-familiar deep throated sound from the knucklehead's engine, it brought back many fond memories of road trips gone by! As with all reviews and reviewers, take them with a grain of salt and don't let anyone else try to tell you what to think. See the movie and make up your own mind!
Did you know
- TriviaAMF (American Machine and Foundry) owned Harley-Davidson from 1969 to 1981.
- How many seasons does Harley and the Davidsons have?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h(60 min)
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content