Horatio's Drive: America's First Road Trip

2003
8| 1h47m| en
Details

In the spring of 1903, on a whim and a fifty-dollar bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car hoping to become the first person to cross the United States in the new-fangled "horseless carriage." Most people doubted that the automobile had much of a future. Jackson's trip would prove them wrong.

Director

Producted By

Florentine Films

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Reviews

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Matthew-Wills I was especially interested in this film when I heard Burns was doing it, first from the standpoint of a Vermonter, second from the standpoint of having heard from my grandfather how his father had taken him out to watch as Nelson passed through Poughkeepsie on the last leg of the trip, following what is now Route 9 from Albany to New York. An excellent film, providing an outstanding depiction of what things were like before the automobile became the center of our lives.
saulkeshen Watch this movie and realize... we take the car for granted, but it wasn't always this way. Some cars had the steering wheel on the left some on the right, more cars were propelled by steam or electricity than by gas. Most had no tops nor windshields.There were no gas stations, no road signs and, well, actually not much in the way of roads. This film includes rare footage as well as original letters and photos from the period and is a fascinating look at an amazing period of time.I caught it on late night television one night and just had to see it again.
Tom-207 There's something that's just so amiable and adventurous about this documentary about a doctor from the state of Vermont who wanted to be the first to drive an automobile from the West to the East Coast. He's an amateur who buys his own vehicle and personally funds most of his other expenses as well. He's challenged by a team sponsored by an auto maker.Somehow, Ken Burns finds just the right mix of archival and location footage to make it all a grand and very real adventure, an accomplishment given the limited resources with which he had to work.And then there's Bud, the dog who accompanied them, and for whom they fitted his own pair of driving goggles.
tgraffli This movie clearly illustrates the inspiring determination that made our country great. I felt every bump in the road with Hanks narration and, having traveled a similar route in our modern age, felt the frustration of not being able to find a gas station or garage when one was needed. (Of course, my travels made Jackson's determination even more amazing.)I think that this documentary should be viewed in all the school across the country as we seem to be short on determination and commitment in our society. This brings a subtle message to our youth.Being an animal lover, I was also impressed with Jackson's commitment to Bud.