Series: New Television Workshop
Program: Frank: A Vietnam Veteran
Date: 1981-01-01
Duration: 00:00:35

Subject: Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Interviews; Post-traumatic stress disorder
People: Simon, Fred
Copyright Holder: WGBH Educational Foundation

Clip Description
Fred Simon's intimate portrait of a Vietnam War veteran centers on Frank and his attempts to re-tell his experience during the conflict, and his life once the conflict was over. In this touching sequence, Frank talks about his feelings of guilt, and of wishing he had died during the conflict.

Program Description
This one-off special is the story of one Vietnam veteran -- his experiences in Vietnam, and what his life has been like since his return home more than ten years ago.

This is an intimate, black-and-white documentary consisting of edited, close-up shots of Frank telling his war and postwar experiences, with occasional still shots of photos of Frank as a soldier and civilian. Frank relates the personal feelings he experienced as a naval officer in combat in Vietnam, and his brushes with alcohol and drug abuse after Vietnam. He also describes his struggles with what is now known as posttraumatic stress disorder. Produced by Fred Simon and Vince Canzoneri. Directed by Fred Simon.

The "Television Workshop" created several shows that were broadcast on WGBH without being a part of a series sponsored specifically by the Workshop. Additionally, they were commissioned to create shows showcasing video art for national broadcast and created several shows in collaboration with existing series at other stations, such as WNET's "American Playhouse."

Series Description
The New Television Workshop originated at WGBH, a public broadcasting station in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1974 to support the creation and development of experimental video art. This experimental programming included dance, drama, music, performance and visual arts on video and film. As early as 1968, WGBH was committed to the development of video art through residency programs, with artists such as Nam June Paik, and the "Rockefeller Artists-in-Television" project. Many of these early works (pre-1974) were broadcast both locally and nationally.

As an umbrella for arts related programming, the Workshop included "Artist's Showcase, " "Frames of Reference, " "Dance for Camera, " "Poetry Breaks," and "New Television," as well as acquired arts programming. Individual works were created for "Visions," a series produced by WNET (New York), and "Alive From Off Center," a series produced by KTCA (St. Paul - Minneapolis). The Contemporary Art Television (CAT) Fund was co-founded by the Workshop and Boston's Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) in the 1980's, to commission works by video artists. In 1993 the Workshop ceased production at WGBH.

See also: http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/NTW/FA/TITLES/Frank191.HTML